Chapter 21

Konrad was the pack alpha for a reason. He was the strongest wolf in the pack and more skilled in a fight than anyone else. Kian barely had time to shift into his wolf before his brother’s black wolf pounced on him.

He never got a chance to fight with Konrad, so he didn’t really know how fast his wolf was or how he fought. Konrad mostly trained with Rommik or other high-ranked wolves, so he didn’t know what to expect from the wolf.

Both wolves tangled into a mess of limbs, rolling on the floor. Growls rumbled out of their chests as their teeth clacked. They clawed at each other, biting into each other’s flesh. There was no way one could tell who was dominating who as they both were faster and moved in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, he howled in pain as Konrad ripped a patch of skin off his body before spitting it out. Kian’s vision blurred, but he lunged, closing his jaw over his front leg. Konrad threw him off easily before clamping his jaw on his hind leg and dragging him on the floor. The pack wolves watching them all scattered to make space.

He turned his attention to Kiara while Kian was recovering from the attack. She tried to scramble away, but it lunged at her. However, before he could reach Kiara, Kian’s wolf intercepted him, pinning Konrad’s wolf down on the ground.

The black wolf started growling, and his eyes went darker.

“Whenever Konrad shifted, he fully became an animal and lost all sense of humanity. He only cared about his prey and the hunt. An unknown madness always possessed him, and he had always been uncontrollable in his wolf form.” He remembered the elder Lucille’s words and, for the first time, understood what she meant.

Kian was trying to understand what caused this madness in his brother. He did not sense any presence behind the wolf. It was totally like an animal there who lived on survival instinct and hunger. Lost in thought, he didn’t realize when his brother made his next move.

Another howl left his mouth as the Alpha tilted his head, tearing through his skin near his chest, and tasted his blood. Kian tried to scramble away from the wolf’s hold, but he took advantage of it and switched the position to pin him to the ground with a snarl.

There was no way he could win against Konrad. He was just too strong and smart. He thought this was going to be his final moment when something came hurtling toward him. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him, and he shifted in a blink of an eye, covering his nose. He felt two pairs of arms grabbing him by his arm and pulling him away.

He was heavy, and the women groaned, trying to drag him as far as possible from the Alpha who was caught in the smoke. He snarled, but the distraction didn’t last long because the black wolf jumped out of the smoke with his jaws, ready to strike its mark.

Kian pushed the girls away and threw his arms to the front. But, before Konrad made contact, a blur of gray flew over him. He whipped his head to the side to see Rommik’s wolf pinning Konrad to the floor. Konrad’s wolf was black, taller, and bulkier than any other wolf in the pack. But Rommik’s wolf also had good strength and shape. He was the second-in-command with alpha blood in his veins.

Konrad kicked Rommik off with his hind legs and climbed to his feet. With a feral snarl, he tore into his flesh, shaking his massive head to rip the skin off. Rommik howled. Kian tried to shift back into his wolf form but groaned as he realized he didn’t have enough energy left in his body.

He looked down at his body to see chunks of flesh missing, and he was bleeding severely. Kiara was by his side immediately, trying to press her hands on the wound to stop the bleeding.

“Leave,” he said, his chest heaved as he grabbed Layla’s hand. “Take her away. Run and don’t look back.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Kiara cried.

“You have to.” He pushed her hands away. “Leave before he turns this way.”

The pack wolves were engrossed in the fight, and their confusion was evident. He could watch them argue in the background. Layla and Kiara could make it out if they used this distraction well. And surprisingly, he trusted Layla to protect Kiara.

“I won’t go.” Kiara shook her head.

“You knew this would happen,” he hissed. “You need to go. I’ll only slow you down. I’m also bleeding. They’d smell me from miles away. Just leave.” He gripped Layla’s hand. “Protect her with your life. Now. Go!”

An agonized howl caught his attention, and he turned his head in time to see Konrad had pinned Rommik to the ground. He was about to rip his throat off, ending his life once and forever.

Two more wolves ran into his side, knocking him off Rommik. More wolves rushed to Konrad. He identified them as the warriors he used to train with. They were close to Rommik. The fight only got bloody from there. The wolves were no match to Konrad’s strength.

Kian cursed as he saw Kiara running to Rommik. “Come back,” he yelled. “I said, leave!”

But she wasn’t listening.

“Ugh! Why is my twin always running to danger?” Layla growled as she ran after Kiara. She tugged at her arm and dragged the thrashing girl back.

Kian could only shake his head. He knew Kiara better than he knew anyone else. She always put the others before her.

It was a lost cause. Even with more wolves joining the others, they only scratched Konrad on the surface. The Alpha was powerful enough to fight eight of them at a time. They circled him like hyenas, going for his limb or any part they could reach. But Konrad was clever; he knew exactly their plan of action. He attacked to kill.

When he lunged, he ripped out throats off mercilessly or snapped necks before moving on. Kian cringed upon seeing the blood bath. Why did he even think they would stand a chance against him?

To his side, Layla rummaged through her backpack, pulling out a rifle, but it was not easy to aim. Konrad kept moving, and the other wolves were getting in her way. They were also kicking up too much dirt, obscuring the vision.

Layla let out a noise of frustration and grabbed the smoke bombs. She threw one, and Kian watched the wolves scramble away only for a few minutes because Konrad was like a demon from hell. He was soaring higher than the smoke and into the clear, dashing after the wolves that tried to get away.

Kian was losing hope with every passing second. The next set of wolves that joined the fight also met with the same fate.

Just as he thought everything was over and Konrad was going to kill them next, his wolf flew into the air and crashed against a tree. There in the emerging dirt and smoke, stood Rommik’s wolf—tall and intimidating.

With a snarl, it lunged at Konrad. Both wolves engaged head-on, fighting for dominance. Immediately, the others backed off.

Kian turned his head just in time to see Lucille and the elders entering the village center. Kiara ran to them. “Lucille, help! He’s gonna kill Rommik. Please.”

Lucille’s face was an emotionless mask as ever as she replied, “We cannot intervene until the fight is over, child. It’s an alpha challenge.”

“W-What?” She glanced at the fighting wolves as confusion clouded Kian’s mind. “H-He didn’t say anything. They just started fighting.”

“Rommik publicly challenged Konrad a few days ago,” Lucille said. “The place or time doesn’t matter. You know the rules.”

Kiara swallowed and watched the fight with wide eyes. Kian couldn’t help the foreboding churning in his stomach. Layla stayed beside him, applying pressure on his wounds.

The fight was nasty. He couldn’t keep up with how his vision was blurring, and the pain taking over his senses. However, an agonizing whine caused several pack wolves to perk. He watched as the dust cleared and there stood Rommik over the defeated black wolf. Cheers and rounds of applause erupted from the crowd.

“Rommik!”

“Rommik!”

“Rommik!”

Relief washed over Kian.

“We have a victor,” Lucille announced. “Rommik has defeated the Pack Alpha.”