Feral Wolf by Caroline Peckham
71 HOURS UNTIL THE FIB ARRIVE…
“Why are we saving a guard again?” Sin asked as we all ran toward the nearest stairway in a unit.
“Weren’t you listening in there?” Rosalie asked in exasperation, her dark hair swinging above her ass as I watched it bounce.
“If by listening you mean staring at your tits. Then yes, sugar puff, I was listening with rapt attention,” Sin said with a smirk and I tossed an elbow his way that caught him in the chest.
“This is life or death, asshole,” I growled. “Pay attention.”
“To her tits or her ass? I can never pick which I like best,” Sin said thoughtfully. “Her ass is like a perfectly ripe nectarine waiting for my teeth and those tits are two juicy mangos just asking to be squeezed into a cocktail.”
Rosa let out a growl and put on a burst of speed to take the lead. My Alpha instincts roared at me to at least keep pace with her and Sin and I were soon battling to catch her as she ran upstairs like her legs were made of pure air. Damn, Sin was right about that ass though.
“No!” a male shriek sounded from up ahead. “Oh by all the stars and the divine throne of Solaria whose seat is graced by the most wondrous ass of- ahhhhh!”
A roar and a chomp cut off those words and we all stopped dead in our tracks as the Belorian tore into its latest victim somewhere around the next corner. My gut twisted at the sound of crunching bones and a shudder tracked down the length of my spine. That was no way to die.
Rosa took a step back, her fingers twitching as she cast a silencing bubble around us. “We have to get past it,” she said, determination flaring in her dark brown eyes and the flecks of silver within them seemed to glint at me.
I found myself moving forward, ready to fight that terrifying monster and offer my mate the thing she desired. I didn’t want that death, but I’d risk it for her. I was her warrior and there wasn’t a battle I wouldn’t walk proudly into in her name. She caught my arm before I got far, shaking her head at me.
“I’m not scared, love,” I told her in a low tone.
“No, but you are a stupido cucciolo,” she whispered with a twitch of mirth on her lips.
“Did you just call me stupid?” I narrowed my gaze in suspicion.
“Nah.” She waved a hand at me but the teasing tilt to her lips said that was a lie.
Well I did just try to walk into the jaws of a insatiably hungry monster designed to kill Fae, so I guessed she had a point. Maybe I was alright with that though, seeing as the reason I was stupid enough to do it was that I got to claim this perfect Alpha as my mate. I’d take any burden that came with that to keep her, though I could practically hear my sisters taunting me for it already. I’d sworn to them I’d never take a mate because no one could ever tie me down. Now look at me. I was bound willingly, ready for Rosalie to slide a ball gag in my mouth whenever she fancied it. Sure, it hadn’t always been that way. But I wasn’t fighting this anymore. I was hers and she was mine. And I’d fight for the life we could have together and take every one of my sisters’ jibes on the outside with a smug as pie grin on my face too. Yeah, Ethan Shadowbrook is a goner. And so be it.
“Don’t wait up, hot pots,” Sin said and I glanced over my shoulder, finding him butt ass naked with a fucking boner. Again.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded.
“Feeding on your lust for one, kitten. And for two…” He sprang away from us, shifting into a huge Belorian right before us on the stairs. His skin was pale and smooth all over with black spines jutting out of his flesh in places. His face was eyeless and little more than a wide, gaping mouth full of sharp teeth. His legs curved into pincers at the front and he released a roar before running away from us up the stairs in the direction of the creature whose fantasy he’d just embodied. That shit was fucking unreal.
I shared a glance with Rosalie who grinned like this was just another day in paradise before we started moving after him.
But as we made it to the corridor where the gym was located, the two Belorians came tearing back down the stairs towards us and my heart lurched in fright.
“Fuck,” I cursed, turning tail with Rosalie as we were forced to run for our lives, leaping off of the stairway and racing down the hall.
Both beasts chased us like mad, but one of them kept slamming into the other to try and get its attention.
Come on, Sin, you insane motherfucker. Seduce that monster like your life depends on it, because it damn well does.
The true Belorian set its eyes on us, roaring like it was starved despite its mouth already being soaked in blood. That thing was like a bottomless pit, eternally hungry, endlessly bloodthirsty and right about now hungering for a taste of Alpha Wolf. My ass was fine, but Rosalie’s was a premium snack and there was no chance I was letting that thing near it.
“This way.” Rosalie grabbed my hand, tugging sharply and we stumbled into the gym, turning to cast our magic together to block the entrance.
Her earth magic sent vines shooting across the double doors and I froze them solid with my water magic just as an enormous weight collided with them and made the whole frame shudder. But it didn’t give. Thank the stars.
“Dalle stelle,” Rosalie swore as my heart rate settled a little. “Is he gonna be alright?”
