He was also a guy who liked to go for the face and chest. Ryan’s jaw throbbed from the hard blows it had taken. His ear burned from when Remy had tried to bite it off. And his T-shirt was wet with blood and sweat.
Still, Ryan had been training since he was a child. He knew how to block pain, knew every weak spot on a human body, and knew how to defend just as well as attack. Remy, however, wasn’t so good at defense—Ryan had pounced on that weakness. Which was why Remy was in no better shape than him.
“I don’t know many enforcers who’d take on an Alpha.” Remy licked his split lip. “I guess you’re a little pissed that I sold Makenna’s identity to the extremists.”
Ryan really wasn’t sure why the guy kept talking. He actually didn’t mind that Remy was doing his best to taunt him. Talking meant he found it hard to keep his breathing steady. Besides, Ryan knew better than to let emotions, worries, or pain distract him. So he’d kept his anger in check. Didn’t let himself dwell on how this bastard had stolen the innocence of children, or on how he was made from the same cloth of the males who had hurt Zac.
The only thing concerning Ryan, the only thing capable of distracting him, was that he could feel his mate was half feral. Sure, it would give her an edge. It could also make her ignore her smarts. Lead her to make mistakes. Mistakes meant losing. Losing meant death. That wasn’t acceptable to Ryan.
“She should have stayed out of this,” Remy went on. “That was all she had to do. You should have stayed out of it too. Did you know that while you’re here fighting me, young Zac’s old Alpha is leading an army of wolves to your territory?” His smirk fell when Ryan lashed out, carving deep grooves in his chest. “You do know. How?”
Ryan’s only response was to aim a punch at his opponent’s nose. Remy jerked back, avoiding the blow. Then he came at Ryan with claws and fists again. His wolf was raring to surface and tear Remy apart. He wanted to destroy this male who had put his mate in danger and led Zac’s old pack right to him. The scent of blood mixed with the corruption and cruelty that wafted from Remy only increased his wolf’s thirst for vengeance.
A hard kick from Remy caught Ryan’s thigh. He grunted as Remy’s heel raked over what was sure to be a fucking colorful bruise. Makenna would be pissed. Pumped up on adrenalin, Ryan only felt a quarter of the pain. He retaliated by snapping out his leg, booting Remy’s side. Something cracked and the breath whooshed out of Remy.
The Alpha’s eyes flashed wolf. “Son of a bitch.” Remy tore off his jeans and shifted forms. He was fast.
So was Ryan.
The wolves crashed into each other in a fury of teeth and claws. The dark wolf had hungered for this. Longed to confront and battle this male who would have seen his mate dead. He was merciless. Vicious. Stabbed his claws deep into his opponent’s sides.
The gray wolf snarled and tore a strip out of the dark wolf’s flank. Blood soaked his fur, filled his nose. But the dark wolf didn’t back off. He fought harder.
He sank his teeth down into the gray wolf’s shoulder and shook him. His fangs tore through skin and muscle. Scraped bone. Made satisfaction flood the dark wolf. He didn’t want to defeat his opponent. Didn’t want him to submit. He wanted him dead. Wanted more of the gray’s wolf blood on his tongue.
Chests heaving, the wolves fiercely fought again. Growling. Snarling. Clawing. Biting. Body slamming. The Alpha was strong like his human side. Ruthless and without honor. So it didn’t take the dark wolf by surprise when dominant, oppressive vibes slammed into him. Vibes that tried to force him to submit.
The dark wolf shook his head in an effort to shake off the weight pressing down on him. He would not submit. He would not lose. But the pressure was heavy and thick, it—
Wolves burst into the room, growling and snarling. The dark wolf recognized their scents, knew some were his pack mates. The sight distracted the gray wolf, made his vibes ease away. The dark wolf took advantage and barreled into him. He wrestled the Alpha onto his back, pinned him there and—
“NO!”
A hard force slammed into the dark wolf, knocking him off the Alpha. The dark wolf slid along the floor and hit the wall with a thud. The man within the animal pushed hard for supremacy, and the wolf didn’t have the strength to resist.
Ryan got to his feet, ready to fight off the crazed female baring down on him. He didn’t have to. A growled, “Not a fucking chance, bitch!” was followed by Selene crashing to the ground as a weight hit her back and took her down. Makenna.
“This time,” snarled Makenna, fisting the female’s hair and yanking up her head, “you won’t get up.” She sliced the female’s throat open, just as Selene had done to Colton.
“Selene!” The agonized cry came from Remy, who was back in his human form. He crawled to the female, slipping in her blood.