Chapter 41 #2
She’s let me off the leash and now I’m free to rip her useless father to shreds.
“You’re nothing, Bastan. Even the girl who thinks she's your daughter doesn’t respect you,” I sigh, cracking my knuckles as I stare at the man I’m about to annihilate.
“You tried to break her, but she’s stronger than you’ll ever be.
You’re so pathetic you can’t even accept that she’s better than you. In every fucking way.”
His sneer falters and I step closer, pressing my advantage as his mask slips for a moment.
“She’s more of an Alpha than you ever were and she isn’t yours.
She’s mine. Always has been, always will be.
And I’ll tear you apart before I ever let you lay a finger on her again.
” My voice is a vicious snarl, fists clenched and itching for a fight.
Lawson’s been waiting a long time for this moment and he smirks, ready for what’s coming.
“You’re fucking pathetic, Bastan, and I’m going to enjoy every single second of this. ”
The rage in his eyes blazes, a dark fire that matches the fury roaring through my own veins. His muscles twitch, his wolf bristling beneath his skin, and I know he’s seconds away from shifting.
He thinks he has a fucking chance.
The cunt’s more delirious than I thought and I smirk as he starts to shift. His bones crack and his body contorts into a monstrous shape, fur ripping through skin until he’s nothing but a hulking beast of a wolf, all snarling teeth and bloodthirsty rage.
It’s not enough to intimidate me. Not even close.
My transformation rips through me like a thunderclap and Lyall howls her approval, yelping that she’s getting closer. Lawson’s in control now and he’s never going to put his mate at risk and he launches at her father, power coiling through his muscles.
We collide with a sound like thunder, our bodies crashing together in a blur of fur and snapping teeth.
There’s no holding Lawson back and he tears into Bastan’s wolf, teeth sinking into his flesh and claws raking down his side.
Lawson is furious, a monster unleashed and he’s inflicting more damage with every second that passes.
Bastan fights back with all the ferocity of a cornered animal, but he’s sloppy, too used to bullying those weaker than him, too used to being feared. He might have been an Elite once, but he’s a shadow of his former self.
Lawson rips away, blood staining his muzzle, and he slams Bastan into the ground with a ferocity that rattles the trees around us.
Bastan lunges for Lawson’s throat, but my wolf twists and shoves the useless cunt down again, pinning Nia’s father beneath his weight.
Lawson wants Bastan to understand that he’s never getting up from this, that this is where he dies.
Bastan’s jaws snap at me, a desperate, wild movement, but my wolf is far too strong and he slams his head into Bastan’s, dazing him and releasing a whine of pain that spills from his maw.
Lawson’s claws dig into his shoulders and his struggles grow weaker, the fight draining out of him as he realizes he’s lost.
And Lawson leans in close, his breath hot against Bastan’s ear, my wolf’s voice a low, dangerous growl. It’s a final threat, the last moment before Nia’s father dies and my wolf bares his teeth and delivers the final blow, feeling the last of Bastan’s strength crumple beneath me.
Iron and copper fill my mouth and the taste is disgusting. It’s as vile as the poison he’s fed my mate and my wolf drains it all until he’s bled dry, each drop another small repayment for the pain he’s inflicted on her.
Lawson glances up, catching sight of Lyall’s silver eyes.
His ears prick as his jaws clamp down on Bastan’s throat, holding him in place, and the asshole actually wags his tail.
He’s thrilled with himself, so proud he’s shining like a goddamn moonbeam, and I can’t help but laugh at him, at the sheer absurdity of it all.
This deadly, blood-soaked mess of a moment, and my wolf has the audacity to posture like he’s just won some kind of prize.
And our mate beams back, her warmth and devotion evident in the softness of her gaze and the warmth she shares with us. Lyall and Nia are our equals and they delight in our achievement, their approval absolute as they watch us make sure Bastan’s dead.
The white wolf I adore emerges from the trees and Lawson releases his grip, lifting his head in awe. Our mate steps into the moonlight, her head held high and her coat the color of the stars. She’s beautiful. Entrancing and ethereal.
And proud of herself too as she dangles a severed head from her clamped jaws.
Its hair is auburn and its face is mauled beyond recognition, caked in mud and dried blood, its features almost destroyed.
I imagine it was once beautiful but Lyall’s made damn sure she claimed her kill, proving she’s as merciless as Lawson when it comes to protecting her own.
Lyall prances towards us and lets the head swing like a goddamn dog toy, carrying it with a casual ease that’s both terrifying and impressive. She’s smug, a glint of savage satisfaction in her silver eyes, and pride radiates off her, shining through all the blood and gore.
The sight is a twisted kind of perfection—her, bathed in moonlight, victorious and unrepentant, a wild, unrestrained force of nature.
Lawson rumbles his approval, a deep growl that’s affectionate and filled with admiration, a fierce, unyielding joy that pulses through my chest. Lyall drops the head at her mate’s feet, her jaws parting in a grin that’s all sharp teeth and gleeful gratification.
She nudges it towards me, as if offering a gift, a prize of her own.
I can’t help but laugh, a dark, raw sound that echoes through the trees, and I hear Nia join in, as delighted as the rest of us.
We'll talk about Bastan and her real father, and I'll tell her the truth if she hasn't realized it already. But not today. Not when we've fought our way to each other. Not when I want to hold her and she wants to hold me, and I won't let the cunt take this perfect moment from her.
“She’s fucking perfect, Luke,” Lawson sighs, utterly in love.
“Of course she is,” I laugh back, equally besotted. “I have no idea why you ever doubted it.”