Page 40 of The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
He was massive, even larger than the enormous form Victoria took in wolf form, and beautiful. His fur was a sleek, charcoal gray, but most striking were his eyes. They glowed with a piercing, golden amber hue.
After he pulled himself to four legs, he circled Victoria, now a sleek, silver-gray predator intent on killing Aurora. Although she knew they were both wolf shifters, it blew her mind to see them as wolves, gnashing at each other with sharp fangs.
Aurora glanced across the snow for the Sacco wolves. They hadn’t pursued her with Victoria. Of course not—she was doing their dirty work for them. They could just sit back and watch the Franconia pack begin to destroy each other.
Victoria leapt at Grayson and swiped with sharp claws. Grayson howled as he retreated, a trio of bloody gashes marred his fur and spread crimson drops across the white snow.
“No!” Aurora’s heart plummeted. He was injured and risking his life to fight a pack mate and protect her.
Growls pierced the air as the wolves circled and parried, lashing out at each other with swipes of fangs.
If anything happened to him, she couldn’t bear it. He was the most amazing person she’d ever met. Considerate, caring, selfless. Willing to do anything for others, even now—even to sacrifice his life to defend her.
More of Victoria’s swipes at Grayson tore at Aurora’s heart. More menacing growls ripped at her soul.
Both of them had been struggling to do the right thing, and yet it still ended with violence, destroying any hope of reconciliation between the packs. Over what? Jealousy, betrayal, and hurt pride?
Trying to stay apart had stolen the little time they could have together. If they both survived this, she wouldn’t waste another precious second. She couldn’t, because she’d fallen for him, and if he was willing to fight to save her, she was happy to fight to savethem.
What could she do to help him? She was just a witch facing a massive, formidable wolf. She didn’t have the strength, fangs, or the claws to fight off Victoria.
But she had magic.
Still, how could she use it? Both Grayson and Victoria tumbled across the snow. Any spell she used would hit them both.
Somehow, Grayson managed to gain the upper hand. He stood on four legs over Victoria.
Kill her, kill her, Aurora encouraged. All he had to do was bend down and snap her neck.
She’d never chanted those two words before, but she’d also never been threatened by a jealous wolf shifter.
When Grayson stepped back, granting Victoria mercy, Aurora groaned.
Of course, he’d make that decision. His decent and honorable nature was one of the reasons she loved him.
Loved?
Although Victoria had been lying on her side, she shot up suddenly, lunging for Grayson’s throat.
“Grayson, watch out!” Aurora raised her hand and summoned the winds from the west. She gathered its energy like an iridescent whisper in her palm, and then hurled it at Victoria.
As the blast shot across the snow, it picked up snowflakes, gathering them together like a tsunami. The cold mass hit her like an avalanche, and she skidded on her haunches across the snow.
All were stunned, and no one moved. The sound of Aurora’s breath echoed loudly in the air, visible in wispy breaths before her. She caught Grayson’s amber eyes.
She stared down at her hand. What the hell had just happened?
A thunderous bellow shattered the air. It resounded like a warning beneath her skin.
From through the trees, an enormous wolf as black as midnight thundered toward them. The fury in its eyes was palpable.
Chapter 12
Grayson
Aurora had just saved him. Grayson stared at her in awe, before he dragged his gaze over to Rafe. His alpha was pissed. He prowled in between them in the snow in wolf form. Grayson had never seen him so angry. His black fur appeared to vibrate as his body trembled with rage.
Victoria attempted to stand, but Rafe placed one of his massive paws on her neck, an unmistakable warning that her moving would lead to her last breath.
