Page 116 of Heroes & Hitmen
For a second, I think Ares is going to end him, but he just holds. A menacing growl rumbles deep in his chest as he applies controlled pressure.
It’s a question and a threat.
Yield or die.
For a long moment, everything seems to fall still. Elias trembles beneath Ares, chest heaving, metallic eyes bright with mirth. Then slowly, bitterly, he flattens his ears and lets out a low whine, head flopping sideways and muscles going slack.
Yield.
I exhale a shaky breath as Ares releases his hold and backs off, blood soaking his fur, sides heaving. He turns toward me, and I swear I feel the tether between us pull tighter when our eyes meet, our bond burning even brighter.
The crowd goes wild. Cheers rise, a chorus of voices howling for him, forus.
The air around Ares’ body shimmers as his wolf recedes, then he rises to his full height on two legs, naked and bloody. Injured, but alive. He swivels his gaze to my father, jaw clenched tight, and a hush falls over the clearing.
“I think everyone can agree on what really happened here tonight,” Ares grits out, swaying slightly on his feet. Blood trickles down his side at an alarming rate, but he holds his head high like the pain of his injuries doesn’t even register. “As this pack’s Alpha, you were acting in their best interest based upon the information you had. You were led to believe we were traitors, but now it’s plain to see that it wasn’t us who deceived you.” He swings his gaze on Elias, the implication clear. “Fate revealed the truth just in time.”
I blink at Ares, wondering what the hell he’s playing at, but then everything clicks.
It’s a spin. A gift. A chance for Alpha to save face and walk away from this without looking spiteful or weak.
One last performance.
Alpha’s jaw flexes. His eyes narrow on Ares, and for a second, I think he’s going to reject the lifeline. Then slowly, grudgingly, he jerks a nod. The shift in him is subtle but practiced, his professional mask sliding neatly into place.
“Tonight, fate intervened,” Alpha declares, turning to addressthe pack. “It showed us its true intent and exposed the lies that threatened to divide us.”
He doesn’t name Elias, but he doesn’t have to. Every pair of eyes drifts to the man still crumpled in the dirt, too ashamed by his defeat to even argue.
“The bond has been witnessed,” my father continues, lifting his chin. “The challenge has been met, and Ares has emerged as the victor. Let no one question the true will of fate.”
He flicks his hand in a silent signal and Ross finally releases his hold on me, backing away.
I don’t waste a second.
I sprint across the clearing, straight into Ares’ waiting arms. He’s battered and bloody, but he catches me, and I throw my arms around him like I’ll never let go.
Because I won’t.
We’re standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by blood and politics and people who still want to own us, but wewon. We beat them at their own game. And for the first time in my life, I don’t feel trapped, bound to a life I never wanted.
I feel free.
Around us, the forest erupts. Howls of celebration echo through the trees, rising high and wild into the moonlit sky. Ares’ eyes lock with mine, burning with fierce intensity, and I lean in to claim a kiss.
But the moment our lips brush, his body sways. I feel his legs buckle, his arms slipping from around me.
“Ares!”
I scream his name as his body goes limp, dropping like a stone. I hit the ground with him, palms sliding in the blood coating his skin, desperate to hold onto him even as he slips from consciousness.
“You win, okay?” I whimper, eyes blurring with tears. “I’m yours. So don’t you dare leave me like this.”
CHAPTER 37
Ares
There’sa pulse in the air– and not the sexy, charged kind. It’s a slow, dull throb, like a motor left idling overnight. As I slowly come to, I realize it’s the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears, the steady thump reminding me I’m still alive.
