Chapter 21

((ANOTHER EARLY UPDATE. I am spoiling you all.

Dedicated to a wonderful person named Foreigndelight who made me some(A LOT) of beautiful artwork. Check one of her covers out on the side! It makes me so happy when fans volunteer to create things for this story. Thanks so much! I'm going to sneak some of her other artwork in on other chapters so if you're bored, go back through. xD

SORRY FOR ANY ERRORS I AM SUPER TIRED TODAY. THEY MIGHT BE PREVALENT ON THIS CHAPTER.))

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I stood there in shock for several long, drawn out seconds, trying to absorb exactly what was happening. With everything that had occurred in the last few days my mind was overwhelmed, and the cowardly part of me just wanted to shut everything down, return to my house, and sleep.

But I couldn’t.

My Wolf jerked me out of my moment of self-pity when she snarled, loud and clear, in the back of my mind, Our Mate! Go to our Mate!

Maria had made her way over to me and was staring at the swelling lump on my face with an expression akin to horror. “Skylar…I can’t believe he hit you….” She turned to her father. “What are we going to do?”

I didn’t hear what Jack said as I felt the blood rushing through my veins and my head started pounding. My Wolf wanted to take over so we could Shift and run towards the Black Mountains Pack territory as fast as we possibly could. I fought her down, gritting my teeth at the effort it took to control her.

WE HAVE TO GO THERE NOW! She snapped furiously. He’s going to try to kill Gabriel! I sensed the worry and concern in her voice, and shaking my numbness off, I snapped into action. I shoved through the crowd of werewolves still gathered nearby, ignoring whatever Beta Jack was saying. Maybe Alpha Brett was going to his house first and I could catch him there before he took off. Some part of me, though, seriously doubted that. I had seen the madness glinting in his eyes. He had suffered an overwhelming loss and he was responding with anger. I understood, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him start a war between our packs.

I took off at a quick pace towards the Alpha’s house, knowing I couldn’t afford to waste time. I heard footsteps behind me as Jack and Maria jogged after me.

“Are you going to save Gabriel?” Maria asked, and I turned over my shoulder as I continued my pace. Her expression was unreadable.

While I felt a twinge as I heard Gabriel’s name and I resented the fact that my own Alpha was going after my Mate, I realized it wasn’t Gabriel’s safety I was worried about. I knew how powerful and relentless he was.

“Actually, no. I’m going to try to save Alpha Brett.”

Jack caught up to me, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “Skylar, I know your Mate is strong, but Alpha Brett’s rage is fueling him. Right now he feels like he has nothing left to lose. He might-“

“Trust me, guys,” I broke in, cutting the Beta off bluntly. “Gabriel is too strong. Alpha Brett won’t stand a chance.” As I spoke the words I knew they were true. Gabriel would kill Alpha Brett without thinking, and while I thought Brett was making some very rash decisions, I didn’t want him dead. It would only throw our pack into more chaos. The packs needed to work together until the vampires were gone, not tear each other apart.

We reached the Alpha’s house. To my disappointment, I didn’t catch Brett’s fresh scent there. So he had decided to go straight to enemy territory, then. I had to go now or I wouldn’t catch up to them in time.

“I have to go after him.” I turned to face Jack as if I were pleading for permission, but I didn’t plan on letting anyone stop me. Not this time. “I know you may not believe me, but Alpha Brett is in over his head. And we can’t afford confrontation with werewolves while we have worse enemies around.” My eyes fell on Maria as I silently pleaded with her.

Jack ran a hand through his short hair in agitation. “Skylar, I just don’t think it’s-”

“I have to go!” I responded desperately, shifting from foot to foot in anticipation. I couldn’t waste any more time. My Wolf still wanted to claw her way out. “You honestly think I don’t know I’ll be putting myself in a dangerous situation? My father’s in a coma for crying out loud and I’m leaving him for this. We can’t afford a war on our hands and Alpha Brett is too blind to see that!”

I began to back away after Jack didn’t respond. Maria stepped forward. “Skylar, I could go with you, you don’t have to go alone…”

“No, this is my fault. I can’t put anyone else in danger.”

Jack cut in. “Your parents?”

“My mother will keep in contact with me. Just tell her I have to do this. I won’t be in danger from the Black Mountains Pack. They won’t hurt me.” My Wolf whined urgently, forcing me onwards. I turned away from Maria and Jack and began to jog towards the trees in preparation to Shift.

The conviction in my voice definitely assured Maria, but I caught a dubious look on Jack’s face as I turned away. I didn’t care. I had only myself to blame for this mess and I sure as Hell was going to solve it…I just didn’t know how yet.

