Page 7 of Hitched to the Wendigo (Monster Matchmaking #1)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Eryx

I roared in pain as the rival wendigo's claws raked across my chest, drawing blood. The ice fields around us were a blur of white, the only color the crimson stains we left behind in our brutal dance.

This was no mere territorial dispute. This was war.

The rival tribe had grown bold in recent months, emboldened by whispers of my "weakness" for taking a human mate. They saw it as an opportunity to challenge my leadership, to expand their territory at our expense.

I wouldn't let that happen.

I ducked under another swipe, using my opponent's momentum against him. As he stumbled past, I drove my elbow into his spine, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone. He went down with a howl, but I had no time to finish him. Two more were already charging towards me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lyra locked in combat with their second-in-command, a female nearly as large as me. Their teeth and claws flashed in the pale sunlight .

The ice beneath our feet was treacherous, slick with blood and melting from the heat of our exertion. One wrong step could mean death. But we had the advantage here. This was our territory, our home. We knew every crevasse, every hidden danger.

I met the charge of the two wendigos head-on, using my superior size to bowl them over. We went down in a tangle of limbs, rolling dangerously close to the edge of a deep crevasse. Claws dug into my back, teeth snapping near my throat. But I'd been in worse scraps than this.

With a surge of strength, I pushed myself up, throwing one of my attackers off. He went sliding across the ice, scrabbling for purchase. Before he could regain his footing, I was on him. My hands closed around his throat, squeezing with all my might. His eyes bulged, claws raking uselessly against my arms as the life drained out of him.

A scream of rage from behind me reminded me of the other attacker. I whirled just in time to see him lunging at me, eyes wild with bloodlust. But he never reached me.

A blur of motion, and suddenly Sakira was there, wielding a spear made of sharpened ice. She drove it into the wendigo's side with all her strength, with her face a mask of determination and fear.

The wendigo howled in pain and surprise, stumbling back. It gave me the opening I needed. I charged forward, my hands finding his head. With a sickening crack, I snapped his neck.

As his body fell to the ice, I turned to Sakira, my heart pounding with a mixture of pride and terror. "What are you doing here?" I growled. "It's not safe!"

She stood her ground, chin lifted defiantly. "I couldn't just sit in the den while you fought for our lives," she said. "I can help. "

Before I could argue further, a roar of triumph echoed across the ice field. I turned to see Lyra standing victorious over the body of the rival second-in-command. Around us, the tide of battle had turned. Our warriors were pushing the invaders back, their will to fight crumbling with the loss of their leaders.

But the rival chief was nowhere to be seen. An icy dread settled in my stomach. Where was he?

The answer came with a scream that chilled me to my very core. Sakira.

I whirled to see the rival chief, a monstrous wendigo even larger than myself, holding Sakira by the throat. His claws pressed against her delicate skin, drawing pinpricks of blood.

"So, this is the human whore who's made you weak, Eryx," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "How fitting that she'll cause your downfall."

Rage exploded within me, a fury unlike anything I'd ever experienced. The world seemed to slow down, every detail crystal clear. I could see the fear in Sakira's eyes, but also the trust. She believed in me, even now.

I took a step forward, my voice a low, dangerous growl. "Let. Her. Go."

The rival chief laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Or what? You'll kill me? Try. But know that if I die, she dies with me."

I could feel the eyes of both tribes on us. This moment would define everything. My leadership, the future of our people, and most importantly, Sakira's life. I couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Time seemed to stand still as I weighed my options. Then, almost imperceptibly, Sakira's eyes flicked downward. Understanding flowed between us, born of the deep bond we shared.

I lunged forward, feinting as if to attack the rival chief directly. He tensed, his grip on Sakira tightening. But at the last moment, I dropped low, sweeping my leg out in a move I'd learned from watching Sakira practice her human martial arts.

The rival chief, surprised, stumbled. In that split second of distraction, Sakira drove her elbow back into his solar plexus with all her might. His grip loosened, and she tore herself free, falling to the ice.

I was on him in an instant, my rage fueling my strength. We grappled, rolling across the ice field, each trying to gain the upper hand. His claws found purchase on my already wounded chest, tearing deeper. The pain was excruciating, but I barely felt it through the haze of battle fury.

We came to a stop at the edge of a deep crevasse, the rival chief pinned beneath me. His eyes were wide with fear now, the realization of his defeat setting in.

