“Have to be faster than that,” he goads.

Lorne wants to draw this out. My lip curls at his insolence. I’m going to smash his face into the ground and paint the damned walls and floor with his blood.

My gaze cuts to Avery for a brief second. She’s not waking up. I don’t like how little she’s moving. How I can’t sense her properly. Even though I can’t feel the bond, I reach for it anyway, using it to urge her to open her eyes and escape to safety. It doesn’t work.

I block Lorne’s sloppy left hook, stepping inside his guard to jab him in the stomach. He keels over with a grunt, then slashes at my stomach. His claws slice my torso. I back out of reach with a scowl.

The cut isn’t deep enough to slow me down. It tingles, the skin knitting back together until it stops bleeding and only angry pink lines remain. My gaze narrows, attention darting to check on Avery. She hasn’t moved.

For a harrowing second, I fear her heart’s stopped, grabbing hold of the bond blindly. The shroud ebbs away, the connection pulsing warm and steady in my grasp. I blow out a breath, swinging my focus back to Lorne.

I’m done. This ends now so I can get to her.

“Stop running,” I grit through my teeth when he evades my advances.

“I’m not, you’re just too slow.” He smirks, wiggling his fingers. “Your instincts aren’t as sharp as you think. It’s why you’re a lousy alpha. You’re too blind to wield the power the way it’s meant to be. To rule absolutely.”

I don’t bother responding, swinging my fist just to shut him the hell up. I don’t give a shit about what he’s saying. He sounds like he wants to run my pack like the alphas of the Original Pack. He doesn’t care about the people in it, all he wants is power and to be on top.

He shoves me back, sneering when it does little to upset my center of balance. Mistake. I grab him by the throat, squeezing. His eyes bulge and he knees me in the groin. I stumble back, clenching my jaw as pain burns through me.

Lorne’s nerve boosts again once he’s out of immediate danger. “I’ve waited so long for this day,” he taunts. “Once I’m finished taking this pack that should’ve always been mine by birthright, I’ll be taking your mate, too.”

I see fucking red, roaring. He’ll never have her. My wolf charges, bursting from me with immense power. He’s done waiting.

Lorne doesn’t shift immediately. His mask of confidence cracks, his smile and the corners of his eyes tight. He knows he’s no match for me. I’ll end him here and now.

Fight me, my wolf howls.

He glances at my uncle, earning a glare. I toss my head. There’s no interference in a fight for rank. He issued the challenge and he needs to see it through. There’s no tapping in a second.

I prowl the floor, inching closer to Lorne each time I circle him. His throat bobs, eyes skittering about the room.

Shift. My wolf’s snarl carries Alpha power.

It forces Lorne’s wolf out. He buckles under the change, falling to his paws as he transforms. His tail tucks and he shuffles back when I stalk up to him, baring my teeth.

He lunges for me, too desperate and wild with cowardice. It’s stinking up the room, his scent unable to trick my wolf’s nose. I take him down with a precise tackle, scratching his belly when he rolls. He whines, kicking at me with his back feet. It throws me off, but not for long.

I twist, landing on my paws. He’s rolling to get up. I charge him before he’s on his feet, pouncing once more to keep him pinned. He goes down harder this time, clawing the floorboards for purchase. It’s no use. My wolf outranks him on every level, including size.

The challenge is over. He’s lost.

It’s time to finish this. My snarling maw opens to sink my teeth into his throat in victory, fangs dripping with saliva.

Before I can, a weight slams into me from behind with a ferocious growl. I roll, whipping to face the one who would dare break shifter law to interrupt an Alpha challenge.

It’s his father. My uncle. I should’ve known Lorne would fight dirty. He never stood a chance of winning any other way.

Cormac’s wolf joins Lorne’s, both of them attacking at once.

40AVERY

Something warm and familiar brushes me from within. I cling to it, following it from the dark abyss my mind is trapped in. The bond. Caden. I cling tighter to our connection, waking to the bond screaming.

I take in my surroundings, squinting at the crowd groggily as my healing fights to flush whatever I was injected with from my body. They’re in a circle around the edges of the room. They’re not looking at me, they’re watching a fight.

Ice drives into my chest. Caden’s here, circling his cousin. It’s a rank challenge.

Lorne’s gloating about taking the pack and me. My stomach convulses. I struggle to move my body.

I gasp, shivering as magic washes over me. Jade’s voice whispers through my head, her words too soft to make out. She’s here somewhere. I hope she got my sisters away before coming back for me.

I’m able to move, my senses coming back with a pop of my ears. Sluggishness leaves my body. The room grows loud with shouting and thick with too many scents at once. I clutch my head, curling on my side.

Caden’s worry flows inside me. I stroke it, tucking it close to my heart. The jangling bond smooths out, strands resonating.

When I turn my attention back to the fight, Caden’s wolf is a beautiful sight to behold, sinewy muscles rippling beneath his thick black fur with every step. He roars with command, forcing Lorne to shift with undeniable Alpha power.

Lorne’s efforts falter against Caden’s massive wolf. He’s outmatched, failing to gain an advantage in the fight. When Caden pins him, jaws going for Lorne’s neck, relief floods me. It’s over.

A wolf flies over my head, heading straight for the challenge circle.

No. Horror and wrath fill me at the sight of Cormac’s wolf attacking Caden’s unguarded back. Caden doesn’t see it coming, unable to escape the underhanded blow to keep him from winning.

This isn’t happening. I just got my pack back. They won’t take it from me again.

No one will take Caden from me.

Chaos breaks out all around me simultaneously. Those on Lorne’s side shift, clashing with Caden’s lieutenants.

Liam breaks free of Dane and melts into his fur.

He’s a blur of furious motion. Before Dane has a chance to become his wolf, Liam’s is on him, deadly and vengeful. Liam’s wolf snaps Dane’s neck with a fearsome clench of his jaws around his throat. Dane’s body jerks, then collapses with a hard thud against the floor.

My wolf rises to my call. Our sights are set on Cormac, blood singing with the promise of violence for touching our mate.

I leap from the platform, my wolf landing on Cormac’s back. He snarls, swiveling his head and bucking to unseat me. I sink my teeth into his fur, growling and shaking my jaw. A piece of his pelt tears off. He howls, rolling me to the ground.

He leaves Caden for Lorne to deal with on his own, turning his cruel gaze on me. His wolf isn’t as big as mine, but he’s built. Wiry gray fur shot through with silvery white covers him, tufting from his ears. One’s missing a chunk and his eye is clouded with permanent damage from a fight in the past.

He sinks low, then bolts for me faster than I expect for an older wolf. I sidestep him, my wolf vigilant, her gaze sharpening. He doesn’t put his weight on his front right arm where she bit his shoulder.

I charge, head butting that side. He goes for my tail, grabbing it between his teeth to drag me. Fuck, that hurts. I kick his snout until he releases me.

I swing around, ready for his next attack, but he’s not going for me. He leaps at Caden’s side. Caden growls, dropping to roll out of the way. I go for Lorne, knocking him off balance when he isn’t paying attention.