RALPH
I stared at Keilah, my heart pounding in my chest, torn between rage and panic as the echoes of the crowd’s gasps faded into the background. What was she thinking? The jug clanged as it hit the ground, and in that moment, I snapped out of my stupor. Without another thought, I moved forward, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face me.
“What the hell are you thinking?” I demanded, my voice low and intense, my eyes searching hers for an explanation. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”
Her eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw something in them-determination mixed with fear. But before I could process it, she broke into a laugh. It was forced, brittle, the sound of someone trying desperately to mask their true emotions. “Oh my God,” she gasped, clutching her stomach as if the whole thing were some sort of joke. “What did I just drink? I was so thirsty… I thought it was water, but whatever that was-ugh! It tastes awful! I hope I’m not going to die from it.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She was deflecting, trying to downplay the gravity of what she’d just done. I searched her face, looking for any sign of pain or distress, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze. Instead, she looked anywhere but at me, her laugh fading into a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Keilah,” I began, my voice softening, concern lacing my tone. But before I could say another word, she stepped back, slipping out of my grasp. She moved quickly, grabbing Dahlia’s hand, who had been hovering nearby, and headed up the steps, away from the ring.
I watched her go, exhaling slowly as the full weight of what had just happened settled over me. That liquid… it was meant for Alphas, for those who had the strength to withstand its effects. Even for a strong wolf, it was dangerous, pushing them to their limits. And now Keilah, a human, had just downed it like it was nothing.
I knew what was coming. The herbs in that concoction were going to take their toll on her, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. My heart clenched at the thought of what she might go through in the coming hours, the pain and delirium that were sure to follow.
“I need to check on my mate,” I muttered under my breath, taking a step toward the edge of the ring. But before I could move any further, Alexander’s sharp voice cut through the tension.
“The fight is beginning now,” he declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. He handed me another gold jug, his gaze piercing. I reached out to him through the mindlink, my frustration boiling over. “I need to see my mate now, Alexander. She just had the fucking herbs!”
Alexander’s response was curt, almost dismissive. “She’ll be fine for now. The herbs will take effect in a few hours. If you step out of the ring, it will be the end of you and your pack.”
His words were like a cold slap to the face. I knew he was right, but the instinct to protect Keilah was overpowering. I forced myself to turn toward the now-quiet crowd, my eyes scanning the sea of faces until I spotted her. She stood off to the side with Dahlia beside her, her expression a mix of determination and worry. Our eyes met, and through our mindlink, her voice reached me, calm but firm.
You’ve got this, Ralph.
Her encouragement should have been reassuring, but all it did was heighten the tension coiling in my chest.
Before I could respond to her, Zac’s growl echoed through, snapping my attention back to him. His eyes blazed with fury, and his voice dripped with poison. “Let’s get this over with,” he sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “I can’t stand you and your little bitch.”
The words were a deliberate provocation, meant to throw me off balance, to ignite the rage simmering inside me. I felt the anger flare up, but I forced myself to stay focused.
My grip on the jug tightened, my knuckles turning white as I raised it to my lips. The bitter taste of the herbs slid down my throat, burning like fire. Zac followed suit, never breaking eye contact, his gaze as cold and deadly as the storm brewing inside me.
A hush fell over the crowd, the only sound the distant howling wolf. As the last note faded into silence, we both shifted-skin turning to fur, muscles expanding, bones cracking and reshaping. Then, without a second’s hesitation, we launched at each other, the air crackling with energy. The collision was brutal, our bodies slamming together with a force that sent a cloud of dust and sand spiraling into the air. My claws dug into Zac’s side as I snarled, my teeth snapping inches from his throat, but he was just as fast. He twisted, his powerful jaws latching onto my shoulder, the pain sharp and searing as he tried to rip me apart.
I roared, the sound echoing through the cave, and with a surge of strength, I shoved him off, the ground buckling beneath us. Zac landed on his full four, skidding to a stop, the sand flying up in a spray around him. We circled each other, the growls rumbling deep in our chests, our hackles raised, each of us waiting for the other to make the next move.
But there was no pause, no time to think-only the fight. We clashed again, a whirlwind of fur, teeth, and claws. Each strike sent shockwaves through the earth, the ground splitting and rising from the impact of our blows. My vision narrowed, focusing solely on the beast in front of me, the world around us fading into a blur of sand and blood.
