Page 52 of Heroes & Hitmen (Windy City Wolfpack #1)

Miley

The full moon hangs overhead like an unblinking, watchful eye, the atmosphere pulsing with energy reminiscent of the air before a storm.

It feels as if the whole world is holding its breath, each second dragging on longer than the last while my pulse races like it’s trying to outrun what’s coming.

Every muscle in my body is coiled and trembling, spine locked straight, tension pounding through my skull.

I’ve always known Ares Raines was a fearless idiot, but this ? This isn’t just reckless. It’s suicide.

Even with the full moon lending its energy, there’s no way his wolf has fully recovered from this morning’s serum extraction.

It took days for my inner animal to bounce back following my own.

The recent procedure has put Ares at a major disadvantage, and declaring a mate challenge against an Alpha right now might just be the most catastrophically dumb thing he’s ever done.

And yet, it’s also brave. Selfless. A declaration so unflinching that it completely guts me, because this isn’t just strategy. This isn’t rebellion. This is love.

He loves me.

And dammit, I love him . I have for a while– quietly, stubbornly, too scared to admit it even to myself. And now it might be too late. Now, I’m rooted to this spot, forced to stand back and watch him bleed for me.

Ares’ copper wolf bursts from his skin in a violent explosion of muscle and fur, shifting into shape with brutal grace.

He lands hard on four paws, murmurs of awe rippling through the crowd at the sight of his massive animal form.

He’s broader than Elias, taller at the shoulder, built like he was born for destruction.

He lowers his head and lets out a menacing growl that vibrates through the soles of my feet.

Elias answers with one of his own, their two hulking wolf forms squaring off and circling one another.

The energy in the air spikes like a match to dry kindling.

People start to shiver and quake, unable to contain the wild, primal instinct inside them.

Clothes shred. Bones snap. Limbs twist.

Several members of the pack lose control completely, shifting to their wolves under the pressure of the moon and the heat of the moment, their howls rising into the night like a battle cry. I stagger backwards as the pulse of it all crashes over me– the moon, the fury, the primal hunger in the air.

I’ve always prided myself on my control. I’ve never shifted unless I chose to. But right now, my wolf is refusing to back down.

She’s clawing at my insides, pacing and snarling to be let out.

I grit my teeth under the effort to keep her restrained, every nerve ending sparking, vision tunneling to the figures in the center of the clearing.

Ares and Elias are still sizing one another up, two apex predators locked in a slow, deadly orbit.

My heartbeat pounds like a war drum as Ares’ copper coat catches the moonlight, haloing his body like an eternal flame.

Elias’ silver wolf prowls opposite him, lower to the ground, muscles twitching with barely restrained violence.

Their movements are measured, precise– but the second one of them makes the first move, it’s going to be chaos.

I tip my face skyward and inhale sharply, cool air spilling into my aching lungs. The moon beckons from above, bright and insistent, sending a surge of energy pulsing through my veins.

Then everything erupts.

My knees buckle as my inner beast explodes free, clothes tearing away as the shift rips through my body.

I land hard on four paws, panting for breath, everything crashing into focus with overwhelming intensity.

It’s as if I can hear the thunder of each heartbeat in the clearing, feel every grain of dirt under my claws.

The tang of pine coats my tongue, and I’m instantly consumed by the smell of him .

Delicious and familiar and suddenly ten times as potent, Ares’ scent is like a drug flooding my bloodstream, delivering a euphoric rush like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

His head snaps around. His wolf locks eyes with mine, and in the next breath, the world detonates.

My wolf is flung back to the recesses of my consciousness, forcing the shift just as abruptly as when she burst forth. The next thing I know, I’m rising on two legs across from a very naked, very human Ares, the bond between us snapping into place like a shockwave.

It’s not soft. It’s not gentle. It’s seismic .

And I know in my soul exactly what this is.

Fate .

Ares’ bare chest heaves, his dark eyes locked on mine, lips parted. My heart pounds harder and I whisper a single word into the stunned silence surrounding us.

“Mate.”

Gasps ripple through the clearing, the energy of the crowd shifting to disbelief and awe. The bond between Ares and I pulses like a living, breathing thing, sparking beneath my skin and burning brightly in my chest.

