Page 52 of Rejected Forced Mate
Dominic's lip curled, and his hold on his calm facade was breaking. "Fuck you, Noah. Fuck you, fuck Cal, and fuck this pack." He spat on the ground to emphasize his point. "It will be a hell of a lot better when I take over. Maybe I'll do what you failed to do and make your father proud."
"You're a traitor," I couldn't muster the energy to scream at him, and my voice sounded hollow. "You will never be part of this pack again, not in any way, shape, or form."
Dominic grinned, his canines longer than they should have been, and he spread his arms out as more shadows came through the trees to join him. It made me go cold. There were so many rogues, way more than I had anticipated, and what would have been a short battle was suddenly seeming a lot more dangerous.
I had warriors, sure, but rogues fought dirty. Still, I couldn't let him see the concern on my face, even as all the puzzle pieces came together in my head. It hadn't been Joe testing the pack boundaries for weeks; it had been Dominic. That was why he was able to go undetected.
Because the land still recognized him, at least somewhat.
"Care to test that theory? If you win, you keep the pack. If I win, well...a new Alpha rises."
"I don't want to kill you—" I stopped when a heavy hand fell on my shoulder, and I turned to see Joe at my side, his face unreadable. He stared at Dominic, but when he spoke, it was to me.
"If you will consider our feud settled, we will happily fight by your side," Joe rumbled, "I've fought these bastards before, and I know how dangerous they can be. And now they've got explosives...you're going to need all the help you can get."
"This is your last chance, Noah. Forfeit the pack and step aside, or we take it by force."
I glanced at the wolf beside me, the man who had once been my enemy. "It's settled," I told Joe, "and you have a deal."
With that, Joe and I, as well as our combined warriors, surged forward. The fight was a bloody one, and though I had never expected to see the day when the two packs would come together, I couldn't deny that we were making a formidable force.
I tried not to focus on the fact that I was fighting my old friend, but the truth was, Dominic wasn't giving me a choice. He was out for blood, and mine was at the top of his list. I did everything in my power to stay clear of him, but the bastard was clever, and the longer the battle went on, the more tired I got.
Then, I felt it, like a jolt of fresh energy right to my soul. To the south, there was a surge of magic that was undeniably Sage. At first, I was panicked—she should have been locked up safe with the other women and children—but that feeling quicklyabated. I should have known better. Sage was never going to hide when people needed help.
"I need to find my mate!" I called Joe, "Can you handle this until I get back?"
Joe, who was currently wrapping his hands around the neck of a rogue, gave me a curt nod, and that was all the confirmation I needed.
I sprinted through the woods, following the magical pull. When I found her, I had to stop for a moment. The sight of her was unlike anything I had ever seen. There was no trace of the shy, quiet she-wolf. Before me, her garnet hair flying wild, and her hands held high, was a warrior goddess.
And she was using her magic. Not just to fight, but to defend a small group of wolves that huddled behind her, some of them children. No wonder she'd joined the fray.
I'd seen her heal, but seeing her fight was something different altogether.
She was stunning, and as I watched, a rogue came charging through the woods, his mouth twisted in rage. He looked rabid, and he was headed straight for Sage. My mate didn't flinch, didn't hesitate. She merely raised her hands, and a wall of golden light appeared in front of her. It was like watching a truck slam into a brick wall. The rogue's body jerked back, and then he was flying, slamming into a tree and falling to the ground, unconscious.
"Holy shit," I whispered. "I knew you were powerful, but..."
Sage whirled around, eyes wide, her hands still up, and for a moment, I thought she was going to send a burst of magicmy way. But she didn't. Instead, a look of relief crossed her face, and her shoulders dropped.
"Noah!" She gasped, and for the first time since I'd found her, I could see how exhausted she was, her chest heaving as she motioned to those whom she had been protecting. "We need to get them to safety. Hurry!"
I was the Alpha. I was the one used to making commands. But then and there, I was more than happy to follow my wife, even if she led me to hell. "Let's get them to the Council house. Come on."
Chapter 24 - Sage
Noah took the lead, and I took up the rear, fleeing through the pack lands to get the more vulnerable members to the safety of the Council house. Along the way, Noah explained to me in short bursts what had happened and how Joe and his wolves had joined the fight. I felt a rush of warmth at that. Joe had proven, once again, that he was a good Alpha and a good man. I just hoped that once this was over, Noah could see it too.
But for the moment, we had bigger fish to fry.
I was seriously out of breath by the time we made it to safety, a stitch in my side making it hard to breathe as Noah and I hauled the doors open and escorted the other wolves inside. Most were locked up in their homes, but some others had taken shelter there, too, and it was fortified enough to keep them safe.
No sooner than we shut the doors, a handful of rogue wolves loped out of the forest, bloodlust in their eyes. All of them were in wolf form, but it wasn't hard to guess that the tall, black wolf was Dominic, because he only had eyes for Noah.
My heart sank as I saw my mate turn towards the rogues. His wolf was right there below his skin, and I knew he had every intention of fighting. But I could tell just by looking at him that he was exhausted. We all were. The pack lands were a mess, and I didn't think we could win another battle.
But I could buy us time.
