Chapter 40 Tobias
TOBIAS
My thoughts are scattered as I leap from one person to the next, logic and reason unable to take root. Every movement is foreign; every leap is pure instinct.
I attack anyone who moves, teeth gnashing at anything they can reach. Sounds pour from my mouth that I never knew a fox could make. I sink my teeth into the next enemy, scraping bone. Before they can react, I move on to the next. Anyone and everyone is the enemy.
“Tobias, stop!” someone shouts, but it only urges me forward.
Can’t stop. Won’t stop.
Must. Save. My. Family.
Fire erupts in a tree nearby, embers swirling into the sky.
A hand grabs my back and tosses me into the air. I twirl and land on my feet, lips peeling back. Crouching low, I prepare to spring on my next victim when a sharp yelp pierces my ears.
The tether in my chest snaps painfully tight. I feel it in my toes.
The world blurs as I turn in that direction. I can’t see anything through the chaos, can only feel the desperate pull—his pull.
I don’t remember deciding to move. One heartbeat I’m crouched and ready, the next I’m running in the opposite direction, my paws kicking up mud and blood. I fly through the battle zone, dodging smoke and limbs and boots with every step. The taste of blood is still hot on my tongue, my vision red.
My body knows before my brain does: my mate is in trouble.
Something inside me snaps the moment I see them. Every last shred of mercy evaporates.
Rip has Rowen in his arms, squeezing him and lifting him off the ground like a doll. Rowen’s paws thrash uselessly. The sounds he makes aren’t fierce—they’re full of pain. He’s struggling to breathe.
The fox in me takes complete control.
I launch myself at them, hitting Rip’s back so hard we tumble forward, fur and limbs tangling. He rolls with it, stronger than I expected. I sink my teeth into his arm and taste blood—foul and corrupted.
Tossing Rowen aside, Rip slams me down, eyes burning with rage.
I twist and bite behind his knee, feeling the slimy give of tendon between my teeth. He grabs my scruff and hurls me aside like a toy. I skid across the ground, dirt and rock cutting into my skin.
“Who are you?” Rip sneers, head cocked to the side. His lethal eyes narrow as we circle each other.
Ah, so he didn’t know I was a half-blood. Good.
Heat flares on my shoulder, so intense I nearly yelp. I sense light breaking out through my fur, casting an eerie red glow across the ground.
Rip shakes his head. “No. That’s not—you weren’t a shifter!”
I circle him, teeth bared.
Rip’s fangs flash white in the moonlight. He’s staring at me in disbelief and loathing. Like he’s trying to figure out how he missed that I have shifter blood.
When I snap at him, he laughs. “You think you can defeat me, Tobias?”
I used to flinch every time he said my name at the club, wishing I had never met him. Now it barely fazes me. This man has no power over me. Not anymore.
I snarl.
“You think that little body can stop me?”
I lunge again, low to the ground this time.
His steel-toed boot sends me flying. I hit a fallen wolf and scramble back up.
My lungs heave, and pain explodes in my ribs.
But as we lock eyes again, the world narrows to only him.
His dangerous smirk, the blood on his mouth that smells too much like Rowen, Rowen’s limp form behind him.
Something hot ignites under my skin. Not fire. Not magic. But an all-consuming rage.
The air warps around me, distorting everything. I feel it in my bones—the way he pulls at the bond connecting us. I can no longer hear him in my head. Can no longer feel him, not in the way he’s tortured me for days.
But clearly, he still has some control. My feet move forward without my command.
I fight it, pushing back at the force with every ounce of strength in me. It only makes him try harder. He seems genuinely confused, like I should be rolling over for a belly rub or something.
Doesn’t he get it? I’m not that weak little human anymore. I never was.
I’m a half-blood.
I’m not someone he can feed from anymore. Someone he can control or manipulate. And I’m done playing his games.
He won’t ever hurt me again. Or my family.
Sage lands at his feet, distracting him just long enough for me to take my chance.
Lunging for him, I sink my teeth deep into the side of his throat and hold on.
