Leviathan
Desdemona cried out as I bit down and tackled her. I’d wanted to wait until the battle was underway to reveal my true colors, but when she went straight for June, I had no choice. Desdemona would have torn her limb from limb. June had no idea how to fight and would have been killed in seconds.
Desdemona thrashed about and snapped at my face, a single canine tooth slicing across the top of my muzzle. A hot line of fire drew down where she’d struck and I released her, tumbling aside as I did.
The world turned mad as hundreds of bodies threw themselves at one another.
Before I could even stand, a dozen paws trampled me, stomping on my feet, face, and stomach.
Roaring, I righted myself and spun around, looking for my quarry.
If I could fight and kill Desdemona, her pack would have a hard time rallying.
The death of the pack alpha would mentally and emotionally throw them all, and make it hard to fight as one unit.
“You and me got a meeting, big dog. Time to pay the piper, motherfucker.”
Carlton was in his form, swinging that goddamn steel-toed boot at my face again.
This time, I ducked under it and clamped my jaws around his other ankle.
Thrashing my head to the side, I flipped him to the ground.
As he fell, he shifted, twisting around to bite at me.
Being bigger, stronger, and faster than him, I flinched away in time, then lunged, closing my jaws around his throat.
He clawed at my chest, trying to tear my flesh or kick me off, but my vision had turned red.
Instead of relenting, I bit down harder until the faint pop emanated from deep in his throat as his windpipe shattered.
Letting go of him, I watched as he thrashed and pawed at the ground, shifting back and forth from wolf to human as he tried to draw breath.
He was as good as dead. Leaving him, I dived headlong into the fight.
I had to find June before it was too late.
Two more Red Maw wolves tried to attack me, but they were small, and I ended them quickly.
Leaving their bodies behind, I rushed toward a large clump of wolves, but before I got to the group, a light gray wolf collided with me.
I let out a bark of pain as my broken rib sent electric pain up and down my side.
Desdemona shifted and stood above me, glaring down at me while a cacophony of battle roared around us.
“You pathetic old man.” She spat on the ground at my feet. “I should have known you didn’t have the stomach for this. What’s wrong? You can’t get your dick up for your old mate anymore?”
I shifted and lunged at her, grabbing the collar of her denim jacket.
“You are no more Naphele, than I am Santa Claus, you psychotic bitch,” I snarled, then tossed her backward.
She hit the ground, shifted, and rolled over.
In the next instant, she lunged at me, her teeth clacking shut inches from my hand.
Growling, I let my wolf take over and attacked, ramming my head into the soft spot beneath her chest. Desdemona howled, then bit my ear.
She nearly tore it off, but one of her own people, caught up in a fight with one of mine, knocked her over, and she released me.
Blood oozed into my fur as I spared a glance around the battlefield.
The sheer violence made my head spin. So many people fighting, the crazed storm of sounds, and the scent of blood.
So much pain and anguish, for what? For one woman’s desire for power?
It was a pathetic and pointless reason, and I was going to ensure it all ended here.
Two male wolves appeared, flanking Desdemona. One of them had already suffered a terrible wound. Where his left eye had been, there was now nothing more than a bloody, gaping hole, though he still appeared more than willing to fight me.
Digging my paws into the dirt, I snapped my teeth in warning. Another growl came from next to me. Sparing a glance to my left, I found Rainier at my side, snarling in indignant rage at the three others.
We’d known each other so long, I didn’t even have to give him a signal. As one, we dived at our enemies. Rainier went for Desdemona and the big brown wolf on her right, I shot straight toward the one-eyed wolf.
The one-eyed wolf had very little depth perception, and the bite he aimed at my face missed, allowing me to dodge below his muzzle and sink my teeth into the scruff of his chest. I gave a single violent twist of my head and tore a chunk of flesh free, exposing the muscle and gristle beneath.
He fell onto his side, writhing, jaws open wide in a wordless wolf scream as blood poured from the wound.
Leaving him, I spun to find Rainier in trouble. Desdemona and her packmate each had a hold of one of his legs, playing some sadistic version of tug-of-war. Rainier’s teeth were bared in a rictus of pain and anger.
Before they could tear him limb from limb, I dived toward Desdemona, snapping my jaws down as hard as I could on her front paw. The satisfying sound of cracking bone was punctuated by her releasing Rainier’s leg and throwing back her head in a howl of agony.
Rainier spun on the other wolf, and the two tumbled away in a whirl of biting teeth and clawing paws.
Desdemona limped backward a few steps, holding her injured paw up and staring at me with seething hatred.
Saliva hung from her exposed teeth as she growled at me, lowering her head until her baleful eyes locked on mine.
Come on, I thought. Let’s end this.
As if reading my mind, she pounced. Even with her ruined foot, her speed was surprising.
We crashed into one another, chest to chest, biting, snarling, and clawing.
She was impressive. I’d never met a female alpha before, and Desdemona did not disappoint.
Her strength and speed rivaled most males, and I could see how she’d garnered such a following.
Her raw power and speed was still no match for my size, strength, and experience, though. That, along with her injury, made the fight more difficult for her. We rolled and scrambled to the very outskirts of the main fight, until we battled in the trees.
