21. Chapter 21 #2
Cyrus looked back at Gabe. “It’s not you I’m worried about,” he insisted.
His throat wasn’t quite so dry. He felt a little less like he was going to pass out every second with at least two cans of food in his stomach. He still felt hungry, but it wasn’t painful.
He licked at his lips and took a slow breath.
Cyrus watched as others from Lotuslacker were surrounding the circle, less than Cyrus would’ve expected, but this was a very quickly planned event after all.
He shifted in frustration as he watched Gabe start to take his clothing off.
All he could do was sit there. He felt helpless. Useless.
“Don’t,” Cyrus growled.
Gabe didn’t reply.
Cyrus knew it was useless.
God, this was fucked. If he hadn’t done what he had done…come there. Gabe might have weeks to prepare for this. Instead, he had to challenge Jasmine with only a few days of preparation.
Cyrus could’ve trained him. He could have tried to help him be prepared.
Cyrus was cursing himself over and over again in his head. Regretting every decision he had made. He couldn’t bear to look but also could tear his eyes away from Gabe and Jasmine as they stepped up naked to each other, shook hands, and began to shift.
Those in the circle maintained a safe distance.
The air was tense.
Even as weak as he felt, Cyrus’s hands curled into fists. His anger and regret kept him awake, giving him strength.
He growled under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as the two of them shifted, and within seconds he could hear the sound of their wolfy growling.
Cyrus wasn’t sure he wanted to see who would make the first move, but he opened his eyes anyway. Taking a slow breath, he watched as Jasmine began to circle Gabe. Jasmine’s wolf was nearly the same size as Gabe’s, fur a soft amber color.
So it had been Jasmine who had been out attacking.
Cyrus wouldn’t have thought she would be so bold or reckless to be part of the actual attacks.
He was beginning to wonder who was worse. Liam or Jasmine. He supposed that didn’t matter anymore.
Cyrus watched with a racing pulse and clenching stomach as the two began to lunge at each other. Surprisingly Jasmine was playing fair—it seemed—but she was also more prepared than Gabe.
Cyrus watched them circle each other, lunge, bite, roll around, the growling picking up pace.
Just one or two sound bites, and the winner would be declared.
It could be seconds or minutes. Frankly, it felt like it was taking forever.
Time seemed to slow as Cyrus watched and he could tell Gabe was struggling.
Jasmine had something over him that he’d had over Liam.
While Liam had been stronger than Gabe, Gabe had been able to surprise him with clumsy but well-timed movements.
Jasmine seemed to be shaking Gabe with fluid and well-timed movements.
Cyrus cursed under his breath, growling and tugging at the chains.
The air was so tense that it was making it hard to breathe. No one was speaking, only watching. The faces of the others ranged from delighted that Jasmine was winning to disappointed and nervous.
Cyrus looked out at Gabe and Jasmine’s wolfy forms and watched as Jasmine had Gabe on his back.
His heart was racing. Blood was smeared all over the grass and soaking into the dirt.
He couldn’t sit there and watch what was happening!
Jasmine might have decided to play fair for this, but…Cyrus suddenly no longer cared about playing fair.
Cyrus had already fucked up. He already knew that going against Gabe was risking his entire place in the pack, so what did he have to lose? Gabe—and Lily—to a terrible Alpha, and he refused.
Cyrus felt his body changing. It was difficult to shift with so little energy, but adrenaline rushed through him as Gabe growled out in pain and frustration.
Cyrus had shifted into his wolf form and broken free of his restraints in a sudden and painful movement.
Though aching all over and struggling to get his human form standing, he managed to bolt toward the pair.
No-one stopped him. Gasps and confusion sounded, but no one jumped in to stop the scene and risk their hide.
Jasmine’s head yanked up to look at Cyrus. Confusing flashing in her eyes. She growled at him.
Gabe pushed up off the ground and growled at Cyrus as he was lunging at Jasmine.
“Cheating!” Gabe huffed at him within his head.
Suddenly, Oliver came rushing in their direction, shifting mid-run, leaving his clothing behind, and darting for Cyrus.
Cyrus got a good bite at Jasmine’s neck, hearing her whine in pain before suddenly Oliver was on top of him.
“They kidnapped me! Held me hostage, they attacked us,” Cyrus growled. “They broke the treaty. First, there is no peace to be kept.”
Cyrus flipped Oliver over and went for his neck and face, digging his claws into him, but suddenly Jasmine was on his back. Gabe came rushing around.
“No rules.” Cyrus’s thought rang clear.
Pain shot through his body, his head was going fuzzy. He was already injured, to begin with. Food and adrenaline weren’t going to keep him going forever. He realized this, but Jasmine was stumbling, struggling. She was losing a lot of blood.
Suddenly, Gabe had Jasmine pinned, and with one more bite, she was dead.
Gabe turned to Oliver, growling, blood along with his teeth and fur.
As Cyrus struggled to maintain consciousness, one of the angriest growls and sounds he had ever heard came from nearby, and suddenly Oliver was tackled by Gabe, rolling around.
Terrifying growling filled the space until it didn’t.
Until Oliver was a bloody mess on the ground, shifting back into his human form as he died.
A moment later, Gabe shifted back as well, covered in blood, dirt, bites, scratches.
“I’m your Alpha!” Gabe huffed as he looked around, eyes darker than Cyrus had ever seen. “Anyone who doesn’t want to live peacefully, leave now while you have the chance!” Only a few turned to leave.
Cyrus wasn’t sure he had shifted back to his human form until Gabe came stumbling over, knelt to the ground, and touched his hand and shoulder.
“God Cyrus…” Gabe croaked. “What the fuck!”
Cyrus exhaled slowly, cringing in pain. His vision was going blurry.
“We did it,” Cyrus mumbled.