I feel blood against my muzzle, hear his choked breaths.
He screams and tries to wrench me off, but I growl and bite harder, refusing to let go.
I thrash my head until I hear the first tear of flesh—music to my ears.
I jerk again, blood splattering all across my chest and legs.
Rip stumbles, clawing at me and ripping into my shoulder with his fangs. The bite doesn’t hurt like it used to—now it only fuels the rage. Never. Again. Asshole!
I bite again and again, reclaiming my freedom bit by bit.
Magic flares within me, red light cracking across my vision.
Heat burns under my skin, spanning out to my toes.
I smell my fur burning, feel my shoulder searing as if the brand is new all over again.
The pain is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before—consuming.
My inner wolf screams as his poisoned hold over me tries to force the magic back in.
But the more he tries, the faster his strength wanes.
Images flash in my mind too quick for me to make sense of—a long brick hallway, arched entryways, a strange puddle on the floor. They vanish as fast as they appear. Then the red light turns into a brilliant white, spanning out across the entire field.
Rip chokes, giving one last vain effort to push me off.
It’s now or never.
With one last thrash of my head, Rip’s throat finally gives way. His scream cuts off, wet and final, before we hit the ground together. I scramble away, staring over his limp body and catching my breath.
Then silence.
Almost.
The rest of the world filters back in, quick and unforgiving. Screams and fire, wolves snapping, the stench of burning. Above it all, Jericho says something I can’t understand. A second later, the sharp whistle of wind above me, then heat.
A burning sphere the size of a baseball hits Rip’s corpse in the chest, and flames roar across Rip’s body.
I heave as I watch him burn, heart pounding wildly.
I did it. He’s dead.
Rip is dead.
Jericho is standing a few feet away, his hands blazing. His eyes meet mine—bright and terrified, yet heavy with relief. He opens his mouth to say something, but I can’t hear him through the surrounding chaos.
The world spins. I stumble backward, my paws slipping on mud. Rip’s body is gone now, nothing but ash. His sick hold over me is gone. Now all I feel is…
The tether in my chest shudders.
Rowen.
I snap my head toward him, only a dozen feet away. He’s barely moving, and in the dark, I can’t tell if he’s breathing. The smell of his blood hits me like a blow.
I creep closer, my sides aching with every breath. The fires behind me hiss and crackle. When I reach him, he’s still breathing, but it’s shallow. One of his ribs looks wrong, and his fur is matted, dark with blood. But he’s alive.
I press my nose to his paw, almost too afraid to touch him. He stirs weakly, a broken noise leaving his throat. His eyes flutter open for half a second.
Toby?
The sound is strange, tickling my brain, yet it’s definitely him.
I whine, unsure how to speak back. My heart breaks at how frail he is.
I startle when red light flashes from the other end of the field. Three bright red portals appear out of thin air. Orem steps through one, followed by three vampires. They disappear in an instant.
My whole body is trembling. The blood, the fire, the screams — they all crash into me at once. Oh, gods.
I jump when someone runs by, certain they’re coming for me. The pack must be terrified of me now. Angry. I hurt so many of them…
I take a step back. Another.
Jericho shouts an order, and someone drags a deceased wolf away. I can’t focus on any of it. The air is too thick now, too hot. The smell of burning flesh is everywhere. I feel it clinging to me, crawling under my skin.
I shake my head. I can’t be here. No, I can’t. They’re going to lock me away.
Rowen whimpers, his gaze finding me in the dark. He’s pleading with me, confused, but I’m frozen—my chest too tight, my skin too hot. Too wrong. The fox takes over again before I can stop it.
I bolt.
Shame fills me, quickly followed by sadness. Everyone looks at me like I’m a monster as I tear across the field. Maybe I am. I hurt dozens. Maybe even killed some.
But I killed Rip.
My breath catches. I can’t decide if it’s relief or horror twisting my gut. Is he really gone? Is it really over?
