Page 166 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Oh my, what is this?” Eren said, seeing Stephanie lying supine on the ground. “Looks like my little fuck buddy didn’t follow the rules. What a shame. But then, she was a traitorous whore.” Eren tapped a finger to his head. “I shoulda known. Once a betrayer, always a betrayer.” His wicked grin matched the gleam in his eyes. “You ever get a taste of that pussy, Jace? Gotta say, I didn’t have high hopes, but once she got going, she really knew what she was doing.”

Bile crept up my throat. The thought of Stephanie sleeping with this pig disgusted me, though I could see he wasn’t lying. She’d kept the truth from us to prevent us from knowing her shame. She’d done it to get close to him so she could help the people of Scottsdale. Help us.

That alone made me feel almost as guilty for her injuries as the ferals who attacked us. If she survived, she’d need to live with the agony of what he’d done to her for the rest of her life.

“I challenge you, Eren Miller! Here and now, I issue an official challenge.”

Eren chuckled. “An official challenge,” he mocked. “How quaint. Don’t know if you noticed, but it’s just us here, fuckwad.”

“Not true,” Dustin said, stepping out of the darkness. Beside him, Ivy, Noah, and Hollis stepped forward.

Eren’s smile remained. The only suggestion of his worry was the subtle narrowing of his eyes and his nostrils flaring. He’d been outplayed.

“We acknowledge the challenge.” Dustin shrugged. “Since you’ve shut your borders, we couldn’t come tell you in person. Sorry.”

“You’re an unfit alpha,” Ivy said. “As proclaimed in shifter law, once the other alphas in the area have acknowledged the challenge, you need to accept or deny Jace’s challenge.”

“I know the fucking law, you bitch,” Eren hissed. “Fuck the law. Do you think I give a damn about some stupid ceremonial fight? Fuck you. I want a war. I’ll fuck all of you up. I’ll decimate you and take your lands for myself. When I’m done with you, I won’t just be the strongest alpha in Missouri. I’ll be the strongest alpha within a thousand miles.”

I should have been surprised, but I wasn’t. Not in the least. A true alpha would never put his pack at risk if he could settle things with a one-on-one fight. Of course Eren would want a war. He thought he had the advantage. His iron grip on his pack, the lone wolves he’d brought in, the ferals he’d created? He thought he was untouchable.

“Fine,” I said, feeling the finality of the word as it left my lips. “My people will be ready.”

“Good.” Eren sneered, then looked over my shoulder where Kirsten was still working on Stephanie. “Jace, do you know what I’ll do first after I kill you and these other prick alphas? I’m gonna take your little witch and slide my dick right into that tight little body. Then, while I fuck her brains out, I’m gonna claim her. Put my mark right on that pretty little neck. Make her mine. Hell, I might even do it over your dead body. Make her look at you while I take her. How does that sound?”

Snarling, I took a threatening step toward him, ready to tear his throat out before this fucking war could even begin, but Kirsten’s voice stopped me.

“I would fry the shit out of you before you ever managed to touch me.” She stood and stepped up beside me, lacing her fingers through mine. “I have every faith that Jace will take care of you, but if for some reason he doesn’t? You won’t survive the day. I will kill you where you stand, and that’s a promise.” She glanced at me. “Steph’s going to be all right, by the way.”

Eren, seeing that the odds were against him here, backed up a few steps. “You may have won tonight, but this is just a single battle. I fully intend to win the war. This won’t happen again.” He sent Kirsten a lecherous wink. “We’ll see how you feel later, gorgeous.”

Kirsten flicked her hand and sent a flash of purple lightning at him. It slammed into the dirt less than a yard from Eren’s feet. He and his betas leapt back, shouting in surprise. Eren glared at having been made to look like a fool yet again.

“Let’s go,” he ordered his betas, and they melted back into the surrounding forest.

“We gotta move,” Langston said as he gingerly lifted Stephanie.

She was unconscious, but the tear in her neck was healed, and her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm. Kirsten had saved her life.

Langston carried Stephanie to the waiting truck where Tank was waiting in the driver’s seat, tapping his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel.

I nodded at him. “Move out.”

Kirsten looked ready to collapse, and I put my arm around her waist to lend her some support. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Healing Stephanie took a lot out of me. She was almost gone. Another few seconds, and she wouldn’t have made it. I did everything I could to save her.”

“Thank you. It meant a lot to me. She proved herself out there.” I said. “We’ll get you home soon.”

She leaned against me, letting me take most of her weight as we walked to the truck. She and Tinsley climbed inside, and Tank sent them a worried look.

“Are you okay?” he asked Tinsley.

“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “We did good.”

Langston tilted the passenger seat back, then buckled the unconscious Stephanie in. He set her backpack on the floorboard between her feet.

Dustin took one van, and Ivy took the other. The rest of their shifters transformed and followed their alphas back to their pack lands. My people shifted and headed for Crestwood.

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