Page 70 of Spike

But before he could react, Spike seized the opportunity to deliver the final blow. My mate sunk his fangs into Jack’s neck and tore it out.

With Jack and Clive dead, the battle was finally over. I rushed to his side, my heart overflowing with pride and relief.

As Spike returned to his human form, his arms found their way around me.

I melted into his arms, the tension of the battle slowly ebbing away. In that moment, all the fear and uncertainty melted away, leaving only the warmth of Spike's hug.

Our lips met in a tender kiss. For a moment, the world faded away, leaving only the two of us wrapped up in each other's arms.

“Spike brought us all the way here for nothing,” Nitro joked to the other bear shifters, who chuckled.

Spike and I broke away from the kiss. I turned to thank Nitro and the other shifters for their unwavering support.

They had risked their lives to stand by us, and I was grateful for their loyalty and friendship.

But as the adrenaline of the battle began to fade, my thoughts turned to the other wolves who had been caught up in Jack's tyranny.

"What do we do about them?" I asked Spike, my voice tinged with concern.

Spike glanced towards the skies, but Draven was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't help but wonder what fate awaited the tormented dragon shifter now that Jack was no more.

But deep down, I held onto the hope that Draven would find a way to heal and recover from whatever dark deeds he was forced to do.

Later, I would ask Spike if Colin was involved. Maybe I could even track Colin down and ask him how he managed to convince Draven to stay away while Spike finished his duel with Jack.

As my gaze swept across the gathered wolves, my attention was drawn to a golden-haired woman stepping forward.

I recognized her as Amelia, a female alpha werewolf who had once been Olaf’s third.

“Amelia,” Spike said evenly. "You're taking over the pack?"

"For now, until we find Olaf's replacement," Amelia replied.

She sounded resigned. I could sense she didn’t really want the position and while I didn’t know her that well, I sensed she would certainly do a better job than Jack.

Spike and the other bear shifters considered her words for a moment.

I could feel the tension in the air rising but neither side could afford another confrontation. Everyone was tired, including me.

All I wanted to do was collapse in bed with Spike, to snuggle next to him and shut out the world for a week.

Maybe I could take a few days off work and focus on us. We certainly deserved a break after everything that happened. Part of me still couldn’t believe it was all finally over.

"Jack was one bad seed," Spike finally said. "There's no point punishing the whole pack for his mistakes."

I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at Spike's words. There collective sighs of relief from the surviving members of the Blue Vale Valley wolves.

“Spike’s right. There’s no need to shed more blood,” Nitro said.

"We'll talk more later, but for now, my priority is returning home with my mate," Spike said.

As our group turned to leave, I quickly remembered to snatch Jack’s fallen pendant, relieved that no one stopped me.

Perhaps Venom knew how to destroy it. Amelia also had one final question for us.

"You managed to draw Draven away from Jack. How?" she asked, her gaze flickering between Spike and me.

"Some questions are better left unanswered," he said, his tone final. And with that, Amelia nodded, accepting his explanation, and allowing us to depart in peace.

---