Page 53 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

“No.”

Mica’s stomach swooped. That was the one thing they all agreed on, that they were trying to establish a way to move through the Bluebell Valley region. “But then…?”

“They already have a foothold here. This is far more dangerous than you realize,” Echo said urgently. “Thousands of years ago, an archdemon lived in this valley. He ruled with more cruelty than you can imagine. But the wolf shifters were able to fight back. Thousands lost their lives in that battle. In the end, they trapped him in a stele, which was then buried deep beneath the town.”

“I thought that the demons were repelled by those sorts of artifacts,” Mica breathed.

“They do. But the stele has been degrading. The magic keeping the archdemon in place has been dwindling. Over the years, his evilness has been infecting our pack and our land. Our Alphas,” Echo added, shivering again. “And when Monroe used the occult arts to try to bring his mate back, he broke the last of the barriers.”

Mica resisted the urge to cover her stomach with her hands. As though that would be enough to protect her unborn child! Instead, she reached for Echo’s hands. She held them as tightly as she dared, still worried that she might hurt her.

“What does that mean, exactly?” Mica asked.

“It means that the archdemon is trying to establish himself here again. He’s brought the beast-demons and aura-demons through to our world, to help him escape the last chains linking him to the stele.” Echo’s eyes were wide, searching Mica’s to make sure she understood.

“The building projects,” Mica breathed. “He’s trying to dig up the stele and destroy it. So that he can be free to do what he wants here. It’s not about opening a doorway to hell, because he’s already here.”

Echo nodded. “And if he gets free from that stele, he’ll go right back to the same thing he was doing millennia ago. Only this time, he knows about wolf shifters. He’s been inside the head of one. We won’t be able to stop him if he gets free.”

Chapter 28 - Hayden

Monroe’s claws raked across Hayden’s flank, ripping out chunks of fur. Hayden twisted, clamping his jaws down on Monroe’s shoulder. They spun in a circle, Monroe seeming to try to rip himself free. The sun beat down on them, baking the smell of sweat and blood into their fur. Hayden’s mouth tasted ashy, but his mind was filled with Mica.

Pain shot through his spine as Monroe twisted, flinging Hayden off in the dirt. The Alpha jumped at him, teeth bloodied and snapping. Hayden rolled away and kicked out his back legs at the same time. Monroe easily sidestepped the blow. His tongue lolled out, his eyes dancing with mirth as Hayden staggered back to his feet.

His fur stood on end as they circled each other, heads low. Growls and howls of encouragement rang in Hayden’s ears. He recognized each of the voices. He only wished there was one more—Mica’s.

Funny how he was glad she wasn’t here to start with, but as the fight dragged on, he only wanted her to call his name. Visions filled his mind of her smile, the feel of her body, the softness with which she touched him. The way she stood tall and proud against unyielding odds.

He had to win this fight, for her.

A resounding gong rang across the challenge grounds. Hayden snarled under his breath, not falling out of his defensive posture. Monroe eyed him a moment before backing off a step. Hayden shook his ruff, padding sideways back to his side. The demon actually winked at him before turning his back to him. Hayden didn’t show his back as he made his way back to his team.

A low growl lingered in his chest as he came to a stop just outside the challenge lines. Traditionally, these fights would end only when one of the challengers fled or died. But Monroe had worked in these ‘breaks’ into the fighting. Apparently, it was something that human groups were trying to implement into shifter fights, to allow the chance for dialogue.

Something about less deaths. As though humans can understand these things! Even Mica, who was raised among shifters, couldn’t understand these things.

He shifted to human form and accepted a bottle of water from Finn. As he stood with his back toward the demons, Hayden let out a soft growl. Adrenaline still pumped through him but this brief respite made his exhaustion rear its head. He’d been going hard at Monroe for longer than he cared to admit. And the demon didn’t seem to be showing any signs of tiring out.

Fuck! Had he underestimated his foe?

No. No! He was not going to start thinking that way. It was why Monroe insisted on having these ‘rest’ periods. To make Hayden doubt himself. It was all a mindfuck, and he wasn’t going to fall for it.

“I fucking hope you left before shifting back to human form,” Hayden snarled at Finn. “The last thing we need—”

“I know,” Finn interrupted. “And yes, I did. I grabbed some salves for your injuries.”

“I don’t need it.”

Finn’s red hair ruffled in the breeze. “I didn’t say you did. I used it as an excuse. And if Monroe is trying to wear you out, let’s make him think it’s working. I can apply the salves; he’ll mock you and get cocky. But it’s as much of a ploy as these breaks are.”

Hayden narrowed his eyes at the other wolf. It sounded reasonable when he said it that way, but that didn’t mean Finn was telling the truth. But he grunted and nodded his assent. As Finn started to apply the salve to Hayden’s bleeding injuries, the initial sting was soon replaced by an easing of the pain.

Laughter came from across the challenge grounds, but Hayden ignored Monroe’s taunts. He had gotten in some good blows himself, and Monroe would also be bleeding.

Monroe liked to dance around before rushing in. Hayden closed his eyes, planning out this next bout of fighting. It may be helpful to feign weakness at that. Keep himself still and stand his ground rather than try to get the upper hand. Let Monroe tire himself out more. The demon might be invulnerable, but it was still using a mortal host.

Just how far could that body be pushed before it just gave up?

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