Chapter 20 - Rand

I batted the wolf away, spinning on my paws to face the rest of the group, fur bristling as I moved to put myself between Thea and the group of wolves in front of me. The one in front, the only one who hadn't shifted, eyed me with interest, his lips curling.

"I'm assuming this is the wolf you were going to sacrifice your sister for?" he asked Astrid in a dry, mocking tone. "Not much, if you ask me. But to each their own."

The pale, more slender wolf standing next to me snarled, baring her teeth as she glared at Ansel.

"Is this all you brought?" he asked, yawning. "Not much—"

More snarls cut off his snide comment. He froze, eyes widening as alarm flicked across his face for the first time since I'd gotten here.

Mark and Tannen charged through the woods toward us. Instead of coming to a halt next to me, they raced into the group of wolves, scattering the line. Moments later, even more Silver Wolves raced through the trees, evening the odds, if not the numbers.

Meanwhile, I focused on the man in front. He snarled and shifted. If I had any doubts about who the shifter was, they vanished the instant I saw him turn into a massive gray wolf nearly as large as me.

All around, chaos ensued. Astrid was keeping Thea back, swiping at any wolf that got near either of them. The rest of the Silver Wolves were all in their own fights. But the only thing that mattered to me was the wolf in front of me. If I could kill him, the rest would fall.

He darted toward me, nearly barreling me over. I dodged just in time, but his claws still swiped across my side. I growled and snarled as the pain ran through me. He was faster than I'd thought. I had strength, but speed had never been my strong suit. That was more Klyte and Alek. If Ansel was this fast, I was going to have more of a fight on my hand than I'd expected.

The Gray Wolf spun around the second he passed me, jaws reaching for my hind leg. I jerked away just in time. Before I could get my claws anywhere near him, he was gone.

Searing pain dragged down my shoulder as his claws raked into my shoulder. I staggered, snarling at the pain.

I dodged his jaws just in time, and they snapped shut right in front of my neck.

I growled. His speed had gotten me on the wrong foot, taken me by surprise. But if I didn't get a grip and tighten my focus, I'd be dead, and all of this would have been for nothing.

I watched him, dodging his attacks as I tried to swipe at him. Not to hit him, but to detect his patterns. Nearby, wolves howled and snarled. I thought I heard Klyte yelp, but I drowned it out. I couldn't afford the distraction.

Eventually, I figured out the Gray Wolf's fighting style, but it cost me another couple of injuries. Blood matted my fur, but I could handle it. Now I had a better way of how to fight him.

I lashed out. Not where Ansel was, but where I knew he was going to be, now that I had studied his movements. Claws met flesh, and Ansel howled in agony as they dug into his side, drawing a ragged gash and batting him to the ground.

Pouncing, I aimed to land on his back. He rolled out of the way just in time, his jaws snapping at my front leg as he rolled. I pivoted, swiping my claws across his face.

By now, I was bleeding from my shoulder, side, and leg. My sides heaved as I panted, eyes locking on the Gray Wolf with hatred and venom. I needed to end this before he could get another, more lethal hit in. I could see in his eyes that he felt as though he had the upper hand. There was a gloating glint to them. He was arrogant. I could use that against him.

I stumbled, moving and swaying as though weak. My front legs gave out from underneath me. The Gray Wolf snarled, baring his teeth as he saw his opponent weakened. He howled in triumph, jumping toward me for the killing blow.

Just before he could land on my shoulders, I rolled over, dodging out of the way. My hind legs lashed out, raking across his side. He yelped, falling to the ground. Before he could move any longer, I pounced, slamming onto his back. My jaw clamped around his neck and bit down, crunching into bone.

The Gray Wolf let out a strangled, gurgled whimper, then stilled.

I staggered back, muscles aching all over, side sticky with still warm blood. All around, I saw the renegade wolves—those who were still alive, at least—staring in numb horror at their boss's corpse before running into the woods. Malcolm and Luke ran after them.

I spun around. Behind me, Astrid and Thea stood, both panting. Thea's knife was slick with blood, and a wolf lay dead at their feet. It seemed as though they had teamed up on the wolf. They'd always worked well as a team.

Astrid's wolf eyes found me. She gave a soft whimper as she took in my injuries, then shifted back to human, her own body covered in scrapes. I shifted back.

The instant Thea saw me, her eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open.

"Hey, Thea," I said. "Good to see you. Wish it were under different circumstances, but you know how it is."

"Rand?" Thea looked between me and Astrid, confused. "Um… hi? Okay, I'm even more confused now than I was a few minutes ago."

Astrid pulled her sister into a hug so tight, I wondered if she'd ever let go. "We'll explain it all," she said. "I promise." She stepped back from her sister and gave a sheepish grin. "Though please don't kill me until you've heard the full story."

"This just gets weirder and weirder," Thea muttered.

Astrid gave her sister another affectionate squeeze, then came over to me. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking me up and down, face growing grim as she took in the injuries.

"And this is why you bring a healer," Klyte said. "I stashed the med bag nearby. I'll go grab it."

As Klyte patched me up, Astrid told her sister the entire story. Thea listened with stunned disbelief, her face more incredulous with every second.

"That's… quite the story," Thea said when Astrid had finished.

"No kidding," I said, coming over. "But it's over now."

Astrid hesitated as she looked up at me. I could tell, based on her expression, that she was wondering what I was going to do next. Whether I would tell her to get lost, drag her to prison, or something else entirely.

"Can we talk?" I asked her.

She swallowed but nodded. I pulled her over to the side.

"I'm so sorry," she said the instant we were out of earshot. "I never—"

I cut her off with a kiss, pulling her against me. Her arms wrapped around me as the kiss deepened. All of the injuries and aching muscles vanished. In that moment, all that mattered was the two of us. I tried to convey all the emotions I'd felt over the last twenty-four hours in that single gesture, and I could tell she was doing the same.

Finally, almost reluctantly, we pulled apart.

"I'm sorry, too," I said. "I should have listened to you the first time you told me."

Astrid shook her head. "You had every right to be angry with me." She nuzzled her head against my chest. "But I'm glad you came."

I took a step back so I could look at her. "Of course I would come," I said. "I should have come when you first asked me. I'm always going to be there for you from now on, Astrid. I promise."

She hesitated, eyes worried as they glanced between me, the other Silver Wolves, and Thea, then back to me.

"What about what happens next with me?" she asked. "Can't imagine I'm going to get off scot-free."

"I'll have a chat with Jameson," I said. "I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

"But—"

I held her at arm's length, making sure her blue eyes stayed locked on me. "I love you," I said. "That's all that matters right now. We can worry about the rest later."

A wide smile spread across her face at those words. She pressed her lips to mine again, then nuzzled against me.

"I love you, too," she said.

Hearing the words was music to my ears. I kissed her forehead, relishing her scent.

"Let's go home," I said.