One pack member howls in celebration, then another, while Alpha just stares at us with his mouth slack. There’s no denying what just happened– not when every soul here just witnessed it. The fated mate bond, in real time. Undeniable. Sacred.

For one glorious second, I let it wash over me.

This is real . He’s mine . We’re fated .

He was right all along, and dammit, why didn’t I see it sooner? Of course it’s him .

Tears spring to my eyes as a tidal wave of emotion floods through me, my vision blurring. I want to run to him, fling myself into his arms– but before I can, I catch a flash of movement in my periphery, Elias launching himself toward Ares with a savage growl.

“Ares!” I scream in warning.

He whips his head around at the last second and shifts mid-spin, his body twisting as he takes on the form of his copper wolf again. His front paws don’t even hit the dirt before Elias slams into him, his fangs sinking deep into Ares’ shoulder.

I try to lunge forward to intervene, instincts blazing, but a thick arm bands around my waist to hold me back .

“No! Let me go!” I cry out, thrashing against Ross’ hold as Ares and Elias crash to the ground in a storm of fur and snarls.

My pulse thunders in my ears, clothes hanging from my body in tatters.

Ross’ grip only tightens as I fight to break free, clawing and biting and screaming until my throat’s raw.

Ares and Elias break apart, then collide again with bone-rattling force, the sound of their impact like a car crash.

Jaws snap. Claws rake. Blood sprays. Fur flies.

The crowd surges with gasps and roars, a cacophony of noise surging around me, but I barely hear any of it.

All I can do is watch as my mate fights for his life.

My mate .

Even now, I can feel our bond burning in my chest, the pull between us raw and unyielding. It’s torture to stand on the sidelines and watch Ares and Elias tear into each other with reckless violence, the two of them a blur of snapping jaws and swiping claws.

Elias bites at Ares’ flank, then Ares counters by raking his claws across Elias’ snout.

The silver wolf yelps and stumbles, but recovers fast, charging again.

They slam together so hard the ground shudders, the crowd pulling back as they roll across the clearing like a thunderstorm given flesh.

Ares gets tossed into a tree, bark exploding around him as he lands with a grunt and shakes it off like it’s nothing.

He’s bleeding and limping slightly, but he’s still standing. Because he’s bigger, stronger, and has a hell of a lot more to lose.

Ares lands another hit, slicing Elias’ shoulder open with his claws, and the crowd roars in approval like they’re actually on his side. Elias doesn’t go down, though– he pivots, rams his weight into Ares’ side, and knocks him clean off his feet.

Ares hits the ground hard, air whooshing out of him. Before he can scramble up, Elias is on him, teeth snapping at his neck.

“No,” I gasp, staggering forward with my heart in my throat. Ross’ arm tightens around my waist to hold me back while my wolf paces beneath my skin, wild and frantic to break free.

Ares twists before Elias can latch his jaws around his neck, but not quickly enough to get out of his hold completely. Elias’ teeth clamp down on Ares’ shoulder, blood splattering the dirt as a low whine scrapes from his throat. The energy of the audience suddenly shifts, uneasy murmurs rising.

“That’s enough!” someone shouts .

“They’re fated, end the challenge!” another yells, voice sharp with panic.

“Alpha, stop this!”

I glance toward my father anxiously, my heartbeat thundering. He stands stoic, arms crossed, mouth in a hard line, but I see the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. He knows what they saw; knows this isn’t right.

And still, he does nothing .

Elias sinks his fangs deeper into Ares’ shoulder, shaking him violently in an effort to rip flesh from bone.

“No!” I scream, my wolf rising again, ready to tear through my skin.

But then Ares moves. He twists with impossible speed, wrenching himself free with a savage growl. Blood pours from his shoulder, but he’s not done. He’s not yielding.

He lunges, and this time it’s Elias who falters. Ares slams into him, sinks his teeth into his flank, and rips .

Elias yelps– a high, shocked sound– and the crowd cheers.

It’s clear now whose side they’re on, and a spark of hope takes root inside me, bursting to flame as the tide shifts.

Some of them are chanting Ares’ name now, howling at him, their loyalties fracturing as they’re confronted with the truth of the bond, the call of fate.