"Please," he gasped. "Mercy."

I leaned in close, my voice a low rumble. "You threatened my mate. There is no mercy for that."

With one powerful shove, I pushed him over the edge. His scream echoed as he fell into the icy depths, cut off abruptly as he hit the bottom.

Silence fell over the ice field. The remaining rival wendigos, seeing their leader defeated, threw down their weapons in surrender. It was over. We had won.

But as the adrenaline of battle faded, the pain of my wounds hit me full force. My vision swam, the world tilting dangerously. The last thing I saw before darkness took me was Sakira's face, her green eyes filled with worry as she called my name.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, aware only of pain and snippets of conversation around me. Sakira's voice, tense with worry. Lyra, giving orders. The low murmur of the tribe's healer.

When I finally clawed my way back to full awareness, I found myself in our den, lying on a bed of furs. Every breath sent shards of agony through my chest, and I could feel the pull of stitches across my skin.

"Easy," Sakira's soft voice came from beside me. "Don't try to move too much. Your wounds are still healing."

I turned my head to see her sitting next to me, her face pale with exhaustion but her eyes bright with relief. "How long?" I croaked out.

"Three days," she said, reaching for a waterskin. She helped me take a few sips, the cool liquid soothing my parched throat. "You've been in and out. The healer wasn't sure..." she trailed off, her voice catching.

I reached out, ignoring the pain, to take her hand in mine. "I'm still here," I said softly. "Thanks to you."

Sakira shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I was so scared, Eryx. When you fell, I thought I'd lost you."

"Never," I growled, squeezing her hand. "It'll take more than that to keep me from you."

She laughed wetly, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "You better believe it. I didn't fight a wendigo with an ice spear just to have you die on me now."

I chuckled, then winced as the movement pulled at my wounds. "Remind me to never underestimate you again. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

A shadow passed over Sakira's face. "After my sister was killed by a wendigo, I swore I'd never be helpless again. I trained in secret, learning everything I could about combat and survival. "

My heart clenched at the pain in her voice. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "I know the loss of your sister still haunts you."

Sakira was quiet for a moment, her thumb tracing patterns on the back of my hand. "It does," she admitted. "But being here, with you and the tribe has helped me see that not all wendigos are monsters. That there's more to your nature than just violence and hunger."

I took a deep breath, wincing at the pain but pushing through it. It was time for complete honesty. "There is more," I said. "But hunger and violence is still a part of us. Of me."

Sakira's eyes met mine, steady and unafraid. "Tell me," she said simply.

And so I did. I told her everything about the constant battle the wendigos fought against our more primal urges. How the hunger for flesh was always there, a low hum in the back of our minds that could rise to a deafening roar if we let it. How the change came upon us in times of extreme stress or emotion, turning us into the nightmarish creatures of human legend.

"But it's not all we are," I finished, my voice hoarse from talking. "We feel love, compassion, loyalty, just as deeply as humans do. Perhaps even more so, because we have to fight so hard to hold onto our humanity."

Sakira listened without interruption, her face a mix of emotions I couldn't quite decipher. When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment. I held my breath, fear creeping in. Would this be too much? Would she finally see me as the monster so many humans believed wendigos to be?

But then she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine. "Thank you," she whispered. "For trusting me with the truth. It doesn't change how I feel about you, Eryx. If anything, it makes me love you more."

Relief washed over me, so profound it left me dizzy. Or maybe that was just the blood loss. Either way, I felt lighter than I had in years.

"I love you," I murmured, the words feeling inadequate to express the depth of my feelings. "More than I ever thought possible."

Sakira smiled, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I love you too, you big, scary wendigo."

We stayed like that for a while, just basking in each other's presence. But eventually, the reality of our situation crept back in.

"The tribe," I said, trying to sit up. Sakira gently pushed me back down. "What's happened while I've been out?"

"Lyra's been handling things," Sakira assured me. "The rival tribe has retreated back to their territory. We took some losses, but nothing we can't recover from. And..." she hesitated, a small smile playing at her lips. "Your display of strength, and the way we worked together in the battle has done a lot to silence the doubters in the tribe. They're starting to see our union as a strength, not a weakness."

My chest puffed out with pride for Sakira and for our people. "Good," I rumbled. "It's about time they saw what I've known all along."

Sakira blushed, ducking her head. "Rest now," she said, standing up. "I need to change your bandages and apply more of the healing salve.”