Page 51 of Wolf Bound

“We got a little caught up in the justice of it and forgot to take Forr into consideration,” Alaric adds on above me, his chest rumbling with his words. “We’ll make it up to him tonight, I promise.”

I nod in response, not wanting to berate them any more, but still feeling a touch upset for Forrester. The pain from everything he’s been through beats through him and I feel all of it as my magic struggles to stay contained and not heal him every time he’s around.

“He’ll be okay, baby girl. I’ve seen it,” Penn says with a wink and the tension in my body eases slightly. “He’ll be out at the challenge when it starts.”

Drayton nods then pulls me out of Alaric’s arms and into his. “You stay close to Wes and Penn during the actual challenge, okay? This will be over quickly, but just in case something goes wrong, I want you safe.”

“Of course. You don’t have to worry about me,” I reassure him. Pushing up onto my toes, I kiss him softly. “For good luck, even if you don’t need it.”

“We should get ready to head out there,” Alaric announces, his face in stoic business mode. “Harris and Kira are currently following Marcus and ready to grab him at the first sign of escape.”

“Penn, do you mind letting Forrester know we are headed out to the challenge ring?” Drayton asks.

“Already on it.” Penn throws a thumbs up as he types away on his phone.

Drayton nods and loosens his arms from around me. He steps back and looks at the rest of my mates with an almost feral intensity. The joy from earlier is now replaced with anger. It's radiating off of him, and with an added aura of confidence, it makes me feel a little better seeing him take this seriously.

Without a word, everyone starts moving towards the front of the house. Alaric is on his phone, walking beside a very determined Dray while Penn and Wes each step up beside me, escorting me to the challenge ring.

There’s a buzz in the air the moment we step outside. I have no idea where this ring is, but it has to be close based on the sound of people talking nearby. The volume grows as we walk down a path to the right of the garage.

This could go really well for us, eliminating a serious threat against my mates and my pack, or it could go very, very wrong. I know I need to trust in my mates, they seem to have all angles of this figured out, but the nervous feeling in my chest won’t ease.

In Marcus’s lust for power and vengeance, he put everyone in the pack in danger. That’s something Drayton can’t let slide. The punishment for that has to be death. Add in the backhanded attempts to cheat this challenge, and Marcus has one outcome here.

I don’t disagree with the outcome, I just worry about my other mate. I really wish it wouldn’t hurt Forr in the process. Even as a healer, I understand the need for death. Life and death are equal parts of the cycle of life as a whole. All life is precious, but sometimes bad people use their lives for bad things and need to be removed to protect the innocents they seek to hurt.

Drayton puts his arm out before we cross the last line of trees into the clearing and turns to me.

“I need you by my side when we go out there, but only if you can handle it. You won’t be in any danger, but he’s going to spew some vicious shit when he realizes we have him from every angle,” Dray speaks directly to me, his eyes shining with love and pride while his words give me an out for this.

“I can do that,” I answer with confidence I only half feel. I don't want to face any more insults, but I will stand by my mates through anything.

“Once the challenge starts, you stay beside Penn and Wes. Don't step a foot in that circle, understand?”

I nod my head in silent agreement and step up beside Drayton. Penn flanks my other side. Alaric stands directly behind me with Wes directly behind Penn. If Forrester were with our group, I imagine he would take up the space behind Drayton.

Drayton takes my hand and tucks it into his elbow before leaning over and kissing the top of my head.

“Kira just said that Marcus tried to slip out, but when he saw them there, he turned on his tail to head back to the challenge arena. He should be here in a few minutes,” Alaric speaks up from behind me.

“Then let's go,” Dray addresses all of us, his alpha voice fully kicked in.

Stepping into the clearing, it’s easy to see that most of the pack is already assembled. The rest of Alaric’s team is standing around the perimeter and ushering the last few people into the clearing to witness the challenge.

We walk towards the growing crowd to the spot left open at the head of the clearing. There’s a similar spot at the other end that’s been left for Marcus. There’s a tense silence for a few minutes as we wait. A commotion from the other end of the circle amps up the tension before a very flustered, angry Marcus steps through the trees and into the clearing.

“You can call off your attack dogs,” he sneers at Drayton with disdain. “I called this fucking challenge, I don't need to be followed! You’re as pathetic as your mother was.”

Drayton tenses and steps forward, leaving me with Penn and Wes. However, before he can say anything, Forrester steps into the circle and walks towards his uncle. Penn chuckles beside me, and grips my hand with a wink.

That cheeky man knows exactly what's about to happen. Penn and his visions.

Forrester walks straight up to Marcus, his back stiff and tense. Instead of the pain from earlier, he's angry it seems.

“You've come back to your senses, have you?” Marcus snickers, holding open his arms in welcome. “You know your mother and I were the only ones to truly have your back. That bastard is a murderer and you know it!”

A collective gasp takes over the challenge arena as Forrester spits directly on his uncle's face.

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