Page 75 of Curvy Alpha Bride
“Hold still,” the witch growls. “This is going to hurt… a lot.”
I wait for her to lean over, the horrid stench of rotted blood so strong around us that I almost pass out. When her teeth are only half an inch from Mabel’s skin, I shove her to the ground and grab Ivarra by the head.
“You’re right, bitch!” I yell. “Thisisgoing to hurt!”
I wrap my big hands around her jaw and try to snap her neck, but she flows through my hands like water. Mabel reaches up from the ground, grabbing the witch’s feet and yanking her towards the ground. The witch comes down on her knees as I still hold her head in a death grip.
Ivarra howls, an awful, hollow sound, nothing like the call of a wolf. She bends and buckles in my grip, trying to change back into her wraith so she can free herself of our grip. I hang on even tighter, digging my fingers into her throat as I try to choke her.
The pitiful howl turns into a shriek of rage, and the beast solidifies in my hands, becoming fully corporeal. Her sharp claws slash at me, and I let go of her, staggering away as blood pours down my arms.
She cut my arms to ribbons!
I look at my shredded muscles with disbelief, seeing the glistening bone underneath. A bubble of nausea bounces in my guts, but I refuse to let it overcome me and hurl myself at the witch again.
Mabel is still holding the witch’s ankles, trying to bring her down to the ground while Ivarra slashes at her face. Even though my arms are useless, I just barrel into the witch, knocking her flat and breaking her hold on Mabel.
The witch jumps up on all fours, snarling at us with her teeth bared. Saliva drips from her mouth as she crawls closerto us, and for the first time, I allow myself to consider the possibility that we are fucked.
As Ivarra gets closer, I get ready to kick her in the face, wondering how long I can hold her back—and if I’ll bleed out before that. I’m ready to give my life in the final moment when Ivarra suddenly stops and cocks her head to the side.
“No,” she mutters.
I tilt my head slightly towards the mountain, then I hear it, too.
There is a great, undulating howl coming from the far edge of town, and it’s answered by another to the east, and another to the south.
“It’s the call of the alphas!” I exclaim, relief flooding through me. I look down at Mabel, and I know by her smile that she is behind all of this.
“No!” Ivarra screams, reaching for Mabel. “I will not let this happen! You can’t stop me!”
She reaches for Mabel, grabbing her head and dragging her towards her mouth. Mabel screams, grabbing Ivarra’s wrists and struggling against her. I slam into the witch again, trying desperately to use my ruined arms, but the muscles are shredded and won’t obey me.
The witch’s teeth break the skin on Mabel’s head, and my mate screams as if she’s been dropped into a pit of boiling steel. I force my arms to move, wrestling with the witch.
A massive wolf appears by my side, grabbing Ivarra’s arm between its jaws and hurling her to the ground. The witch shrieks as another wolf jumps on her chest and mauls her face. A third bites her leg, shaking its head so hard that the bone shatters.
Galen. Kit. Damon. They all came!
Under the twisting bodies of the alphas, the witch screams in fear and pain. The wolves don’t stop, tearing her to shreds with complete brutality. Scraps of pale flesh scatter through the air, and the stench of rotted blood returns in force.
Ivarra’s blue glow dims slightly, then solidifies and races towards the trees. I know that her physical shape has been destroyed, leaving only the barest flicker of her spirit.
Even though she can’t be hurt now, she can’t hurt anyone, either.
Watching the alphas chase her towards the forest, I try to reach for Mabel, but my arms don’t work. She struggles over to me, pulling me into her lap.
“You had me worried there for a minute,” she says breathlessly.
“Just a minute?” I try to joke.
“Shh, you damn fucking fool. Don’t try to move.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “Feeling is coming back into my hands.”
“I can’t imagine how. You practically have no arms left.”
“It’ll heal.”
