Another painful crash to the ground and I cried out, sucking in a breath. A whimper escaped through my closed lips. My cheek hurt from the fall and my fingernails dug into the dirt.

Everything was hurting. It was almost unbearable. I was positive I’d have a broken bone or two once this was all over. Already my sides hurt and I think a rib or two was broken because I cried out again when I tried to push myself up.

I lifted my head to try and pull an arm in front of me to push me up a bit. My body shook uncontrollably. A huff of breath later, I groaned as I flipped onto my back. My nose scrunched from the painful aches all over.

The alpha standing over me could see the front I had before was waning. Those ice blue eyes stared me down, a smug pleasure in them. The asshole was a sadist.

I swallowed hard, wincing as I tried to sit up but the alpha lifted his foot and pushed me back down, pinning me. As his foot held me in place, the alpha used the other to kick me in the face a few times.

Alpha Hannibal sneered, releasing me and watched as I groaned, my hands to my face. I had to roll onto my side, strained gasps taken in. My face throbbed and my nose felt broken. The taste of my blood was in my mouth and I wanted to hurl.

“So this is what you’ve subdued me to, Miss Gomez. To punish you in front of your pack for the last time! To humiliate you as you whimper and whine. I barely even touched you.”

Alpha Hannibal paced around me, taking his time to sneer that I was weak, even for a young Quail Wolf. He added how unworthy I was of such a title.

The alpha walked to my other side, kicking me hard in my side. The force of the kick rolled me over. I cried out, shaking from the strain on my body. My fists curled tightly by my head, squeezing my eyes closed and sucked in a breath.

From the moment we had begun fighting, Alpha Hannibal hadn’t stopped hitting me. He took me down the first time with a hard fist to my face. I had seen the hit coming but didn’t have time to react fast enough. I felt the hit to my nose and was knocked backwards. The alpha kept at it, giving little chance of me avoiding his punches and kicks.

I’d like to say I had gotten to hit him as thoroughly as he’d done to me, but I hadn’t. I might have hit him once in an uppercut at the start but he wouldn’t let me get anything else in afterwards. Dad’s training wasn’t the problem, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was my inability to connect to my wolf and use the training at the same time. Frustration hit me that I was holding back, but I couldn’t understand why.

“GET UP!” he growled, kicking me again.

When I didn’t, just groaned into the ground, I could hear him stomping over before he bent to grab the back of my hair and yank me up, just enough for me to look into his cold eyes.

I held back a yelp as Alpha Hannibal grit his teeth and reminded me that he had given me an order to get up.

“You best get used to me giving you orders, Gigi, because that’s what you’ll be doing from here on out! And this is only a small taste of what you’ll be receiving as punishment if you ever defy me again.”

Narrowing my eyes, I grunted from his tight hold on my hair and spat, “Fuck you!”

Alpha Hannibal growled then punched me again, letting me fall back down. He stared at me, watching me groan into the hand against my face.

I could feel it swelling under my fingertips though I only had a moment to cradle my injury because of the alpha’s strong hand grasping my neck and yanked me up. I kicked my legs, my hands scratching at his hands squeezing my throat tighter the more I tried to struggle.

My name was being called in panic, and words of encouragement to fight back kept being shouted. God, this fucking hurt so much!

From somewhere I heard my mate. A growl in his voice as he joined my family’s cries for me to fight back. But my dad’s voice was the one to reach me the most.

“Gigi! Gigi, you can do this! You can fight him!”

Dad growled at me to use my head! That I am stronger than what the alpha thinks!

I was still dangling in the air, struggling for breath. I choked out a cry but the alpha holding me up grinned at my lame attempts to be let go.

“No one can save you now, Miss Gomez.” Alpha Hannibal got closer to my face. His harsh breath on my face making me flinch. “You might as well give in to me now. You are mine! You will learn to bow down to your alpha!”

Tipping my head back a bit to relieve some of the pressure on my throat, I squeezed my eyes shut. The tighter he squeezed the more my wolf side stirred.

