Page 40 of The Protector’s Heart

Malachi felt some of the tension leave him. Not much, but some. “Thanks, Acksel.”

“Hey, our women are friends. Brynn wouldn’t let me live it down if I let her friend be hurt. Besides, she thinks of you as a brother, and that means we’re family as much as we are pack members in my mind. Family sticks together.”

Malachi nodded. “I feel the same way.”

Grabbing his shirt and jacket from where they’d landed in the snow when he tossed them aside during training, he jogged around the corner of the house and headed to his SUV. He glanced at the clock on the dash, surprised to see it was after one. He’d head home, shower, change, and then pick up his mate and son. They had to leave early so they could make it to Dorlan by sunset.

In a few hours, he’d be facing off against the male who had terrorized his mate. He would set her free and then bring her back to their home, where they’d celebrate his win with a tumble in the sheets. It sounded like an excellent way to enjoy her first night of freedom.

* * *

Malachi held Nila close as he sat in the second row of Sam’s SUV. Acksel was in the passenger seat while Sam drove. In two more vehicles behind them, six more protectors and Dade were traveling with them. Nila shivered, and he hugged her closer.

“It’s going to be fine,” he whispered to her.

She looked up at him and fisted his shirt. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“It’s a given, sweetheart. But I’ll take whatever he dishes out to make sure he leaves you alone.”

She blinked rapidly, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “You promise you’ll take me home with you tonight?”

He brushed a tear away with his thumb. “I swear.”

She swallowed audibly. “Tell me I’m yours, Malachi.”

He smiled softly at her. “You’re mine, Nila. And I’m yours, too.”

She shivered in his arms, and he kissed her. He wasn’t going to tell her not to worry, because he didn’t think she’d stop. He didn’t believe she was nervous because she didn’t trust him, but nervous because she knew what weighed in the balance. The fight tonight held her future and Jack’s in the balance. Nothing had ever been as important.

Their small caravan arrived at the park just before sunset. Acksel, Sam, and Dade walked ahead of Malachi and Nila, the other protectors bringing up the rear. They walked to the center of the park, where Damien’s pack was gathered. He’d been worried about Nila and how she would feel when she came face to face with her ex. If Isaiah hadn’t made it a condition of the fight, Malachi would have made sure she stayed home, away from the violence.

As they walked closer, he felt her begin to grow tense. She shrugged off his arm and grasped his hand, linking their fingers. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. Malachi was proud of her.

They stopped walking and Acksel met Isaiah. The other pack had formed a semi-circle around the open area. Dade said that Isaiah’s pack wasn’t much bigger than Wilde Creek’s pack, and Malachi saw no females in the group. Acksel hadn’t brought along their entire pack because it wasn’t a show of strength between packs, but a mate challenge, which had an entirely different set of rules—among them, no interference from pack members.

Malachi scanned the group and picked Damien out easily. He looked like a younger version of Isaiah. He was tall and lanky—not as tall as Malachi and certainly not as well-muscled, but Malachi wasn’t going to underestimate the male. He stood casually, his arms crossed and a blank look on his face as if he didn’t have a thought in his brain, but his eyes were sharp and Malachi knew that Damien was used to people believing he wasn’t as dangerous as he actually was. Unlike his father, Damien was clean-cut, but his ugly went soul-deep as far as Malachi was concerned.

Isaiah spoke loudly. “The Dorlan Pack welcomes the Wilde Creek Pack for this challenge. Challengers, please step forward.”

Malachi kissed Nila and slipped out of his coat, handing it to her. He watched her put it on, and then joined Acksel. Damien slunk forward, sneering at Malachi and then looking past him to Nila.

“Female!” Isaiah bellowed.

Malachi snarled, and Acksel put his hand on his chest and kept him from leaping forward.

Acksel looked at Nila. “It’s safe here, Nila; its part of the challenge.”

Malachi bared his teeth but stopped pressing against Acksel’s hand. Nila hurried forward and stopped just behind Malachi. He reached for her hand and she grasped it. Her fingers were ice cold, and he knew it was from fear as well as cold.

Isaiah looked at her with complete disdain. “The challenge is for mating rights to the human, winner takes all. No complete shifting, no weapons, and no killing. The winner is chosen when the loser is unconscious or gives up.”

Malachi smiled at Nila, but she didn’t return it. Her eyes were filled with worry and fear, and he could see that she was trembling. She’d spent a long time being afraid of Damien.

“I’m making things right for all three of us,” Malachi said softly, tweaking her chin with his thumb and finger.

“Be careful,” she whispered.

He nodded and she and Acksel stepped away from him, joining the other wolves from the pack. Cracking his neck, he looked at Damien as he stood, his hands loose at his sides.

---