Page 61 of Wulf’s Pack

Chapter

Thirty-One

M y world turns red at the sight of the knife against my mate’s throat.

The man’s warning not to move falls on deaf ears.

My wolf coils, preparing to attack anyway.

His enemy is standing before him, and his thirst for blood is clouding his judgment.

Seeing my mate, the danger she’s in, the blade poised to slit her throat, gives me a moment of clarity, and I find my voice. No!

I shout the command with so much force that my wolf freezes a split second before he can spring.

The surprise of my resistance after losing myself so deeply to him is the only thing that makes him stop.

I take advantage of his shock and wrest back a little control from him.

It’s not enough to completely take over, but it’s enough that he has to turn all of his focus to fighting me instead of attacking Victor. Just wait!

ENEMY! he roars, incensed that I’ve interrupted his kill. ATTACK!

He pushes so hard I start to lose my grip, but I refuse to let him win. Not this time. Not when his actions will harm our mate. He’s taken control too often recently, and it’s time for me to show him that he answers to me, not the other way around. No! I bark again.

Snarling, he slams against me, fueled by rage and betrayal. He’s too feral to comprehend why I’m trying to stop him. He doesn’t understand why I don’t want to tear into our enemy.

KILL!

The mental strain of fighting him is exhausting. If I were in my human form, I’d be sweating. If we attack while he’s got that knife to her throat, she will be dead before we reach them.

I fast. He’s stubborn, but there’s less conviction in his refusal. A niggling doubt.

Not fast enough. Give me back control.

He doesn’t like that idea. He digs his heels in again and throws every ounce of power at me, trying to push me from his mind altogether. No! Wolf faster. Stronger. Better fighter.

While we struggle, Victor lets out a cruel laugh.

“Look at him, Skylar. He’s fighting his wolf.

He’s practically feral. Your mate is so weak he can’t even control his beast. You deserve better.

Someone stronger. Someone powerful enough to command an army.

Not some inexperienced lone wolf and his little pack full of rejects. You need a real man. A true alpha.”

Two days ago, his words would have hit their mark.

I’ve lost control of my wolf so many times this week, it’s disgraceful.

And he’s right that I have zero experience leading a pack.

I’ve been in over my head since day one, struggling to keep up with the challenges being thrown at me.

But I’ve handled them, and my pack has thrived.

Every member of my pack has had their share of trauma, but they survived.

They are stronger for it. They don’t need dominance and an iron fist. They need someone to protect them and care for their needs.

They need someone who will build up their confidence, encourage them, teach them, and help them heal.

Someone who will respect them and love them.

They don’t need a ruler; they need a leader. A true alpha knows the difference.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have physical strength and a shitload of dominance too. Lucky me, I have both. So long as my wolf and I stop fighting one another. We are stronger than him. We can beat him if we work together. I need you, but you need me too.

My wolf is quiet for a moment, and then the force against my control stops. Work together?

Yes.

Save mate? Kill alpha?

Hell yes.

“Wulf is a real alpha,” Skylar says, growing stronger from her need to defend me. “He’s a better alpha than you’ll ever be,” she spats. “And his little pack of rejects has destroyed your army.”

I laugh, and even my wolf is so amused he chuffs. Pride swells in both of us. We’ve never been prouder of our brave, fierce mate.

Victor isn’t amused by the insult. His face flushes with rage. “You think you’re funny, you little bitch? We’ll see who’s laughing when I tear your precious mate’s throat out.”

“We’re fated mates,” Skylar says. “If you kill him, I’ll die too.”

“Your bond isn’t complete. You’ll survive. Physically. But you’ll be broken enough that you’ll finally be the good little obedient omega whore you’re meant to be.”

“Even then, my wolf would never bond with you. You can’t claim what isn’t yours, and I will always belong to Wulf, whether he’s alive or not.”

And I will always be hers, whether I’m here with her or in the afterlife.

Our eyes lock, and our love for one another pulses so strongly that for a moment our souls merge as one, even through the suppression of the collar trapping Skylar’s wolf.

Victor roars in frustration and presses the side of his knife against Skylar’s neck. The silver sears her flesh, and she lets out a startled cry.

“Then perhaps I should just kill you instead,” Victor hisses, smiling cruelly with fevered eyes while my mate writhes in his arms. “You’ll be gone, and your mate will be too broken to win a fight against me.