I’d kept her hidden the entire fight, trying to take on the alpha on my own—just using my human side. But my wolf side was just as needed. I just hope I had enough strength to pull her back once I did what I had to.

I took a deep breath, feeling my wolf nudging herself into place. Snapping my eyes open, my wolf-eyed gaze locked on the alpha.

The man’s brows furrowed, eyes widening a bit before I grit teeth my teeth and growled, “I bow down to no one!”

Grasping tightly to his wrists, I tucked my knees towards my chest to use the bottom of my feet to push against his chest. I used enough force that his grip loosened and while he stumbled back, I flipped backward, bracing myself as I landed in a kneel.

My head snapped up to the alpha trying to regain his balance. I sneered, teeth elongating and a growl rumbling out before pushing off my feet to charge.

Alpha Hannibal barely braced himself when I jumped up and knocked my fist into his face. His head turned to the side. The alpha swung his arm around when turning to face me but I bent backward, barely missing the punch. I retaliated with a cheap shot kick to his groin.

Alpha Hannibal doubled over, crying out and I took the opportunity to grab onto his shirt and yanked him to the ground. He rolled onto his side, hands tucked between his legs and groaned into the dirt. A small dust wind from the breath he let out.

Marching over, I kicked him the face; aiming right at his nose. His head knocked back and I heard the satisfying crunch. Blood spewed out of his nose and mouth. The alpha panted heavily, face pinched as he looked up at me.

I raised a brow, lip curled. “Oh, he bleeds…”

The alpha snarled, getting up, but I kicked him down again. I braced forward, giving a double punch to his nose.

In turn, he was quick, I’ll give him that. He held onto my waist, flipping us over and used his heavy weight to pin me. I arched, grunting out a frustrated cry and tried to wiggle my way out from under him.

Alpha Hannibal sneered, taunting that I was not going anywhere and that it was time to end my little moment of victory once and for all. He had the nerve to grind his lower half into me and I snarled of him taking advantage of our position. No doubt the thunderous growl a few feet away was my mate’s.

With Alpha Hannibal’s hands locked around my wrist, he was close enough that I head-butted him. His nose was already injured and I took advantage of the pressure I hit him with. It was enough that his grip loosened and I flipped over to wiggle out from underneath him.

I didn’t get very far. A hand wrapped around my ankle and dragged me back. He flipped me onto my back and I used my free leg to to kick his chin up. I cried out again feeling his claws purposely digging into my ankle.

“Give it up! Give it up, you stupid girl!”

The alpha had blood spitting out of his mouth as he yelled, “You won’t win! I’ve already got you where I want! You’re only prolonging your fate, Miss Gomez!”

Alpha Hannibal bent down, using the bottom of his palm to press into my throat and I choked, wheezing out squeaks. He only put more pressure. My eyes rolled back, the light fading with spurts of black spots. This repeated a few times and I felt myself going under.

The alpha removed the pressure from my throat, assessing I was done for. He moved away from me, I think, since he was shouting and his voice seemed further from me.

My eyes drooped and I slowly rolled onto my side. My vision doubled and I had to blink hard, trying to erase the spots I was seeing.

“What do you think of your Quail Wolf now?! She’s insignificant! She’s no Quail Wolf at all! And you, Alpha Beaumont, will only get in the way of what I can make of her! Say good bye to your precious mate! The little bitch will be nothing when I get through with her!”

My movements were sluggish trying to push myself up onto my forearms. My head hung a bit since it was pulsing from the temporary loss of oxygen. Slowly, I opened my eyes, staring at the dirt underneath me.

The spotting was now gone, and the man’s voice was now clear. It was strange… I suddenly could hear an echo of deep growls from the crowd.

My brows furrowed, slowly lifting my head and turned to where all of the Carmel pack focused on Alpha Hannibal. Their eyes a gleaming gold with their teeth bared. I could feel their agitation from here.

The alpha threw his head back to laugh then sneered at my pack as he reminded them, “You all know the rules! You can’t touch me! She’s going to become part of my pack and there is nothing you all can do about it! I’ll kill her right here and now if one of you so much as takes a step!”