“Stay alert Skylar!” Jack shouted after me, and I was relieved he wasn’t arguing anymore. Probably because he knew I was right; it was all my fault.

I Shifted as quickly as possible after tying my clothes to my ankle. I had still been feeling feverish and twitchy, although less so after Anne’s death, but the sensations thankfully subsided to a bearable level after I changed into my Wolf. I did not want to deal with all of that right now.

My Wolf yipped in agitation and we took off in the general direction of the Black Mountain Pack’s territory. I felt a stab of guilt for not explaining everything to my mother, but surely she’d understand. I knew I was disregarding my own safety and my respect for Alpha Brett but if I could help my pack, I would.

It felt good to stretch my muscles again but, as I dodged thick tree trunks and leapt over fallen logs, I could feel the exhaustion that had come on from the lack of sleep. If I were human I wouldn’t have been able to stay awake for so long. I could only hope I would have enough energy to get there.

A couple minutes into my run I sensed another presence, fast approaching me, a grey blur through the vivid green of the forest. I skidded to a halt, my giant paws scrabbling on the ground, so the gigantic wolf narrowly avoided me. He whizzed within inches of me, the distilled air from his barreling run stirring my fur. He came to a stuttering halt and spun to face me, snarling. I recognized the wolf as Mikey, a decent warrior that was a large size, but slower than I. My fur bristled as I returned his growl, glaring at him.

What the Hell are you doing? I snapped through the mind-link.

Alpha Brett told me that I couldn’t let you follow them, he replied in his deep, guttural voice. I growled louder, the sound reverberating from deep within my chest.

I’m trying to HELP Alpha Brett! He’s going to get himself killed!

He Commanded me, and I obey my Alpha’s orders, he replied coolly, although I saw wariness presiding deep in his yellow eyes. Mikey didn’t want to attack me but he had no choice if I tried to follow the Alpha.

I mentally cursed as my Wolf continued to growl at his. I could not afford to waste this precious time! I glanced around quickly. I didn’t want to fight my own packmate. Could I escape?

Don’t even try it, he snapped.

Without another word Mikey rushed at me, tensing before bringing his gigantic body into a powerful leap. I quickly rolled out of the way, growling in frustration.

He lunged at me again but I neatly dodged, taking a lunging snap at his haunch but narrowly missing as he twisted around. I decided to use my agility as an advantage and feinted to Mikey’s left side. He turned to face me and I spun quickly to the other side, taking another snap and getting a mouthful of fur.

This was a waste of time. Worse, if I received an injury, there was no chance I could make it. I had to outrun Mikey before it was too late.

We circled each other for a brief moment, both growling deep within our chests. Mikey lunged yet again but I sidestepped and an idea came to me. Why not use his momentum against him?

Without further ado I took off in the same direction as before, hearing him quickly take up pursuit. His paws thundered against the ground as he followed hot on my heels, and I slowed my pace slightly so he would begin to catch up. I had to trick him into thinking he would catch me so I maintained the slower pace, hearing his steps increase in frequency as he sped up. Within seconds I felt warm breath on my back legs and heard his deep pants immediately behind me. I had to give him credit, for his size Mikey was almost impossibly fast, which was likely why Alpha Brett thought he’d be able to detain me. He was wrong.

I trained my ears on Mikey’s movements, speeding up ever-so-slightly so he wouldn’t realize I was deliberately slowing down. I knew he would lunge soon and try to pin me to the ground with his massive stature. Sure enough, mere heartbeats later I heard a break in his thundering steps as he tensed and then lunged. I felt the air stir above me and, in the last possible second, I abruptly stopped and rolled to the side in one swift movement. I returned to my feet as Mikey landed heavily and stumbled.

That was my chance. As he teetered to one side, putting all of the weight on two feet while he tried to regain his balance, I lunged and ensnared his front leg in my jaws. I bit down, hard, feeling a surge of guilt as the bone crunched under my powerful jaws. I released his leg before he could counterattack, hearing his furious snarl.

And again I took off, not giving him even a single second to recover. I knew it was a low blow, crushing his leg like that and running, and not a tactic I would have used in any sort of training maneuver but I had no choice. He couldn’t follow me. But still, I could not help the prevalent sense of guilt I felt as I heard his pained, furious howl erupt far behind me.

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I ran after Alpha Brett and the wolves he was bringing with him, following their scent as soon as I came to it. I knew I was half an hour behind, and I was a lot slower than Alpha Brett to begin with, but I hoped since he was bringing a few others with him he would be forced to slow his pace.

Birds erupted from the trees and animals scurried out of my way as my paws thudded on the ground and I continued my breakneck pace. I had to stop Alpha Brett before he could make such a stupid decision. I knew he was stressed, and I knew he was in incredible pain. I couldn’t imagine losing a family member. He had likely retreated to the back of his consciousness while his Wolf took over, driving him to go kill who he perceived as the “enemy”. But even though part of me understood him, I couldn’t let him do this. I had stood by for far too long.

