Page 76 of Fetch Me A Mate
How touching. And how utterly irrelevant.
Danarius launched himself in a perfect arc, aiming to drive Rowan onto his back where throat and belly would be exposed. It was a textbook alpha move, the kind of attack that had won him dozens of dominance fights.
Rowan met him in midair.
They hit the ground together, rolling through shallow water and scattered rocks. Danarius's teeth snapped at Rowan's ear, missing by inches. Rowan's claws found purchase in the alpha's flank, dragging deep furrows through silver fur.
Submit,Danarius commanded, his mental voice carrying the weight of pack hierarchy.Yield to your rightful alpha.
The command hit Rowan like a reflex, years of conditioning demanding obedience. For a heartbeat, his muscles went slack. Danarius pressed his advantage, jaws closing toward Rowan's exposed throat.
Then Diana's face flashed through Rowan's mind. Her amber eyes full of determination. Her voice saying she chose to belong. Her hand in his as they planned their future in the attic space.
No.
Rowan's refusal shattered the alpha compulsion like glass. His jaws clamped down on Danarius's foreleg, feeling bone crack between his teeth. The silver wolf howled and tried to pull free, but Rowan held on, his grip unbreakable.
Impossible. You can't resist?—
I don't belong to you anymore.
Rowan released the shattered leg and lunged for Danarius's throat. The alpha tried to dodge, but his broken foreleg betrayed him. He stumbled, off-balance, and Rowan's jaws found their target.
For a moment, they were perfectly still. Rowan's teeth pressed against the alpha's throat, one bite away from ending everything. Danarius's eyes were wide with shock and something that might have been fear.
Do it,the silver wolf whispered.Finish what you started.
No. That's not who I am anymore.
Rowan released his hold and stepped back. Danarius collapsed onto the rocky shore, breathing hard, his silver fur stained with blood and lake water.
"It's over," Rowan said, his human voice rough with exhaustion as he shifted back. "Find a new alpha. Handle your problems without destroying innocent people. Leave Hollow Oak alone."
Danarius's shift back to human form was painful to watch, his broken arm hanging useless at his side. "You could have killed me."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you?"
Rowan looked up at the sky, where the first pale hints of dawn touched the horizon. "Because I'm not the wolf I used to be."
Kael limped forward, his human form bruised but functional. "The pack needs leadership."
"Then lead it, Kael." Rowan gestured at the defeated wolves. "Handle Sarah's situation without violence. Tell her boyfriend that exposing our secrets puts Sarah and their child in danger too. Offer him relocation assistance, protection, whatever it takes to buy his silence humanely."
"And if he refuses?"
"Then be creative. But no one dies. No one gets hurt. No one threatens my town again."
Max struggled to his feet, cradling his injured ribs. "You're really not coming back."
"No. I found where I belong."
"With the human."
"With my mate. In my home. Protectingmypack." Rowan looked at each of them in turn. "That's what we are in Hollow Oak. A pack. And I'll destroy anyone who threatens it."
The message was clear. Danarius nodded slowly, understanding the new boundaries that had been drawn.
