Page 57 of Wishes in the Moonlight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #4)

~Amanda~

This was madness.

Troy had barely survived a silver bullet less than an hour earlier. His wound was healed, by fairy magic, Alpha blood, and sheer will, but that didn’t mean he was ready to take on an Alpha with decades of battle experience.

And yet, there he stood, squaring his shoulders like stone and preparing to fight his own father.

Maybe I should have tried to stop him. I could have reminded him that we had just been given a second chance, the opportunity to have a real life together, and risking it would be reckless.

But I kept my mouth shut. I could see in his eyes just how much it meant to him to get justice for his mother, to get some closure, and to reclaim his past in a way he could live with.

Since I couldn’t stand in the way of that, I’d have to stand beside him instead.

“Savannah, Jasper,” I said, using all my training to keep my voice steady. “Gather anyone who’s available and willing to stand witness at the training field. Make sure the perimeter remains heavily guarded though. If anyone from Battle River so much as sneezes over the border, I want to know.”

Savannah nodded, her eyes glazing over immediately as she relayed my orders by mind-link. Jasper was already moving toward the door.

“Troy, Alpha Craig, make your way over there but don’t start until I arrive. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly.”

Still glaring at each other, they strode out of the room without a backward glance.

I turned to Alexander, who still sat awkwardly in the chair next to the one his father had just vacated. “If you want to recall a small group of witnesses from your pack, I’ll allow it. You can decide how much of the reason for this challenge to share for now.”

He looked at me for a long moment, a pain and loneliness in his eyes that I recognized all too well.

Just a few weeks ago, I’d been like him, realizing the man I admired and looked up to all my life wasn’t exactly who I thought he was.

Was anything more disheartening than realizing that not only is your father flawed, he’s not even a good person?

Alexander blinked, seeming to snap out of his daze. “Should I take one of your men as a chaperone?”

“I’ll go with him,” Savannah offered. “I’ll take Felix too. He can be a neutral observer to all of this, not on either side.”

I nodded before glancing around again, noticing we still had a couple of people unaccounted for. “Has anyone seen Leo? Or Kalo?”

Savannah shook her head. “Not since the battle ended.”

Unease flickered through me, but I pushed it down. It would have to wait until later. For now, the challenge demanded my full attention.

Only when everyone else had left the office did I notice I was shaking.

“Please,” I whispered into the stillness of the room, not to any genie or even to the goddess, but simply to the universe itself. “If he survives this, I promise I’ll never wish for anything ever again.”

No answer came.

Drawing in a deep breath, I straightened my spine and headed out to the training field.

Troy stood with his back to me as I approached, stretching and loosening muscles that had only just healed.

He was shirtless again, boots already off, barefoot on the grass of the training field.

Pack members had started to gather in a wide circle around the centre, murmuring to one another as they watched us.

The sun cast long shadows over the grass as it lowered over the mountains, night almost upon us.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked softly.

He turned to me, a mixture of apology and determination in his eyes. “I have to.”

“I know.” I stepped closer, reaching up to touch his face. “Just promise me you’ll win. For your mother, and for me.”

Troy took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “I will. I just need to finish it.”

Although my chest ached with fear, although it went against every instinct I had to protect each member of my pack, I nodded and stepped back, leaving him to face the fight alone.

Across the field, Alexander returned with a small group of his own men.

Craig removed his shirt slowly, almost theatrically, and shifted first. As I’d already seen up close, his wolf was huge: towering and broad-shouldered, with dark, glossy fur and golden eyes that gleamed with contempt.

The sight of him alone silenced the crowd.

Troy shifted next, and my breath caught as Hunter burst forth in a blaze of movement, his frame leaner than his father’s but no less powerful. His eyes scanned the crowd once before settling on Craig, and they began to circle each other.

“You all know the rules,” I called out, my voice sounding surprisingly steady given the way my hands continued to tremble. “No one can interfere. The fight is to the death unless the challengers themselves negotiate a surrender. You may begin.”

The echo of my voice faded into the evening air, an air that crackled with tension as the two wolves faced off.

Craig made the first move. He lunged forward, attempting to overwhelm his son with sheer force, but Hunter was quicker. He darted to the side and snapped at Craig’s flank, drawing blood, but Craig spun and caught Hunter with a shoulder, sending him sprawling.

I flinched with each blow as if I could feel it myself.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Come on, get up.”

Hunter did, shaking off the hit and charging, aiming low. He caught Craig’s front leg, his teeth digging deep, and Craig staggered back with a snarl. Hunter went for him again, and again he pushed Craig back. It felt like he was gaining the upper hand, and hope surged in my chest.

That hope turned out to be premature. Craig twisted violently and slammed Hunter into the dirt, pouncing on him before he could escape. His jaws clamped around Hunter’s neck, and my heart stuttered.

“No,” I breathed, my voice cracking. Someone gripped my hand tightly, and I realized that, at some point, Savannah had come to stand beside me. I’d been so focused on the fight that I hadn’t even noticed.

Hunter thrashed, kicking and twisting, but he couldn’t get leverage. Craig pressed harder, teeth tightening around the vulnerable spot between neck and shoulder. Blood stained the ground beneath them.

“Troy,” I choked out. “Please…”

“Let him hear you,” Savannah urged, squeezing my hand even tighter. “He’ll fight for you.”

I wasn’t supposed to interfere. Those were the rules.

But this was my mate, the man I’d waited seven long years for, so just this once, I couldn’t care less about the fucking rules.

“I love you.”

Every head in the circle turned towards me as I shouted the words loudly enough that Troy could hear. I could have mind-linked him instead, but I wanted everyone to hear it. I wanted them to know what I knew.

“You’re the best man I’ve ever met, and I’m so proud you’re my mate. Show him who you really are.”

Hunter’s body went rigid. His ears twitched, his hind legs braced against the ground, and with a roar that split the air, he twisted violently and launched Craig off of him.

The crowd gasped as Craig skidded across the ground, unprepared for the impact.

And Hunter pounced.

He didn’t give his father time to recover. He descended like a storm, claws and fangs flashing in a flurry of precise, punishing strikes. Craig fought back, but he was off-balance and slower than before, rattled by the unexpected reversal.

With one last snap, Hunter caught his opponent by the scruff and slammed him to the ground, pinning him fully.

“Is he actually going to kill…”

Savannah didn’t even finish her question before Hunter leaned down and dug his teeth into Craig’s throat. With a violent tug, he ripped the skin loose. Blood sprayed out as the wolf on the ground let out a yelp of pain that quickly turned into a pitiful gurgle.

The wolf’s body twitched and shuddered before going still.

The last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the mountaintops, and Alpha Craig was dead.