19. Gray

19

GRAY

Spike and his crew soon arrived, and my dread morphed into a suffocating sense of apprehension.

He only brought a small team with him, much to my relief. Nitro was by his side, as expected, along with three other bear shifters whose faces I didn't recognize.

Colin wasn't among their ranks, and for some reason, that brought me a fleeting sense of relief.

One less life to be caught in the crossfire, one less death on my conscience before I die.

"I didn't think you'd be reckless enough to come back here, Spike, but here you are," Jack said with a sneer. "And with such a modest team. What a shame, I was looking forward to a grand spectacle, feeding more grizzly shifters to Draven today."

"So you can bolster your ego and intimidate neighboring shifter groups? Look around, Jack. Your pack members are terrified of you,” Spike said.

Spike's gaze finally found mine, and in that fleeting moment, the tension in my chest eased.

There was a softness in his eyes, affection and even tenderness. We exchanged only a single look, but it spoke volumes.

Through our mating bond, I anticipated to sense recklessness and despair emanating from Spike's end.

Yet, what I felt instead was an unexpected surge of confidence. Confidence?

My heart skipped a beat, the rhythm quickening with excitement. Was Spike truly confident we could come out of this mess alive?

Even though I didn’t know anything about his plan, knowing he had one ignited a flicker of hope within me.

"I'm getting bored of this, Clive," Jack's voice echoed in the tense silence.

Clive shoved me forward, my breath whooshed out of my lungs, and I stumbled to my knees.

Panic surged within me, but I dared not show it. Instead, I braced myself for whatever would come next.

Clive’s hand pressed warningly against my shoulder, but I remained down, choosing to submit rather than risk further aggression.

"Spike, don't," Nitro's voice rang out, a desperate plea to his friend.

I glanced up briefly to see Nitro restraining Spike, preventing him from rushing to my aid. The sight sent a pang of guilt through me.

"Do you finally realize I hold all the cards here, you dumb bear?" Jack taunted Spike.

"Draven, burn him," Jack commanded, and Draven stepped forward, but hesitation clouded his features.

Perhaps our earlier conversation had planted a seed of doubt in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope.

"What are you waiting for, you useless reptile?" Jack's voice dripped with disdain as he produced a necklace from around his neck.

My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the symbol on the pendant—an exact match to the rune tattooed on Draven's chest.

This necklace was the source of Jack's control over Draven.

Draven let out a scream as Jack clutched the pendant, the symbol on his chest glowing ominously.

The air crackled with tension, and I seized the opportunity to act. I bolted from my position, sprinting back towards Spike.

His warm embrace enveloped me as I reached him, providing a fleeting sense of comfort in the midst of chaos.

"You shouldn't have done that," Jack's angry voice cut through the air.

I turned, dread coiling in my stomach, only to see Draven, now transformed into his dragon form, hovering menacingly above us.

"Finish them all," Jack ordered, sending shivers down my spine.

The symbol on Draven's chest blazed with an eerie violet light, and my heart pounded with a mixture of terror and resignation.

As Draven let out a growl, not of challenge but of torment, I knew this was it—the end of the line.

At least I wouldn't die alone; Spike held me tightly, a silent promise of solidarity and love.

Gazing up into Draven's pained eyes, I found my voice. "You can choose not to do this! Take back control of your own body!" I shouted to Draven.

"Gray, what are you doing? You'll make yourself a target," Spike said, but I shook my head.

"I've only spoken to him once, but Draven isn't the monster you think. There's a tormented, lonely soul in there," I argued.

"Even if there is, I don't think anyone but his own kind could reach him," Spike replied.

"His own kind?" I wondered aloud, my thoughts racing.

Suddenly, a brassy roar pierced the air from the trees behind where Spike stood. Another dragon's call—Colin's, perhaps?

The sound was enough to distract Draven, who immediately flew towards the source of the noise, leaving us all behind.

With Draven momentarily diverted, Spike gently released me, turning to face a visibly angered Jack.

"Now it's just the two of us," Spike declared. "There's no need to involve innocents in our fight. I challenge you to a one-on-one duel, Jack. Just you and me."

Murmurs erupted among Jack's pack mates as Spike's challenge hung in the air.

I could see the conflict in Jack's eyes—the clash between his pride and the practicality of the situation.

In that moment, I knew Spike had made the right move. Jack's ego wouldn't allow him to refuse a direct challenge, especially not from my mate.

“Fine, I'll deal with you once and for all, bear," Jack said with a sneer.

The tension in the air crackled as Spike and Jack squared off, their gazes locked in a fierce stare-down.

Without a word, the two alphas took off their clothes and shifted into their animal forms.

My heart raced in my chest as I watched from the sidelines, feeling a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the duel. Of course, I had no doubts my mate would win but who knew what tricks Jack had under his sleeves?

Growling, Spike lunged forward, his massive claws slashing through the air as he aimed for Jack's throat.

Jack met the attack head-on, his sharp teeth bared in a menacing snarl as he countered with a powerful swipe of his own.

