The battle

“Your scents haven’t combined yet. If I had to guess, I’d say you only had one coupling, not the several required to cement the bond permanently. I’ve never bonded with a Wolf, which means it will be even easier for me to destroy yours and put mine in its place. What better way to play the game with that bastard son of mine than to ruin his prize?”

“No, no, no…” I chanted in utter revulsion.

He nodded his head and licked his lips as if liking the idea more and more a further he contemplated it. “Yes. I couldn’t have your mother as my mate, but I can sure as fuck bind you to me irrevocably. We have plenty of time to complete every coupling…”

A low growl escaped from his chest, and his eyes changed, his Wolf coming front and center as he purred, “My Wolf likes the idea. It’s been a long time since he’s taken a skin female. A few actually haven’t lived through the experience, but I’m sure you’ll be different.”

I couldn’t tell if he was making some sick joke or not, and I sure as hell wasn’t sticking around to find out. My Wolf was going crazy. He wasn’t her mate. I growled, “There is no fucking way I would ever let you do that.”

He chuckled, “Oh, there is every fucking way…because we are going to be doing a hell of a lot of fucking in the next few hours. Two hours…that should be sufficient time to seal the deal. And then it will be unbreakable. I may not even have to kill him. He might just kill himself when he realizes what he’s lost. He never should have fucked with me.” His expression turned to dark. He stood from the couch.

No, I wouldn’t let that happen!

Before he could take a step closer, I sprang to my feet, jumped onto the coffee table in between us and hurtled my fist into his face, catching him off-guard.

“Fuck!” he growled as his head snapped back.

I quickly drew back, putting distance between us by running around the couch. I bounced lightly on my toes, posturing my body defensively. When Alpha faced me again, he rubbed the back of his hand over his split lip, surprise flickering in his eyes. I was surprised too…because my punch had been much stronger than I anticipated.

His lips curled. “I can see my son has taught you a thing or two about fighting. But a lucky shot isn’t going to help you now. Okay, shewolf, you wanna play like that? Let’s do it. My Wolf loves a challenge.”

This time, he struck first, moving lightning fast, hurdling over the couch between us. But I was ready. I was shocked to find my reflexes were even faster than his, my response time quicker. I blocked his strike with my hand on his wrist, turning him off course and opening up his sensitive ribs to my attack. I didn’t waste the opportunity. I spun, my foot finding purchase in his side, knocking him off balance and crashing to the floor.

“You bitch!” he snarled, all humor gone, as he returned to his feet and faced me once again. His body lowered.

My entire body trembled with adrenaline. Yes, I’d learned quite a bit from training with Coal and Langdon, but I knew now that this was different. My fighting skills had improved significantly, apparently overnight. And then the truth was clear—my mating with Coal!

Coal’s body had changed once we mated. He grew larger and even taller. There had been no distinct change in my size, but clearly I benefited from whatever union we had created.

For the first time, hope surged in my chest.

I was done cowering to that bastard! He’d made my life a living hell. He’d killed my mother, and now, he not only wanted to take Coal away from me, but he intended to bind me to him permanently—fuck no to all of those things!

Alpha surged forward once again. And once again I blocked his attack, sidestepping. But this time, he was ready for me. In a display of brutal force, I was a second too late. His fist rammed into my stomach, throwing me back several feet. I landed on my back with the wind knocked out of me, gasping for air.

Fuck he was strong. Stronger than I ever imagined. Frankly, I was surprised that strike didn’t kill me. I stood to my feet, but my legs felt wobbly. Still, I fought with everything I had in me.

I landed strikes, but so did he.

I evaded him…until I didn’t…

…and suddenly found myself on my back on the fur rug.

Alpha forced my legs apart with his knee and slammed his hips into mine. I screamed at the feeling of his erection rubbing harshly against my sex. I bucked and writhed and clawed at his face.

He captured my hands over my head, is eyes wild with excitement. “That’s it, little bitch…move your body just like that.”

I was appalled at his words. This was turning him on! I fought harder and yelled, “Get off of me, you sick bastard!”

He grinned wickedly, contained both of my hands in one of his massive paws over my head and used his free hand to jerk my head to the side, opening up my neck to him.

“No!” I screamed.

But it was too late.

His canines tore into my flesh right over top of Coals mark!

Pain ripped through me—not just my neck, which was throbbing, but somewhere deep inside my chest, a vital piece of me was fracturing, splintering apart, fighting to stay alive.

I couldn’t let it break!

I fought…

Panting through the agony, I clutched tightly to that little spark of life. I recognized it for what it was. It was the connection that Coal and I shared—it was our bond! And it was under brutal attack from a Wolf I couldn’t describe as anything other than a monster.

I couldn’t let him destroy it!

And so I fought…

Beating my fists against his chest and shoulders, bucking and writhing with every last bit of strength I could glean from my muscles. My heart beat frantically in my chest. I could hear Alpha’s equally fast, a sustained growl coming from his throat as he held on.

“Get off of me!” I screamed.

My Wolf was screaming too, pleading, calling for her mate to help her. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t there in our time of need. He was supposed to protect us. She was howling and crying, desperate.

Alpha made no response. He just continued his assault on my neck for what felt like an eternity.

Coal hadn’t kept his canines in my neck for this amount of time...why was Alpha? What was he doing differently?

Panic welled up in my throat. I swallowed it back down, gagging on the bitter taste of my own fear. I didn’t have time to be afraid, not right now, not when my entire life was riding on this moment.

Alpha had taken everything from me as a child. I’d suffered unspeakably, an outcast with no friends, picked on and bullied. He’d stolen my childhood—and then he’d ripped my mother away from me in the worst way possible.

He wouldn’t take Coal away from me too!

Inside my chest, the battle raged—a contest of wills, a challenge of strength.

Push

Pull

Attack

Defend

It felt like I was being torn apart. Would there be anything left when the battle was over? If Alpha won, I knew the answer—he would destroy me in every way he could, in every way he hadn’t already…