Ridge’s snarled growl had the alpha turn to him. Alpha Hannibal smirked, smugly teasing, “And I’ll do it nice… and slow… for her beloved alpha.”

A low growl came from behind my lips as my shaky arms pushed me up. Once on my feet, I straightened slowly to keep from stumbling.

The alpha turned to see me standing and he raised a brow. My jaw clenched shut as my wolf eyes took over, lowering my chin towards my chest. I curled my fists and the alpha’s lip curled. He wiped at the blood on his face, smearing it further.

“Well, well, well… the she-wolf hasn’t had enough.” Alpha Hannibal shook his head, straightening. “My, you are quite the determined one, I’ll give you that Miss Gomez. But to save what’s left of your dignity, I’ll give you one more time to stand down.”

He narrowed his eyes as he shouted, “Bow down before your alpha!”

I didn’t move. My chest rose and fell at a controlled pace. Narrowing my eyes, I growled back, “No.”

Alpha Hannibal’s eyes widened under furrowed brows. He blinked a few times, craning his neck forward and scoffed, “Did—did you just say ‘no’?!”

I just rolled my shoulders back, wincing at the tightness I felt. Keeping my gaze on the alpha as he stormed over to me, I was ready. I wasn’t going to let him think this was over between us. Not until I had him begging for me to leave him alone.

My head tilted the closer he approached and I barred my teeth with a growl. I was ready to finish this fight.

When the man reached for me, I swung my arm around to claw him across the face. The man cried out, grasping the bloody marks as he bent away.

My bloodied claws braced for a moment, feeling his blood dripping from their tips. A familiar feeling was tingling through my arm. It felt exactly as I had when that she-wolf urged me to go with her; when she was telling me how great I could be if I let her show me how powerful I really was.

The alpha was trying to straighten up but I took another strike at him, clawing the other half of his face with my other hand. His pained howls made me grin, the anguish in those cries only egging me on. My foot shoved against his chest to push the alpha backward.

Alpha Hannibal fell on his backside, lifting his eyes to mine. The man’s eyes widened slightly, pushing himself from me.

Taking predatory steps towards him, my wolf flashed her eyes with a dangerous gleam. A smirk tugged at my lips as I taunted, “Not such a big, bad alpha now, are you?”

Not letting him answer, I reached down to clamp a hand around his ankle and yanked him towards me. The hand holding him pierced its claws into his skin and the alpha’s head tipped back in a yell. Using my other hand, I clawed downward from the middle of his calf. His blood oozed between my fingers, dripping off his leg and my hand to coat the dirt.

It felt too good to stop… I didn’t want to stop.

Reaching forward, I clamped my bloody hand around his neck and gave a smug grin. My pupils pulsed in the thrill of seeing the fear in this man’s eyes. Dropping his weak and injured ankle, I raised my hand, ready to claw him in the face, the neck, chest… anything really.

I froze when a voice shouted at me.

My gaze flicked up a little above the alpha’s head before I slowly looked to the side where Ridge stood with a scowl on his face.

The new alpha narrowed his eyes, raising a brow as he growled an order for me to back off. I growled back, the wolf side of me—and even the human side, to be quite honest—did not appreciate being stopped from taking our victory.

When I didn’t move, just stared with a narrowed gaze back at him, Ridge barked, “I said back. off. Now.”

I continued to hold Alpha Hannibal in my grasp. My hand still held up in the air. I growled at Ridge, warning him. So Ridge tried a different approach.

“You are not him,” he frowned. His green eyes rounding as his brows quirked up. “If you go through with this and the Darkness will start taking over. Do you really want for your human and wolf to become lost to that kind of evil?”

My narrowed gaze softened all of a sudden. I blinked a few times, lowering my raised arm and looked down at the alpha breathing heavily up at me. He looked petrified, leaning as far back as he could.

