Chapter 24
Gray
Rage burned through my body as I ripped the knife out of Otto’s bloody hand, slicing through my own palm in the process.
With a snarl, I threw it out of the ring and at the official before turning back to Otto’s pale and bloodied face, letting my fist connect with his nose.
The crunching and blood spraying were deeply satisfying, as was the way he went limp under me, eyes unfocused, breathing laboured, one of his eyes already swollen shut.
“Do you give up?” I shouted in his face, pulling him closer by grabbing his hair. “Do you forfeit?”
In theory, I had already won. Otto had broken the rules. He’d hidden a fucking knife in the ring. Weapons were forbidden, and breaking the rules immediately voided any and all of his claims.
But I wanted to hear it. Needed to hear it.
Kill, my wolf urged me on. Rip out his throat.
Oh, I wanted to.
The fucker had abused his own brother. His family. Connie was so afraid he couldn’t even look at him, his fear still hanging in the air, a sour stench for everyone to smell.
Otto groaned, his throat working.
“Do you give up?” I shouted again, shaking his shoulders while sitting on his torso. My stomach hurt, but the sharp pain from the blade had dulled into a warm ache that was easy to ignore.
“Y…yes,” he whispered, eyes falling shut.
I roared in triumph, letting go of him and watched Otto’s head hit the ground with a thud, lolling to the side. His eyes fell closed, face going lax as unconsciousness claimed him.
Vaguely, I became aware of the ruckus around me.
His pack howled in disbelief.
My packmates cheered, but their eyes were sharp, focused on the outbursts of anger around us.
One moment, I was kneeling on top of Otto, still looking down into his battered face, and the next Rhett was pulling me up, and then the official raised my arm above my head as if this were a boxing match.
Somewhere behind me, I heard Connie softly sniffling and Paul snarling.
I managed to turn around just in time to see someone clamping his hand around Connie’s wrist. Connie screamed, his eyes blazing over.
But instead of cowering, he let out a snarl, surprising the attacker, who visibly flinched but still held on.
Connie was mine.
Ours to protect, my wolf added, rage clouding my vision.
“Let go!” I demanded, whirling around.
My whole body ached, but I pushed through, allowing my wolf to take over. I changed mid-jump, fangs locking around the stranger’s arm. He snarled, eyes flashing.
“Let go of him!” The official demanded.
I growled. Unless that guy took his dirty fingers off Connie, I would do no such thing. Instead, I bit down harder, my teeth scraping over bone.
“Not you,” the official said, sparing me no more than a short glance.
He nestled his glasses, giving the guy still holding onto Connie a hard look.
“This fight is over. Doubly so. Alpha Otto of Green Creek Bay voided any claims over Conrad Wood the moment he lost. Also, a formal investigation will be launched against Alpha Otto for allegations of illegal weapon use.” He nodded, scrunching up his nose, which made his glasses slide down a bit.
“Now, I advise you to let go of Alpha Grayson’s charge lest you want the Council to launch an investigation into your character too. ”
His fingers twitched, face pulled into a snarl.
“You’re a coward,” he spat at Connie. “A fucking pathetic weakling. Letting others fight because you can’t.”
I growled low in my throat, the warning clear as my teeth sunk deeper into the bone until it audibly cracked.
The wolf’s face turned ashen, his hand opening involuntarily.
I pushed him out of the way with my snout and positioned myself between Connie and the guy, snarling at him.
Shifters surrounded us. Rhett, Paul, but others from Otto’s pack too.
We needed to make our exit. Fast.
Things were going south here.
“I think it’s best we leave,” Oakley said, his voice deep and calm even in the middle of all this tension and chaos. He stepped up next to Connie, his broad body shielding our pup from his former pack.
“Yes.” The official nodded, his wire-rimmed glasses sliding down his nose. His pulse fluttered, eyes nervously darting around as more and more shifters closed in. We retreated slowly, walking backward, rounding the packhouse on our way to our pickups, eyes never leaving Otto’s wolves.
Nix, I thought, body tight. My side ached, but the sharp pain from the cut had lessened. I’d been supposed to draw out the fight, but that fucking knife had ruined everything. Prolonging a fight while one party was armed was impossible.
The bond vibrated, warmth filling my chest. A tingle spread through my body, and within seconds the ache in my stomach was completely gone.
I turned my head to look at the truck, even though I shouldn’t be able to see anything.