Zac was relentless, his strength undeniable, but I fought with a fury born of something deeper-something primal. Every thought of Keilah, of the pack, fueled my resolve, pushing me beyond my limits. I dodged a vicious swipe from his claws and countered, raking my own across his flank, drawing blood. He howled in pain but retaliated instantly, his teeth sinking into my side. The pain was excruciating, but I didn’t let it stop me.
With a roar, I tore free, blood dripping from my wounds as I lunged at him again. We grappled, a tangle of fur and fury, the sandy ground beneath us turning red as we fought for dominance, for survival. The crowd’s cheers and gasps were distant, almost insignificant, compared to the thunderous pounding of my heart, the searing heat of the battle coursing through my veins.
As the fight raged on, I couldn’t resist the urge to glance up, searching the crowd for Keilah. My heart hammered in my chest, a mix of adrenaline and concern fueling every move. But when I looked, I couldn’t see her. Panic clawed at my mind, tightening like a vise around my heart. Where was she? Was she okay?
I tried to push the thoughts aside, but they kept coming, relentless and suffocating. I scanned the crowd again, my eyes frantically darting from one face to another, but she was nowhere in sight. A cold dread settled in my gut, the worst possibilities flooding my mind. Had the herbs taken effect? Was she in danger?
In that split second of distraction, Zac made his move. His teeth sank deep into the side of my neck, the pain blinding, searing through me like a bolt of lightning. A guttural roar tore from my throat as the force of his attack sent me crashing to the ground, blood splashing out and staining the sand beneath us.
But Zac didn’t stop there. With a savage growl, he sank his teeth into my shoulder, the pain unbearable, white-hot and paralyzing. I could feel his jaws locking onto me, the pressure threatening to snap bone. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges as I struggled to breathe, to move, to fight back.
Zac’s weight bore down on me, his teeth inches from my throat, his eyes alight with savage triumph. Through the haze of pain, his voice slithered into my mind, mocking and cruel.
“What did I tell you, Ralph? I told you I would end you, in front of your people and your little pet human. You may have been born with Alpha blood in your veins, but you were never a match for me. Now everything will return to its rightful owner-and that’s me. And too bad, you won’t be here to see it, as I make your little human mate my plaything.”
Rage surged through me, a white-hot fury that cut through the pain and the fear. Zac’s words were poison, dripping with the intent to break me, to crush whatever fight I had left. But he didn’t know me-not truly.
As he opened his jaws wide, preparing to deliver the final blow, something primal took over. With a burst of strength, I twisted, flipping him off of me and pinning him beneath my weight. Blood dripped down onto his fur from the wounds he had inflicted, but I didn’t care. I pressed him into the ground, my mind clear and sharp.
“You’ve said it yourself,” I growled, through the mindlink as I bared my teeth. “I was born Alpha, and you were not.”
With that, I lunged, my teeth aiming for his throat. I could feel the coarse fur and warm skin beneath my jaws, taste the metallic tang of his blood just beneath the surface. But before I could rip his neck open, a force hurled me backward, sending me crashing into the sandy ground.
I recovered quickly, scrambling to my feet, my eyes wild as I searched for the source of the attack. Was this another one of Zac’s tricks? My heart pounded, blood roaring in my ears as I prepared for another onslaught.
But then I saw him-Damien. The entire cave seemed to hold its breath as he stood there, his presence commanding, his eyes locked on Zac.
Damien moved with blinding speed. He reached down and grabbed Zac’s wolf, lifting him as if he weighed nothing. In one brutal, fluid motion, he twisted Zac’s head, snapping it with a sickening crack. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, he reached into Zac’s chest, his claws ripping through flesh and bone, and pulled out his heart in one swift motion.
The cave went silent, the air thick with shock and awe. Blood dripped from Zac’s heart as Damien held it in his hand, staring down at it with a twisted smile, his fangs glistening in the dim light.
Then, Damien’s gaze turned to me. Our eyes locked for a heartbeat, his expression unreadable before vanishing as suddenly as he had arrived.
For a moment, a stunned silence hung in the air as the reality of what had just happened settled over us. Then, suddenly, chaos erupted, as if we were under a trance. The pack members surged after Damien, their growls echoing through the cave as they gave chase. But I knew they wouldn’t catch him.