Page 97 of Wulf's Pack
Victor is larger than me and slightly more dominant, but that won’t stop me from killing him. We crash into each other with brutal force. Claws and teeth tear through skin, both his and mine. I feel the sear of pain across my side, but I get a good grip on his shoulder near his neck and give a vicious tug, ripping a large chunk of flesh from his body. He snarls and jumps back, and we circle each other. I’m running on pure adrenaline, but I’m starting to slow down after having been in so many fights already and stabbed with a silver blade.
“Be careful, Wulf!”
I glance toward my mate, and Victor lunges forward. I dart away, avoiding his jaw around my neck, but he smashes into my side, knocking me back. I crash into something, furniture of some kind, and a sea of objects I don’t have time to identify rain down on me. Before I can get up, Victor pounces again. I twistonto my back and kick up with my hind legs, but his teeth sink into the side of my neck.
“NO! Wulf!”
Victor tries to pull back in an attempt to tear through my neck, but I plunge my front claws in his shoulders, holding him in place while my back claws rake through the entire length of his belly. I slice him open from chest to tail. He releases his grip on my neck with a pain-filled yelp and stumbles back. He tries to stay on his feet, but his insides are sagging out of his stomach and blood pours onto the floor, causing him to collapse.
Exhaustion hits me now that the threat in no longer imminent. I’ve won the fight, but it’s not enough. He’s still alive, and I demand death. I’m slow to get up, feeling the blood loss from my injuries, but the promise of victory keeps me going.
Victor growls when I approach, but it’s weak, and he doesn’t have the strength to even lift his head. I don’t gloat or take my time ending him. I simply wrap my jaw around his neck and rip out his throat. The light leaves his eyes, and I release a piercing howl of triumph.
A sob catches my attention. Skylar has pulled herself to a sitting position, resting against the side of the bed. “Wulf,” she rasps. She sounds so weak.
There is no resistance from my wolf when I shift back. I crawl to her and gently comb her hair off her face. I want to pull her into my arms, but I’m afraid to move her. She’s too beat up. “Skylar,” I croak. “Baby…”
Her face is filled with pain, but she gives me the sweetest smile. “You did it.”
I’ll enjoy my win after Skylar is taken care of. Careful of her dislocated shoulder, I untie her wrists. “We need to get this collar off you so you can shift. Then we need to find you a doctor. Or a healer. I need to call Enzo. And Oliver. Shit. It’ll take them forever to get here. I should have already contacted them. I knewwe would need them. I’m so sorry, sweetheart, but we’ll get you fixed up as fast as we can. Maybe there’s a sorcerer in town. Maybe we can?—”
“Wulf.” Skylar lifts her good arm to cup my cheek, interrupting my rambling. Her delicate touch is a balm to my battered soul. I lean into her hand and let out a long sigh. “I’m okay.”
I shake my head frantically. “You’re hurt. You?—”
“I’ll heal. I’m safe now. You killed Victor. He’ll never hurt me again.”
Her words bring relief, but they don’t ease my worry that this could happen again with some other alpha desperate for an omega. And they don’t assuage the guilt. She was my responsibility, and she was taken. I couldn’t keep her safe. I look away in shame. I promised her protection, and I failed her.
Whether from the look on my face or the trace of my emotions getting through our bond, Skylar correctly guesses the direction of my thoughts. “Wulf.” She gently comes her fingers through my hair. “My mate. My love.”
I lift my eyes to hers. “It wasn’t your fault, and you didn’t fail me.”
I swallow past a lump in my throat, unsure how to accept what she’s saying.
She stares at me as if she’s trying to imprint her love directly into my heart with just a look. Maybe she is, because I feel her gaze penetrating my very soul. “You came for me,” she says. “You found me, and you rescued me.”
Even though her face is battered and swollen, I can still see the compassion in her expression. The love. The pride.
It’s the pride that’s wrecking me emotionally. After everything that’s happened, she’sproudof me. To her, this is a victory. I haven’t let her down. Haven’t failed her. Her faith, her utter belief in me, her loyalty and devotion feel so misplaced,but I selfishly accept it. I take it, and I wrap it around me like a security blanket. I use it to ward off the guilt.
I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such an incredible woman, but I won’t insult her by wallowing in misery when she’s choosing to overlook it. She’s the one who was abducted. She’s the one who was tortured and abused. If anyone deserves to be angry, bitter, or depressed, it’s her. But she’s better than that. Stronger. For her, I will be better too.That, she deserves.
A noise downstairs has me jumping up. My mate stiffens. Her fear sours the air. I place myself protectively in front of her, but I recognize my pack members before they reach the bedroom.
Three shifters fill the door—a wolf and a pair of hawks. The second they take in the scene, they shift. Easton comes to our side, while Ben rushes to the man tied to the chair. I’d been so semi-feral, that I hadn’t even recognized the man. And with fighting Victor, and the state of Skylar, I’ve not had time think about the battle we just had or the fate of the rest of my pack. Seeing Luke’s lifeless form brings it all to the front of my mind, along with overwhelming pain and sorrow. I only met Luke for the first time today, but he was pack, and he gave his life for his luna.
Isabella crouches down beside me, and takes Skylar’s hand. While she and Skylar share a tearful greeting, I stand and turn to Easton. “Do you know if it’s finished?”
Easton nods gravely. “It’s over. Bree and Caleb are searching the compound for any wolves we may have missed and trying to get a body count to make sure we got them all. We weren’t sure of their exact numbers, but Dennis and Ashlyn have been watching the cameras, and they believe none have escaped the property.”
As glad as I am to hear that we’ve taken out every last one of those assholes, I don’t get the satisfaction you’d expect fromsuch a victory. Clearly, Easton feels the same. He follows my gaze to Ben, who has managed to free Luke’s body from the chair and laid him on the floor. “How many?” I ask roughly. “Do you know? I felt the bonds breaking, but with all the chaos…”
Easton gulps and has to clear his throat before he can answer. “Seven. Six of ours, and one of the coyote women.”
My heart clenches. Six of my wolves. Gone. I know it could have been a lot worse. It probably should have been worse. But I feel those six losses in every corner of my soul. I will carry them with me for the rest of my life. “Who?”
“Luke, Preston, Sophia, Pam, Jack…” Easton lets out a shuddering breath. “And Micah.”
