Page 32 of Fated to the Rogue

That was the exact reaction I wanted.

Moments before the wolf hit the ground, crushing me with his massive weight, I jumped off. When his belly was facing thesky, I landed right on his face, punching his muzzle in a powerful blow. It was hard enough to draw blood, but the creature, at last, cried out in pain. A smile lit up my face as I allowed myself to be proud of my great start despite my clear disadvantage, but I was soon reminded that I would never manage to defeat a wolf while I was in human form.

In the blink of an eye, Ryder’s counterpart was back to his feet. Judging by his snarl, it seemed I had angered him. Not thinking twice, he jumped in my direction yet again. This time, I was barely able to escape, his teeth grazing against my skin as he missed me by an inch. I was foolish to think I had avoided his attack though.

The brown beast proceeded to swing his huge paw at me, his sharp claws opening three large cuts across my chest, from my shoulder to my hip, as they made contact with my frail human skin. A groan escaped my lips as I was sent flying a few feet away, only to release another gasp when my back hit the ground with a loud thud. I knew I couldn’t remain exposed and on the ground for long, but before I could pick myself up again, the creature climbed on top of me, pinning me against the dirt. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t push him away from me.

This would be the end of Alpha Zephyr.

“Are you done with your stupid show, you stubborn mutt?!” Dawn roared. “Let me out!”

I wanted to give her a chance. I really did. But I was too proud to do it. If I was killed like this, I would go down in history as the brave Alpha who didn’t back away from a fight in which he was at a clear disadvantage; the man who stood his ground in a fight against a wolf. It would be better than being remembered as the pathetic Alpha-freak who hid behind his female counterpart, only to have the same fate.

“That doesn’t even matter if you’re dead anyway!” she insisted. “Swallow your fucking pride and let me finish what you started!”

“Shift!” I heard a feminine voice shout.

My eyes instinctively scanned through the crowd, and I was surprised to find Amaya, my best friend’s mate, cheering for me. She barely knew me or my wolf, but she was as confident as Malin was that Dawn was special. Her initiative was followed by the crowd, and before long, dozens of wolves were begging me to let my counterpart out.

I barely had time to be impacted by their support when Ryder’s wolf growled again, catching my attention. Like the Elder stated, there were two ways to end a challenge: first, by forcing your opponent to submit, or second, by finishing him off. Judging by the look in his feral yellow eyes, I was quite sure he was going for the latter. But to be fair, I wouldn’t bow my head to him if he gave me the chance.

“For Goddess’ sake, Zephyr! You might not want to live, but I do!” Dawn’s tone was getting more desperate. “By not letting me out, you’re killing me too!”

“Fine!”Whether it was her insistence or my unwillingness to admit defeat, I agreed.

As my eyes closed, I finally gave her control.

13 | Strength

Amillisecond before the large beast carved a hole in my chest, Dawn took my place. As soon as she entered the battlefield, she pressed her front paws against the enemy’s shoulder, both preventing him from closing his monstrous jaws around her neck and pushing him off her. I had been the one fighting up until now, but it seemed the adrenaline was also rushing through her veins.

The crowd went completely silent as my she-wolf quickly jumped to her feet, but once their surprise was gone, they burst into cheers. Although I was honestly shocked by the support she was receiving, she didn’t let the noise distract her. Her sunrise-golden eyes were locked on her opponent as she attentively waited for his next move, whilst taking a moment to collect herself.

Dawn was panting, blood dripping on the ground from the wound caused by the blow I had taken a moment ago. It was evident that Ryder’s counterpart was in better shape than her, as I had barely been able to hurt him. Still, she wasn’t the least intimidated by her adversary, even with him standing taller than her. On second thought though, she wasn’t that much smaller compared to him; not nearly as small as I thought she was. In fact, she was almost as big as him, which was quite uncommon for a female. How could I not have noticed it before?

“Now, sit back, shut up, and watch,” Dawn snarled.

As if the brown wolf had managed to hear her words, he lunged in our direction with his mouth open wide, ready to snap it shut around her. To his bewilderment - and mine likewise - she nimbly dodged his attack with impressive agility. I had seen her run before, but now, she was moving as though she was one with the wind. It was beautiful, actually, and it made me forget that we were fighting for a second, until the opposing Alpha’s screams filled the air again, bringing me back to reality.

I could only process what had happened when Dawn’s fury rose, fueled by the taste of the enemy’s blood soaking her tongue. She had her teeth sunken deep into his right thigh, and when she finally released him from her grasp, a limp made it harder for him to struggle away from her. Probably aware that he wouldn’t be able to gain a safe distance before my she-wolf landed her next blow, he resorted to the offensive.

The impulsiveness with which he attacked Dawn could be compared to that of an injured animal instinctively trying to escape death. It was unexpected enough that he managed to scratch my she-wolf’s cheek with his teeth as he swung his head in her direction, but it also left him recklessly exposed. And, of course, it made her angrier, which was not good. At least not for him.

Her eyes locked on the target right in front of her - the beast’s jugular. In a swift movement, she closed her mouth around his neck. A whimper of fear and pain escaped his throat as he was thrown to the ground. By tightening her grasp on him, she secured him in place. It wasn’t long before the once powerful-looking beast started coughing as it choked.

“I really wanna murder this bastard,” she stated the obvious. “The real question is… Should I?”

“Why not? He was ready to kill me,” I retorted.

“Think, kitten. If we end him now, he won’t cause us any more trouble.” She read my thoughts. “But if we spare him andforce him to go rogue, he will live to tell the story, thus ridding us of yet another rock in our shoe.”

My eyes widened when I realized what she meant. The suddenness of everything pointed to Ryder having decided to challenge me upon learning about my she-wolf. He most likely thought it would be an easy opportunity to claim my pack, and he certainly wasn’t the only Alpha who had come to that conclusion. As the rumors spread, others would surely take me for a weak leader. They could doubt what happened if we killed him, but they wouldn’t be able to deny the living proof that Alpha Zephyr Wyndham’s wolf was powerful despite being a female.

“There you go. You’re not as stupid as I thought!”Dawn faked amusement, making me frown. “Now that we’re in agreement, let me finish this.”

When my she-wolf growled, Ryder’s counterpart closed his eyes, clearly anticipating a death blow. Instead, she let go of his neck to bite his stomach, making him cry out in pain one last time. The wound she left on him was nasty enough to declare her victorious, but like any other shifter, he would heal.

The Elder approached us, waiting for any signs that the challenging Alpha was still able to fight. Dawn’s cold glare seemed to intimidate him though. Fear was evident in his eyes as she roared one more time, demanding an answer from him. Still heaving, he whimpered like a little pup, letting his tail come between his legs as he lowered his ears in submission, acknowledging defeat.

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