Page 87 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Nero whispered, “I love you, Eden Hawthorne. Have faith in your wolf as I have faith in you, mate. Youwillclaim victory here; you’ve more tenacity and determination than anyone I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. But I must protect my clan, as I must protect you.”

With one last forlorn look at his mate, Nero charged into battle to defend her.

The sound of a snarl had his panther shrieking back as he burst through the door and cut down the first wolf without breaking stride. The blood sprayed on the grass outside the dome, as Nero was quickly surrounded.

There were at least a dozen wolves, snarling at each other before targeting Nero with their glassy eyes. As if drawn by the smell of a shifting wolf—or perhaps the blood already coating the ground—the beasts leapt into the fray, their teeth aimed for his jugular.

Fortunately, Nero had never been a lightweight.

Seamlessly dispatching two wolves, the sovereign Raeth snarled at the mousy-grey wolf that launched herself into the air to dodge his axe. Her teeth tore a hole through his shoulder, but swiftly met his second blade only seconds later.

The blood he was losing only made the wolves more frenzied. Reinvigorated, they converged on him, intent on an overwhelming attack as the Raeth fought them off. With every slash of his weapon, more wolves seemed to appear.

There were too many of them.

Nero couldn’t fall back—if he retreated the wolves would make it inside. Both Eden and his people would be in the line of fire. There was no back up here; every single one of his lieutenants and allies were fighting their own way through theCitizens’attack.

The structure behind him would only hold so long against a pack of rabid werewolves. Many Raeths and their young children had taken refuge in the underground shelter beneath the dome, but some were still barricaded in their homes, unable to escape before the battle hit.

His panther writhed in his chest at his despair, snarling for a chance to do damage to the rabid invaders on his lands. Shiftingwas the only option now. Blades only went so far against tooth and claw.

He allowed the shift to take over him.

Euphoric agony speared through his limbs before his center of balance shifted and dropped. In the next moment, the panther’s fangs were ripping through throats and flesh as the taste of blood coated his tongue.

Snarling at the frenzied wolves, his claws met blood and gore. He was eager to put an end to the threat that was too close to his vulnerable mate. Though injuries began to leach blood from his body, Nero was undaunted: Eden needed to be protected.

Just as fatigue began to weigh down his limbs, the tide of wolves thinned. Relief rocked through him, but the celebration came too soon. A brown wolf collided with him, throwing them both to the ground.

The remaining beasts converged on him with savage intent. Several sets of teeth connected with his flesh, puncturing deeply as he tried to scramble away. When he couldn’t right himself, he latched onto the closest wolf, throwing it across the clearing. Another swiftly took its place.

Pain rioted across his body, his panther steadily bleeding out his strength from multiple lacerations. Using telekinesis, he threw the opponent closest to his throat into the wall, shattering the wolf’s spine.

Three left.

Panting, Nero attempted to rise to his paws, but the grass was slick with his own blood. He staggered, and the enemies instantly took advantage. One dove toward the unprotected flesh of his belly, sinking fangs deep into the sensitive skin. Another bit down on the bones of his foreleg, crushing them as though they were nothing but brittle sticks.

He only had one thought left, repeated as a litany through the violent mauling. He couldn’t teleport away without endangeringEden and leaving her in harm’s way. Savaged, the panther’s claws lashed at the closest wolf, scoring a hit against his body, but not deep enough to do true harm.

The truth was unavoidable: they were going to rip him apart.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Nero was in trouble.

His agony funneled down the mating bond between them. Knowing he was in pain and being unable to do anything about it was Eden’s turning point. With a surge of protective wrath, the wolf beneath her skin burst forth, overwhelming her senses, and swiftly taking control.

The shift completed within seconds.

Before Eden could catch up with what was happening, the she-wolf hurtled toward the door. A vicious sounding snarl heralded her exit to the patio outside, the sharper vision of the animal instantly assessing the situation.

Nero’s panther was pinned beneath three wolves, each of them tearing into his flesh as the cat struggled for purchase and lost strength.

Her paws pounded against the blood-soaked ground, launching her newly shifted body into the beast aiming for Nero’s throat.

In a fit of savagery, Eden’s razor-sharp teeth snapped the rabid wolf’s spine before she turned on the others. Weakly, Nero’sclaws connected with an opponent’s belly, mauling it before Eden sunk her teeth into its esophagus. The last one was dead by her teeth only seconds later.

There was no time for victory: her attention was on Nero.

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