Moreland, one of Church’s men, knelt beside him. “I’ll take her to Church; he knows healing magic.”
“There’s no time,” Austin said through clenched teeth.
“The road’s a twenty-minute walk, but I can half that.”
Judas remained still, and Austin was uncertain if he was contemplating escape. Alphas didn’t shoot each other in the back; there was no honor in that, especially with so many witnesses.
Moreland gripped his shoulder. “I’ll call Church and tell him where to meet us.”
“I don’t want her going back to his place,” Austin said. “That’s time lost. Take her to my house, and call Edward Graves.”
“The Relic?” he asked to confirm.
Austin nodded.
Lexi cried out, seemingly in more pain from her belly than the bullet that had gone through her clavicle.
“Shhh, baby. It’s okay.” He soothed her, stroking her cheek with his hand. He wanted to say he was going to protect her, but he’d already fucked that up.
His mind scrambled, and he finally shouted, “Katharine!”
His mother was the only one he could trust. She had delivered babies and healed enough wounds that he was confident she might be able to help.
Austin’s mother appeared and quickly said, “You need to stop the bleeding.”
“Go with Moreland. He’s taking her home and calling the Relic. Stay with Lexi until I make it back.”
He bent down and pressed a chaste kiss to Lexi’s mouth. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could say, tears streaking down his nose and wetting her cheek. “Please forgive me.”
“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded, clutching his arm.
Seeing her this way decimated him, as if he were standing on the ashes of a dream from long ago. Austin had succumbed to his animal spirit, and faster than a heartbeat, he shifted to wolf form.
He turned, a deadly growl erupting from his lungs and settling in his throat. The humid air smelled of fresh blood, aging oak, muddy clay, and frightened rogues.
His wolf sensed the alpha in front of him as the enemy. Judas dropped his gun and, in a dramatic swirl, shifted into a magnificent silver wolf, just like Lexi’s. Only his was pure silver, absent of dark markings.
In Austin’s peripheral, he saw a Vampire delivering a crushing blow to a rogue before walking out of sight. Austin communicated to his wolf that these men were allies and fighting alongside their pack, and part of that was done through emotion and visual association.
Judas’s wolf crouched low, his tail straight and sharp fangs pronounced under the moonlight.
Austin stepped forward, the pads of his front paws sinking into the soft dirt, keeping his focus on Judas, even though in the back of his mind he knew they were carrying Lexi off. If his wolf got distracted, Judas would move in for the kill.
They simultaneously vaulted toward each other, colliding midair in a crash of raw power.
Austin bit down on Judas’s back, his teeth piercing through flesh and releasing hot blood to taint that silver fur. It filled his mouth, and now he had the taste of vengeance on his tongue.
He propelled himself forward using his hind legs, struggling to knock the wolf off-balance and onto his back. Judas went for his throat, and Austin slipped around him.
Austin growled and barked at once—a warning.
A threat.
A promise.
They unleashed their rage, slamming into each other and rearing up on their hind legs to get at each other’s throats, hoping to latch on to ensure victory. Austin bit a chunk of his ear, and it ripped. Judas’s wolf retaliated, ducking down and chomping into his front leg so viciously that teeth scraped against bone.
Austin yelped and wrenched away before Judas went for his belly and did some serious damage. As they circled each other, Austin observed his enemy’s wounds. Judas was bleeding from his right ear, and some of that blood was dribbling into his eye, causing him to shake his head and paw at his face.
Head wounds could lead to fatal mistakes. When blood gets into the eyes, it becomes difficult to see. Not only that, but it will scare a wolf to taste and smell his own blood, creating skittish behavior.
Before Judas had time to regain his confidence, Austin attacked. When he chewed through fur and punctured into flesh, he shook savagely and unmercifully.
Judas’s wolf attempted to bite Austin’s side, but his fur was too dense, and Judas lost his grip.
Voices shouted around them, and it was then that Austin noticed a slow gathering. He recognized a few faces watching, and his heart swelled with pride that they must be winning the battle.
Austin lost his balance and flipped into the water, immediately rising to his feet as Judas shifted to heal.
Bastard.
Austin charged out of the water toward Judas with an unflinching determination to take him down no matter what form he chose. The alpha had broken the unspoken rule about healing during a challenge; alphas fought with honor, a quality that often set them apart from other Shifters.
Judas swung his left arm and struck Austin’s snout. A burst of pain radiated through his skull, and he shook his head, briefly disoriented.