Chapter 23 - Zander

He knew Christian was right, but Zander also knew he had to get him away from Layla. Otherwise, it didn't matter how many men he had at his back. Christian could rip her throat out before a single one of them could get to her.

The anger that boiled within him was almost impossible to ignore, but he had to. It was the last thing he could afford right now. If he went off like he had at the manor when Christian had called Layla beautiful then she was as good as dead.

He had to play this cool, no matter how much he wanted to tear Christian apart.

"Half of your men are dead, and the other half are in no fit state to help you, Christian," Zander pointed out. He took a half-step forward with his hands raised, struggling to keep his claws from protruding. He had to make the man believe he was no threat. "You're wounded, I can see that, so I suppose we can make this fair. You're stronger than I am, we both know that."

Bile rose in his throat as he said the words. Yes, Christian was stronger, but he wasn't nearly as skilled or agile or clever. That was certain. If he were, he wouldn't be anywhere near Layla right now. In fact, he would be long gone from Nightstar.

"Let's do this. Just me and you, head-to-head. Nobody else needs to get involved. Nobody else needs to get hurt," Zander continued when Christian said nothing. He looked the man in the eye as he spoke, but when he had finished, he looked into Layla's eyes, hoping that she might be able to say something to convince him. After all, she knew the man better than he did.

And true to how smart she was, Layla cried, "No! Zander, don't. He'll kill you!"

Zander saw the way that Christian's lips twitched. He was clearly fighting a smile.

"Shut the fuck up!" Christian snarled at Layla, yanking her hard by the hair in a way that made Zander cringe.

"Don't hurt her," Zander growled through gritted teeth. "Hurt her and the deal's off."

Quick as a flash, Christian released Layla's hair and wrapped one powerful arm around her throat. Then he turned his eye on Zander again and demanded, "How do I know your friends will stick to your word?"

Zander stiffened. He hadn't even thought about that. His friends were loyal to a fault. How could he make them stand down even if it looked as if things were going to go sideways?

Before he could answer, Jack stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I've got this," he whispered before he turned to Christian and said, "You have my word as a follow alpha that my men will not attack you if you win." Zander felt his best friend's hand trembling on his shoulder as he added, "If you kill Zander, you can have her."

This time it was Zander's turn to cringe. The thought that if anything happened to him Layla was forfeit made his stomach twist painfully.

Christian looked between the two of them for several moments as if he were struggling to decide whether or not they were telling the truth.

Jack straightened his back, dropped his hand from Zander's shoulder, and said clearly, "You have my alpha's oath that none of my men shall intervene. This is between you and Zander."

Seeing the indecision remain on Christian's face, Zander stepped in front of Jack and goaded him, "Unless you are too scared to face me?"

It was then that Zander knew he had the man right where he wanted him. He saw the over-confident flicker that passed through Christian's eyes. The man was self-righteous, self-confident, and clearly filled with arrogance. There was no way he could turn down such a challenge.

Zander growled low in his throat as Christian squeezed his arm tight around Layla's throat and planted a hard kiss upon her cheek. "Something to remember me by while I take care of your little boyfriend."

Then, he shoved her hard, forcing her to her knees on the cabin of the porch.

"She stays right there or this is off!" Christian snarled, and Zander nodded acknowledgement of the condition. It didn't matter to him where Layla was so long as she was away from him.

"Zander, please, don't do this!" Layla protested, crawling to the edge of the porch. "He will kill you! He's too strong."

Zander could no longer tell whether she was pleading with him to goad Christian into over-confidence and sure failure or whether she was actually trying to warn him away from the idea. Either way, he wasn't about to back down now. He was so close to making her safe, so close to tearing apart the asshole who had tried to take her from him. Soon, one way or another, it would all be over.

Christian strolled confidently down the porch steps. "How do you wish to do this? Human or wolf?"

Zander gulped, unsure which was better. Yes, his wolf was stronger than his human form, but that was just as true for his opponent.

Deciding that it didn't really matter either way, Zander lifted his head and said, "You choose."

Christian stopped a few meters away from him, met his gaze and looked thoughtful for several seconds before finally answering, "Wolf."

Zander gulped. A shift would surely help to heal Christian a little from his wounds, but it would also sap some of his energy. Perhaps that was a good thing.

