28. MATEO

28

MATEO

I stare at the mass of darkness snapping at me, unsure of what I'm staring at. Kylan is no longer a wolf, no longer a shifter gifted magic by Mother Nature but the product of a scientific creature that is an abomination to our values. No wonder he believed that he could beat me. Staring at his form alone, I can feel the tendrils of power running through him but it's unnatural.

I try to steel my emotions from seeing my father and his shallow breathing as he mouths ‘Stay strong'. My entire being wants to run over to him and wait out his last moments instead of facing off with Kylan but that will cost me my entire pack and the family I've built.

The only reason I give in is the way one of the pack members moves to sit beside Gael and hold his hands in hers. It takes me a few seconds to realize that the wolf isn't a member of our pack but the Sapphire wolves. They really do blend in well.

The confusion running through Gael's expression worries me but Taras sits on the other side, showing me where he stands. For a while, he was Ilsa's most trusted advisor and elder on the council. Then he became Calista's and while I still trusted the man, I think he fell easily at the woman's feet. This gesture won't erase his lack of action but it does give me hope that this next generation may have a future.

An animalistic sound rips me from my thoughts as Kylan lunges toward me. In order to dodge, I shift, nearly missing a set of fangs that are much sharper than mine. His attacks are chaotic but fierce, each one dangerously close to catching some part of my body.

I continue to dodge and evade, refusing to engage until I can catalog what I'm working with. Murmurs and gasps work through the small crowd watching us, no doubt discussing the differences in our wolves' coats. Where Kylan looks like something that crawled out of hell, the red through my coat shows my connection with the Redstone pack.

Kylan lets out a growl before dashing toward me, catching my shoulder. Pain sears through my body as his claws slice through flesh the way a knife would slice through butter. Blood coats my dark fur as I stumble back, shocked at the power behind that serum. The feral wolves that Maverick had taken down had lost themselves to their beasts but Kylan is completely in control.

Except for that awful version of a roar that is supposed to simulate the power of his wolf. It feels like nature cringes every time Kylan yells into the clearing rather than embracing or emboldening the sound. My tactic of evading his claws stops working. He has somehow become faster in the last several moments, my wolf raging for a chance to drag the feral Alpha into the ground.

Alpha, Mave said that your wolf isn't feral. Your wolf is vicious and terrifying but that is the wolf you have been given. It holds more power than you may be ready for but lean into it. Remi says—No, I'm not saying that. Fuck.

A smile spreads across my lips as I stalk forward, doing just as Maverick suggested. He hasn't been wrong yet so I trust that his gift will lead me in the right direction. A few deep breaths later, I lean into the wolf I've been trying so hard to tuck away. The animal rears its ugly head as magic bursts forth from my chest and rumbles down my spine. When I throw my head back to let out a howl, the sky seems to shake from the force, leaves whistling in the brisk wind.

Kylan freezes where he is before charging again and this time, I stand my ground before swiping across his chest. A wail of anguish erupts into the air as Kylan stumbles back, his blood coating my claws. My body aches with the few blows that Kylan managed to get in but I'm ready.

I need to win.

For my pack.

For my Omega.

For my fathers.

"You messed with the wrong Alpha," I tell myself, hoping Kylan can somehow hear it. "You will regret the day you chose the wrong path."

Then I lunge forward, teeth bared. Kylan meets me in the middle, both of us focused on winning and carrying this pack on our shoulders. However, I want to make this pack flourish. Kylan wants to ruin it.

I refuse to let that happen.

After tonight, when Kylan's blood coats the crystal forest, I will set my sights on the pack of the Forbidden and drag Silas to Nepheline's feet so she can do as she pleases.

I move low to avoid one of his claws but the catch the other one in my side, a roar tearing from my throat as I twist to catch his underbelly. F