Chapter 51

Shemika held onto Caturix’s arm, her fear of being separated from him palpable. The last time they were apart, things hadn’t ended well. She had to practically sprint to keep up with him as he stormed through the building, heading straight for Lyosha.

The pack members scattered, their fear of Caturix’s anger evident. Yet, they all gave Shemika and Caturix the same knowing looks. It was common knowledge that they weren’t supposed to be together.

Caturix stormed into the grand hall, Shemika in tow. Lyosha, who had been talking to his men, turned to face them. His smile faded quickly when he saw who was with Caturix.

Perhaps it finally dawned on him. It was too late. Shemika and Caturix were together, and he had violated Caturix’s woman.

“Caturix,” Lyosha said, his laughter tinged with nervousness. “It’s great to see you, son. What brings you here?”

Did he really think he could harm Shemika and she wouldn’t tell Caturix? That she would just obey Lyosha and avoid Caturix? That Caturix would never discover his transgressions?

Caturix scanned the room. Nearly a dozen men were there to protect Lyosha. “I came to challenge you, Alpha,” he declared.

The room gasped in surprise, a she-wolf in the back even fainted. Lyosha visibly blanched.

“Over what, my son? The tramp?” he asked, his laughter still nervous.

Caturix bared his teeth. “You’ve touched what’s…mine,” he said, finally admitting it. She’d wanted this, but not like this. He didn’t seem thrilled by the declaration himself.

“Yours?” Lyosha echoed. “My, my.” He clapped his hands anxiously. “What are we to do?”

“He challenged you,” a guard whispered to Lyosha.

“I know,” he snapped, swatting the guard’s arm away. He turned back to Caturix. “You can’t be serious, son. A fight to the death. Over…her.” He gestured dismissively at Shemika. “There are plenty of she-wolves in this pack. You could have your pick.”

Caturix didn’t respond but motioned for Shemika to move back to make room for the fight. Lyosha’s eyes widened in panic.

The wolves in the room gathered around to witness the challenge. This wasn’t a normal challenge. Any wolf who won against an alpha would inherit his title.

“No,” Lyosha said flatly.

“No?” the wolves echoed in confusion.

“I will not entertain this. I am the alpha,” he insisted, stomping his foot.

“Sir,” the guard beside him began. “It’s pack law.”

“Well, I’m the alpha and I get to change the laws,” he snapped. The pack members frowned at his cowardice.

“We can fight, fair and square. Or you can forfeit your life, and I will execute you,” Caturix offered.

Lyosha visibly shivered. “I don’t see the point, son. Can’t you see? She’s driving a wedge between us,” he screeched.

Caturix braced himself, squatting low in a defensive position. It was clear he was done talking.

“Come on, Alpha,” an older lycan said, one of Lyosha’s closest men. “You’ve fought for your title before. You can do it again!”

When had Lyosha fought for the title of alpha? As far as Shemika knew, his title was inherited from his family, going back several generations. Lyosha paled at the man’s words.

“Hush, Mishel,” he snapped.

“You have to accept his challenge or forfeit your life,” a random wolf shouted from the back of the growing crowd.

“Who said that?” Lyosha stammered. “Come out and face dire consequences!”

“Sir,” another lycan, close to Lyosha, stepped forward. “This is true,” he said.

Lyosha’s lips curled into a look of distaste. “So be it. Since you’re all so intent on watching this spectacle,” he snapped, straightening his clothes. His eyes flicked across the room to Shemika, but…slightly over her shoulder.

An older man stepped forward, gesturing for everyone to stop speaking. “This is a fight for dominance, a challenge called forth by our pack punisher, Caturix. It is to the death. As per the law, both opponents must first choose which state to be in.” He paused to let them answer.

“Human form,” Lyosha offered, raising his brows for Caturix to disagree.

Caturix nodded in agreement.

“Both members must remain in human form until one should die,” he continued. “We must all remain as witnesses to the challenge.”

Caturix was hardly listening, watching Lyosha with dangerous intent. The man who’d raised him, who’d taken him in, had violated his woman. How had it come to this?

The man stepped back and nodded his head, signaling the start of the fight. Caturix was lost in his thoughts, but that didn’t slow his movements. Even though Lyosha got a head start, he easily sidestepped him.

The two clawed and grappled at each other. Caturix was furious with Lyosha, but he couldn’t help but feel joy. To finally be able to get back at the man that tormented him for the better part of his life, the entirety of his early childhood. He didn’t have any pleasant memories. He could only remember the strength behind Lyosha’s hands.

Caturix felt free. Like his body could finally stretch out and fill the space, like he didn’t have to hunker and reduce his size. He tore at Lyosha’s skin, throwing his fists wildly.

Lyosha wasn’t winning in any way, but he didn’t look defeated. He looked…like he had a plan.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t the best substitute for a father, but I did the best I could,” he said. “You don’t really want to kill me, son,” he argued.

Caturix didn’t bother to dispute that. He knew he did and it wasn’t even his actions against Shemika. This was long in the making.

Lyosha could tell he wasn’t going to appeal to Caturix’s good nature. So he resorted to knocking Caturix off his game.

