Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The crowd stared in horrified silence. Their Beta Female of only a few minutes was about to be made to fight to the death and the future of the pack was looking more and more uncertain.

Soren untied the bow holding her fur coat together, handing the soft material to James. He didn’t seem to want to let her go, knowing the danger she was about to face, and the odds that were definitely not in her favour.

The wind nipped at her bare skin and her hair flew around her aggressively in the wind. The icy breeze was violent, the winds crying out violently at the prospect of their daughter facing death head on. The trees bent back and forth, struggling against the confines of their roots.

The crowd around them didn’t know what to think as their Beta Female was surrounded by chaos, with the calmest of looks on her face. The serene look painted on her stunning features was eerie, and even Grace looked uneasy at the ease with which she held herself.

Soren paid no mind to the looks of awe, focusing only on the girl in front of her. The Grace that had come across so cocky and hateful was gone, replaced by one with a look of sheer determination. She knew that Grace was no rookie, rather an experienced and lethal fighter, which meant Soren’s chances were slim to none.

Still, she did her best to ignore the two eyes burning holes into the back of her head. She wished James wasn’t there to watch her, but she knew there was nothing anyone could do to make him leave. Deep breaths in and out were the only thing she relied on, calming the whirlwind of thoughts that threatened to break her concentration.

Suddenly, without warning, Grace’s body began to quiver, her skin seeming to crawl, her back arching and a groan of pain erupting from between her lips. All Soren could do was watch in horror as the transformation from girl to wolf took place.

It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Her stomach turned at the sight, vomit starting to rise in her throat as Grace’s skin began sloughing from her body, replaced by limbs covered in fur and paws. Soren had never put any thought into how the transformation occurred, she had never thought it would be so gruesome and painful as what she was witnessing. It made her appreciate how much people like James went through to accept their other halves, it was killing and sacrificing your human body every time you went through with the shift.

After what felt like hours but was probably only in the range of a few minutes, Soren was staring at a large auburn wolf. Her fur was streaked with brown like James’ wolf was, but she couldn’t hold a candle to her mate’s monstrous form.

Somehow comparing her to James made her seem smaller and less of a challenge. Soren could feel the atmosphere that filled the clearing around her, all these people were cheering for her, they all had her back, and it gave her strength she never knew she had.

The fight was over in mere seconds.

Grace’s wolf lunged through the air at impressive speed, startling an unprepared Soren out of her thoughts. All Soren was running on was instinct, and it was instinct that made her throw out her arms in defense. The pain was horrible, her left arm aflame and burning as teeth sunk deep within. Soren couldn’t help but cry out in pain, she had never been so badly injured before, had never known pain quite like it. She wriggled from underneath where the wolf had pinned her to the ground, tears streaming down her face as the wolf raked its unsheathed claws down the front of her body.

It was desperation that had her right arm searching the ground around her for anything she could use to defend herself. She could hear James’ cries of pain and intense panic from behind her and she used it to fuel the hatred she felt towards the wolf that had dared to challenge her for her rightful place in the pack, her pack.

She didn’t know where the last ounce of energy came from, but as her fingers clenched around what could only be a stick, she struck. As the last bit of consciousness ebbed away, her right arm and the stick within found itself lodged within the wolf’s throat. Hot red warmth sprayed out and onto her as she pulled the stick out and struck again for good measure.

The wolf had been trying to kill her and she could not bring herself to feel even an ounce of regret, only relief at the fact that she was still breathing. As the wolf let out its last breath the forest was dead silent. Only the sounds of James’ feet as he ran towards her at full speed could be heard.

He rolled the corpse off her and called out,

“Somebody get the pack doctor, right now!”

“No,” Soren managed to get out, “not yet.”

James looked down at her with confusion and concern as she pushed herself to sit up, pain stabbing at her.

“Don’t get up, don’t move, we need the doctor.”

She glared at him with all her might,

“James, get me up right now.”

She had never used such an aggressive tone with him, and it was his surprise more than anything that lead him to obey.

As she stood, her legs threatened to give out from beneath her, but James held her steady.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the pack, I hope there will be no more confusion as to who the Beta Female of this pack is. I pledged my life for you today and I expect that you pledge the same, if anyone else has a problem,” she pointed towards Grace’s lifeless corpse, “then you can refer to what happened here, and what happens when you disobey.”

Her chin was high, and her voice was steady. The crowd looked on in awe at their Beta Female, the petite blonde human who had defeated one of their most seasoned warriors in human form, with nothing but a stick.

Night had fallen by now, and beneath the glow of the moon she looked like the fierce ruler she had become. Blood stained her hair and neck, running down her body in almost dark brown streaks. She might have been human, but in that moment, she was entirely wolf.

One by one the pack began to kneel. Bowing before the woman that they swore to die for and praising the moon for sending their Beta such a fierce and loyal mate.

It wasn’t until they were all bent down that she made to turn her back, allowing her and James to make their way out of sight and into the trees.

“James?”

“Yes, love?”

She sighed at the endearment, never tiring of his soothing voice, and glad she was still alive to hear it.

“Do you think you could carry me back?” Exhaustion was evident in her voice.

“Of course, we’ll be at the doctor soon I promise.”

“Good, because I think I’m about to pass out.”

As always, she was true to her words, and no sooner had she finished her phrase, did her eyes roll back and her knees buckle. James was quick to swoop her up in his arms, careful not to touch any open injuries.

While on the outside he seemed calm, inside he was screaming. He had never wanted this for his mate, never wanted to put her in a situation where her life was at stake, and yet here she was in his arms, looking like Carrie all covered in blood. She wasn’t a killer, she wasn’t a vicious, angered filled person like he knew Grace had been. Instead, she was a pure soul, and he knew it would take her a long time to get over what she had been forced to do.

A day that was supposed to mark the beginning of a wolf’s life, one of the best days to always look back on a treasure, was now tainted. She’d never look back on her acceptance to the pack and think of the joy and happiness of everyone, instead she’d think of sharp teeth and blood.

He had failed as a mate, not only to fulfill the simple task of keeping her happy, but also his vow to keep her safe and out of harm’s way for as long as they both lived.

Quickening his pace, they arrived at the infirmary where Doctor Hoyt was waiting. Rushing her into a sterile room, James laid her out on the bed, cringing at the strips of skin that used to be her stomach. He didn’t know how he’d ever agreed to let her stand and address the pack. He was more than proud of the fire within his mate and how confidently she had spoken to members, but he couldn’t help but wonder if her had made the right decision. He should have scooped her up and taken her straight to the Doctor as soon as Grace had died, what if those minutes could have meant the difference of death or life?

His heart clenched and threatened to shatter. A hand came to settle on his shoulder, Matt.

“Come on, let’s sit in the hall, let the professionals do what they’re best at. We’re just going to be in the way.”

Mindlessly, James allowed Matt to steer him into the hallway and into a hard-plastic chair. Setting his head between his hands, James did something he hadn’t done in years, he prayed. He prayed to the moon and every human god he could think of, crying out for help to anyone that was willing to listen.

He could hear the loud voice of the doctor giving orders in the next room, where his mate lay immobile. He could have done more for her, should have done more for her. Instead all he could do was wait for Doctor Hoyt to come back out and let him know what the situation was. He knew she’d be okay though, Soren was a fighter, a survivor, she wouldn’t let a couple paper cuts take her down.

And so, he waited, because he had just found her, and he wasn’t ready to let go.