Anne deserved a funeral, like every werewolf had. She deserved to be recognized, despite the differences I’d had with her before. Normally the family would be preparing the funeral now. Alpha Brett would regret this later, I knew. If he wasn’t dead. And if he died, his poor Mate and young son would never recover. Anne’s brother would be Alpha in several years once he came of age. He needed his father to watch over him and guide him.

Underneath everything, I couldn’t lie to myself. While I was going to help Alpha Brett and my pack, a very large part of me wanted to see Gabriel again. I missed him desperately and with everything going on I hadn’t been able to sort everything through yet. I knew he’d be upset to see me when I hadn’t made my choice, but despite all of that, I couldn’t deny the fact that I wanted to see him with my own eyes and make sure everything was okay. Had anyone else in his pack been hurt? Had Raziel found what he was looking for? My Wolf longed for him with a feverish desperation and I couldn’t deny the jolt I felt every time I pictured his dark eyes and the way he’d looked at me when we last parted.

I could only hope I was not too late, and that Alpha Brett had not caused irreparable damage to both of our packs.

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~~~~~~~Eli’s POV~~~~~~~~~

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There are intruders from the Silver Woods Pack on our territory,  I told Gabriel, bracing myself for how he would respond. I was panting, having been running border patrol all day, but as soon as we’d caught the scent I knew I had to tell him.

For a second I thought I sensed a glimmer of emotion coming through our mind-link and I instantly knew why: Skylar. For a brief instant Gabriel had probably hoped it was Skylar coming back, before he realized I would have called her out by name.

Who?  He demanded coolly, all vestiges of emotion vanished. He had a prominent distaste for her pack as a whole, I knew, and it would be worse when he found out exactly who had come to visit.

There’s no mistaking it. The scent is very faint so they must have just crossed our border but it’s distinctive. It’s got to be their Alpha. There are three others with him.

Their ALPHA is trespassing on our territory? Gabriel snapped and I winced, detecting the simmering anger there. If an Alpha from an enemy pack was crossing without permission that could only mean one thing.

Yes, Alpha.

There was a snarl in his voice as he spoke again. I’ll be right there. Rendezvous with me at the fringe of the forest.

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By the time we met up with Gabriel, I knew that the intruders would be quite far into our territory. The thought made me uneasy. Something must have happened to set the other Alpha off, I thought. He had never dared infringe upon our territory before.

We ran as fast as we could, all in Wolf form, as the overpowering scent continued to waft towards us on the breeze. Judging the trajectory, we made a rough estimate of where we would intercept them and continued in that direction. Running along next to the Alpha I couldn’t help but feel concerned. Surely it wouldn’t have anything to do with Skylar, would it?

His Wolf would know if something happened to their Mate, my own Wolf said calmly. As usual, though, I felt his pang of sadness as he spoke of Mates. We had yet to find ours and we were long past eighteen, although younger than Gabriel, who hadn’t found Skylar until he was twenty-five.

I hope so, was all I responded. At this distance Gabriel could only feel Skylar’s pain if it was severe, like when the vampires bit her. He hadn’t really felt anything so she had to be okay, I tried to assure myself.

We continued on and the scent steadily intensified. I could see Gabriel’s fur standing up, and I knew it must have infuriated him that someone dared trespass. He was a very proud and unforgiving Alpha, after all. The other Alpha didn’t stand a chance.

Soon enough we had emerged onto open land, the trees’ shade neglecting us to be replaced by rocky hills and scraggly grass. We stopped just out onto the open land, the trees still circling behind us and to our immediate left, while the rocky plains stretched out ahead and disappeared into a fringe of forest in the far distance. Gabriel told us to Shift back into human form and get dressed while we awaited the intruders. We weren’t exactly sure of the other Alpha’s intention, but it was customary for Alphas to address each other in their human bodies unless they decided to fight.

It didn’t take long for Skylar’s pack members to arrive. They burst out of the forest far ahead of us, already having Shifted back into humans. They approached at a rapid pace while we waited, tensed in defensive stances although it was not werewolf custom to attack another pack without exchanging words first. Their Alpha, Brett as I thought I’d heard him called in Meetings previously, was at the forefront. Three other werewolves were spread behind him, all muscular and imposing.

We had the same numbers, then. I would normally have stayed behind to watch the pack but, since I’d already been out on patrol and caught the scent, Gabriel had allowed me to tag along. Vincent was normally present at Gabriel’s side but he was overseeing the pack for the brief time we were gone. Not that it mattered; the intruders were so far onto our land by now that we weren’t a terribly far distance away from the pack village.

