Chapter 34 Lina
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Lina
The moment the words left my mouth, chaos erupted.
“Absolutely not,” Noah growled, stepping in front of me like he could physically block me from doing this. “You’re injured. You’re human. You can’t fight a wolf in single combat.”
“She’s right,” Cole added, his voice tight. “This is insane, Lina. Let us handle this. We have them surrounded. We can-”
“And risk them hurting the babies?” I shook my head, pushing past Noah. “No. This is the only way to guarantee they hand them over safely.”
Ryder moved to block my path, his expression hard. “Knox would never forgive us if we let you do this. He would never forgive himself.”
“Knox isn’t conscious right now,” I said flatly. “And even if he was, this would still be my choice to make.”
Jackson Bennett watched the argument with cool detachment, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He didn’t offer an opinion either way. This wasn’t his fight. His only interest was in dragging his wayward daughter back to Shadowcrest.
Mary and Mira were watching too, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. They thought they had already won.
They were wrong.
“I’m doing this,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m the Luna of this pack. I made the challenge and I’m going to see it through. If I back down now, what does that say about me? What does that say about Ravenshollow?”
The wolves around me shifted uncomfortably.
They didn’t like it, but they understood.
In their world, backing down from a challenge was the same as admitting weakness.
If I walked away now, I would lose their respect.
Worse, I would prove Mary right. I would prove that I was just a weak little human who didn’t deserve to stand beside their Alpha.
I wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.
Noah’s jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscles jumping beneath his skin. But he stepped aside.
“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But if things go sideways, we’re stepping in. Challenge be damned.”
I nodded, accepting that compromise. Then I turned to face Mary and Mira.
“Before we start, the babies need to be handed over to neutral parties. They shouldn’t be anywhere near this fight.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How do I know you won’t just take them and attack us anyway?”
“I gave you my word,” I said, meeting her gaze without flinching. “I’m Ravenshollow’s Luna. Until we end this challenge, you’re protected. Both of you.”
Mira lifted an eyebrow, looking skeptical. But she didn’t argue. Maybe she saw something in my face that convinced her I was serious. Or maybe she just wanted to see Mary tear me apart and didn’t want to risk ruining the show.
Noah and Cole approached slowly, their arms extended, making their intentions clear. They weren’t attacking. They were just there to take the children.
Mary hesitated, her grip tightening on Blake for a moment. My heart stopped. If she refused, if she decided to use my daughter as leverage-
But then she shoved Blake into Noah’s arms and stepped back, a cruel smile twisting her lips.
“Take her,” Mary said. “She won’t be yours for much longer anyway.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Blake was safe. Blake was with Noah, who was already moving away from the combat zone, cradling my baby girl against his chest. I could see him making silly faces at her, trying to calm her down, and the sight made something in my chest loosen.
One baby safe. One to go.
Cole reached for Thomas, but Mira pulled back, keeping the baby out of his reach.
“No,” she said, her voice flat. “I’m not giving him to you.”
Cole’s expression flickered with pain, but he controlled it quickly. “Mira. Please. He’s my son.”
“And he’s staying with me until this is over.” Mira’s claws were still extended, still too close to Thomas’s small body. “You can stand right here and watch him if you want. But I’m not letting him go.”
For a moment, I thought Cole was going to argue. Going to try to take Thomas by force. But then his shoulders slumped and he nodded, moving to stand beside Mira instead of retreating to a safe distance.
It wasn’t ideal. But at least Blake was out of danger. At least I could focus on the fight without worrying about my daughter being hurt.
“Are there any rules?” Mary asked, circling around me like a predator sizing up prey.
“No,” I said, turning to keep her in my line of sight. “The fight ends when one of us yields.”
Mary’s smile widened, showing too many teeth. “Perfect.”
Then she shifted.
The transformation happened fast, her body twisting and reshaping in a blur of motion. Bones cracked and reformed. Fur erupted across her skin. Within seconds, the woman who had tormented my family for so long was gone, replaced by a wolf.
She wasn’t as big as Knox’s wolf form, or even Noah’s. A medium-sized wolf with reddish-brown fur and eyes that burned with hatred. But she was still a wolf. Still had claws and fangs and supernatural strength that I couldn’t hope to match.