The clash of fur and muscle filled the air as the two alphas locked in a brutal battle.

I couldn't help but cheer on my mate, my voice rising above the din of the fight as I urged Spike on with every ounce of my being.

He fought with savage efficiency, instincts honed to perfection as he dodged and weaved, landing blow after punishing blow on his opponent.

But Jack was no easy adversary. Jack unexpectedly matched Spike's every move, his own brute strength proving to be a formidable match.

The fight raged on, each combatant refusing to back down as they traded blow after bone-crushing blow.

With every passing moment, the intensity of the battle only seemed to escalate, driving both fighters to the brink of exhaustion.

As the fight reached its climax, my heart pounded in my chest with anticipation.

Spike seemed to be gaining the upper hand, as he backed Jack to a corner. Hope surged within me as I dared to believe that victory was within our grasp.

But just as Spike appeared to be on the brink of triumph, a sudden, gut-wrenching fear gripped me as I saw Clive sneaking up behind him.

Without a moment's hesitation, I screamed out a warning, and sprinted towards my mate.

“Gray, no!” Nitro yelled behind me but I ignored his warning.

It was too late. Before I could reach Spike, Clive launched himself at Spike, his claws extended and ready to strike.

Desperation surged through me as I realized I couldn't reach Spike in time to defend him from Clive's attack.

But then, in a stroke of unexpected fortune, a massive shadow fell over the battleground.

Draven had returned. He swooped down from above. For a moment, I feared the worst, thinking that Draven had come to aid Jack in his fight against Spike.

To my surprise, Draven's target was not Spike—it was Clive. With a powerful swipe of his clawed hand, Draven knocked Clive aside, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap.

Clive didn’t get up again and I knew the force of the blow must’ve killed him.

Relief flooded through me as I realized that Draven had intervened to protect Spike, not to harm him. He had regained controlled of his body.

Jack let out a furious growl, his eyes blazing with rage at the unexpected turn of events. He glanced down at the pendant that had fallen to the ground when he shifted.

But before he could react, Spike seized the opportunity to deliver the final blow. My mate sunk his fangs into Jack’s neck and tore it out.

With Jack and Clive dead, the battle was finally over. I rushed to his side, my heart overflowing with pride and relief.

As Spike returned to his human form, his arms found their way around me.

I melted into his arms, the tension of the battle slowly ebbing away. In that moment, all the fear and uncertainty melted away, leaving only the warmth of Spike's hug.

Our lips met in a tender kiss. For a moment, the world faded away, leaving only the two of us wrapped up in each other's arms.

“Spike brought us all the way here for nothing,” Nitro joked to the other bear shifters, who chuckled.

Spike and I broke away from the kiss. I turned to thank Nitro and the other shifters for their unwavering support.

They had risked their lives to stand by us, and I was grateful for their loyalty and friendship.

But as the adrenaline of the battle began to fade, my thoughts turned to the other wolves who had been caught up in Jack's tyranny.

"What do we do about them?" I asked Spike, my voice tinged with concern.

Spike glanced towards the skies, but Draven was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't help but wonder what fate awaited the tormented dragon shifter now that Jack was no more.

But deep down, I held onto the hope that Draven would find a way to heal and recover from whatever dark deeds he was forced to do.

Later, I would ask Spike if Colin was involved. Maybe I could even track Colin down and ask him how he managed to convince Draven to stay away while Spike finished his duel with Jack.

As my gaze swept across the gathered wolves, my attention was drawn to a golden-haired woman stepping forward.

I recognized her as Amelia, a female alpha werewolf who had once been Olaf’s third.

“Amelia,” Spike said evenly. "You're taking over the pack?"

"For now, until we find Olaf's replacement," Amelia replied.

She sounded resigned. I could sense she didn’t really want the position and while I didn’t know her that well, I sensed she would certainly do a better job than Jack.

Spike and the other bear shifters considered her words for a moment.

I could feel the tension in the air rising but neither side could afford another confrontation. Everyone was tired, including me.

All I wanted to do was collapse in bed with Spike, to snuggle next to him and shut out the world for a week.

Maybe I could take a few days off work and focus on us. We certainly deserved a break after everything that happened. Part of me still couldn’t believe it was all finally over.

"Jack was one bad seed," Spike finally said. "There's no point punishing the whole pack for his mistakes."

I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at Spike's words. There collective sighs of relief from the surviving members of the Blue Vale Valley wolves.

“Spike’s right. There’s no need to shed more blood,” Nitro said.

"We'll talk more later, but for now, my priority is returning home with my mate," Spike said.

As our group turned to leave, I quickly remembered to snatch Jack’s fallen pendant, relieved that no one stopped me.

Perhaps Venom knew how to destroy it. Amelia also had one final question for us.

"You managed to draw Draven away from Jack. How?" she asked, her gaze flickering between Spike and me.

"Some questions are better left unanswered," he said, his tone final. And with that, Amelia nodded, accepting his explanation, and allowing us to depart in peace.