Chapter 28

Gavin

My heart ricocheted into a frenzied beat as David tossed his careless command at Colt, "Mark Billie, now!"

The scheming Dalesbloom Alpha was seeking to keep Billie as part of the Dalesbloom Pack, likely in an attempt to weaken me. If I never bonded with my mate, my wolf would never be strengthened.

The younger man had turned toward his adoptive sister, who was nearby … too nearby. In disbelief, I felt Colt's wolf tearing through his skin as he sought to enact David's command.

My own beast seemed to maul its way out of me as Colt moved toward Billie. My wolf was crazed and feral as he shredded through my skin, twisting my spine and leaping toward the man who dared to steal my mate from me.

Fear sliced through me at the thought of Colt's teeth marking Billie's silken skin. Billie's hands were bound behind her back, and a heavy silver locket lay against her chest, preventing her from shifting. If Colt marked her while he was in mid-shift like this and Billie was in human form, then he'd rend her from me and bind her to himself forever.

Dread palpitated through me as I thought of how close I'd come earlier today to marking and making Billie mine forever. But instead of letting regret crush me, I focused on the faith I'd had earlier. The memory of the hum of the sacred river and the ancient whisper of the trees above us told me that Billie and I were meant to be.

With utter faith and need straining every muscle, I drove my body toward my mate, shrinking back against the wall as she tried to get as far away from Colt as she could. My wolf barreled into Colt just before he'd reached her.

Furious, my claws burrowed into Colt's skin. He was swift to shift completely, and as we rolled forward, tussling, my opponent soon had claws that he used to break the surface of my flesh.

I shoved him away with my paws. Colt's black wolf righted himself and charged at me, snapping furiously. I veered away, and then I bit out at his right flank but overshot. My fangs sank into the flesh of his hind leg, and I relished the taste of his blood as he whined.

Lunging at me again, I maneuvered out of his reach. I reveled in every opportunity I got to sink my claws and teeth into this bastard. Rage continued to ride me hard as I fumed that he'd actually sought to claim what was mine.

It wasn't only that thought that drove my savagery, though, but the idea that I was sure my intuition was right. Billie had only come into Dalesbloom because she'd been worried about Colt. This asshole had repaid her compassion by trying to mark her against her will.

Yet, as I fought Colt, one thought dominated: I had to wound him enough to get him to retreat so that I could free Billie from her bonds. The need to secure her so that no one but me could mark her forced me on.

My Betas and Aislin had entered the room with me. I was distantly aware of their snarls and growls filling the room as they engaged with David and Catrina. But I was too occupied with my own opponent to know who was engaged with whom.

Only Lothair and the pinky lilac-scaled female had been outside. The other fifteen adults of my pack were engaged with them and the rest of the Dalesbloom pack, but I didn't know whether another dragon or more might join them and overwhelm the pack. With the consciousness of time grating against me, I pushed my reflexes to be swifter and more forceful, succeeding in landing a deep bite into Colt's flank. He howled out in pain, and instead of dodging and going for me again, he retreated toward the hearth between the two wingback chairs as if he were backing into a den.

I took the opportunity to back up toward Billie in the corner until I was right by her side. Still in my wolf form, I gnawed at the ropes around her wrist, biting through her bonds. She undid the clasp of the silver necklace around her neck and yanked the chain off. As the pendant dropped to the floor, I felt Billie's breath deepen and heard her feeble heart rate strengthen. Relief tumbled through me as Billie's wolf materialized and suddenly stood beside me. Her sandy wolf pressed her flank into my brown-hued wolf, her warmth and strength beside me making my heart soar.

A surge of affection moved through me. I wanted to lick her muzzle in this form or for us both to shift so that I could sweep her up into my arms. But, as I scanned the room, I noted that while Oslo and Gretel were holding David's black wolf at bay, Aislin was flagging, a definite limp ailing her as she wove away from Catrina's violent onslaught.

Colt remained by the fireplace, crouched and licking his flank. A rush of vindication hummed through my body. I noticed Muriel had been trying to move away from David. But with the cut on her arm from the desecrated blade, she'd only succeeded in moving to the edge of the room, where she'd propped herself up against the leg of an elegant sofa by the wall. Affection and worry for her moved through me. I would get Muriel to Helen, the pack healer, but first, we had to subdue these Hexens.

I nudged Billie toward the door, flanking her from the rear as I ushered her across the room. I needed her away from the Hexens. But as we moved forward, Catrina caught sight of Billie's wolf and suddenly lunged at her.

I launched myself forward, just in time to tackle Catrina. Aislin flanked Billie, and they both moved over to join Muriel. With Billie and Aislin at a safe distance from Catrina, I was more than happy to engage her wrath. Now that I'd come between her and her prey, she turned it fully to me.

Her ebony-coated wolf lunged at me. Her snapping jaws shot for my side, but I leaped away. Unrelenting, she came at me again. Beneath her sleek coat, her rippling muscles brimmed with tension. She darted away, but as I moved at her, she crouched down so swiftly that I barely saw the movement, then lunged at me, seeking to bury her fangs in my throat.

Rapidly, I pivoted away, but her movement sent a burst of fury through me. Her tactics were the same lethal ones she'd employed on Billie in the clearing. Her wolf was merciless. As she pivoted again, trying the same brisk maneuver, I knew that she wouldn't relent. She wasn't going to give up until she'd brought me to the ground and torn out my throat.

The gleam of her cold blue eyes burned as brightly as the center of a flame. They spelled out to me that her rage had no limits. As she charged at me, I feigned a fall. Rightly, I pre-empted that she'd needle her jaws downward for my throat. At the same moment, I snapped my jaws up, burying them into her jugular.

Catrina struggled, trying to pull out of my hold, but I only bit deeper, making my grip iron. Her front paws came up, and she sank her claws into my furry chest, raking them through my flesh as she tried to get away. Still, I latched on. The thick iron tang of her blood flooded my mouth and coated the back of my throat. I let it pour down my gullet, my beast relishing the taste of his enemy's essence.

As my teeth sank deeper, cutting through muscle and sinew, my wolf bit deeper. The black wolf's claws cutting into my chest suddenly stopped as I bit down, and a flood of heat and iron poured down my throat. I knew I'd severed her carotid artery as I worked my fangs through the tenderest part of her neck. My beast was sated as I told myself this had been the only way to keep my pack and my mate safe.

Finally, I unlatched my jaws from around the mangled throat of the black wolf, dropping her upon the hardwood floor. The sound of her body thudding to the ground resounded dully through the room.

The next moment,Colt's scream rent the air, "No!"

My wolfish eyes tracked to him and took him in, still crouched on the ground, with his hand pressed to his bloody side. But the agony warping his face was all for the black wolf whose heart had stilled.

Colt's scream alerted the others, and David suddenly shifted into his human form.

My Betas backed away from David as he homed in on the black wolf at my feet. I stood over the body, my chest heaving and my fur matted with crimson, as the pool of blood slunk around my paws.