Either way, the odds were still against him.

"A countdown?" Zander asked, stepping up to face Christian, and when the man nodded, Jack stepped forward.

"Shift in three, two," he called loudly, raising his arm between the two of them. In the final second he nodded to Zander. "One!"

Shaking off his human form, Zander dropped down onto all fours, and knowing that his opponent would simply go for using his sheer strength and speed, he immediately dodged left. Narrowly, he avoided the snapping jaws that closed right beside his ear.

The sound ringing in his ear, he whipped around to face Christian again, lashing out with a paw. His claws barely scraped through the fur of the alpha's tail before Christian spun to face him once more.

They danced around each other for several minutes like this, their blows narrowly missing each other or just grazing the flesh.

Zander's cheek stung from a claw that had connected just enough to draw blood, and he snarled. When he managed to land a blow of his own to Christian's ear, he couldn't help but notice that Christian's shift had indeed helped him to heal a little. Though his eye was still bloody, he could see the eyeball itself beginning to grow back. It wouldn't be long before he had his full vision back again. He had little time to use the injury to his advantage, so he aimed every blow he could at the wounded side, charging at Christian to knock him flying with his shoulder.

The attack was well aimed, and Christian was knocked away, landing awkwardly on his side with his bad eye turned towards the sky.

In an instant, Zander was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. But it seemed that the shift hadn't sapped as much of Christian's strength and energy as Zander had hoped. Christian rolled, grabbing Zander's fur as he went to drag him down with him.

Almost like a crocodile, he rolled and rolled until Zander found himself pinned beneath the heavy weight of the large, dark-furred wolf.

Pain shot through him as Christian tore his fur out of his chest with a strong yank of his head. In the seconds it took the other wolf to spit out the mouthful of fur, Zander clawed at his opponent's underbelly, but the attack barely made the other wolf flinch. His fur was far too thick, almost like soft, fluffy armor that caused his claws to glance harmlessly off his flesh.

"No!" Layla screamed, and Zander's heart hammered when he realized what was coming. Christian aimed his fangs right at his throat. Clearly, Layla had seen the move before, and Zander just barely managed to turn his head enough to avoid the other wolf's grabbing his windpipe.

"Stop her!" Jack yelled, and out of the corner of his eye, Zander saw Layla darting down the porch steps toward them.

Seeing her running right into harm's way gave Zander the strength he needed to fight through the pain and pull his neck free of his opponent's grip, forcing himself to roll, dragging Christian with him. The wolf's fangs were torn from his neck, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

It was a dangerous wound, one he could feel sapping his strength. But as he saw Kane and Eddie holding Layla back, he knew he couldn't give up. He could feel her terror, her concern, her love. And sickeningly, he imagined what it would be like never to hold her again, never to kiss her lips or make love to her.

Knowing that if he died here in this clearing, she would have no choice but to go with Christian—Jack was truly a man of his word—there was no way he could lose this battle. The consequences were too much to bear.

And so he fought on. He rolled and rolled until he managed to get a solid grip on his opponent, his teeth meeting in Christian's throat fur.

Shit! he thought as he realized just that. He had only gripped fur. And fur was not going to save him. Christian's grin was clear, and his healing eye gleamed with triumph as he shoved his paws hard into Zander's stomach, throwing him away like a ragdoll.

Zander flew higher than he ever could have imagined, hitting the bottom most branches of the tree that overhung the clearing before he dropped back to the ground, landing so hard that the wind was knocked out of him.

"No! Please, stop this! Let go of me!" Layla screamed as Christian landed on top of him again. "He's going to kill him!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Zander saw the grim faces of his friends. Their gazes were filled with concern, yet their lips were pursed in determined lines. They would not intervene. They were, as he knew, loyal to a fault; they would let him die with honor.

In the last second, before Christian landed on top of him, Zander managed to roll onto his stomach, protecting his underbelly and his throat just in time. Yet Christian's claws raked down his shoulder as he landed atop him.

"No!" Layla screamed again. "Christian! Please! No!"

But the wolf paid her no mind as he lunged and sank his fangs deep into the back of Zander"s neck. If he bit down any harder, it would all be over.

Zander knew it was coming. He knew he was about to die. Christian had won. He prepared himself to meet his maker with dignity, relaxing every inch of his body as he breathed out one final breath.

