Page 36 of Fetch Me A Mate (Shifter Mates of Hollow Oak #1)

ROWAN

K ael's wolf was smaller than Rowan's, built for speed rather than raw power. But he was quick, twisting away from Rowan's initial lunge and snapping at his exposed flank. Teeth scraped fur and skin, drawing first blood.

They rolled in the shallow water, a tangle of snarls and claws. Kael tried to use his speed advantage, dancing away from Rowan's heavier attacks, darting in to score quick hits before retreating. But rage gave Rowan focus, and grief had taught him patience.

When Kael lunged for his throat, Rowan was ready. He caught the smaller wolf across the shoulders, his weight driving them both underwater. Kael thrashed, trying to break free, but Rowan's jaws found purchase at the base of his neck.

Submit.

Go to hell.

Rowan's teeth pressed deeper. Not enough to kill, but enough to make his point crystal clear. Kael went limp beneath him, the universal signal of surrender.

Rowan released him and stepped back, water streaming from his dark fur. Kael limped toward shore, his pride more damaged than his body.

"Enough."

Max stepped forward, his wolf massive even in human form. The enforcer had always been Danarius's blunt instrument, all muscle and no finesse. His shift was slower than Kael's but more complete, bones cracking audibly as he took his true shape.

This fight would be different. Max's wolf was built like a battering ram, gray and scarred and utterly without mercy. He didn't bother with Kael's dancing tactics. He simply charged.

The impact drove Rowan backward into deeper water. Max's jaws snapped inches from his throat as Rowan twisted away, using the bigger wolf's momentum against him. They crashed into the rocky shore with bone-jarring force.

Max recovered first, his claws raking across Rowan's ribs before he could dodge. Pain flared bright and immediate, but Rowan channeled it into his next attack. He drove his shoulder into Max's side, feeling ribs crack under the assault.

The gray wolf staggered but didn't go down. Instead, he pivoted and caught Rowan's hind leg between his jaws. Pressure built like a vise, threatening to snap bone.

Rowan twisted, accepting the tearing pain as he wrenched free. His leg wouldn't bear full weight, but he could still move. Still fight.

Max pressed his advantage, driving forward with snapping jaws and raking claws. Rowan gave ground, letting the enforcer think he had the upper hand. Then Max overextended, lunging for what looked like a killing blow.

Rowan dropped low and rolled, coming up beneath Max's exposed throat. His teeth found the soft spot behind the jaw, and this time he didn't hold back.

Max's struggles grew weaker, then stopped entirely. When Rowan released him, the enforcer's wolf collapsed onto the rocky shore, breathing hard but alive.

Enough.

The voice in his head wasn't his own. Danarius stepped to the water's edge, his human form pale and perfect in the moonlight.

"Stand down, Rowan. You've made your point."

Rowan shifted back to human form, water and blood streaming down his chest. His leg throbbed where Max had bitten him, and claw marks traced fire across his ribs.

"Have I?"

"You've beaten my best fighters. Proved you haven't gone soft during your exile." Danarius began removing his expensive jacket with deliberate care. "But this was never about their strength. It was about mine."

"Then let's settle it."

"My thoughts exactly."

Danarius's shift was different from the others. Smoother. More controlled. His wolf was silver-white, built like a natural predator rather than bred for size or speed. Every line spoke of intelligence, patience, and absolute confidence in his own superiority.

Rowan's wolf answered the challenge, bones reshaping with violent efficiency. Pain from his injuries flared and faded, consumed by the need to end this threat to his mate once and for all.

They circled each other on the moonlit shore, two alphas measuring distance and weakness. Danarius moved like flowing water, every step calculated. Rowan held his ground, letting his opponent reveal his patterns.

You always were too predictable, Danarius's mental voice was smooth as silk. Charging in when strategy would serve better.

Maybe. But I'm still here.

For now.

Danarius struck like lightning, aiming for Rowan's injured leg. But Rowan had been expecting the tactical move. He pivoted on his good leg, accepting the hit to land one of his own. His claws raked across Danarius's shoulder, drawing blood that looked black in the pale light.