The bloody face I left him made me frown and I looked at one of my hands drenched in his blood before looking at the other. I still had it wrapped around his neck. My brows dipped further before roughly throwing the alpha back as I stumbled back. I turned, panting in a rising panic while looking down at my shaky, bloodied hands.

Looking up at Ridge eyeing me as he was stepping towards me, my breath shook as I opened my mouth. “Ri—Ridge…” came out as a whimper, and immediately he closed the distance and pulled me into his arms.

I trembled against him, staring off to the side as my cheek pressed against his bare chest. My breath now in full panic. Ridge muttered against my hair, shaking his head that I was going to be okay. That for me to take a deep breath. That the moment was done. It was gone.

“You’re still you, Gianna. You’re back.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, leaning further into him and he tightened his hold on me.

I finally realize what Ridge was talking about the night before when he said that it was the human side that fell to the Darkness, and took their wolf with them. I had gotten just a sliver taste to what I could become.

The way I reacted to Alpha Hannibal; clawing at him and enjoying the fear in his eyes because it was me that had caused it, had become this overpowering feeling. A bad feeling that felt so good.

If this moment taught me anything, it was to really start paying attention to Quail Wolf history. At the moment, I didn’t allow myself to get too far into the Dark because Ridge pulled me back.

But what about next time? What if it gets stronger each time I get put in a situation like this and eventually there would be nothing to stop me from coming back?

Not even Ridge…

I pulled back a bit, looking up at my mate who stared back at me, his thumb caressing my cheek. Ridge sighed, shaking his head a little before kissing my forehead and telling me to wait here. I nodded, frowning as he stepped away and walked over to where Alpha Hannibal was slowly stumbling in his rise to his feet.

Ridge frowned as he looked over the other alpha who growled when Ridge declared that I’d won the fight. The man snapped back that the fight was interfered with so it didn’t count.

Ridge narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to the man.

“Are you suggesting I let my mate kill you… is that it, George?”

The other alpha swallowed hard, his cold blue eyes glancing at me. I narrowed my eyes back, silently asking him to challenge me again.

Alpha Hannibal’s face turned to Ridge again. Shaking his head, the alpha forced out through grit teeth, “Fine! She wins. You can keep the little bitch for all I care!”

He went nose-to-nose with Ridge and warned, “But don’t think this is the last of this, Beaumont. She’s a danger to the humans, as well as to our kind. There’s no stopping her once the Darkness takes over. It’s inevitable! She’s going to go Dark and I will gladly be there to see your reign fall at her hands.”

Without another word, the alpha stormed away, limping towards his pack members whom watched him with deep frowns. Their eyes slowly watched him pass them all, shouting at them to fall in so that they could leave town. His pack members looked disappointed in their alpha as he was making his way through them.

The alpha stopped for a moment, turning to shout for Sawyer that they were leaving.

My brother-in-law stared at his alpha for a moment then looked down at my sister. She trembled, her wide fearful eyes on Alpha Hannibal as she clung to her mate. Cece swallowed, her lip trembling. Her fear made Sawyer do the unthinkable.

The blond man faced his alpha and pushed his shoulders back as he announced he was not going. Sawyer said he made the decision to stay behind with his mate who needed he more than she needed him.

Alpha Hannibal growled that Sawyer could not just denounce his place in the pack or he’d be an outsider.

The new alpha to Carmel stepped forward, shaking his head and addressed that Sawyer would have a rightful place in Carmel. Ridge emphasized that as a mate to Cece who resided in our town, it gave Sawyer the easy way in.

Things were just not going Alpha Hannibal’s way today.

The beaten alpha roared in frustration then pointed at Sawyer that he would regret this decision and that the day he met the alpha again, would be his last.

“Don’t make threats on my land, Hannibal!” Ridge warned, stepping forward. “You have no say here any longer. You just make sure you are out of Carmel within the hour.”

Ridge narrowed his eyes, seeing the reluctance from the other alpha who wasn’t taking lightly being told what to do.

“I won’t tell you again,” Ridge growled, golden eyes shimmering.

