Page 76 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

The energy in the circle around us changes, and I know they are about to attack. I leap forward and shift, throwing my head to the sky and letting out a mighty howl. I know I’m probably too far away for Bae to hear, but I put all my loss and longing into the sound, begging the mountain to carry my voice to my pack.

Give me your favor, old spirits. If not for me, then for my wife, the witch you love so much.

As I look around the circle of wolves, all of them seem to pull back and hesitate. As I spin around, growling and deciding where to pounce first, I realize I’m bigger and stronger than I’ve ever been.

Don’t get confident. I still have no fucking clue how to fight.

I pace a little, daring the others to come at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alisa sinking down on her knees, chanting softly. She looks so lost and vulnerable, I almost turn my back on my enemies to go to her.

But that’s when Jerry springs at me.

As we tumble together, snapping our jaws and trying to tear each other apart, the other wolves close the circle, barking and baying as they urge Jerry on. I twist and writhe, desperately trying to gain the advantage. Even though I’m much bigger and stronger, Jerry is wily, and cruel.

As Jerry closes his jaws on my ruff, I fling myself away, throwing him over me into the circle of wolves. He recovers fast, leaping towards me and almost grabbing my throat. I dance backwards and duck, trying to latch onto him anywhere I can.

Suddenly, Brad jumps me from behind. I howl as I go down, held by the weight of both of them. No matter how hard I struggle, I can’t throw them off.

This was never going to be a fair fight.

I look for Alisa, hoping that she got away. As much as I want her face to be the last thing I ever see, I’m praying that I gave her enough time to run and she’s miles from here, safe with her coven and our pack.

To my horror, I see her standing at the edge of the clearing. She takes a few steps towards me, and a desperate whine tears from my throat.

No! Stay back!

She keeps walking, the rays of the full moon illuminating her, making her skin glow and her hair shimmer like a curtain of shooting stars.

Then I hear it.

The drumming of hundreds of paws.

A howl rips through the silence nearby, and the first wolf I see is Peter. He’s so huge that Lucy is riding on his back.

Another howl sounds on the other side of the clearing. Brad and Jerry are so distracted they release their grip and let me go. Only seconds have passed, but to me, it’s as if time has stood still.

I can hear the rest of my pack charging through the forest, and I don’t wait a second longer. I turn on Jerry, wrestling him to the ground. He howls as I get a firm hold on his ruff and shake him, trying desperately to get to his throat.

All around me, snarls and growls break out, intensifying into loud barks, yips, and howls. The two sides have clashed, and the Decker pack is getting hammered.

Jerry goes limp in my jaws, and I drop him, staring into his eyes as I snarl into his face. I want to kill him, but I also want to know more about my mother.

What did you do to her, you absolute bastard?

Suddenly, Jerry leaps from the ground, going for my throat. I hesitated too long, and he was waiting for me to exposemyself. As we go down in a tangled pile, I curse myself for being so stupid.

I have to learn how to fight! I can’t protect my wife or my pack like this.

Howls break out around us, echoing back into the hills. Decker pack are retreating, and Bae’s pack is chasing them down, killing anyone who lingers behind.

I finally manage to get the advantage over Jerry and sink my teeth into his neck. I shake him hard and hurl his body down in a crumpled, bloody heap.

I back away slowly, trembling with shock.

Did I kill him?

Jerry yips, a tiny, plaintive sound, and his body trembles. I’m not sure if I want to finish him off or let him go, but I’m spared the choice.

Behind me, someone screams Alisa’s name. I turn my back on Jerry and run back to the tree line where the witches are gathered.

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