As they grew closer, the look on the Alpha Brett’s face was unmistakable: pure, unfiltered rage and loathing. Something must have happened to set him off. His eyes burned with such ferocity that I highly doubted Gabriel would get out of here without a fight, not that he wanted to. If Alpha Brett trespassed on his territory and challenged Gabriel, the two would battle. Whichever wolf won would be within their rights to kill the other. It was the nature of Alphas to be harsh and unforgiving. The custom was one of our more primitive ones, but we had animals inside of us, Wolves that refused to bow to human morals. Killing was natural among Alphas. Survival of the fittest, as they said.

The group of intruders finally stopped, several yards away from us, staring us down angrily, Alpha Brett angriest of all. He was trembling and I was surprised he was even controlling himself. He had the look of a madman.

“Why are you here?” Gabriel asked, a growling undertone in his deep voice.

“You,” the other Alpha snarled, balling his hands into fists. The veins stood out along his arms. “Those…those fucking monsters are here because of you!”

For a split second Gabriel looked taken aback, and I saw a flicker of betrayal cross his features. So Skylar had told her pack then, I thought. I wondered if she’d had a choice? She didn’t seem the type to just blurt out secrets like that. In the Black Mountains Pack, I was the only one who knew everything about Gabriel’s history. I had been Commanded to never tell anyone about his heritage. I’d been glad when Gabriel told me he’d finally confessed everything to his Mate.

“That doesn’t give you any right to trespass,” was Gabriel’s cool response, although I could see anger rising in his dark eyes.

“I have EVERY RIGHT! I should have done this a long time ago. You’ve abused your power far too much,” came the Alpha Brett’s snarling reply.

“I should kill you for your disrespect,” Gabriel snapped. His Wolf was likely not taking kindly to the power struggle.

“I’d like to see you try! My daughter is DEAD, you soulless bastard. Dead because of you and Skylar!” I blinked in shock at the revelation. The wolves behind Alpha Brett shifted, looking pained as the topic was brought up.

Gabriel tensed up, looking murderous. “Leave Skylar out of this,” he growled dangerously. If he was surprised to hear the Alpha’s daughter was dead, he didn’t show it. Knowing him, he didn’t care.

Alpha Brett laughed, the sound coming out distorted and cruel. “Too late. If she wasn’t such a spineless liar, none of this would ever have happened.”

A furious snarl erupted from Gabriel’s chest. His fury was so palpable that my Wolf winced and shied away from his Alpha power. I saw the other two werewolves in our pack flinch as their Wolves did the same; I noticed uncertainty on the faces of Alpha Brett’s warriors.

“I swear if you fucking touch her-“

“She’s in MY pack! I will punish her how I see fit! She’s practically a traitor anyways, thinking that you’re worthy of any sort of forgiveness. She deserves to be exiled,” Alpha Brett seethed.

Gabriel leapt forward in a blur of motion, coming to stop directly in front of Alpha Brett. The two Alphas radiated power, standing mere feet apart, Gabriel a couple inches taller. I, knowing Gabriel’s full heritage, could see that Alpha Brett had no chance despite his fury.

“And you deserve to have your throat ripped out. I will tell you one last time: leave. Her. Out. Of. This. You will not harm a hair on her head!” Gabriel leaned closer he spoke, growling. There was a Command in Gabriel’s tone as he spoke the last words, and I saw Alpha Brett take a step back, gritting his teeth as his Wolf bowed to Gabriel’s Command. I knew that because of Gabriel’s blood he could Command other Alphas, but it was still disconcerting to watch as Alpha Brett’s veins stood out, his face turning red as he vainly fought the order and failed.

“This is the last time I will ask you. Why are you here?” Despite Gabriel’s obvious anger, he had to obey the formalities. If Alpha Brett was challenging him, it was customary to say it outright. At this point I didn’t think the intruding Alpha gave a damn about tradition, but Gabriel would follow it to retain the respect from us, his pack.

Alpha Brett stood upright, baring his teeth as he spoke the words and confirmed our suspicions. “I, Alpha Brett, the Alpha of the Silver Woods Pack, challenge you and all of your rights as Alpha of the Black Mountains Pack herein.” The words normally ended there, or at least I thought they did, as I’d never seen anyone challenge Gabriel before. Brett, however, recklessly continued, “I think you are weak and pathetic, hiding behind your Commands and your brain-washed pack. Your actions against my pack are despicable and you don’t deserve to live. You-“

But Alpha Brett never got to finish. In a movement quicker than lightning that even Alpha Brett couldn’t prevent, Gabriel struck him with a powerful punch that sent him flying, rolling into the dust. Alpha Brett turned over, snarling, and then began to Shift, clothes ripping. Gabriel had time to quickly strip his clothes off before he transformed into the midnight-black Wolf he was notorious for.