The alpha wolf snarled and spun, jaws seeking Rowan's throat. They crashed together in a fury of teeth and claws, neither giving ground. Danarius was faster, more technically skilled. But Rowan had something the alpha didn't understand.

He had something worth dying for. Something worth killing for.

She won't save you, Danarius hissed as they broke apart, circling again. Your human mate can't protect you from what you are.

She doesn't need to protect me. I protect her.

How touching. And how utterly irrelevant.

Danarius launched himself in a perfect arc, aiming to drive Rowan onto his back where throat and belly would be exposed. It was a textbook alpha move, the kind of attack that had won him dozens of dominance fights.

Rowan met him in midair.

They hit the ground together, rolling through shallow water and scattered rocks. Danarius's teeth snapped at Rowan's ear, missing by inches. Rowan's claws found purchase in the alpha's flank, dragging deep furrows through silver fur.

Submit, Danarius commanded, his mental voice carrying the weight of pack hierarchy. Yield to your rightful alpha.

The command hit Rowan like a reflex, years of conditioning demanding obedience. For a heartbeat, his muscles went slack. Danarius pressed his advantage, jaws closing toward Rowan's exposed throat.

Then Diana's face flashed through Rowan's mind. Her amber eyes full of determination. Her voice saying she chose to belong. Her hand in his as they planned their future in the attic space.

No.

Rowan's refusal shattered the alpha compulsion like glass. His jaws clamped down on Danarius's foreleg, feeling bone crack between his teeth. The silver wolf howled and tried to pull free, but Rowan held on, his grip unbreakable.

Impossible. You can't resist ? —

I don't belong to you anymore.

Rowan released the shattered leg and lunged for Danarius's throat. The alpha tried to dodge, but his broken foreleg betrayed him. He stumbled, off-balance, and Rowan's jaws found their target.

For a moment, they were perfectly still. Rowan's teeth pressed against the alpha's throat, one bite away from ending everything. Danarius's eyes were wide with shock and something that might have been fear.

Do it, the silver wolf whispered. Finish what you started.

No. That's not who I am anymore.

Rowan released his hold and stepped back. Danarius collapsed onto the rocky shore, breathing hard, his silver fur stained with blood and lake water.

"It's over," Rowan said, his human voice rough with exhaustion as he shifted back. "Find a new alpha. Handle your problems without destroying innocent people. Leave Hollow Oak alone."

Danarius's shift back to human form was painful to watch, his broken arm hanging useless at his side. "You could have killed me."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you?"

Rowan looked up at the sky, where the first pale hints of dawn touched the horizon. "Because I'm not the wolf I used to be."

Kael limped forward, his human form bruised but functional. "The pack needs leadership."

"Then lead it, Kael." Rowan gestured at the defeated wolves. "Handle Sarah's situation without violence. Tell her boyfriend that exposing our secrets puts Sarah and their child in danger too. Offer him relocation assistance, protection, whatever it takes to buy his silence humanely."

"And if he refuses?"

"Then be creative. But no one dies. No one gets hurt. No one threatens my town again."

Max struggled to his feet, cradling his injured ribs. "You're really not coming back."

"No. I found where I belong."

"With the human."

"With my mate. In my home. Protecting my pack." Rowan looked at each of them in turn. "That's what we are in Hollow Oak. A pack. And I'll destroy anyone who threatens it."

The message was clear. Danarius nodded slowly, understanding the new boundaries that had been drawn.

"Go," Rowan said. "Don't come back."

He watched them disappear into the forest, Kael supporting Danarius while Max limped behind. When the last shadow vanished among the trees, Rowan was alone by the dark water.

Somewhere across town, Diana was probably returning from the Council meeting, wondering where he'd been, whether he'd kept his word about staying away.

Time to go home and find out if she'd won her fight while he'd been winning his.

Rowan shifted one more time, letting his wolf carry him swiftly through the forest toward town. His injuries would heal. The pack threat was ended, he could feel it. Danarius’s reign was done. Sarah and her family were safe.

And Diana was waiting.

His wolf's contentment hummed through every step as familiar scents grew stronger. Pine smoke and vanilla. Fresh bread and determination. The inn that became his sanctuary, the woman who'd become his world.

He was done letting the past pick his future. From now on, he chose his own path.

And that path led home.