Page 47 of Owned By Four Alphas

“She’ll get herself killed.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I’m serious,” she shouted, her magic beginning to crackle down her skin in distress. “Please don’t do this!”

Malek whined again, turning back towards her.

Elian, traitorous Fae shit that he was, used the opportunity to lash his magic forward and strike at Malek, trying to contain him before he could attack.

Something between them all broke.

With a furious snarl, Ronan thundered forward and met Kaelen in a clash of teeth and metal. Malek roared in agony, his eyes losing any sign of humanity, and bolted forward to attack Elian. But instead of sinking his claws into him, he instead leapt over, racing into the tree line and away from them all.

Somewhere behind him, Selena sobbed in heartbreak.

“Looks like you’re outnumbered, Ronan,” Kaelen sneered.

“He’s losing control, and doesn’t want to hurt us,” Ronan snarled. “Makes him a damn sight more noble than you two.”

“Why can’t you see that everything I do, I do for her!”

They clashed together again, except this time Ronan caught Kaelen in the side with a paw, sending him spinning through the air. He landed heavily, his expression turning wild, before his human skin melted away into red-gold scales and his bones cracked into claws and wings and fire.

“So much for it being easy,” Ronan sneered. Even as a dragon, he was confident that he was stronger than Kaelen. As long as he could stop him getting into the air to rain fire down, he would be triumphant.

He stepped forward, ready to launch, when a slight movement caught his gaze.

He realized too late that he hadn’t checked where Elian was.

An overwhelming tidal wave of magic swept into him, knocking him clean off his feet. He bellowed in pain, every nerve ending on fire, as Elian’s magic battered into him.

Somewhere, Selena was screaming. The lightning-scent of her magic thrashing through the air.

His mate was in distress.

With every last ounce of strength he possessed, he leapt clear of the shadows, bucking and shaking to rid himself from the aftereffects. Kaelen snarled and lunged forward, but Ronan was too quick. He narrowly avoided Kaelen’s swiping claws and instead leapt into the air to dig his own into the dragon’s flank.

Blood sprayed down as Ronan dragged Kaelen to the earth, roaring in pain and fury.

He was hit again by magic, and darted to the side, releasing Kaelen.

Elian sent bolt after bolt of magic after him, spears flying through the air, and Ronan ran in a great circle to avoid them as they got closer and closer.

One, deadly sharp and crackling with malignant power hurtled towards him.

He leapt, the bolt streaking past him, just missing him, and landed in triumph, but then—

A scream behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

He turned, stomach sinking, blood pounding.

Selena, her arms braced above her face, the skin peppered with cuts, her own magic barely lashing out in time to dissolve Elian’s blast.

A trickle of blood ran down her forearm and she collapsed.

All thoughts of fighting disappeared.

They were by her side in an instant, all in their human skins, all frantic with worry. Elian, his hair clutched between his fingers, knuckles white, could do nothing but apologize over and over and over again.

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