The fox stirs again. He wants to keep moving, keep running until the scent fades. But at the same time, I can’t abandon my mate. I need to make sure Rowen’s alive, to tell him I’m sorry, that I didn’t mean to hurt him. I didn’t mean to choke him.
My legs don’t cooperate. I curl under a bush and hide my face with my tail.
Gods. What will Rowen think about all this? Will he hate me even more now? Not only did I try to kill him, but I may have killed some of his pack. His friends. I can’t even remember attacking them, only that I did.
I’m so sorry, Rowen.
A long time passes—hours maybe—until I hear a soft rustle in the forest behind me. My body stiffens, instincts screaming to flee. But a warm, gentle tug at my heart steadies me.
Rowen.
I can feel him before I see him, his presence, heavy and steady, brushing the edge of my mind like a heartbeat. That’s new. He’s never been in my mind like that before. Only the tether at my heart. Because of Rip, maybe? Or maybe it’s a shifter thing?
I crawl out from under the bush, and there he is, padding between the trees like a massive shadow. His dark eyes lock on me, making me shudder and fold. I curl up, unsure of what to expect.
He’s far more beautiful than I remember. And far more terrifying, towering over me like a dangerous statue.
He takes a slow step forward, as if trying not to spook prey. Which—let’s be honest—is exactly what I look like to him. I’m not even a third of his size.
Hey, beautiful.
His voice tickles the edges of my mind again, and I shake my head, pawing at my ears.
Rowen chuckles softly. It’ll feel weird at first. You’ll get used to it. It’s how shifters speak. Just think your words and I’ll hear them.
I stare at him, dumbfounded. You… came for me?
He stops only a few feet away. Of course I came. You really thought I wouldn’t?
I lower my head, ears flat. I hurt your family, Ro. Friends. I hurt… you. Nearly killed you, is what I don’t say.
That wasn’t you, Toby. You and I both know that. The pack knows that. And what you did in that fight wasn’t hurting anyone. You were protecting us. It’s over. Rip is dead. You’re free.
He must not’ve seen me attacking the wolves, then.
As he moves closer, his scent wraps around me like a warm blanket—fresh pine, warm cinnamon, and something that just feels like home. It short-circuits everything logical in me. My tail flicks in a gentle wag.
Every movement seems to cost him as Rowen leans down and touches his muzzle to my forehead. The contact wrecks me. I make a broken sound, somewhere between a sob and a chitter, and press into him before I can stop myself.
I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m so, so sorry, Rowen. I never meant—
Shh. It’s okay. He nuzzles me gently, rumbling low in his chest. It vibrates through my whole body, grounding me. I circle around him, rubbing against his legs.
Rowen lowers himself to the ground, and I instantly curl against his ribs. He winces, pain flaring through our bond.
Shit! I’m sorry.
He stops me before I can pull away, curling his large head around my neck like he needs this as much as I do. Don’t leave. He licks me once on my neck. I shifted a couple of times before coming to you. I’ll be fine.
I ease closer, careful not to press too hard. I never would’ve hurt you, Rowen. I wouldn’t—
A soft whine escapes me, and he licks my face.
I know, hon. It’s okay. We’re okay. I promise.
Strange sounds come from me as I sob. How can something so small feel so many big emotions? I’m going to fall apart.
We stay like that for a while, the rain pattering around us. I can’t bring myself to move. Every time I close my eyes, I see flashes—Rip’s arms crushing Rowen from behind, Evan’s terrified face as I bite into someone, Jasmine’s horror as I lunge for her.
Rowen.
It feels like I’ve shattered everything I love. How will they ever forgive me?
I bury my face into his fur. You should go back to them. They need you.
I needed you more.
Something in me cracks. Rowen continues to lick me, cleansing me of the dirt and blood from the fight. Caring for me like a mate. It’s unfathomable that he’s even here after all I’ve done.
I’m not going anywhere, Toby. I promise.
He sends soothing waves through our bond, calming me. I nestle against him, my head buried under my tail. Between his warmth, the exhaustion of the day, and Rowen’s tenderness, I fall asleep within minutes.