Pushing his shoulders back, Alpha Hannibal turned away and ordered his pack to follow him. They frowned, slowly looking at one another before following behind him. Ridge nodded for a few men to escort the other pack to the gates.

When they were gone, Ridge turned to me and sighed with that charming crooked grin while extending a hand out to me. I swallowed, stepping forward a bit in hesitation. I wanted to make sure my wolf was contained again.

Ridge could see this and he shook his head. “It’s alright, Gianna. You’re safe now. You get to stay home.”

The smile that bloomed on my face had Ridge return it as I rushed over to jump in his arms. The alpha spun me around, chuckling that I was such a weirdo as I planted kisses on his face.

Ridge set me on my feet, shaking his head. His fingers brushed back my hair, muttering how much he loved me. I scrunched my nose, giggling before he dipped to kiss me but someone cleared their throat at us.

I growled a little, frowning. Ridge smirked at this before lifting his eyes behind me.

When I turned around, the former alphas were standing there. Mr. Beaumont—Boy, that’s weird to say now—had his wounds cleaned and dressed. The cuts and gashes were starting to heal. His wife stood beside him, looping an arm around through his for support.

Thinking about my own injuries, it would be a long while before my healing process kicked in. First my body had to go into the shock of accepting I’d pretty much got my ass kicked the first half of the fight.

Staring at his parents, Ridge carefully calculated his dad’s face. The older man’s shoulders sagged, lowering his gaze and told Ridge that he was there to meet Ridge’s mate. His real mate. And to hopefully apologize for the stress he put the new alpha and his mate through.

When I felt Ridge looking at me, I turned, raising a brow. His brows dipped, reading my face before Ridge looked back to his parents and expressed that he would love for them to meet me. However, Ridge locked sight on his dad, because of the emotional strain placed on me and my family, Ridge would postpone introducing me personally.

From the look on the parents’ faces, it was obvious his mother was more disappointed but they both nodded in understanding.

I placed my hand on his forearm, making Ridge glance at me. Tilting my head to the side, I sighed, “Maybe… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to meet them, Ridge. Properly, I mean.”

I glanced at Mrs. Beaumont who had a small smile on her lips.

Ridge frowned, shaking his head and reasoned that it was only fair of his decision. That with the lack of fairness shown towards me and my family, Ridge was going to set things right and by doing so he wanted to make sure his dad understood—family or not—the former alpha handled things inappropriately.

The alpha stared at his dad.

“You have to understand, Dad, that singling out one individual doesn’t solve anything. Gianna is pack. She has been all her life, and you treated her as if she was an outsider all this time.”

Mrs. Beaumont grinned, her eyes shining with pride at her son speaking with such poise. She was clearly all for her son’s handling of the situation. So I didn’t push anymore.

I tilted my head, grinning up at Ridge when he looked at me, directing to his parents that when Ridge felt they (his dad actually) was deserving of meeting the love of his life, they would.

He spoke out loud, still staring my way, that he wanted his parents to know—to see—that Ridge’s love for me was more than just a bond the Spirit World blessed us with. That Ridge was in love with who I was as a person, how I carried myself and how loving, caring, and beautiful—inside and out—I was to everyone around me, even to those so undeserving.

Letting my gaze fall, my face felt hot but I grinned.

Mr. Beaumont cleared his throat, nodding his head that he understood the alpha’s decision but… but that he requested for him to receive the brunt of the decision and not Ridge’s mother. The former alpha reasoned he did not let his wife intervene much and when he did, it was for her sake because of Ridge.

“Please…” Mr. Beaumont sighed, looking at his wife. Her attention lifted to him as the man directed to his son that Mrs. Beaumont deserved to share her son’s happiness. In any and every way.

After a moment of thinking and glancing at me where I tilted my head, shrugging a shoulder in a pleading way, Ridge relented. He agreed to his dad’s request; not secluding his mother.

Mr. Beaumont nodded, stepping back and off to the side while Mrs. Beaumont remained with us.

I squeezed Ridge’s arm, mouthing a ‘thank you’ for being such a fair alpha. He grinned at me before I turned to Mrs. Beaumont opening her arms towards me.

