Page 75 of The Night Wolf
Ryker snarled and lunged at Sean, only to be cast aside by an enormous gust of wind.
“I did not give you leave to move, and until I have my say, you will remain as you are.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
Gareth gasped. “Mother Moon.”
A sly smile crossed Sean’s lips. “I knew you would be the one to recognize me. You took my gift, this Omega, and sheltered him. You gave him a home. You showed him love, and in doing so, you gave him the greatest gift of all: children. The next generation of wolves.”
The crowd stood in awe as they watched the proceedings. Gareth was witnessing it, but even he had a hard time believing it to be true.
“My mark is upon this body. This vessel is my night wolf, he who will give his power to the one who claims it.”
Ryker morphed back to human. “I claimed him first! He’s mine!”
Mother Moon sneered at Ryker. “He was never yours. Had you not been merely a vicious animal, the power you craved could have been yours. Instead, you were petty, blinded by base desires.” A gesture in Gareth’s direction. “This one lives in peace and harmony with his pack. He puts their needs above his own, as an Alpha is meant to. It is with this in mind that I grant him my boon.”
Sean slumped to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut, and when he looked up, he smiled at Gareth. “Surprise.”
He got to his feet and put a hand on Gareth’s arm. The mark on Sean’s shoulder shimmered, then slid down Sean’s arm and up Gareth’s. There was no pain, only warmth. When Sean drew back, the mark of the moon remained on his shoulder, while the figure of the wolf was on Gareth’s.
Sean took a step back. “I hope you’re ready, because your world is about to change.”
It shocked Gareth when he was surrounded by black flame. He threw his head back and roared, the sound blotting out anything else around it. He realized that this was Caleb’s vision. It wasn’t Sean who was bathed in fire—it was Gareth himself. As quickly as the flames came, they vanished.
“This is my gift to you, my children of the moon.”
Power coursed through Gareth, and he howled at the night sky. He’d never felt like this before. Strength filled his body, repairing the damage Ryker had done, molding it, changing it to make him larger, stronger. He grinned, because he now dwarfed Ryker.
“What are you doing? This challenge said no help from any pack member!” The fear in Ryker’s voice was evident.
Mother Moon’s voice came from above them as the clouds once again parted, the moon shining bright in the sky. “I am not of any pack. I am the mother of all. Thus, the rules have not been broken. By my words, you, Gareth Blackthorn, are now Alpha Supreme, blessed by me to go out and heal my children. With your mate by your side, you will bring the wolves together once again. Return them to their glory, where all will know they are loved. Ryker Desmond, you have been found wanting. It is my hope that you will take this opportunity to find a new path in life, but I fear that won’t happen. Therefore, what is about to occur is fully on your head.”
From the crowd, Kristopher roared when a bolt of lightning struck from the sky. His eyes went wide as his skin charred and smoked. His scream echoed long after his body stopped twitching.
“That one was mine!” Ryker cried out.
“He hurt my children, and I will never allow that to occur again.”
Ryker was on his feet again and shifted as he charged Sean. Gareth threw himself between the two, and Ryker slammed into Gareth, only this time Gareth didn’t move. He grabbed Ryker by the throat and held him off the ground. Ryker continued to snap, doing his best to lock his jaws around Gareth’s throat.
“You threatened my mate and his brother,andmy children. You hurt your pack, murdered them and those from mine. I want to hate you, but all I can do is think of those who have passed on from this world. I do not do this from anger. Rather I do it so that you can never hurt another living soul.”
With those words, Gareth wrapped both hands around Ryker’s throat and twisted, crushing his neck. Ryker’s body went limp, hanging from Gareth’s grasp. He let Ryker fall onto the hard ground, then turned and scooped Sean into his arms.
“You’re bigger.” Sean smiled at him. “I like it.”
“More to love you with.”
“We have a lot to do in the future. There will be so many changes coming.”
“That’s for another day. Tonight I want to take you home and make love to you.”
Sean glanced down at Ryker’s body. “I think I need that. Today has been too ugly for me.”
Gareth put Sean back down, then turned to the people. “The nightmare of Ryker’s time as Alpha is over.”
A roar went up from the crowd.