“He’s Sin, he’ll be just fine, love,” I assured her, knowing that bastard would never die that easily. He was like a cockroach on lala pills.
“Alpha!” Harper’s voice made me twist around and my heart jolted in my chest as I found my entire pack there, laying around the space in dog piles, all of their eyes pinned on us as confusion twisted their features. Oh shit, I forgot they were holed up here.
Harper ran over, wrapping her arms around me and I nuzzled her head for a moment to calm my second in command, feeling her heart thrashing. My gaze remained fixed on my other Wolves, the way they were getting up and stalking closer, but mostly how they were looking at Rosalie. Not good. Not fucking good.
They were glaring at her, muscles tensing and teeth baring all around us as they rallied against the outsider to their pack.
A growl rolled over my tongue as I released Harper, sensing the danger in the air.
Shitballs, why did we have to end up here of all places?
“He’s brought us the Oscura Alpha!” Dan barked excitedly and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck as the urge to shift rippled through my body. Fucking Dan. I never liked you, you butt chewing suck up.
“We can kill her good and display her in the Mess Hall beside that dead guard,” Jenny suggested with a yip. “And when the Oscura Clan come to mourn her, we’ll rip the rest of them to pieces too!”
Hell fucking no.
I felt Rosalie’s eyes on me for a moment like she was assessing how I was gonna react to this. I felt her doubts, felt the way she took a small step away from me like she thought I was about to turn on her. And that killed me more than anything. I knew I’d failed her before now, that I’d been a shitty Wolf and an even shittier mate. But the time for fighting against this bond between us was over. And I’d stand against every star in the sky to protect her if I had to now.
Dan and Jenny led the other Wolves forward. My fucking Wolves.
“Stand down,” I growled in my Alpha tone and a bunch of the weaker members flinched back, but others kept coming, their instincts to rally against their enemy strong enough to overpower my command as their Alpha.
“What do you mean stand down?” Dan cocked his head to one side, his stupid floppy hair flopping into his eyes. He’d grown it like that to try and look like me, but his hair was a shitty ashy blonde, it didn’t have half the tone or body of mine. He was a piss poor copy pup and I’d been wanting to punch his smarmy face for a long time. He couldn’t pull that hair off and we all knew it. “She’s our enemy. Aren’t you going to make her bleed, Alpha?” He licked his lips hungrily and I took another step forward, placing myself between them and her.
“I said, stand down!” I barked and a bunch of the weaker Wolves whined in discomfort at the way the energy in the room was splitting and tearing. If they didn’t fall into line now then this was going to turn into something much nastier than I wanted. A full on breakdown in the pack hierarchy starting with a challenge for my position as leader. I needed to assert my dominance over them quickly or everything could be about to go to hell.
“Ethan,” Rosalie hissed from behind me and Harper whined.
“He’s protecting her!” someone called from the pack though I didn’t catch who as I kept my gaze fixed on douchebag Dan in front of me, his shoulders squaring and his teeth bared. More and more Wolves were gathering at his back and my blood was burning hotter and hotter at the sight.
“I’m you’re Alpha,” I snapped, rising to my full height. “Stand. Down.”
“No,” Dan snarled, his chin raising defiantly. I knew the little prick had been priming up to this for a while, but why now? For the love of the moon, why now?? “Not until you hand over the Oscura Alpha or kill her yourself.”
“You’re not going anywhere near her,” I growled and my pulse drummed furiously as I rose my voice and let it fill the whole room with my next words. “She’s my mate.”
Silence. The deadly kind.
“Harper’s your mate,” Dan threw back, his eyes wide with shock which was echoed on the faces of my entire pack as they stared at me. I got a flashback of the first day I’d arrived in Darkmore, asserted myself as Alpha of their pack and shown them my cock as I geared up for an orgy. My cock tended to have that effect on people.
“She’s not. I lied. I made her obey me and pretend to be my mate to cover for the truth,” I said, trying to keep her safe with those words, not wanting these furious eyes to turn on her after all she’d done for me. “But I’m done lying. Rosalie Oscura is my mate chosen for me by the moon. She and I can bring the packs together. Lunar and Oscura. We’ll be the strongest force in Darkmore.” The words fell so easily from my tongue, it was kind of impossible to believe how vehemently I’d been against them once. I didn’t even know when I’d decided I didn’t care about the war between us anymore, but I found myself remembering the words of the old Lunar King before he’d left this life forever. If you’re ever lucky enough to find what I have found, then you will realise you would give up everything to keep it.
Damn asshole had been right after all. It had all happened so fast. One minute I was a king who ruled the world, and the next I was kneeling at the feet of my queen, happy for her to do with me whatever she liked. Sure, there’d been some speed-bumps along the way, but now I was here, I couldn’t see any kind of life that didn’t have her in it anymore. And there was no enemy I wouldn’t face for her. No battle I wouldn’t fight. And no war I wouldn’t win.
