Page 93 of One True Mate

A large female wolf lunged towards Kelsey. My heart started pumping as adrenaline fueled me. My mate was in danger. I roared in anger and felt my own alpha powers rising to their full power. I was nearly blinded by the power and surprised by the strength that coursed through my body. Jumping over my mate I met her predator head on. The she-wolf never even saw me coming. I wasted no time sinking my teeth into her until her body withered in my mouth. With a jerk of my head I sent her dead body flying into a group of wrestling wolves.

Not waiting to see the aftermath or the surprised faces of those I'd interrupted, I quickly turned back to Kelsey. Her power was growing, as was mine. I was nearly blinded by the enormity of it. She no longer walked behind me, but side by side we made our way to where Kamen and my father fought. Blood was everywhere and I could not tell who it was coming from. I knew from the earlier howl that my dad had been injured but had no clue to what extent. In that moment, it didn't matter.

Kelsey stopped just before them but I did not. I leapt onto the back of the alpha wolf and let my claws sink in. He yelped and tried to throw me off. Someone from behind took a swipe at me and I felt the sting of an open cut then heard a gurgling sound. The world was spinning in Kamen's attempt to thrash in circles to disarm me, but I closed my eyes and held on tight.

Suddenly it was like I could see through Kelsey's eyes. The world was distorted in greys tinged with red. She was in a fury. The next thing I realized was that the fighting surrounding us had momentarily stopped. Kelsey made a lunge for Kamen causing an abrupt stop to his flailing. I felt his power shifting beneath my paws and knew he was about to change.

The most sacred shifter law was never to kill in human form, or another shifter in human form. Most packs extend that to humans entirely. It was something I held firmly to. It was a sign of our humanity. A sign that we weren't the monsters Hollywood portrayed us as.

Kels, he's going to shift!I yelled through our bond.

Instantly she sprang into action biting his neck, but just missing his carotid artery. I lashed on to the other side of his neck. Our mouths snapping open and closed over his neck in close proximity as we fought to end him. Kamen wasn't alpha of the Bulgarians without reason and he wasn't about to go down without a fight. We had weakened him to the point he would not be able to change, but he was still alive.

He thrashed about once more, and this time my paws met slick blood coated fur and I couldn't maintain my grip. I hit the ground with a thud and went sprawling from the momentum. This left Kelsey to face Kamen alone. I quickly recovered and raced to rejoin the fight. Two large Bulgarian wolves tried to block my path. I didn't have time for them. I faked left and skirted off to their right. They were big but they didn't seem too bright. I saw Liam's wolf jump in to intercede as I raced back to my mate.

They were in a standoff with Kelsey staring down at Kamen's injured body lying on the ground and I joined her by her side, taking her lead when every instinct in me screamed to finish him. A female wolf sat beside him licking his wounds and I knew it must be his mate, Nadya. He growled and snapped at her as he struggled to his feet. Nothing but pure anger showed in his eyes. There was no signs remaining of humanity and I knew, if he was going to die, he was going to do everything in his power to see that Kelsey went with him.

In a last attempt, he threw the she-wolf off him and jumped right towards Kelsey and me. Neither of us moved and a strange power unlike anything I had ever known surrounded us in a bubble. It was so constricting I was surprised you couldn't visibly see it.

Kamen felt the power before he reached us, the shock on his face evident. The pull of this new power was too strong and I couldn't hold on any longer. In a haze, blurring the world around me, I gave in to my wolf side.

Suddenly everything was crystal clear. It was so surreal, like watching things happen from above. I was emotionally detached, yet emotions and instinct were all I was moving on. I watched Kelsey rear up on her hindlegs in attack and I went low at the same time. It was like our movements were orchestrated as we moved as one. I was only vaguely aware of Kamen, but I knew every snap, every bite, every scratch Kelsey gave. Our bubble of power seemed to hold some sort of protection to us both. I saw Kamen kick out but I was moving before his leg ever reached me. Same seemed to go for Kelsey too, as she dodged every swipe or bite that came her way.

As Kamen made the deadly mistake of leaving his neck unprotected, I watched Kelsey go in for the kill, but something clicked inside her. I could feel it, and I swore I could see it happen even. She pulled back before she completed the kill. That was my sign to act. My jaws clamped down on his neck and with a quick pop I snapped it in two.

The howls surrounding us and the soft tongue of my mate across my fur shocked me back to reality. I sat back on my hindlegs and raised my nose to the sky. The howl I let out was the most powerful I'd ever had and it felt like a release went through me when Kelsey joined me in my victory song. It was immediately answered back with a new strength I had never felt before.

As I breathed in my mate's scent, knowing she was okay and the threat to her life laid lifeless at our feet, I calmed and allowed myself to shift back to human form. I knew I would not be able to assess the situation while in wolf form. It had been too emotional and strange and had me a bit unbalanced. Kelsey followed my example and stood proudly by my side. I tried to keep the grin off my face knowing how she felt about public nudity and realizing everyone was staring at us.

Fights were still broken out around us, but they all began to settle in confusion at seeing us. The Westins stopped fighting and began to group behind Kelsey and I. The Bulgarians stood before us in confusion.

“Bulgarian Pack, your Alpha is dead. You have six hours to collect your dead and remove yourselves from Westin territory, or face the same demise as your Alpha.”

There were whispers of shock behind me, and growls from the Bulgarians before me.

Is it over?The sweet voice I loved sounded so quiet and uneasy.

I turned and hugged her close. It was then I took a real look around. I was shocked by the amount of bodies and blood surrounding us. A heavy weight began to settle on my heart and my eyes frantically began scanning the area taking inventory.

My entire body went still as a saw several men hovered around a large brown and black wolf lying still on the ground.

“Dad!” I screamed releasing Kelsey and running to the wolf. The men surrounding him parted for me. I dropped to my knees next to him and began inspecting the damage. The first thing I noticed was that he was breathing. I couldn't let relief wash over me though, because he wasn't moving. “Where's Micah?”

“Your dad refused to let him fight. He was too big a commodity he had said. He stayed back with the she-wolves.” Leo Tripp informed me.

“Radio!” I yelled.

Chase ran over. He froze when he saw who I was tending too. “Dad?” He whispered. I grabbed the radio, ignoring him.

“Kyle to base.”

“Kyle!” Lily replied half hysterical. “What's going on? Mom collapsed and is unresponsive.”

“It's Dad, Lily, we need Micah out here ASAP!”

Lily must have accidentally kept her finger on the button because I could hear the commotion in the background as she relayed my message. Then it briefly went silent.

“Kyle? Is it over?” My other sister asked.

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