But there. For a moment, a hand became visible, pale fingers waving at me.
Relief hit me, my legs buckling for the briefest moment. Then I turned back to the shifters in front of us.
One of them took a quick step forward, and I growled in warning. His eyes widened as he raised his hand.
“I just…” He looked at Connie, then at me, biting his lip. “Is Nick okay?”
Connie looked at the man, and the barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “He’s fine and safe.”
The wolf blew out a breath and nodded before stepping back, letting the mass of shifters swallow him. He didn’t partake in herding us to the cars.
Oakley and Connie reached my pickup first, and Oak didn’t waste any time, immediately ripping the door open and ushering Connie inside.
“Hop in, I’m driving,” Rhett said, opening the driver’s door.
I let out one last snarl, warning the Green Creek Bay Wolves to stay back while urging my own pack to hurry up. I was the Alpha. It was my duty to make sure everyone was getting out okay.
Warmth caressed me, the air around me heating up. Rhett smirked at me, his eyes darting to the bed of the truck. Nix had done something.
I waited until everyone was situated in the cars before hopping in myself.
It only took seconds for Rhett to follow.
The driver’s door slammed shut with an air of finality, and the truck’s engine came howling to life, the headlights illuminating the crowd of shifters in front of the packhouse, their snarls filling the air.
Our cars slowly turned onto the street, driving out of Green Creek Bay territory. Wolves followed us, chasing through the woods next to us, their fur flashing here and there between trees and brush.
I shifted back and looked down, checking my body for the injuries I’d sustained.
“What the fuck?”
Rhett turned his head, his eyes widening as he took me in, eyebrows climbing until they disappeared under his hair.
“You don’t even have a scratch! How is that possible?
I mean, we heal fast, but that fucker sliced open your stomach!
I was afraid you’d bleed out, but the wound is gone. What about your shoulder?”
I rubbed the spot where Otto had stabbed me with the scalpel. I remembered the pain, the blinding hot burn of metal slicing through flesh, but… nothing. No scabbed-over wound, not even a fucking scar.
“Is that Nix’s doing?”
I shrugged, helplessly looking at the wounds that were supposed to be there. “It has to be. But how?”
Rhett gave me a smile.
“Let’s drive for another hour to make sure we don’t have a tail, then you can ask him yourself.”
I blew out my breath.
An hour seemed like an eternity to wait to have my mate back in my arms.
The second the car pulled to a stop in the gas station’s parking lot, Nix was jumping from the bed, all the shields and barriers gone. My wolf pushed against my chest, but I wasn’t as quick as my mate. My muscles screamed in agony as I climbed out of the truck’s cabin.
I turned to hug my mate, but Connie was faster, his gangly teenage frame clinging to my mate, sobs wracking his body.
“Shh,” Nix said, eyes locked with mine as he awkwardly patted Connie’s back. “It’s over now. Everything’s okay.”
“He tried to kill Gray,” Connie whispered, but not low enough for me not to hear him. “He had a knife. Oh goddess… what if he’d succeeded?”
Nix’s eyes widened, his face twisting. Electricity danced over my skin, scanning my whole body. Nix’s bright blue eyes were firmly trained on me, gauging my every move.
“I’m okay,” I mouthed silently.
Nix relaxed a fraction and slowly let out his breath.
“He didn’t. Gray won. Everything is okay, I promise. You don’t have to go back ever again,” Nix whispered and pulled Connie in tighter, eyes filled with uncertainty. Like he didn’t know if he was doing the right thing.
And he probably didn’t.
I walked up to them and slowly placed my hand on the back of Connie’s neck, squeezing lightly, just enough for him to feel the gesture.
“You were fucking brave, pup,” I told Connie and waited for him to look at me.
“I didn’t do anything.” He sniffled. “Everyone could smell how terrified I was.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but guess what? Bravery isn’t doing the right thing when it’s easy. It means doing the right thing when it’s hard. When it downright terrifies you. And you did that.”
Connie swallowed audibly, pulling back from Nix a bit to turn his body towards me. “I don’t feel brave. I’m just…”
“Exhausted?” I asked, letting out a laugh. “I’ll let you in on a secret, okay?” He nodded. “I’m exhausted too.” I let a bit of tension bleed out of my shoulders, letting the bone-deep tiredness I was suppressing shine through. “And that’s okay.”