Page 103 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

I look over at him, and my fated wolf licks his lips with anticipation too. I imitate his gestures. It didn’t matter if Fenrir had a thirty second head start or thirty minutes. The outcome would still be the same...his death.

Odin studies his watch, raising his hand above his head, then yells, “Hunt my children!”

Various tones of howls fill the air. The Pack forms a horseshoe as we race into the forest. Ballian is on my left side, Nyah on my right, and Skia with her new armor is next to her.

“This way,” Nyah yells, veering away from the others. We follow her like before.

Ballian and I make a mental note to physically survey the Pack land to become knowledgeable of every inch of it.

Tree branches nick my skin as we trail behind her. It becomes evident Kenia was thinking the same as we met up with her, and Levi.

“Where’s daddy and momma,” Nyah questioned.

“They’re with the All Father Odin,” Kenia replies.

Nyah opens her mouth to speak but the sound of Fenrir crying out for help like a bitch draws our attention. We press on before clearing a thicket of small trees to see the dishonored Godfully shifted into his wolf on top of a large fallen old pine tree. He swings his paw at the wolves taunting him with his upper lip raised on both sides.

I peer at Nyah, then Ballian, and Skia. Through our mental portal, I tell them. “Nyah, you and Skia attack him from the front while Ballian and I take out his hind legs.”

Their agreement echoes through my head, but then another voice speaks.

“Sit still young ones.”

Elder Nelah.

Not wanting to lose the opportunity to end Fenrir, Ballian and I ignore her instructions and attempt to lunge at him only to what I can only describe as our feet and paws feeling like they are cemented in the ground.

“I told you to sit still,” Elder Nelah says again.

I thought Ballian was the biggest wolf I had ever seen but the large gray wolf that uses his shoulders to knock down trees to get closer to us has my jaw dropping; there’s no doubt in my mind this is Lord Odin. Other wolves begin to fall in line behind him. I recognized my father’s wolf, Alpha Lightfeather, James, and Elder Nelah but the large gray wolf with black patches and the other four with mottled white, gray, brown, and black I had no clue.

“That’s Vidar, and the rest are his men,” Ballian informs.

I glance at Nyah as she bumps my shoulder, then thrusts her head towards the black wolf next to Alpha Lightfeather.

“That’s my momma,” she proudly says.

I stare at the wolf. If Skia wasn’t at Nyah’s side, I would have thought it was her standing there. The black wolf had the same red eyes and stature of Skia. The only thing I could see that was different from the two is Mrs. Willa had Skia by a mere foot in height.

The Pack forms a large circle, securing a perimeter around us. Fenrir’s wolf yelps, realizing there is nowhere for him to escape.

“Odin, you have proven your point,” Fenrir wavers in his wolf form. “You are superior. I will never challenge you again. As one God to another, I beseech you to let me fall as a lowly God. I will relinquish all my powers and stand behind the other Gods as a fixture in the Grand Hall.”

Odin momentarily stares him down. Surely he wasn’t falling for this asshole’s deceitful words. I release a much-held breath of air as he responds, “We’ve gone through one war with you and your people, and now we’re fighting another.” Odin’s wolf swivels its head, staring at us and the Pack members who were ready to cut into Fenrir on his command. “I never wanted things to come to this, but you couldn’t keep your arrogance and ego in check, so here we are again.”

Fenrir opens his jaws to try and reason with Odin, but Odin’s mighty howl snaps his mouth close. “There is nothing you can say to sway me from the decision I’ve already made before my feet touched the ground.”

His eyes fall on Alpha Lightfeather. “I’ll give you the first honor since you are the Alpha of these Pack lands.”

Alpha Lightfeather doesn’t hesitate as he bum rushes Fenrir. Fenrir’s wolf growls and yelps as he tries to fight him off.

The rest of us are practically foaming at the mouth, waiting for our chance to jump in. Odin finally gives us the signal. Every open spot-on Fenrir’s body is seized. His form fluctuates between him trying to shift into his human form. If he’s smart, he’ll stay in his wolf form because there was no way his human side could endure the pain we’re inflicting upon him. But then again, he probably wanted to shift to put an end to his misery.

Odin lets out a loud chuckle. “I’d suggest not using your energy to shift. The ability to do so has been taken away collectively by the other Gods.”

Fenrir growls in despair as we tear into his skin. With my teeth embedded deep into his flesh, I take pleasure in his blood reaching my tongue. I look up to see Nylah and Skia gnawing at his lower torso along with our family members. It then dawned on me that the Pack members were standing on the side lines, watching us.

I wanted more but I’m not an asshole. The remaining members who put up a hell of a fight alongside us while risking their lives and losing other Pack members deserved to be included in this monumental moment.

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