Desdemona fell to her side, tripping and unable to catch herself due to her damaged paw. I leapt onto her chest and tried to clamp my jaws on her throat, but at the last second, she kicked out with her back feet and sent me crashing into the undergrowth.
Shifting back to her human form, she stood and glared at me. Blood smeared her face, an open gash stretching from her chin to her ear. She cradled her broken hand against her chest and nearly stumbled.
“You never had any imagination,” she said, spitting blood on the ground.
“Too fucking complacent in your quiet little backwater village.” She wiped her mouth with her good hand.
“If you’d have joined me, all these packs would bow down to us.
Don’t you see? We could have had everything.
We could have been the most powerful pack in the country.
Towns would have fallen, our numbers would grow, then cities, then even the humans would succumb to our power. Can’t you see?”
Shifting, I knelt, panting for breath. “I see a madwoman who wants nothing but control and power. Anyone who is so concerned with power can’t be trusted. An alpha’s job isn’t to rule with an iron fist and bring people to heel. Jesus, you really are out of your mind if that’s what you think.”
Beyond the trees, the battle still roared, screams mingled with howls, and calls for help, voices mixing with the sounds of wolves.
My stomach twisted, wondering if I was already too late to save June.
The thought of her out there among that madness nearly drove me insane.
I had to finish this. Fast. June needed me.
Desdemona scoffed. “You lack ambition. Once I have your head on a pike, I’ll make sure your packs know to follow someone with real goals.”
She shifted again, and before she’d even landed on her three good feet, she sprinted toward me.
I joined her in transforming back to my wolf form, but didn’t bother running, instead allowing her to come to me.
Our eyes met, and the loathing and bitterness in her eyes told me all I needed to know.
She was too far gone to ever see reason.
I didn’t know what had turned her into such a monster, but I knew I was going to be the one to stop her.
Standing motionless, I waited as she barreled headlong toward me, heedless of anything but her need to spill my blood on the forest floor.
Desdemona sprang toward me, her mouth exactly the same as her pack’s namesake, a gaping red maw.
I rolled aside at the last second, snapping my teeth around her back leg.
With all the strength I could muster, I twisted my body, turning her body into a whip that I slammed into a tree beside me.
The impact shattered a branch. The wood snapped, leaving a sharp protrusion that speared her behind her back shoulder and erupted just beneath her throat.
Blood sprayed from her mouth, and her back legs kicked frantically in the air, as she tried to free herself.
I shifted back and stood looking at her, no satisfaction in my eyes, only sadness and exhaustion.
Even as her lifeblood spilled onto the forest floor and death came rushing toward her, there was no apology or regret in her gaze, only recalcitrance and hate.
As the life faded from her eyes, she gave one last attempt at a snarl. Blood bubbled from her lips instead. The light fled from her eyes.
I gave her no pity or grief. Leaving her there, I barreled back to the battle.
Our alliance seemed to have the upper hand.
We’d been slightly outnumbered, but we were beating the Red Maw.
Hakeem and a few others were gathering injured prisoners of war at the far edge of the field.
Small skirmishes were still being waged, but most of the fighting had died down.
Fear had me running toward the group of two or three dozen wolves gathered in a tight circle. As I drew nearer, I stumbled to a stop as I witnessed what they had all gathered to watch.
At the center of the mass of wolves, June fought three different wolves at once. I recognized both Anders and Eugenia’s wolves, along with another much smaller wolf that must have belonged to the Maw.
Anders and Eugenia tried to flank her, but June spun, snapping her teeth around Eugenia’s tail and pulling it in the way of Anders’s teeth.
While Eugenia howled in pain, June shifted to her human form.
She kicked back at the smaller wolf, then shifted again and latched onto Anders’s front leg.
It happened so fast I barely registered it. Where had she learned this?
Anders rushed June again. She rolled forward, coming in under him, then surged up, clamping her teeth on his throat. With a single vicious twist of her head, she tore his throat out. Blood sprayed through the air.
Anders stumbled a few feet, then collapsed to the ground, crimson liquid spurting from the wound. Shifting, Eugenia screamed and fell to her knees beside her mate. She had no more fight left in her. All she could do was sob and scream as she cradled the dying body of her lover.
June shifted and rose to her full height. Her eyes locked on mine, and in that moment, even as small battles still raged around us, we both knew it was over. Our alliance had defeated the Red Maw, we’d both survived, and we were going to make it home again.
She made a sound that was something between a laugh and a sob as she ran toward me. I embraced her, holding her tight.
“I’m so sorry, June,” I whispered.
“For what?” she said, pulling away to look into my eyes.
“For how I’ve treated you, for always comparing you to someone else.” I cupped her cheek. “I don’t deserve you, and I’m sorry for everything. Can you forgive me? Please. I want you. I don’t want anyone else, just you.”
She smiled back at me, her eyes glistening with tears. “Levi…I need to tell you some—”
I didn’t let her finish. I pulled her close and kissed her. Our lips connected as the last sounds of fighting faded.
“Will you forgive me?” I said when we broke apart, looking deep into her eyes to see the truth. “Will you be my mate? Now and forever?”
She nodded twice, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I will. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, and kissed her again.