Page 170 of Conner's Luna

"Elle," Wilkinson croaks feebly. I'll bet Bailey is salivating at how long it's taking the fucker to pass out. Maybe I will let her take some samples.

"Do you approve the Challenge, Alpha?" Elenora asks me, ignoring her erstwhile mate.

She has the soul of a luna. Tough despite years of pain. This female understands sacrifice.

"I approve," I reply calmly.

The two males holding Lydia back let her go. At the same time, Dad grabs Trey to prevent him from interfering. Only a second goes by before Elenora shifts to paws, smoother and faster than I ever could have imagined for such an ill female.

Lydia is a second slower, but when Elenora attacks her, she is also on paws.

Elenora is older, ill, but fights with dogged determination. She doesn't care if she lives or dies, as long as Lydia is destroyed. I don't blame her. I know how painful these last few months must have been, and Elenora is Marked by Wilkinson so her agony must have been excruciating.

Lydia is not going down without a fight. Fur flies through the air. Flecks of foam from open, snarling maws are soon joined by droplets of blood, littering the ground and bystanders alike. The two females are hemmed in with us by the LoboGris warriors. There is no escape for the battling females. This fight is to the death.

Elenora's scream of pain follows a sickening crack. I hear Trey moan softly in commiseration with his mother. Even Dad looks sympathetic as the older, frail she-wolf forces her weakened body to battle for honor lost and a mate who isn't worth one shit, let alone two.

The fight turns on a dime. Elenora somehow gets a mouthful of Lydia's vulnerable neck. It's a killing blow. The younger she-wolf falters, then falls to the ground. Blood gushes from the severed carotid. It's a shocking finish. Lydia has almost no other wounds, but Elenora staggers, bleeding from several small bites.

Elenora shifts back. Uncle Mattie is there a moment later, ignoring a fuming Carmichael muttering threats of spankings under his breath.

Dad releases Trey, who wastes no time in running to his mother's side. "Mom, fuck, what were you thinking?"

Elenora clings to her son and stands up with his support, waving off Uncle Mattie's help. Her eyes are determined and cold as she stares at her mate. "I did this because of you," she says softly. "You've thrown away your mate and your pack because you couldn't just let fate decide."

Alpha Wilkinson mouths her name weakly.

Elenora turns to her son with the first emotion other than rage and hurt. "I'm sorry, Trey. You've lost your mate and your pack, too.We'velost." She laughs, her weak body shuddering with a cough.

"Don't," Trey says fiercely. "It was never your fault."

"You agreed to your father's schemes for my sake," she rasps out.

Trey's face twists in pain, "my choice."

"And your work with Dr. Honekier?"

Trey goes pale. "A bad decision. I wanted to save you. To save the pack."

"Our Alpha will be wanting to hear more about those 'bad decisions,'" Dad says seriously.

"Where is Uncle Alex?" I ask.

Without a pause, my Uncle's voice call's out, "here." He walks over with a slight limp, holding the elbow of a very old, dark-skinned human woman.

"¡Abue!"Bailey cries out in shocked joy. She tries to run into the old lady's arms, but I don't let her go. I don't trust those beady brown eyes glaring at me in pure avarice. Bailey'sabueladoesn't like me at all.

I feel Bailey pinch my arm. I still don't let her go. I don't have to becauseAbuelais steamrolling over without any hesitation or concern for the scraps of leather, blood, sweat, tears, and the naked males sporting all of it.

"A wolf, Bailey Madison Washington?" she snaps out furiously.

Hank is there a moment later, looking furious as fuck that he was locked in the safe room while his daughter was outside.

"And she's pregnant," Hank adds unhelpfully.

"She hasn't even graduated yet!"Abuelahowls.

Shit. I'm going to have to take the whacks from this cane, aren't I?

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