I go for the biggest Alpha, who's also the closest to Lance Ward. He rises on his hindlegs. Fur rubs against fur, bones crash against bones, teeth fight against teeth. The damage is minor on both sides. With mist from the cold streaming from out snouts, we face each other. The glow in his amber eyes demands me to submit. I growl, refusing to break eye contact. He attacks. I'm ready.

Our bodies collide. Two Alphas, close to the same size, both used to power and respect. He is well in his prime, at the height of his game. His snapping teeth barely miss my ear. On any normal day, he'd be the last fighter I'd have to beat-today, another battle is looming. I can't face the Scopan Lake Beta with a bitten-up body and need to preserve my energy. A quick kill will be essential for the ultimate victory.

When he leaps at me again, I duck low. He rolls over me. I'm on him tearing open his flank before he's able to get back to his feet. Snarling, he takes a piece out of my shoulder. I fight against the pain and grab his hindleg, my jaw locked. One good tear separates most of his flesh from its bone. He limps away. As he crouches in a defensive position, I jump, knocking him down.

For a breath, my gaze flicks to my family to ensure they are standing their ground. Zyron has torn open his opponent's stomach and is feasting on his guts. Everest is limping badly, but Killian has backed their Alpha into a corner, growling at him with teeth. Gabriel and his rival roll around on the ground. Mother is crouched low, ready to jump. The only on who seems to struggle is Cedar. He's facing a younger Alpha about his age who is slightly bigger. When my brother goes for his throat, he turns the fight to his advantage.

I tear into the neck of my opponent. He yowls but by a miracle, manages to toss me off. Blood gushes from the wound in the same rhythm as his heartbeat. He whimpers; his pupils dilated from the pain. I expect him to surrender; yet he dives forward. Ramming his snout into my ribcage, he tosses me off balance. I'm underneath him; his teeth go for my throat. For the blink of an eye, the cloud of death hovers over me. Cassum's laugh is like a stab to my heart. She'll kick my ass in the afterlife if I let this wolf win.

I avoid the kill bite by jerking my upper body around. The Alpha's teeth rip open my shoulder. A streak of blazing hot pain rushes down my side. Not able to breathe, I fight with the darkness threatening to pull me under. I gag.

A burst of adrenaline triggers my power to live. I'm not going to go down-not with the Scopan Lake Beta watching. I won't hand him the ultimate victory. He already took enough from me.

With the roar of an Alpha, I rise, my powerful jaw locking around my opponent's throat. The taste of his life essence floods my mouth. With the life fading in his eyes, the snow turns red around my feet. I raise my snout, giving out a series of barks. Triumph is mine.

With my gums pulled back, I face Lance Ward. Injured or not, he is only a Beta without an army to protect him. For once, he'll face an Alpha born alone. The realization must filter through his mind and he takes a couple of steps back. His head bows in submission, the way nature dictates, before he exposes his fangs. He snarls. The fool is ready to fight.

Crouching low in attack position, I glance at the other fighters. They are battling the other Alphas with fierce, the way it has been instilled in our bloodline. No one appears to be needing my help. I'll be able to fully focus on Ward.

Sucking in a deep breath to control my throbbing wounds, I jump and bury him underneath me. He struggles to get free but is too weak to toss me off. When he claws into my wound, the raging torment robs me of my breath. I fight the nausea; dark spots blur my vision. Pure determination is the only thing that keeps me from passing out. I have to end this.

I gash the back of his neck, right between his shoulder blades. Slicing through muscle tissue. Cutting off nerve ends. Smashing the top of his spine. His yelps reach up to the treetops. Crawling away, he pulls his hindlegs behind him. Even if he lived, he'd never walk again.

I'm tempted to finish him off with a kill bite, but I have other plans. Before I can grab one of his legs and drag him behind me like prey, I take one more good look around. Breath caught in my throat, the world seems to move in slow motion.

Mother is on her back.

Throat exposed.

Vulnerable.

With one large leap, I'm next to her just as the head of her opponent dips down. I ram my snout into his side and he flies backward, taking a good piece of my mother's throat with him. Blood spills into the snow. Mother's body jerks. Her life's essence drips from the Alpha's muzzle; the look of superiority I find in his eyes has my blood boil. I crush into him with the full force of my body, but he avoids me with a slick role over his side. Back on his feet, he attacks without losing a beat.

He is strong, his teeth sharp, his head clear of emotion. Halfway buried underneath him, I struggle to toss him off. He's pissing me off. I take a sharp breath to calm the turmoil inside me.

Don't look at Mother.

I summon my entire strength into the next bite. Tearing into my opponent, I rip his underbelly open, all the way from the groin to his chest bone. Guts and blood spill out, and I finally manage to free myself. With my next breath, I almost buckle from the pain, but drinking from his vein of life gives me an energy boost. As the last sparks die in his eyes, I turn my back on him.

Crawling over to my mother's ripped body, I lay down next to her in the snow. I nuzzle my snout into her fur. Seeking the warmth that has always sheltered me when I was hurt. Her breath is heavy and she quivers from the pain. Blood spills from the wound in a steady rhythm and melts the snow around us. I want to give her my life essence, fill her with energy, heal her wounds, but it's to no avail. I can't stop the encroaching fog drifting from the afterlife.

In a last-ditch effort, she raises her head and licks across my face. Soaking up the sorrow, the pain, the fear. Her gesture demands strength. I'm the wolf my pack will depend on; their queen-Luna Adira-will not return home.

My howl tears a piece of my soul away. I'm not ready for her to join my father in the realm of the Moon Goddess. In comfort, she rubs her cheek to mine. I indulge in the heat of her breath that is quickly fading. When our eyes meet, she seems oddly at peace. The world will keep turning and she expects me to be strong.

I lick blood from the wound on her throat and step back to give my siblings time to say their goodbyes. Gabriel is busy with Mother's killer, ensuring that he doesn't leave even the smallest part of him intact that could bear witness to the fucker's victory. It's the one thing he can do to avenge the death of the she-wolf who has always held a special place in his hard. Grief and devastation reflects of his features; he is hurting like the rest of us.

One last shudder runs through my mother's broken frame, then she is gone.

I love you, Mom.

Did I tell her this enough?

The sorrow threatens to crush me. I wail at the red streaks in the sky that promise a bright and chilly morning. I'm blind to the beauty around me. Too much has been taken from me in too short of a time. When my siblings join me, our call signals to the rest of the pack that Luna Adira, their queen, has surrendered to the shadows of death.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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