Page 26 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

I twisted, trying to throw him off, but he was too strong. His teeth sank into my shoulder and I howled, the sound tearing from my throat. Blood, hot and slick, poured from the wound, mixing with the rain and turning the mud beneath us a sickening red.

We rolled, a mess of snarling fur and flashing fangs. I lashed out, my claws catching Bowen across the muzzle. He yelped, jerking back, and I seized the opportunity. I snaked forward, my jaws clamping down on his foreleg.

Bone crunched between my teeth and Bowen howled, his body convulsing with pain. He thrashed, trying to break free, but I held on, biting, biting, biting.

Bowen wrenched himself free, breaking my hold. Blood dripped from his mangled leg, but he barely seemed to notice. His eyes glowed with a feral light, fixed on me with single-minded intensity.

He charged again, feinting left before slamming into my right side. I stumbled, and Bowen was on me in an instant, his jaws closing around my throat.

The air punched out of my lungs. I gasped, choking on the blood that filled my mouth instead. My vision swam, darkening at the edges.

This was it. This was how I died.

But then, through the haze of pain and the roaring of blood in my ears, I heard Maddy scream my name.

Something snapped inside me. A final, desperate surge of strength. I couldn’t leave her. I couldn’t let Bowen win.

With a snarl, I jerked my head to the side, ignoring the agony that tore through my neck. Bowen’s grip loosened, just for a moment, but it was enough. I twisted, my jaws clamping down on his exposed throat.

I bit down, hard, feeling his windpipe collapse beneath my teeth. Bowen convulsed, a gurgling whine escaping him. I shook my head savagely, tearing through muscle and sinew until, with a final, shuddering breath, Bowen went limp.

I released him, stepping back on shaking legs. The world tilted around me, my vision blurring. I blinked, trying to clear it, but the darkness only grew.

Bowen’s pack stood in shocked silence, staring at their fallen alpha. I forced myself to shift and stand tall on two legs, ignoring the way my body screamed in protest.

“Bowen is dead,” I announced, my voice rough and ragged, “and I release you. All of you. Your pack is nothing but a name whispered in warning from now on.”

I swept my gaze over the assembled wolves, taking in their wary, uncertain expressions. “Any who wish to join Dusk Valley may do so. But know this—there will be no compromise on our rules of civilization and propriety. This is a one-time offer of amnesty. Take it or leave.”

A few shifted uneasily, exchanging glances. But slowly, one by one, they bowed their heads in submission. I didn’t give a shit if they stayed the night or left in the coming days. My concern fell on the others.

On my pack.

On Maddy.

Warmth streamed down my chest. I swayed on my feet as I turned to find them. Dimly, I heard Maddy call my name, her voice thick with fear.

And then she was there, her arms around my waist, holding me up. I leaned against her heavily, the last of my strength leaking out of me with my blood.

“Rafe? Rafe, stay with me.” Maddy’s voice sounded far away, muffled by the ringing in my ears.

The world tilted again and this time, I couldn’t stop it. I fell, Maddy’s scream echoing in my ears as the darkness rushed up to claim me.

CHAPTER TEN

MADDY

Icrept into the bedroom, my footsteps feather-light against the hardwood floors. Rafe lay sprawled on the bed, his chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of deep sleep. Bruises crept over his skin, some already fading but others looking as painful as the red welts of the healing claw and bite marks.

Fates, he’d had me worried when he went down. Tara had insisted he just needed to rest and recover, her forehead wrinkled with concern as she tended to the worst of his wounds. But he’d lost so much blood from all those cuts and punctures—nearly lost his throat—that I found her hard to believe.

My wolf snarled at the potential outcome, the circumstances that put us here, and the idea of a single Black Sands wolf still breathing.

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs keeping all that fear trapped in my head. Rafe lived. He breathed. The wounds closed. I had to hold on to those facts.

My shoulders ached as I pulled my shirt over my head and padded for the bathroom. The hot spray of the shower beckoned, a chance to wash away the grime and tension coiled tight in my muscles. The water couldn’t warm fast enough.

I stepped under the pounding stream, letting the water run over my skin in rivulets. The heat loosened my knotted muscles, drawing a sigh from my lips. Rafe would be fine. He had to be. Because the idea of losing such a strong, brave man to fucking useless violence was unbearable.

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