Page 77 of Cursed Wolf

“Who cares? He’ll be dead.”

“It means Ragnar can never take Martell’s packs or land he controls. It would automatically go to his second in command. There are too many witnesses, so we wait. The final blow needs to be delivered by Ragnar.”

“I can’t wait for them to die,” I growl under my breath, loathing the stupid rules Alphas insist on following when we live in a world where anything goes. Blind rage thumps through me, but I hold back, curling my hands into fists.

Remaining in the shadows, watching the fight makes me nauseous. The longer I watch, the more I burn as small tingles of magic prick the edges of my fingers. Just like my wolf, who’s growling in my chest, the power is erupting in response to my fury.

Ragnar’s thrown harshly onto his back, but he rolls away just as Martell’s about to stomp his head. Another man, I don’t recognize, throws himself at Martell, and they hit the ground hard. I can only imagine he’s one of Ragnar’s men.

Martell moves swiftly, snatching the man’s neck, and rips his throat out. Blood splashes everywhere, and many in the crow erupt with vicious cheers.

I flinch and whimper.

Stone grabs me into his arms. “Don’t look.”

It’s too late—I saw everything.

The longer I watch the battle, the more I hurt on the inside.

“I can’t stand by and do nothing. One of them could die. I don’t care about the stupid rules. I’m going to take out Martell. I need to.” Bile hits the back of my throat when I think about all my encounters with him—the hatred, the cruelty, the deaths.

Crius stumbles backward, fresh blood leaking from an ear, one leg of his pants soaked in crimson, and I notice he’s limping.

I step closer, but Stone’s arm is around my stomach.

“Don’t make me use my magic on you because I will,” I snarl. “I’ve had enough of watching this brutal savagery.”

A flurry of panic comes over him, but he finally growls. “Fine, but we’re doing this my way.”

“Yeah, and how’s that?”

“I have no idea if this will work, but I don’t know how else to stop you. You’re going to siphon power from me, then thrust it into Ragnar.”

I wrench my gaze from the fight to Stone. “Will that work?”

“In theory, it should. You draw energy from people, so why can’t you funnel it back out? It’s what your mother was doing with your father. Feeding him her blood and funneling power she drained from others into your father.”

Of course, he was right, but I don’t want to accidentally zap my lover. My intention had been to just drain as many of the assholes as possible until I most likely passed out again, but the longer I considered Stone’s idea, the more I liked it.

“Alright, let’s do it. How?”

Stone kneels by a tree and places one hand on the earth. Almost immediately, the runes on his chest glow a powerful, hypnotic blue. They may be our saving grace. His body buzzes all over, and the hairs lift on the arm he offers me.

Taking his hand, the shudder of sharp magic cuts into me, and a whine rolls across my throat from the sharp pain.

“Don’t fight it. You’re just a conduit for the magic.”

I wrench my gaze back to the arena, where Ragnar’s on his knees between two monstrous men. They look ready to shift into their wolves but never do. No doubt, another dumb rule. Seeing Ragnar at their mercy slices through me, and I snarl. I’ve had enough of this torture.

With all my concentration on him, I throw my arm out, and a spark of white light snaps across the ground with such speed, if you blinked, you would miss it. Magic strikes Ragnar’s ribs so fast, so hard, it throws him out of both men’s grasp.

I lower my hand as they flinch back, looking around to see what happened.

Getting to his feet, Ragnar shakes his head and rubs his side where the magic had burned a hole into his shirt. His head jerks head up, and our gazes clash.

I smile and try to move my hands to tell him I gave him power, but I’m certain I look like I’m waving madly. Stone gestures to his runes, then to me, and our Alpha nods.

Glued to the arena, I move closer. As long as I keep my head low, hopefully, no one will recognize me. Stone is pressed to my back as we squeeze through the crowd.

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