And true to Christian's arrogance, Zander felt the wolf smile against the back of his neck. Hot breath warmed his fur for a second longer before Christian released Zander's neck and threw back his head in a triumph howl, preparing to deal the killing blow.

Yet this was Christian's most fatal mistake. Zander was fast, agile and clever. He did not think so himself, but his friends often told him so, and so he used it to his advantage, waiting until the very moment when Christian started to lunge for him again before he surged upwards, meeting Christian's chin with his head.

The impact was jarring and painful even to him, but it made Christian howl out again, this time not with triumph but with agony.

Zander rolled, knocking Christian's legs out from under him. Wasting no time, he was on top of the alpha in an instant, pinning him to the floor the very same way that Christian had pinned him, gripping the back of his neck.

Though he was no killer, the thought did cross his mind to bite down just a little harder and severe the wolf's spinal column. It would be over quick and damn near painless. Yet he knew he could never look Layla's in the eye again if he were ever to do such a terrible thing to a wolf who was clearly beaten. He could feel the way that Christian trembled beneath him, how he tried to force Zander off again, yet his strength was gone, his energy sapped finally after a long fight. Blood was oozing from his injured eye again, and Zander realized he must have gotten in more than one successful blow after all.

It was time to finish this. Zander bit down just hard enough to draw blood, not enough to kill, but enough to warn that he would if he had to.

When he felt Christian going limp beneath him, he continued to hold the pressure, sickened by the taste of the other wolf's blood in his mouth. He could hear Christian"s breath beginning to slow and knew the man was losing consciousness.

"Enough, Zander," Jack said, and he knew he wasn't imagining things. He had won. Christian was subdued. It was over.

Half-stumbling, half-falling from his opponent's back, Zander dropped down onto his haunches beside him. And when Christian started to shift back to human form, Zander knew for certain that it was all over. The man was barely conscious as he struggled up onto his hands and knees.

Shaking off his own wolf form, Zander rose to his feet and held out his hand.

"Fair is fair," he said, meeting Christian's eye without blinking. "This is over. She is mine."

Christian continued to glower at Zander, perched on his knees. He smacked Zander's hand away and snarled, "Take her then! She's soiled anyway."

Zander dropped his hands to his sides, tightening them to fists. It took all he had in him not to grab Christian's head and snap his neck. He could do it. He'd had to many a time before during his army days. But he would never kill an unarmed, unclawed man without real need.

And so he turned toward Layla, smiling as Kane and Eddie released her. She immediately came running toward him, but in the seconds before she made it into his arms, she screamed, "Zander! Look out!"

Christian's arm wrapped tightly around Zander's neck even as he knocked Layla defensively out of the way. His own life did not matter, but if Christian laid one finger on her, he could never forgive himself.

"Get her away!" he snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes pleading with Jack and the others, and they did just that as Zander tried desperately to twist out of Christian's grip. Even half-blind and wounded as he was, Christian was strong. His grip tightened and tightened around Christian's throat, and he knew he had less than a minute to get himself free or suffer the consequences.

Reaching back around his head, he grabbed hold of Christian's and planted his thumb hard in the socket of his injured eye, pressing harder and harder until Christian screamed and his grip on his throat loosened.

In a second, Zander twisted in his grip, forced his hands off and reset his grip on the man's head. Then, in one swift movement, he snapped his neck and watched the life bleed from his one good eye, as if someone had turned the dimmer switch on a light.

"You fucker!"

The cry came from one of Christian's men at the edge of the clearing as Layla was released from the grip of Zander's packmates once more. She was in his arms in an instant, her face buried against his chest as she wept.

Zander held her close, covering her ears so that she would not have to hear the vile things Christian's men were shouting as several of them struggled to their feet. Having watched their leader die, they were furious. Zander met the eyes of every single one of them as they threw their taunts and promises that their leader would be avenged.

Not one of them had lifted a finger to try and help him when he had been alive, but they were vocal enough now. Jack and his other packmates circled in around Zander and Layla, protecting them from the onslaught as Christian's defeated pack melted into the trees with the knowledge that they were too wounded and outnumbered, some of them dragging away dead packmates as they went.

Though, Zander noticed, they made no attempt to retrieve Christian.