25. The Price of Vengeance #2
Just then, Allan came at me with a war cry. His attack was not as powerful as Rydel’s, but he was much more calculated and flexible. Deflecting his attacks was easy, but he kept leaping or rolling out of my strike range like a slippery snake, which began to get on my nerves.
Additionally, I had to push Rydel back when he came at me, which made it harder to catch Allan.
The frustration built up, and I let out a low growl, twisting my face into a bloodthirsty snarl as I charged at him, which seemed to scare him and throw off his movement.
I snatched the chance and rained my wrath down on him, my axe hammered down with so much force that it broke his sword when he tried to block me.
I saw the fear written blatantly on his face, the dawning realization that I was going to show him no mercy, and he was going to pay for what he did to Leif, and I relished that.
I raised my axe, about to mete out my judgement.
Suddenly, Rydel was on me again, and I had to block his attack. Allan got away once more, and I was beyond enraged.
I decided to deal with Rydel first, making sure he would never be in my way again, at least in this round.
I threw my shield to the side and lunged at Rydel.
At that moment, I felt something in my body awaken, and a new source of strength suddenly filled my limbs, injecting new vigour in my muscles.
I was seeing Rydel, but at the same time, I was also seeing the full fighting scene from a wider perspective, as if I were sitting somewhere in the grandstand.
My mating mark grew hot, and I knew Damien was trying to share his strength with me.
That realization awoke something in me, and I roared like a berserk beast. Rydel was shocked when my powerful strike completely shattered his shield.
He tried to swing his hammer down on my arm, but I rammed into him, sending him to the ground, then, before he could recover, I used the back of my axe to knock him out.
Rydel struggled to keep his eyes open, trying not to faint, but I knew he was no longer a threat. I slowly turned back, now granting my full attention to Allan Eclipse.
Allan stepped back and could no longer hide his fear. He transformed into a giant wolf with grey and white fur, hoping to buy himself some time.
I threw my axe to the ground and pounced at him, shifting into my wolf form in one fluid movement, shedding all my clothes and armour. The primal urge to hunt and kill overtook my mind, sending me into a killing frenzy.
Everything was a blur after that. I vaguely remembered chasing after Allan and mauling him.
He was not easy prey and had left several very deep claw and bite wounds on me, but I barely felt any pain.
I bashed him into the wall under the grandstand, sank my sharp claws into the soft flesh on his belly, and heard him scream in pain.
People were shouting, and someone in the royal pavillion, possibly Lovel, was screaming for someone to stop me, but it was The Games, and anything could happen in the arena. Even if I killed him, it would have been just.
Allan whimpered, his voice shaking as he lay limp before me.
“Please ... I’m sorry, okay? I wasn’t trying to hurt Leif ...” he begged piteously. “I was just trying to help my brother. I will do anything to make it up to him, please ...”
I loomed over him, my ominous shadow drenching his terror-stricken face.
“Which hand did you use to hit Leif?” I asked in a low rumble.
Allan was entirely petrified, unable to answer. Judging from how he held his weapons, I decided he likely used his right hand.
I didn’t bother to force him to answer; I simply closed my jaw around his right forearm and ripped it off. Hot blood sprayed on my face, blurring my vision.
His shriek was the only thing I could hear for a few seconds, followed by the ear-splitting gasps and clamour from the audience. It must be one of the most bloody, savage things they had seen in recent years, but I couldn’t care less.
A sudden sense of alarm jolted into my mind, and it wasn’t originating from me, but was sent by Damien through our mate bond.
In the blurry mental image, I saw Rydel rise from the ground and creep up on me.
I turned, but Allan’s blood was in my eyes, and I couldn’t see his movement clearly for a split second, which was already too long on a battlefield.
Rydel didn’t shift into wolf form as I expected.
On the contrary, he jumped on my back and took hold of my scruff.
I roared in rage, leaping and bucking, trying to shake him off, but his hold was tight and adamant.
He pressed the long handle of his hammer against my throat, intending to choke me in a lock.
To get rid of him, I shifted back into my human form and rolled out of his grasp. It wasn’t ideal, as my body was no longer covered by armour or any clothes, but it was necessary. He lunged at me again, tackling me to the ground. I grabbed the handle of his hammer, trying to pry it out of his hand.
Just then, his gaze fixed on my neck, I saw shock and disbelief flash across his face.
A sinking feeling spread in my guts, colder than the water under a frozen lake, before I heard him exclaim loudly: “Is that a fucking mating mark?!”