The two wolves circled each other, teeth bared and haunches high. Gabriel was bigger than Alpha Brett’s grey wolf, although not by much. The sheer force of their Alpha dominance was overwhelming and the rest of us backed away, our Wolves intimidated. We were mostly there as witnesses or back-up if the other Pack broke customs and attacked, while it was supposed to be a one-on-one fight. By the looks of the Silver Woods pack warriors, they had no intention of attacking Gabriel.

Menacing growls erupted from the Alphas’ throats. With a snarl, Brett leapt at Gabriel, but Gabriel dodged easily and came to circle around him. Alpha Brett, in his furious anger, attacked again. Gabriel continued to dodge and the dance continued, Brett never landing a single blow. Brett moved very fast, fast enough that I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with him. That being said, he wasn’t enough to take on Gabriel. Even I could see that Gabriel was toying with him, tiring him out. Gabriel knew he was the stronger fighter but he wanted to humiliate the Alpha that had trespassed on Black Mountains Pack territory, and it was even worse because Brett had insulted Skylar.

After Brett lunged, quicker than lightning, Gabriel twisted around and sidestepped, sinking his teeth into Brett’s haunch as he did so. The grey wolf howled in pain and backed away, snarling. It got considerably more violent from there as the two wolves lunged simultaneously, connecting with a mighty roar. The two began to rapidly exchange blows almost faster than the eye could see. From what I could tell, though, Gabriel was easily overpowering Brett in every exchange. The grey wolf howled in pain as a gash was opened on his thigh, followed by one on his upper back. Gabriel’s face was a mask of snarling fury and sharp teeth as he continued to let into the other Alpha. Judging by the cries of pain increasing in frequency, he was holding nothing back.

Watching them, I knew just what was going to happen. Skylar’s Alpha was a goner.

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~~~~~~Skylar’s POV~~~~~

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I was exhausted. Luckily, my Wolf had incredible strength, because my human form would have passed out long ago. I had run all through the afternoon only stopping for water, no food, because I just didn’t have the time. There were leaves and twigs stuck to my light silver fur and my paws were caked with mud but I paid no regard.

I had to hold on to the hope that I could stop Gabriel from killing Alpha Brett. I knew there was a very slim chance, because when one Alpha challenged another, it was usually a fight to the death. Alphas were proud and did not forgive. It was their animalistic nature to kill their rivals. And Gabriel was considered one of the cruelest of all.

Half an hour ago the scent had gotten increasingly fresher and I knew I was getting close. I had long since passed into Gabriel’s territory but no wolf had come to stop me yet; perhaps they were all focused on the more prominent trespassers. Or maybe they recognized my scent. Either way, I was nearing the edge of the forest, and I couldn’t help the sense of preoccupation that struck me. This preoccupation worsened when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder that wasn’t mine, indicating that Gabriel must have been bitten. I winced, briefly breaking stride as the simmering pain slowly faded, only to be replaced by another in my hind leg.

Was I too late? I had run recklessly all day and I thought I had gained some ground on them. But I would have noticed the broken mind-link if Brett were dead, and the pain I felt from Gabriel only indicated minor wounds; I probably only felt it because I was getting so close to him. Growling my frustration, I pushed my paws to go faster. My Wolf, excited at seeing her Mate and wanting to protect her Alpha if she could, complied. My muscles burned but I streaked through the forest at a breakneck pace.

Only when I heard the sounds of snarling fighting did I alter direction, deciding to follow the line of trees until I was as close as possible to the battle. I could use the element of surprise to my advantage, perhaps startle Gabriel enough that I could buy some time. While my lack of faith in my own Alpha would be disconcerting to some, I somehow just knew that Brett would lose. He had no chance.

And then I saw them through a break in the trees. What I observed made my blood run cold and my heart almost stop, but I could not be surprised, because it was exactly what I expected.

Alpha Brett, in wolf form was on the rocky ground, battered and broken, blood oozing out of numerous open wounds. It looked like several of his bones were shattered. Gabriel stood over him, fur standing on end, snarling. Gabriel’s injuries were barely visible. As I watched, sprinting through the forest parallel to the group, my Mate jerked his head and sunk his teeth into Alpha Brett’s side, ripping his skin open. Then he withdrew, only to leap to Brett’s other side and do the same thing. Alpha Brett was too weak to retaliate, only able to cry out in pain as he beating continued.

Gabriel, my Mate, was basically torturing and humiliating my Alpha, and it honestly scared me. I had never seen such a dark side to him in person and I recoiled from his brutality as he closed his jaws in on Brett’s hind leg, crushing it. My Wolf whimpered, not liking the sight of our Mate in his cruelest form.