Still, Alpha says nothing. He just stands there watching, his expression unreadable.

Why isn’t he putting a stop to this madness?

The air is thick with the metallic tinge of blood as Ares and Elias circle each other again, then crash together. Ares lunges low this time, grabbing Elias by the leg and dragging him down with a brutal shake. Elias yelps, kicks free, then tears at Ares’ ear.

Despite the cries of outrage from the pack, the fight goes on. And though he’s injured, Ares doesn’t let up. Blow after blow, he drives Elias backwards, his massive copper wolf a blur of rage and instinct. Every hit is personal, every strike a deadly warning.

Elias stumbles. He falters and tries to launch a counterattack, but Ares is moving even faster now, fueled by something raw and primal.

He feints left, then lunges right and slams Elias to the ground with bone-shaking force, knocking the air from his lungs.

Ares pins the silver wolf beneath his weight, jaws locking around his exposed throat.

I stop breathing .

For a second, I think Ares is going to end him, but he just holds. A menacing growl rumbles deep in his chest as he applies controlled pressure.

It’s a question and a threat.

Yield or die.

For a long moment, everything seems to fall still. Elias trembles beneath Ares, chest heaving, metallic eyes bright with mirth. Then slowly, bitterly, he flattens his ears and lets out a low whine, head flopping sideways and muscles going slack.

Yield.

I exhale a shaky breath as Ares releases his hold and backs off, blood soaking his fur, sides heaving. He turns toward me, and I swear I feel the tether between us pull tighter when our eyes meet, our bond burning even brighter.

The crowd goes wild. Cheers rise, a chorus of voices howling for him, for us .

The air around Ares’ body shimmers as his wolf recedes, then he rises to his full height on two legs, naked and bloody. Injured, but alive. He swivels his gaze to my father, jaw clenched tight, and a hush falls over the clearing.

“I think everyone can agree on what really happened here tonight,” Ares grits out, swaying slightly on his feet.

Blood trickles down his side at an alarming rate, but he holds his head high like the pain of his injuries doesn’t even register.

“As this pack’s Alpha, you were acting in their best interest based upon the information you had.

You were led to believe we were traitors, but now it’s plain to see that it wasn’t us who deceived you.

” He swings his gaze on Elias, the implication clear. “Fate revealed the truth just in time.”

I blink at Ares, wondering what the hell he’s playing at, but then everything clicks.

It’s a spin. A gift. A chance for Alpha to save face and walk away from this without looking spiteful or weak.

One last performance.

Alpha’s jaw flexes. His eyes narrow on Ares, and for a second, I think he’s going to reject the lifeline. Then slowly, grudgingly, he jerks a nod. The shift in him is subtle but practiced, his professional mask sliding neatly into place.

“Tonight, fate intervened,” Alpha declares, turning to address the pack. “It showed us its true intent and exposed the lies that threatened to divide us.”

He doesn’t name Elias, but he doesn’t have to. Every pair of eyes drifts to the man still crumpled in the dirt, too ashamed by his defeat to even argue.

“The bond has been witnessed,” my father continues, lifting his chin. “The challenge has been met, and Ares has emerged as the victor. Let no one question the true will of fate.”

He flicks his hand in a silent signal and Ross finally releases his hold on me, backing away.

I don’t waste a second.

I sprint across the clearing, straight into Ares’ waiting arms. He’s battered and bloody, but he catches me, and I throw my arms around him like I’ll never let go.

Because I won’t.

We’re standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by blood and politics and people who still want to own us, but we won . We beat them at their own game. And for the first time in my life, I don’t feel trapped, bound to a life I never wanted.

I feel free.

Around us, the forest erupts. Howls of celebration echo through the trees, rising high and wild into the moonlit sky. Ares’ eyes lock with mine, burning with fierce intensity, and I lean in to claim a kiss.

But the moment our lips brush, his body sways. I feel his legs buckle, his arms slipping from around me.

“Ares!”

I scream his name as his body goes limp, dropping like a stone. I hit the ground with him, palms sliding in the blood coating his skin, desperate to hold onto him even as he slips from consciousness.

“You win, okay?” I whimper, eyes blurring with tears. “I’m yours. So don’t you dare leave me like this.”