Ah, shit.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, centering myself. Remembering everything Noah and Hunt had taught me during those training sessions I’d thought were pointless at the time. Remembering the moves Knox had shown me over the months, the ways to use an opponent’s strength against them.
I could do this. I had to do this.
The vest was still strapped to my chest, protecting my vital organs. As long as I kept her away from my neck and head, I could survive whatever she threw at me. Probably.
Mary lunged.
She was fast, faster than I expected, her massive form hurtling toward me with teeth bared. I barely managed to dodge, throwing myself to the side, feeling the rush of air as her jaws snapped shut inches from my shoulder.
I hit the ground hard and rolled, coming up with the knife in my hand. Mary had already turned, preparing for another attack, but she hesitated when she saw the blade.
She hadn’t expected me to be armed.
Good.
Mary charged again, trying to knock me down with her bulk. I sidestepped and slashed with the knife, feeling the blade catch on her flank, slicing through fur and flesh. She yelped and spun away, blood dripping onto the grass.
First blood to me.
Mary’s eyes narrowed, reassessing. She’d thought this would be easy. Now she realized I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
She came at me more carefully this time, feinting left before darting right. I tried to dodge but she was too fast, her claws raking across my thigh. Pain exploded through my leg, hot and immediate, blood soaking through my pants.
I slashed at her again, catching her across the shoulder. She snarled in fury, more blood matting her fur.
We circled each other, both of us bleeding now, both of us hurting. My arm was screaming from the rogue attack earlier, and every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body. But I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t give up.
Blake was counting on me. Thomas was counting on me. Part of my pack was watching, waiting to see if their human Luna could hold her own.
Mary lunged again, and I managed to dodge most of it, but her claws caught my hip, tearing through fabric and skin. I bit back a scream and drove the knife into her side, feeling it sink into muscle before she wrenched away.
We were both a mess now. Blood ran down my thigh and hip, staining my clothes dark. Mary had wounds on her flank, shoulder, and side, all of them bleeding freely.
From somewhere off to my left, I heard Mira’s voice, dripping with contempt.
“Pathetic,” she called out. “Did she really think she could beat Mary? A wolf against a human? This is embarrassing to watch.”
I ignored her, keeping my focus on Mary.
The wolf circled me again, limping slightly from the wound in her side. Her movements were slower now, more cautious. But she was still dangerous. Still a predator looking for an opening.
She found one.
Mary lunged low, going for my legs instead of my torso. I tried to jump back but I wasn’t fast enough. Her weight slammed into me, driving me to the ground. The knife flew from my grip, skittering across the dirt, too far away to reach.
Mary’s paws pinned my shoulders, her massive wolf face inches from mine, saliva dripping from her jaws onto my cheek. She threw her head back and howled in triumph, the sound echoing across the clearing.
Movement at the edge of my vision caught my attention. Through the crowd of wolves surrounding us, I saw a figure pushing through. Pale and bloody, one arm hanging awkwardly, but upright. Awake.
Knox.
His gray eyes met mine across the distance, and I saw horror written across his face. He tried to move forward, tried to reach me, but Hunt was there, holding him back, whispering urgently in his ear.
I had closed the bond before the fight started, not wanting him to feel my pain, not wanting to distract him from healing. But now, seeing him there, watching, I reached through that connection and sent him everything I had.
Love. Strength. A promise that this wasn’t over yet.
He sent love back, and worry, so much worry it nearly choked me. But underneath that, I felt something else. Faith. He believed in me. Even pinned beneath a wolf twice my size, bleeding and battered, he believed I could win.
I wasn’t going to let him down.
Mary was still howling above me, celebrating her victory too soon, too caught up in her own triumph to notice that I wasn’t as helpless as I seemed.
My hand crept toward my belt, where the taser was still clipped.
I brought my knee up hard, slamming it into Mary’s underbelly with all the strength I could muster. She yelped in surprise, her weight shifting just enough for me to twist out from under her.
Noah had taught me this move. How to use an opponent’s momentum against them, how to escape from a pin, how to turn defense into offense. Thank god for brothers-in-law.