I was near the edge of the trees now immediately beside the group of werewolves. I felt fear strike my heart as I realized what I was about to do, what I had to do. Gabriel was circling Alpha Brett slowly. His stance was menacing. My heart was struck with fear as I realized that Gabriel was going to do it now, he was going to kill my Alpha.

I couldn’t let that happen. It would tear our packs up beyond hope, and I realized that was what Cain wanted. He didn’t need his enemies uniting. Hell, he had probably killed Anne predicting something like this would happen!

So, for the first time in a very long time, I acted without thinking it through.

I exploded from the trees a scant few yards from the group. Gabriel was still circling near Brett, letting him suffer, but prepared to deliver the killing blow. I did the unthinkable. I tensed my body and leapt, putting every ounce of strength into my lunge, sailing over the heads of the nearest wolves as they turned to gape at me.

Gabriel, intent on killing his foe, noticed my presence at the last instant. I saw a glint of his eyes, cold and unforgiving, flash to me. He was in the middle of the battle, about to kill his rival, and I recognized nothing of him in his Wolf’s orbs. He was lost in his animalistic nature. I knew what I was doing had probably never been done. It was unthinkable to interrupt an Alpha’s fight; if I did so, the Alpha had every right to kill me, too. But it was what I had to risk. I had to hope he realized who I was before he let is Wolf annihilate me for interrupting the battle.

I landed somewhat unsteadily near the two and I quickly sidled forward, placing myself in the small space between Alpha Brett’s prone figure and my Mate. Gabriel snarled furiously at being interrupted in the middle of his kill. I looked up, trying not to cower as I made eye contact with Gabriel, who was approaching me slowly and menacingly.

He doesn’t know us! He doesn’t recognize us! I whimpered internally. His Wolf has taken over, we interrupted an Alpha’s fight, what were we thinking?

He has to know us, my Wolf responded, although she seemed unsure. It was much easier for an Alpha to lose himself in his Wolf than it would be for me. Perhaps his Angelic side would actually come in handy here.

All eyes, except Alpha Brett’s, were fixated on the two of us. I crouched low, acting submissive, praying my Mate would come to his senses. It would be much easier if we had already Mated but as it was, the bond was still tenuous. All I knew was I had to keep my figure in front of Alpha Brett, whose breathing was labored and unsteady.

Gabriel halted suddenly, his growls ceasing. He appeared to be having an internal battle. I saw confusion flicker across his eyes along with inner turmoil. After a few tension-filled seconds, I saw what I had been looking for most: recognition…which was quickly followed by incredulity.

My Mate straightened and continued to walk towards me, even more slowly this time, until his snout was less than a foot from mine. My Wolf wanted to curl up against him, seek comfort from his black fur, but I held her back. The pull was still very strong but I could manage; I wasn’t sure what was going through Gabriel’s head right now. His eyes as a Wolf were much more expressive than when he was human, but I couldn’t be sure.

Gabriel whined, very softly, and I winced at the pain apparent in his expression. He had wanted me to come back, but clearly realized I had done so only for my Alpha. His eyes flickered to Brett as if remembering he was there, and then back to me. He seemed to be struggling with himself as if he didn’t know whether to follow the Wolf’s instinct or listen to me, his Mate.

I knew I had put myself in an incredibly dangerous position. I was just hoping that Gabriel cared about me enough to at least think this through.

Gabriel growled yet again, frustrated and torn. He lowered his head, muscles bunching and claws digging into the ground. The impulse to kill was definitely strong.

“Skylar, what the Hell are you doing? You can’t interrupt an Alpha’s battle!” That was Eli. He had stepped forth, an angry look creasing his brows. I whined softly and Gabriel growled, glaring at his Beta and clearly not liking the way Eli was talking to me.

Then, to my shock, Gabriel started to Shift back into human form. I tried not to stare, averting my gaze as his fur and claws receded and he stood there as a naked human man. Thankfully his clothes were close by and he quickly stepped into shorts before I lost all sense of self-control and openly ogled him. My Wolf was purring in appreciation.

Stop! We have more important things to worry about right now! I snapped at her.

As a human, I could more clearly see the deep gashes on Gabriel’s shoulder and leg. They were worse than I’d realized. I whined softly, my Wolf worried, but Gabriel ignored me.

“Move out of the way, Skylar,” Gabriel said impatiently. His eyes were emotionless again. I crouched lower, not wanting to move. Dimly I noticed that behind me, Alpha Brett had shifted back into his human form, naked and bleeding. This meant he and his Wolf were both unconscious.