“I never told you how your father died, son,” he started.

Caturix’s gut tightened in anticipation.

“Why don’t I just tell you the truth?” he said, knowing that one of them wouldn’t make it out of that room alive.

Caturix said nothing.

“I killed your family,” he sneered.

Caturix should’ve been surprised. It was news to him and he should’ve been furious, dumbfounded by the information, stunned by it. At the present time. All he cared about was his Mika and exacting revenge for the both of them.

“Your father was alpha of this pack,” he began, grinning as he spoke. He surely believed his words were hurting Caturix, wounding him to the core. “I started with him. He was easy, as he was too trusting. He never saw me coming. Your mother…she fought back, but she was just a she-wolf. A weak little wolf,” he smirked.

Lyosha was seriously trying to get back at him with people he hardly knew.

“But your sister—”

That gave Caturix pause. He remembered Calina the most. She’d been so spunky and short-tempered. The best big sister.

“I actually never killed her,” he laughed bitterly. “I sold her to the pack up north. She’s been alive this whole time!”

That made him far angrier than he’d expected.

“Hey, Caturix,” Nikandr called out to him, distracting him from the fight.

Caturix turned his head to see Nikandr restraining his Mika, holding her against him by the neck. All thoughts of the fight abandoned him.

Next thing he knew, Lyosha shifted into wolf form, jumped onto his back. His jaws hooked into Caturix’s shoulder. Caturix heard gasps of horror as the wolves realized…Lyosha was cheating. Nikandr had distracted him so he could gain an advantage with his wolf. This was utter bullshit.

Caturix reached back, grabbing Lyosha by the scruff of his neck and tossing him off his back. He felt his skin tear, but it was insignificant at that moment. Not nearly as important as the look of fear in his woman’s eyes.

Was she afraid for herself? Or him?

He took a step toward Nikandr, whose confidence wavered in the face of Caturix.

Lyosha’s teeth sank into Caturix’s leg, ripping through flesh. He knew he had to deal with Lyosha before he could save his beloved, a thought that tore at his heart.

Caturix managed to shake him off, flinging him away by the scruff of his neck. Lyosha quickly recovered and lunged at him again, but Caturix was prepared.

He’d been unknowingly training for this moment his whole life. He’d grown up fighting off wolves in human form.

Caturix had to concentrate, to push aside his worry for Mika. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t survive.

He attacked the wolf, his fists flying. They tumbled together, but Caturix managed to gain the upper hand. Since Lyosha had already broken the rules by shifting, Caturix felt no guilt as he partially shifted his own claws.

His claws extended as he wrapped his hand around Lyosha’s throat. He squeezed, crushing the wolf’s windpipe. His claws dug in, and with one swift pull, he ripped out Lyosha’s trachea.

A terrible sound erupted from Lyosha, the kind of sound an animal makes when it knows it’s dying. Caturix let the blood flow from the wound, staining his arm.

He lifted Lyosha’s body high for all to see. He had defeated the alpha.

But no one was watching him. Their attention was elsewhere.

Caturix dropped Lyosha’s lifeless body and turned to see what had captured everyone’s attention. Nikandr was biting into Shemika’s neck, her blood spilling out.

He’d been forcing himself not to think about Shemika, to focus on the fight. All the while, Nikandr had been attacking her. He must’ve known that once his father was dead and he was no longer heir, Caturix would call for his death.

He wanted to take Caturix’s Mika down with him.

Caturix roared as he charged at Nikandr, who dropped Shemika’s lifeless body. Caturix’s hands closed around Nikandr’s throat. In his rage, he decapitated Nikandr before he could even think about his next move.

Nikandr’s headless body fell next to Shemika’s, but Caturix didn’t care about him anymore.

He fell to his knees, letting out a cry of despair as he cradled Shemika in his arms. Her body was slick with blood and her head lolled back.

“Alpha,” a man said, bowing before Caturix. “What do you need from us?”

Caturix didn’t care about his new status or that he’d killed his enemies. All he cared about was the woman lying lifeless in his arms.

“I need healers,” he managed to say. “Now!”

The man nodded and ran off to find the pack’s healers.

Caturix held Shemika close, not bothering to hide his tears. He held her tightly, afraid that if he let go, she would be gone forever. He hoped that by holding her close, her heart would hear his and start beating again.

“Mika, Mika, Mika,” he whispered, his face buried in her blood-soaked hair. “Stay with me. Please. I need you, my love.”

The wolves watched in silence, clinging to each other.

Finally, the healers arrived. They took one look at Mika and hesitated, giving Caturix doubtful looks.

“Caturix—”

“He is our alpha now!” someone interrupted.

“Alpha,” the head healer corrected herself. “I don’t think we can save her. I can’t—”

Caturix bared his teeth at her. “You will try until you can’t stand! She is mine!” he roared. He might be their alpha now, but they were not his family. They had all shunned him his whole life.

“Yes, sir,” the healer said quickly. She opened her bag and started working, checking for a pulse. “You need to put her down, Alpha.”

Reluctantly, he did, watching helplessly as they started chest compressions.