I’ll beat him, chain him in silver, and let him live a long, empty life missing half of his soul and knowing you’re gone because he was too weak to save you. ”

I am going to enjoy ending this bastard.

Attack now? My wolf is so distressed he’s on the verge of losing control again, but he’s waiting for me. Working with me.

We need him to move his knife away from her throat. Then we can go for the kill.

Distraction? he asks.

Yes. I try to push Skylar’s pained cries from the front of my mind. I need to think.

“You see?” Victor laughs. “He can’t even defend you. I’m burning you with silver, and he’s just standing there.”

That’s it! He thinks I’m still fighting my wolf. Stumble , I tell my wolf. He believes I don’t have control. If he thinks I’m distracted and vulnerable, he’ll attack. And we’ll be ready .

My wolf sees the plan in my thoughts and gives me a mental nod.

He stops pushing me. In return, I stop trying to take back control.

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, we reach a true understanding.

I can feel his trust, and I give him mine in return.

It’s freeing. We’re finally in sync. Two souls sharing one mind, the way we’re meant to be.

The way we always have been until Skylar showed up and threw us out of whack.

Feeling our bond strengthen and heal gives me a renewed confidence. A strength that was never there before. It feels like a fresh start. A new beginning. A new me . And this me is unstoppable.

I lock my eyes on Victor. This asshole is going down. Now.

As if he can sense the change in me, Victor tenses and grips Skylar tighter. I take a step forward, but stumble midstep. I drop to the floor in a way that looks like I tripped, but I’m in complete control of my body and ready to attack.

Victor can’t resist the opening I’ve given him. He throws Skylar aside and leaps at me. I expect him to shift, but he doesn’t waste the seconds it would take and instead surges forward in his human form, slashing with his silver blade.

I jump to my feet and meet him head-on. He has to dodge and fails to land a killing blow, but as he dives away, he still manages to sink his silver knife into my hind leg. Fire rips through me, and this time my stumble is real.

“Wulf!”

My mate’s fearful cry is the motivation I need to focus. I push through the pain and yank the blade out of my leg with my teeth. Victor uses the distraction to shift, and we regain our footing at the same time.

Victor is larger than me and slightly more dominant, but that won’t stop me from killing him.

We crash into each other with brutal force.

Claws and teeth tear through skin, both his and mine.

I feel the sear of pain across my side, but I get a good grip on his shoulder near his neck and give a vicious tug, ripping a large chunk of flesh from his body.

He snarls and jumps back, and we circle each other.

I’m running on pure adrenaline, but I’m starting to slow down after having been in so many fights already and stabbed with a silver blade.

“Be careful, Wulf!”

I glance toward my mate, and Victor lunges forward.

I dart away, avoiding his jaw around my neck, but he smashes into my side, knocking me back.

I crash into something, furniture of some kind, and a sea of objects I don’t have time to identify rain down on me.

Before I can get up, Victor pounces again.

I twist onto my back and kick up with my hind legs, but his teeth sink into the side of my neck.

“NO! Wulf!”

Victor tries to pull back in an attempt to tear through my neck, but I plunge my front claws in his shoulders, holding him in place while my back claws rake through the entire length of his belly.

I slice him open from chest to tail. He releases his grip on my neck with a pain-filled yelp and stumbles back.

He tries to stay on his feet, but his insides are sagging out of his stomach and blood pours onto the floor, causing him to collapse.

Exhaustion hits me now that the threat in no longer imminent. I’ve won the fight, but it’s not enough. He’s still alive, and I demand death. I’m slow to get up, feeling the blood loss from my injuries, but the promise of victory keeps me going.

Victor growls when I approach, but it’s weak, and he doesn’t have the strength to even lift his head. I don’t gloat or take my time ending him. I simply wrap my jaw around his neck and rip out his throat. The light leaves his eyes, and I release a piercing howl of triumph.

A sob catches my attention. Skylar has pulled herself to a sitting position, resting against the side of the bed. “Wulf,” she rasps. She sounds so weak.

There is no resistance from my wolf when I shift back. I crawl to her and gently comb her hair off her face. I want to pull her into my arms, but I’m afraid to move her. She’s too beat up. “Skylar,” I croak. “Baby…”