Chapter 64 - Enough is enough!

**Cathys pov**

“For fuck’s sake!” I screamed out loud when I once again heard a fight break out in the courtyard below the packhouse. They came frequently, a couple of times a day. Young wolves that fought for rank in a pack where there was an opportunity to rise. I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I hadn’t been here long but had decided to bury myself in the pack’s finances and business. It was a jumble of capital, debt, and unsavory business contacts. The previous management had been good at making money, but not in the best way...not the most legal way either, for that matter. There was enough to sort out in calm conditions, trying to do it in this noise was pretty much impossible. I took a deep breath and stood up. “*Are you ready to kick some baby wolf ass?*” Freespi growled energetically in response. She too was tired of these snot puppies and her alpha gene was tired of the disrespect.

I stepped out onto the stairs and looked around, I couldn’t see Joe but to my disappointment, I saw some of the cave wolves standing and cheering on the two youths fighting. They were still in their human form, mostly anyway, teeth and claws were out which already resulted in blood spilling from deep wounds. I thought for a few seconds about how to solve it this time, previously I hadn’t shifted, just used my aura to remind them I was in charge, but maybe it was time. Freespi was female and normally smaller, but she was also of alpha blood, making her larger than the usual pack wolf. I felt her inside, she wanted to come forward, she wanted to teach these ill-mannered youngsters how to behave in a pack. I wasn’t a warrior, Callum had always protected me from such things but I, like everyone else in Great Falls had trained, I could defend myself and Freespi was more agile than most. Pictures from my night with Gora surprised me when they popped up. At first, I thought it was Freespi trying to arouse my anger but she was totally focused on the fight in front of us. Maybe my subconscious wanted to tell me that I was indeed a warrior, I had escaped, wounded by a bloodthirsty vampire with minimal help from my drugged wolf.

“*Okay girl, do your thing, just don’t hurt them.*” Before I shifted, I made eye contact with Andy, one of the cave wolves who cheered on the brawl. His face fell and he immediately stood up to break it up. But he never got the chance. I let Freespi tear herself free. The feeling of shifting largely and unprepared was euphoric. She jumped and landed between the two wolves, dust from the gravel under her feet swirling and mixing with the air that was filled with the sweat and hormones of two young wolves. She roared and I was impressed, it was deep, strong, and without a single uncertain tremor. It was a roar from an alpha wolf who had had enough. She didn’t give them a chance to show submission or remorse, she attacked straight away. Their humanoid forms didn’t stand a chance. The sound of the first man’s throat as she landed on him was a heartbreaking mix of screams and howls. She let her weight push him to the ground and let her drool flow as she growled and bared her teeth at him. Behind us, we noticed the sound of stumbling feet trying to get away quickly. Unfortunately not fast enough. Freespi used the first man as a springboard and leaped, I could feel some of his ribs snap from her weight before she jumped into the air. Gracefully she turned before landing, eye to eye with the fleeing, now ashen man. What I did notice, however, were his eyes, they were pitch black and without fear, his wolf was at the surface and separate from his human, he didn’t want to run away. *“This could be fun girl, are you ready for a real fight?”* I was cheering her on from the back of her head as I watched everything. Freespi responded by rearing up, spreading her front legs and laying her head in an attack position. She challenged his wolf to come forward.

“Please…sorry…no…” That was all he got out before the wolf took over and he shifted fully. It was a handsome wolf, big and muscular and there was no doubt that he came from rank. He wasn’t Alpha but one of his ancestors had been. His fur was light brown, very light, bordering on silvery yellow. His black eyes bored into Freespis in a challenge. You stupid puppy… Even if he had been able to take her, he would never have had the chance before at least the cave wolves were over him. Not only to protect their guardian but to keep the wrath of her big brother at bay. Freespi took the first step and surprised him with an attack. He had probably expected a girl like her to be all grunt and no bite. But he soon learned his mistake. He tried to avoid her jaws by turning, it protected his throat, but not his neck. Freespi bit down, hard. His skin creaked under her teeth and it wouldn’t take much more to tear it open and draw blood. However, it was nothing she wanted. She pushed him down to the ground with all her weight and he struggled, letting his front paws remain stiff to keep from buckling. Then he started shaking, He didn’t seem to care that this was causing his skin to break in her gap, he just wanted to get rid of her. As soon as she tasted blood, she let go. We were thrown backward but landed on our paws. The male in front of us turned around and now we had a real face-off, he challenged us, for real. Suddenly I became worried. If Andy and the others decided not to intervene, if they decided to be passive and see how this all played out, then we could have new leadership in Low Falls, at least until Callum and his warriors decided to take them down. And who knows how long it could take…if we lost this they could kill us, or throw us in a cell, tell lies to Callum, and get stronger before he found out the truth. Freespi growled at me to interrupt my rambling thoughts. *“Sorry girl…I believe in you! Put that rude wolf in his place now!”* I did my best to sound inspiring and hide my nervousness. It seemed to work because she attacked again. The male stood up on his hind legs, the claws on his front paws caught the sunlight and as if in slow motion I could see an illuminated drop of saliva fall from one of his fangs. Again images were played, but this time it was Freespi’s thoughts that I saw. Mike’s broken lying face as he insisted that James attacked him for no reason, James’ hard expression as he accepted my rejection, Greta when she came and told me that mum and dad had died, Callum who was immediately forced to take a leading and nurturing role in both my life and also in the pack. All the human boys I’ve dated who fled when they found out what I was… Hope passed out in a hospital bed because she was too weak during a training class, the grief and panic when she and Luna were taken from us, Zandra in her bed, sleeping, motionless and unawakened, yet alive…Gora and his sick alter ego…all the blood, the feeling of inadequacy…James and his acceptance of my desire to step out of our lives… While I was overwhelmed and paralyzed by the sequence of images that played out, this was like gasoline for Freespi’s smoldering embers. Everything flared up and exploded. I had a hard time keeping up. She was sad, hurt, pissed, insulted, and… ruthless. The cocky male in front of us didn’t stand a chance. Freespi mirrored his movements and she too stepped up on her hind legs. She lunged forward, her claws ripping deep gashes across his snout as her jaw embraced his neck. She bit hard as she let herself fall onto her back and pull him with her. He landed on her, her jaws still locked around his vitals. The trachea that supplied him with oxygen, the aorta, the body artery that supplied his heart with blood. While she squeezed her jaws a little harder, she also put her hind paws with her claws out against his stomach. He now had two choices. Number one, he could try to struggle and fight back, which would result in a crushed throat and torn-out intestines. Number two, he could give up and submit, something that would put him forever beneath her but still keep him in good standing for challenging her. Freespi swallowed some saliva before increasing the pressure of her jaws, waiting for him to make up his mind. It was only seconds but it felt like minutes, every single breath was in slow motion. A deep angry menacing growl from her finally made him decide. It almost sounded like it came from a puppy, a whine that showed shame and submission.