“Dammit Skylar, if you don’t move I might lose it again!” Wincing at his tone I slowly stepped away. I could feel my three packmates staring at me intently but I ignored them.

Gabriel huffed and ran a hand through his hair. “He trespassed on my territory, insulted me and you, and challenged me. I have the right to kill him. Even now, I’m fighting my Wolf. He’s a rival Alpha, Skylar!”

I whined again. Couldn’t he see what was happening here? I had to speak to him in person. I indicated the woods with a jerk of my head, running into the tree shelter and Shifting back in record time before putting my clothes back on. I knew Gabriel wouldn’t want his packmates seeing my unclothed form.

Upon returning, I tried not to stare at Gabriel’s lack of upper body clothing. Focus! I berated myself for being so easily distracted at a time like this. Alpha Brett was not moving but blood was still oozing out of his cuts. Beaten to a pulp he didn’t look nearly as intimidating.

“Gabriel…” I started, not missing the way he tensed when I said his name. He stared at me intently. I hoped the bruise from Alpha Brett’s punch had faded over the last couple hours, I didn’t want him any more pissed off.

“What happened to your face?”

Apparently it hadn’t faded altogether.

“Nothing, just a minor battle wound while trying to get here,” I replied. It wasn’t entirely a lie and Gabriel would kill Brett if he found out the truth. Gabriel narrowed his eyes but I quickly changed the subject.

“The Alpha’s grieving. His daughter….Anne just died.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “This is what Cain wants. He wasn’t originally targeting Anne, but he saw the opportunity and seized it. He wants to create a rift between our packs. You’re playing into his hands!”

Gabriel stiffened. “You met Cain?”

“Yes.”

His jaw clenched. Knowing Gabriel, he was thinking about how it was his fault, how he shouldn’t have let me go.

“Did he say anything else?”

“He was mainly just taunting me. He attacked my father though.” I neglected to mention the ‘coma’ part.

Gabriel looked down then, but not before I caught the guilt in his expression.

“It’s not your fault,” I said softly. Judging by his posture, I had correctly guessed his train of thought.

“Look, it doesn’t matter!” I continued before he could argue. “Please just…don’t kill Alpha Brett. His family has suffered enough. And my packmates…I don’t want them hating your pack when the vampires are the real enemy here.”

“He isn’t fit to be Alpha, Skylar. He’s as good as dead.”

I knew he was right. Alpha Brett couldn’t lead us in a time like this.

“But still-“

“His recklessness will get you all killed.”

I didn’t see how I could get out of this, but I tried to anyways. “Please, Gabriel. I’m begging you. My pack is begging you.” I felt pathetic, groveling in front of my own Mate, but what else could I do?

“I’m not doing it for your pack.” I felt my stomach drop, but there was a strange expression in Gabriel’s eyes, as if he was pondering something. He glanced at Eli, and the two seemed to have a silent conversation. I tried to wait patiently as they spoke but I couldn’t help but shift position every two seconds. What could they possibly be discussing right now? My pack members looked equally confused, the three of them watching Gabriel and Eli with blank faces. I got the impression that some sort of big decision was being made.

Another minute passed before Gabriel finally sighed, long and drawn out.

“It was going to happen eventually, for one reason or another,” Eli mused aloud. I blinked, completely bewildered.

Gabriel nodded once, and his dark eyes found mine. I felt my heart rate increase just at the eye contact with him. “I’m doing this for you, Skylar. Don’t forget that.” His voice was quieter, tone serious. I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Gabriel slowly walked until he stood directly over Alpha Brett’s naked body. Eli and another wolf, on silent command, came over and heaved up his unconscious body, each one with an arm around Brett’s waist. His head lolled and eyelids flickered.

“Wake up,” Gabriel snapped. Brett didn’t respond. Gabriel said it again, louder, and this time there must’ve been some sort of Command in his tone because Alpha Brett’s eyes slowly opened and flicked around lethargically. His face was mottled with bruises and swelling, but I was more concerned about the way some of his bones were oddly contorted. He must have been in an abominable amount of pain but he said nothing as Gabriel stared him down.

“You don’t deserve to carry on living, in my opinion, but someone in your pack thinks otherwise.” Gabriel indicated me with a jerk of his head. “So, I’m giving you a choice. I can kill you, or I can Purge you.”

I stared, completely lost. I had never heard of a Purge and I had no clue what it meant. Alpha Brett obviously did, though, for I could see a look of horror and regret pass through his eyes.

“You can’t-“

“Yes, I can. You challenged me, and you lost, and the penalty is death. But this is your one chance to avoid that. I won’t ask again.”

Alpha Brett began to struggle and thrash but to no avail. A pained grimace appeared on his face as he stared at Gabriel mutinously.

