Hades gave a loud gasp. That fight had become intense. Maybe not enough to meet his expectations, but to enough to take the breath away. The gray pack alpha was not weak despite his looks, he was very well trained and his strength was not to be overrated. That did not mean that he had the advantage.
He had attacked the neck several times, managing to snatch the chain from it, dropping it on the legs of Nicolas, who now took care of it with his life, although in the process he had earned several wounds on his chest and front legs. Now both of them returned as at the beginning, facing each other showing their fangs covered with bubbling saliva.
Nicolas went back to where the beta was, felt the tension in the environment and the pressure made it difficult to breathe. When two male alphas challenged each other, the weaker wolves could feel their power.
The fight resumed. Both beasts rolled on the ground until Hades managed to bury his teeth into Rudoc's neck and clench until blood spurted out. The wounded animal did not stay without doing anything; it shook its paws in an attempt to free itself, leaving a deep wound in the left section of the aggressor's cheek. Blood splattered into Hades's eye, gnawing at him for a few seconds, long enough for his opponent to break loose and push him, rolling again.
But by now the older alpha was getting tired of the little games and using the force of his hind legs he pushed them and again bit his neck making sure to bite very deep but not deadly.
Long seconds later, Rudoc's body fell to the ground without moving and Hades was finally able to step back and sit on his rear for air. Blood dripped from its muzzle and it jerked away. The brown wolf that had been by the side of its enemy and that had stayed out of everything approached the body of the fallen alpha and sniffed on the head moving it with its nose. Suddenly the wolf on the ground moved biting his chest and knocking him down.
Nicolas stepped forward and pushed his father's back as he pulled him away from Rodrigo, his older brother who had been shocked by the attack. Hades stood before the two cubs protecting them, waiting for a new attack that did not come.
The animal collapsed unconscious from injuries and blood loss. He would not die for that, they weren't that weak creatures, but he would have a hard time recovering and they would have to keep him alive until the Council decided his punishment for all his crimes.
Finally, the victor raised his head and let out a howl announcing his victory, declaring himself the new alpha of the pack.
***
She felt the creak of the open door and shuddered. Another time her husband had come to rape her and make her give birth without being able to meet her puppy later. Her body was lying on the cold floor immobilized by the heavy shackles that only cut into her skin. This time she was so weak that he had no strength to resist. Her three fundamental senses, hearing, smell and sight, were so impaired that she could barely know what was going on around him. She raised her head and saw, through a thick mist, several figures approaching.
She breathed in to see who she had brought with him, perhaps the same old doctor who was in charge of keeping her fit to procreate, but no. Although her nose was weak she could recognize their disgusting scents and it was not them. Instead a sweet smell came to her and her heart began to beat, she couldn't believe it.
Like any mother, the smell of her children was indescribable, sweeter than normal, she could even differentiate them if there were thousands of more wolves. One of them was there. One of her sons was before her. She wanted to get excited, to say something, to raise her arms to wrap him around her neck but she barely had any energy and her conscience was fading little by little against her will.
Nicolas could not prevent a tear from escaping and running down his cheek. He knelt down and grabbed the battered body of the she-wolf that had brought him to this world. The image had him shocked. With the slight light that entered that place, he could only see her skin almost glued to the bones, a grayish color. The huge dark circles on his battered face. The multiple bruises on her skin barely covered by a light torn dress. And the blood. The one that bathed her abdomen, legs and hands.
He wanted to hold her against his chest and give her his own life. This was heartbreaking to watch. How had the queen of the pack could have been brought to this? Liam knelt in front and keeping a neutral expression spread a cloth blanket to cover her. Nicolas could see how his hands were shaking and the color left his cheek.
Hades, standing at the entrance, was speechless. When he had heard the story he would never have imagined that conditions were so dire. How long had that woman been there to look like this? Wolves could go weeks without food before significant changes were noticed in their bodies.
Rage built up inside him. He felt Leoxi's hand on his shoulder that had just arrived and frowned. In his pack, women were as respected as men and violence against any of them was severely punished.
For a moment, the urge to go back and finish the unfinished job of leaving Rudoc alive shook every fiber of his body, but his brother stopped it even though he too had muscles tense from impotence.
Suppressing a growl, he walked towards where Nicolas was taking too long to cover the emaciated wolf from the impact of the image of her body. He bent down and despite his protests and the still fresh wounds on his skin, he carried the woman in his arms and headed for the exit.
Because from that moment on she was his and he would not let anyone hurt her again.