“Oh, Gigi!” the woman sighed, brushing my hair when I walked into her hug. She squeezed a little too tight and I yelped.

Ridge growled a whine towards his mom to be careful with me.

Mrs. Beaumont laughed, “I apologize, Gigi.” She pulled back, gently holding her hands to my jaw. Mrs. Beaumont grinned that I was a sight to behold in the arena and that my dad taught me well. I softly thanked her, shrugging lightly though I was able to hide the cringe from the pain in my shoulders.

I looked over to where my dad was standing with my family; all of them looking eager to see me with the buzzing crowd of the pack.

Mrs. Beaumont seemed to notice my attention towards my family and turned to her son, suggesting that perhaps it was the right moment to meet the in-laws. I blushed, glancing at Ridge whose green eyes cast to the corners, looking at me already.

“Come along then, Children,” Mrs. Beaumont nodded without agreement on the alpha’s part. She was already waving for us to follow her heading towards my awaiting family.

Ridge’s hand took hold of mine, squeezing lightly as he looked down at me. I smiled at him as he told me how proud he was of me. I shrugged a shoulder, saying it was nothing and that made him lean his head back and laugh. He tugged me into his side to plant a kiss on my forehead.

Ridge’s mom was already throwing her hands up excitedly and tugging my mom into a hold. Mom laughed, patting her friend’s back who was giddy with what a strong daughter Mom had.

“Don’t I know it,” Mom grinned, giving me a wink.

I faced Dad who was standing with his arms crossed beside Mom and the former Alpha Female. His gaze glanced over to where Mr. Beaumont had stayed behind. The former alpha’s shoulder sagged, dropping his gaze from my dad’s frown.

I think it was pretty clear that the friendship between Mr. Beaumont and my dad would never be the same. In fact, I’m sure it was no longer amendable.

Not sparing any more glances at Mr. Beaumont, Dad faced us and grinned as he held out a hand to Ridge, congratulating him on being victorious in his challenge.

“It’s well deserved, Alpha,” Dad gave a nod, grinning.

Ridge grinned back, chuckling with a small rosy tint in his face. He shrugged, admitting to my dad that after what I was put through because of him, Molly, Alpha Hannibal, and especially Ridge’s dad, Ridge wanted to make it up to me and my family.

“This is only the start,” Ridge promised, shaking Dad’s hand until my mate’s eyes widened from being tugged forward. I smiled at the startled look on my mate before he chuckled, hugging Dad back.

The initiation on Dad’s part gave my family the OK to interact with our new alpha and his mother in a less formal manner. Mrs. Beaumont made a beeline for a wide-eyed Cody whose cheeks she squeezed. She cooed what a handsome boy he was growing up to be. My baby brother blushed, raising his shoulders and weakly grinned before being pulled into a hug.

Cody scowled at Nikko nearby, the taller muffling a laugh.

Wade and Ridge looked at one another, both sizing the other up. I raised a brow, carefully watching them with Dad beside me.

When I looked at my dad, he silently nodded in a ‘give it a moment’ kind of way. It still made me nervous because I knew Wade wasn’t the biggest fan of my mate. But to my surprise, my older brother held out his hand towards Ridge.

Wade bowed his head and praised, “I look forward to one day working with you, Alpha.”

To my delight, Ridge didn’t bother shaking Wade’s hand. He wrapped an arm around my brother’s neck—making Wade go wide-eyed—and Ridge ruffled Wade’s hair, replying that Ridge felt the same and that my brother should get used to Ridge’s affection.

Wade let out a small growl, shoving against the alpha before being released. His hair stuck up at odd angles and I stifled a laugh. That is until my brother sneered at Ridge that as long as the alpha didn’t show Wade the same affection shown to me during night visits to the forest.

I choked on a gasp, face red while Dad—standing beside me with his arms crossed—scowled at me as my brother smirked my way. I weakly grinned, chuckling a bit before sneering with a growl at my older brother. Ridge just laughed.