Horrified chatter broke out among my pack and anxiety tugged at my chest. Rosalie moved to my side, baring her own teeth and Dan’s eyes honed in on her. Just him looking at her like that was enough to warrant his death.
“Traitor!” Jenny barked and a snarl ripped from my throat.
“I’m your Alpha!” I roared.
“You’re no Alpha of mine, love.” Dan spat on the floor between us and I raised my hands, gathering a swirling ball of ice between them as I spat a snarl. Oh he did not just steal my word and use it on me. He. Did. Not.
“They have magic,” someone gasped in concern.
“Alpha, you need to run,” Harper hissed, but I ignored her.
“Are you challenging me?” I demanded of Dan and he stepped closer once more, clearly ready to face the consequences of his subordinance as he swept that floppy fucking imposter hair from his too close together eyes. Call me ‘love’ one more time, I dare you.
“Dan, listen to your Alpha,” Harper said, a look of repugnance filling her face at his betrayal, and my chest swelled with pride at her sticking with me in the face of certain death.
But instead of Dan confirming his challenge, he dove forward, his grey wolf tearing from his flesh as he leapt at Rosalie with widened fangs. I ran between them so fast, I wasn’t even aware of making the decision, but maybe it wasn’t even a choice. It was my nature, my duty to my mate. Dan collided with me, his huge paws knocking me to the ground and crushing the wind from my lungs.
His teeth locked around my arm as I brought it up between us, but I got my hand against his face before he could tear it clean off, magic pouring from my body as I used a surge of energy to freeze every piece of him I touched. He yelped, trying to pull back, but I held on with a snarl of determination, his body turning solid as I gritted my teeth and turned the entirety of him to ice. A cloud of vapour escaped his lips as he tipped his head back in a silent, dying howl and I crawled out from beneath the frozen form of him, healing the bite mark on my arm.
“No one fucking imitates me. There’s only one Ethan Shadowbrook and I’m right here!” I thumped my fist against my chest.
Howls and wails of pain went up from my pack and I gazed at Rosalie for a moment, her lips parted at what I’d done. Because I’d killed one of my own for her, I’d made my choice clear between my mate or my pack. And it was her. How could it not be her?
Jenny ran forward with a yelp of anguish over Dan, splitting into her dark brown Wolf form and running at me while the rest of my pack surged closer behind her, two others diving forward to fight Rosalie and Harper.
I might have won that challenge for my position, but it was clear the pack saw my mating an Oscura as too much of a betrayal all the same.
Rosalie wrapped a vine around Jenny’s neck before she could make it to me, yanking it taut with a spark of magic that broke her neck. Another Wolf took her place and I saw red as more snarling, snapping teeth came at me. At Rosalie. But she was mine. My life, my soul. And I would kill every one of them who desired her death. There was no greater loyalty that lived in me than the one I harboured for her now.
I cut down another snarling beast as he tried to rip my throat out, freezing his heart in his chest as I wielded my magic. But for every Wolf who fell at our hands, another took its place and my power quickly started to run low.
We were driven back against the barricaded doors and the roar of the Belorian out there reminded us about the other death waiting for us beyond them. The wood shuddered against my spine as I cast an ice wall before us to try and keep the pack away, but large claws tore through it like paper.
My limbs strained as I was forced to engage more and more of the Lunars, using my magic as sparingly as I could manage.
I was about to shift when the door exploded at my back and pincers wrapped around my waist, dragging me out into the hallway and sending me skidding across it. I hit the wall, adrenaline thundering through my veins as my head rattled from the impact.
“Rosalie!” I bellowed, shoving to my feet and running forward as the Belorian got hold of her too, twisting around and pushing her into my arms, proving it wasn’t the Belorian at all. Harper screamed, ducking as she got out the door and looking to me in fear.
“Run!” I commanded her in my Alpha tone and she turned tail and fled down the corridor. The Belorian swiped and slashed at the Lunar pack, forcing them to retreat before it swung towards us once more.
“Is it Sin?” Rosalie hissed as we started backing up, our hands raised as it stalked towards us.
“I’m eighty percent sure,” I said, but we kept retreating just in case.
“It’s me,” the thing grunted then ran at us, gathering us up in its front set of arms and racing away down the corridor towards the stairs.
Howls sounded after us as the Lunar Brotherhood took chase and I turned to look at Rosalie and check she was okay.
Her mouth crashed against mine before I could ask and the mate mark behind my ear flared with heat.
I caught her hair in my grip, sinking my tongue between those perfect lips, tasting the bond between us and knowing in my soul that no matter how much I’d just lost, it couldn’t come close to what I’d gained in finding her, that kiss becoming an eternal promise that I’d never stand against her again.
She was mine and I was hers and that was all I needed in the whole wide fucking world.