I didn’t know what a Purge was but it looked like Gabriel was quickly losing his patience. “Alpha Brett,” I said quietly. His bleary eyes turned on me.

“You can’t die. You have a Mate and a son back home. I know you miss Anne but the rest of your family needs you. They miss you and how could they go on without you?”

My Alpha glared at me but did not speak.

“Please, Alpha Brett. I know you’re feeling a lot of rage right now but think of them waiting for you to come home. Your son will need your guidance. Your Mate can’t do it all without your help. I don’t know what the Purge is, but anything is better than leaving them forever.”

There were several seconds of tense, drawn-out silence, before Alpha Brett finally bowed his head. It seemed like all of the fight left him as his shoulders sagged and his body drooped even further. I tried not to stare at the festering wounds and broken bones.

“Now are you going to do this willingly? You know the Purge won’t work if you don’t do it willingly, and if it goes wrong, I will kill you.” Gabriel growled impatiently. “I’m sure you know the words.”

Alpha Brett grunted. “Everything I’ve worked for…it’ll be gone.”

“You willingly sacrificed it as soon as you crossed into my territory.”

“But I…” He subsided into silence as he seemed to realize there really was not much of a choice here. Death or Purge.

Brett looked absolutely humiliated, while I could only stare there in bewilderment as he took a deep breath, steeled himself, and began to mumble a fast string of words that I barely caught,

“I, Alpha Brett, hereby submit to you. I state that I am no longer fit or able to be an Alpha and I am no longer fit or able to lead the Silver Woods Pack. I reject my bloodline and hereby terminate my Alpha line. I knowingly relinquish and divest all control to you.”

My mouth dropped open. Wait…so did that mean…?

“Let this scar be a reminder of what I have forsaken.” With those words, Alpha Brett proceeded to elongate his claws and with a jerking motion created a gash, right over his heart. The blood welled up and dripped down his exposed torso as Gabriel began to speak.

“I, Alpha Gabriel, hereby accept your Alpha entitlement to the Silver Woods Pack. I acknowledge that I have received all of your former responsibilities as Alpha and I will lead the Silver Woods pack as long as I am fit and able. I knowingly continue the bloodline that you have relinquished. Let this scar be a reminder of what I have undertaken.”

With a similar jerking motion, Gabriel created a gash over his heart. I winced as I felt the smarting pain. So this was a Purge, where one Alpha took on another’s responsibilities. Of course it would come down to blood. All werewolf ceremonies came down to blood.

Gabriel put a hand over his bloody chest as Brett did the same. Then, in a simultaneous motion, Gabriel lifted his blood-smeared palm and placed it against Brett’s.

I felt something in the back of my mind snap and break, as if a connection had been severed. It was so sudden and so intense that I staggered backwards, taken off guard, trying not to fall to my knees. I noticed my packmates were having similar reactions. I placed hands to my temple as I felt a pressure, an unfamiliar presence in the back of my mind. I realized with a start that it was Gabriel. I could not reach him, as there was still a barrier between our minds, but somehow I knew he was still…there. And Alpha Brett’s presence had been erased completely. I stood there, clutching my head as I tried to adjust to the new development.

Gabriel turned to face us. He stood straight, his eyes burning with energy, and he absolutely radiated power. I actually felt intimidated by my own Mate.

“The Purge will completed tomorrow night at moonrise, and our mental link will be established.” His eyes focused on my face, boring into mine with a disconcerting intensity. “Welcome to the pack,” he said, although I felt the last words were directed only at me.

It was then that everything finally clicked and I could only gape at him, my Wolf as shocked as I was. Instead of killing Alpha Brett, Gabriel had used the Purge to remove him of his responsibilities. As another Alpha, Gabriel had the capabilities of absorbing Brett’s former responsibilities. Which meant….

Gabriel was my new Alpha.

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A/N: This chapter was super tough to write. I didn’t want to confuse you all but I wanted the characters’ reactions to be reasonable. I hope I did well! Sorry for so many POV changes, ha.

The next update will probably be in five days, like usual. I only wrote so much this week because I’ve been slow at work and this week has been crappy so I write to get things off of my mind.

Anyhow, enough of my problems. There is lots to come in the next couple chapters.

I did an interview with MidnightRosemary. It answers some questions and provides more depth on this book. Go check it out on her profile please. :)

Lastly, a wonderful person named Foreigndelight made me some(A LOT) of beautiful artwork. I’m going to sneak it in a few different chapters so if you’re bored you can go back through and find her covers.

MULTIMEDIA:

Cover by Foreigndelight

Also, the song “Little Red Riding Hood” covered by Amanda Seyfried. It’s a pretty haunting song and a lot of the lyrics are ironic to me.