Chapter Fifty-Seven

Sullen

Sullen was almost there. She could sense Roan was near, but she couldn’t get there quickly enough. The light from the field hit her, and she barreled closer, her wolf seeing the homestretch, right before coming in contact with something from her right.

She immediately thought it was a rogue since she was on her back and out of breath. But it was Mr. Kevin, Roan’s father. For the briefest of moments, she thought he was in on it, and he would end her. Where had he gone after his fight with her mother? It was a big coincidence, wasn't it?

But he didn’t.

He nudged her with his snout, and his wolf carefully pawed at her head until she crawled to her feet.

He seemed lost and curious as to what was going on, but Sullen didn’t have time to explain it to him. He followed behind her and Natalie as they raced toward the clearing.

She noticed her dad standing behind Roan with several wolves making their way toward the crowd. After the fight, the numbers seemed to have equaled between the rogues and wolves.

Natalie wasted no time running to join the pack, while Sullen scoped out the scene. Jacob was with Ridge, squaring off with Roan and her father.

She wanted to rip them all to pieces, but she shared a special place in her heart for Ridge.

She wanted to end him for everything he had done to her and to her pack.

Walking forward, she kept her head high as she slipped in next to Roan. She couldn’t tell him that she was happy to see him or that she was so happy he was okay because the mind link was still blocked.

So instead of giving him the puppy dog eyes she wanted, she broke the tension, jumped, and took Ridge’s ear clear off his scalp.

The wolves exploded around her as she spit Ridge’s ear from her mouth. Every moment she spent with Ridge. The building up of their relationship. The lies. The time she spent pining over him spilled out into her anger.

And then the giant coincidence of her being his brother’s mate. It was all such a huge slap to the face. All of it. But she knew Roan wasn’t like him.

He wouldn’t treat her that way, and that was what kept her going through the pain in her heart. She had to end it to get her happily ever after, and dammit, she deserved it.

She jumped back at Ridge as he clawed at his head with his paw, and clamped onto his neck, pulling him across the ground over roots and rocks. Over the ground where he’d kissed her once before. Where they’d swam in the pond.

None of it mattered. It’d all been a lie. One of the rogues leaped at her and knocked her off Ridge who used the opportunity to stand to his feet. He snarled as blood ran down his face, and his army attacked her pack around them.

She imagined him saying all the villainy things he would if he had a way to speak to her. She was glad he’d blocked her thoughts. It was better not to hear him say anything.

Sullen and Ridge faced off like in an old Western.

He was losing blood, but she noticed his ear was healing slowly. She needed to get to him before it healed completely. His gaze traveled over her shoulder, and she expected it to be a rogue ready to pounce, but it wasn’t.

It was his father.

Kevin had shifted into his human form in the midst of the wolves fighting. Not the smartest idea, but who asked her?

“Ridge,” Mr. Kevin said. “You have to stop this son. This is madness. You need to leave and we’ll call it even.”

Ridge stared daggers at him. His spine stiffened, his paw occasionally brushing the ground, but no ounce of remorse came from him. It was like staring into the eyes of a psychopath. “Roan won’t stop until the pack is safe, and I’m afraid you’ll kill each other. Please put your pride to the side and stop this."

Sullen noticed the flames in Ridge’s eyes as he turned his attention to his father. He wasn’t going to swallow his pride. He was going to kill him.

Sullen jumped as soon as Ridge crouched, tacking Ridge to the ground as Kevin curled into a fetal position and ultimately shifted back into his wolf.

If that wasn’t enough of a sign, nothing was.

Sullen clamped down onto his neck, this time not caring who came after her. She thought about the pack she was now a part of. The pups being born. The wolves that were good wolves. Honest wolves. The ones that loved Roan and his family. Ridge wouldn’t stop until he won, and she couldn’t let him.

Ridge squirmed free, blood dripping down his neck, and whimpering in pain. She felt rogues begin to circle her as she preyed on Ridge. It felt revolutionary to beat him for everything he’d done.

One of the rogues snapped at her ankle, but she brushed it off. She just needed to get through a few more minutes of pain. They took turns snapping at her, wearing her down as she neared Ridge. One jumped onto her back but she rolled him off, capturing Ridge’s neck once more in her mouth, she dragged him toward the closest tree.

Wolves from her pack attacked the rogues circling Sullen. She noticed Roan lying on his side by the waterfall several feet away, while wolves devoured Jacob for being a traitor.

She wanted to go to him. Save him if he needed it. Comfort him. Check on him, but she was too exhausted.

She shook her head back and forth until Ridge wasn’t moving. That’s when she noticed Roan’s voice in her head.

Sullen, are you okay? Please answer me. Are you okay? Can you hear me now?

She released the grip on Ridge’s neck and fell on top of him as the rogues retreated, and exhaustion took over her.

She tried to crawl over Ridge to Roan, but she couldn't make it. Darkness took over and, she fell to sleep.