Resisting the Rival Alpha

Chapter Two: Delicious Fear

LEX

My paws slam into the forest floor. Beneath me, logs snap as if they are twigs. My claws rip a path through the ferns and foliage, carving footprints into the soil, soft as belly flesh.

On the cold wind I catch the scent of damp, earthen roots, and then fear.

Her  fear.

She gives it to me, so sweetly.

I won't answer her frightened little questions yet. But if I did...I would tell her:

This is what I want.

Her fear.

Her terror.

Somehow, I think she knows.

I lift my muzzle to the air and drink it in, the thick, honeyed waves.

God, that's good. Delicious. Intoxicating.

Sure, it would have been nice to get the drop on her. I was pissed at first when I felt her little voice in my head.

But what kind of almost-Alpha would she be if she hadn't scented me?

After all, there is no honor in mindless slaughter. I had been hoping she wouldn't make this easy.

Plus, it'll be more fun this way.

My wolf is ravenous for her throat. He wants more than simply the ending of her life. He wants to make her suffer. Wants her eyes wide and watching as we sink our fangs into her, the hot, sweet blood spilling from our jaws.

But that's not what this is about.

This is about ending a war, I remind my wolf, who snarls in savage response.

Tonight, I'm ending ten years of ripped fur and opened throats under cold moons.

Ten years of orphaned cubs, of blood for blood, of my pack suffering.

I am Lex Steele, Alpha of the Shadowclaw Pack.

It is my job to protect them.

And I have failed.

Until tonight.

Because tonight, I will kill Kaelyn Hart, Alpha heir-apparent of the Silverfang Pack.

I was little more than a child when this duty fell upon me.

But I am a child no longer.

I pick up the pace.

In wolf form, I am indomitable. And that's me being modest. Nothing wrong with the truth. I've killed grizzlies with one swipe of my paw. As massive as I am, at full speed, I'm a black blur. They have a phrase for me:

"The last silhouette you'll ever see."

No Alpha could pay for a better reputation.

Trees fly by as I sprint harder, heart slamming in my chest. I raise my muzzle, catch another gust of wind. It's there, stronger now, the smell of terror, of desperation, of something else, something equally, if not more so, delicious.

Now. I need her now.

Soon, I tell my wolf. I'm getting impatient, too. Where the hell is she?

Then I hear it, a quick, soft crackle of a pile of dry leaves. With a snarl, I whip my head in the direction of the sound. There. A flash of silver fur.

Found her.

Already galloping impossibly fast, I ratchet up my speed, pushing myself to the limit. Past it, even. At this point, I'm not so sure. It doesn't matter, because my wolf will never let me quit. In fact, I'm counting on it. And finally, I see her about thirty feet ahead of me.