Stephanie's Trial

Tragedy

Simon snarled as he faced down Aiden, Sebastian and Carter. Fury poured off him in waves, and every pack member was on edge, hackles raised, low growls rumbling in their chests. I wasn't immune; though I hated the guy with a passion, he was, unfortunately, my Alpha. So this challenge wasn't sitting well with me at all.

Everyone else was having just as hard a time as I; Aoife looked like she wanted to tear some throats out, and James and Samuel were openly snarling as they watched the three Alphas circling their Alpha.

Deep down, though, I wanted Simon to die. He was an abusive bully, and after all the hell he'd put Dorothy through, as well as outright killing her during the battle at Stonehenge, he definitely deserved to get paid in kind. Even so, it was hard separating the human and wolf as I watched the circling, and I wished myself elsewhere.

With a snarl, Simon leapt forward, and the four of them went down in a tumbling, snarling tangle. It all happened so fast that no one could get a clear glimpse of what was going on, but when they separated, Aiden had a large gash on his shoulder, and Carter had blood running down his left foreleg. Sebastian was the only one to not bear any injuries yet, and with a snarl of his own, he re-engaged Simon in another fierce fight. Carter, and then Aiden joined the battle, snarling as they fought to contain him and bring him to heel. Unfortunately for them, Simon was already wild with rage at being betrayed by three Alphas he'd thought he might get on his side, and he fought with the strength of three wolves. When the dust finally settled after this second, more vicious battle, Sebastian was limping, and Carter's right eye was a bloody mess. Aiden had a torn left ear, and he too was limping. It was clear they hadn't expected Simon to put up such a fierce fight, and dismay was clear in all their faces.

'If they lose, we're so done for,' Kira predicted gloomily. 'Mr Personality over there is going to immediately blame us for 'letting him down', and all his abuse is going to be like a walk in the park compared to what he might visit on us if he wins.'

'Then we better hope he loses,' I said, but even so, I felt the first tinges of doubt creep in. Simon was fighting for his survival, and if he won, he'd add three more packs to his list of conquests. If he let any of them live after killing their Alphas.

One more vicious fight broke out, but now it was clear Simon was getting the upper hand; with a snarl, he tore Aiden's throat out, and Mia howled in agony as her mate died. Carter was next to go down, also with a torn throat, and it was Avery's turn to howl as he died. Now it was just Sebastian, and I felt a chill go down my spine. Sebastian was already the worse for wear from his last clash with Simon, and though Simon was bleeding heavily, one eye ruined like Carter's had been, he looked more capable - and he had the fury of his betrayal riding him. Any male thus backed into a corner would do the same, be they human or wolf, and Simon looked ready to rip the world apart, if it meant getting revenge on those who had wronged him.

Sebastian circled him warily, before leaping forward, crashing into Simon and sending them both tumbling to the ground. This time, it was a no-holds-barred beatdown, and for several minutes, we couldn't make out anything that was going on, thanks to all the dust they raised. But the sound of fangs sinking into flesh, bones crunching, and howls of pain told the tail clearly, and I tensed, my hackles up and tail stiff. From the sounds of it, it looked very likely the fight would soon be over.

And then another howl of agony rose to the sky.

'Oh shit,' Kira said, and I felt dawning horror rise in me as the dust cleared and Simon stood there, breathing heavily, his muzzle bloody. At his feet, Sebastian lay dead, his throat torn out and his face a bloody ruin. In fact, his entire body was covered in blood, darkening his fur, and it was hard to even see there was a wolf underneath.

Simon threw back his head and howled, and though I tried to fight the compulsion, I had no choice but to lift my voice to the sky, as did the rest of the pack. Avery, Mia and Abigail stood mute as Simon let the world know he'd triumphed again.

It was almost too much to bear.

Once the howls ceased, Simon turned to face the three stunned Lunas. 'You should have joined me while you had the chance,' he said. 'Instead, you betrayed me, and for what? A half-breed who should've been drowned at birth? Another half-breed who also stabbed in the back, whilst mouthing false promises to my face?'

The three Lunas stood silent, and a wolfish grin crossed Simon's face. Already he was starting to heal, and I shuddered at the sight. 'No matter,' he said. 'It's all over. Your Alphas are dead, and your packs belong to me. James, Samuel. Finish those Betas and Gammas off.'

The two did as they were told, but the Betas and Gammas refused to go down with a fight, and more snarls and howls of pain filled the air. Abigail, Avery and Mia looked as if they wanted to be sick, and I didn't blame them. With the deaths of their mates, so too had my hopes of finally giving Simon what for. And as I listened to the vicious fight taking place only feet away from me, I knew that Simon was going to make me pay. It didn't matter that the Lunas had sent their infiltrators in. To Simon, I'd betrayed him for not telling them that they had to join him, and I knew my life was likely to be measured in days, if not hours.

'At least we had a good time,' Kira said sadly, and I nodded.

'At least we did,' I agreed. 'But I am going to make him pay for the privilege of trying to kill me. And I am not going down without a fight.'