Chapter 171 The Line Splintered pt 2
Duncan
The contestants got their next partner assignments and stepped back into place. It was easier to keep track of the group now that half were standing back, watching, and I noticed that Kyler and Oreias had also advanced to this round. I had a good feeling about them, as well as Finlay.
They were in the middle of the wolf spar when a horn split the air. Three long blasts. The signal we’d been waiting for. The one we were all hoping wouldn’t come.
The fighters in the arena stopped what they were doing immediately, heads turning to Cian on the stage. Gideon stood, barking orders at the guards around us, even as Cian stepped forward.
“Everyone, stay calm. Follow the guards with the white sashes. They’ll lead you to safe evacuation tunnels. Those of you who are willing and able to fight, join us here!” Cian bellowed.
The stands emptied, a group that consisted mostly of women and children following the guards Gideon had called forward. I saw a mother carrying her pup, moving quickly, the pup on her shoulder crying and confused while he reached for his father. A group of warriors, Alphas, and Betas, gathered in front of the stage. There were Lunas peppered in the fighting group, and some Gammas who were unwilling to leave their Lunas unguarded were in the group retreating. Overall, the majority of those gathered were congregating, waiting for orders.
“For those of you who don’t know, we are under attack by a group of hybrids. Our allies, the Vampire army and a coven of witches, are waiting to join us. We are fighting for our kingdom—for our families. We will not fall today!” Cian yelled.
The group roared, then started separating as they received orders from their pack leadership. Cian met us halfway down the stairs to the stage.
“General Zephyr’s people say the hybrid army is almost here. We only have minutes to get things in place—they’re moving swiftly.” He reached out and pulled Seren into a hug, squeezing her tightly. He held her at arm’s length when he released her. “Don’t leave Duncan and Gideon, little star. The three of you must stay together.” He pulled her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Your mother is leading the evacuees. She’ll return if she can, but her priority is keeping them safe.”
He hugged Gideon, then grasped my forearm and pulled me into him for a quick embrace as well. “Keep each other safe.” Then he took off running, heading toward Elaine and King Dorian.
Tristan and Blake stood behind us, quickly joined by Lucian, Julian, and their mates. I saw Eric and Alex in the distance, both with new mate marks shimmering, as they organized the warriors from Crescent Moon. “See you on the other side,” I said, giving them a quick grin as we all turned and faced the forest, taking our place in the gathering line.
Birds exploded out of the trees, then the forest went silent. I felt them before I saw them—hundreds of footsteps coming through the woods, the vibrations reaching my feet. Then they were there, pouring out of the treeline, flooding the open space between the forest and the tournament grounds. They advanced without hesitation, a steady wall of bodies driving straight into us. As they got closer, I could see black veins running from their eyes, their mouths, down their throats. What had Mikhail done?
And then I had no time for thought or fear. The wave of them broke against our line, snarls and growls rumbling out as we engaged them. The sound of clothes tearing reached me, warriors shifting to their wolf forms, as the speed and strength of the hybrids became clear.
A particularly burly man with black eyes came at me, a rumbling noise rising from his chest—not quite a growl, not quite a snarl, but something altogether wrong—as he swiped with clawed hands, and I barely dodged back in time to keep my face intact. Ducking down, I rammed my shoulder into his gut, sending him flying. He landed on his feet behind me, pivoting to face me again. We circled each other for a moment, then he ran at me, bending low, and I wrapped my arm around his neck as he copied my previous move and pushed his shoulder into me. He didn’t make a sound as I gripped him. I jerked my arm, a quick twist and snap, and he fell limp at my feet.
I looked around for Seren, for Gideon, and had a glimpse of both. They were back to back, fighting a group of three. Fire licked across the ground while stone erupted in jagged bursts. That was all I had time for as yet another hybrid attacked me, this one going for my throat, and I had to throw myself back into the fight.
I ducked under another swipe, drove my elbow into ribs that cracked too easily, and spun away just in time to avoid a set of claws aimed for my spine. He dove, getting a grip on my arm as I tried to angle away from him. I wrenched my arm free from the hybrid’s grip and drove my fist into his throat. Cartilage crunched. He staggered back, black-veined eyes wide, and I finished it with a sharp twist that dropped him at my feet. He didn’t scream. He didn’t even blink.
The line held—barely—Crescent Moon pressing shoulder to shoulder with Forest Lake and Silver Crest. Wolves and men fought as one, fangs and claws flashing in the morning light. But this wasn’t a mindless charge. It was organized.
A horn blast sounded from the eastern flank, sharp and urgent. Then I heard it: a name torn from someone’s throat. “James!”
The world narrowed. Across the battlefield, through the churn of bodies and blood, I saw him.
Former Alpha James strode from the treeline as if he owned the ground beneath his boots. Black veins webbed his temples and throat, darker than the others. Controlled. Intent. He wasn’t thrashing like the rest. He was directing.
Hybrids shifted formation at the lift of his hand, driving hard into our eastern defenses.
Julian saw him the same instant I did. Everything in him went still. Not hesitation. Not fear. That deadly, deliberate stillness that meant someone was about to die.
Kayla’s snarl ripped across the field, raw and feral. Earth shuddered at her feet as her power surged outward. She looked at Julian. Their eyes met for half a heartbeat, then they broke formation.
“Julian!” I barked, even as I was already moving to compensate for the gap they left. He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to.
James turned, and I swear I saw him smile.
The line splintered.
And the real battle began.