Freefall-Book One

Chapter Fifteen

(A/N: Warning! Multiple pov's!  Hopefully I do justice to the fight between Sofia and Nickolas.  To all the awesome fans and awesome comments, thanks!  It helps and motivates like no other!  Also, sorry I haven't uploaded since Wednesday; my son's 2nd birthday was this Sunday, along with Easter, so things were pretty busy!  Enjoy!)

Chapter Fifteen

Standing in the clearing, I could feel my hatred for Nickolas burning, as if my very center would self-implode and I would pass from this world.  I could feel my body shifting, the warming sensation, as if standing under a hot waterfall, taking over and freeing any inhibitions.  He was MINE.

With a ferocious growl, I soared into the air, my claws extended.  He met me halfway, and we collided, the sound like thunder throughout the clearing.  I could hear paws thudding on the Earth as I felt my claws dig into his side; his blood fueling my lust.  I wanted his blood on my claws; I wanted to feel his life ebb slowly from beneath me.  I let out a rage filled howl and slashed out a claw at him, feeling it pass through his left shoulder and into the flesh.  He let out a harsh growl and swiped.  I wasn’t quick enough, and the pain had almost a numbing feeling to it.  He had caught me across my lower left jaw.  I could feel my warm blood trickling down and tainting my fur.  It didn’t matter; I would have him dead underneath me.

As we circled one another, I could feel several sets of eyes on us; growling sounded throughout the clearing, and it wasn’t only my own.  As if through a haze, I saw four wolves standing in the clearing, just on the edge of it, watching.  They dared not interfere, lest the fight was for nothing and we lost not only Matt, but our territory as well.  Yes, our, here, I had found a home, and acceptance, but I am determined that Nickolas will never harm another member of this pack.

Kristopher

Fur flew in the clearing; it took all of my strength to ignore the urge to run to Sofia and fight beside her.  With all my heart, I begged for her to survive.  Nickolas was brutal, and I feared that she would fail, and we would all loose.  She had taken a gamble, risking not only her own life, but the life of the pack as well.

As I circled the clearing with several of my guard, I watched carefully, looking for any weakness within Nickolas.  They flew at each other once again, and I growled.  How dare he touch her!  A large tuft of fur rolled towards my foot, its soft grey coloring beautiful even in the limited light.  My Sofia was a beautiful wolf.  I bent, keeping my eyes on the fight as I touched the fur lightly.  In another instant, they were rolling over top of one another, snarls ripping the calm air into pieces.  I groaned as another spray of Sofia’s blood hit the cool moss.  There was no way to tell if she was going to win this fight or not.  I hoped with all my heart she would.

               

                Danny

Poor Sofia; she’s all bloody and grey, and just kind-of small when you compare her to Nickolas.  He doesn’t look so good either.  There’s blood everywhere, and he’s all huffing like it’s hard to breathe, and he’s snarling, but there’s blood all over his teeth.  Sofia is getting him good.  She’s just watching as he side steps, and then she’s lunging when he’s not expecting it, and she’s great!  She’s the best fighter I’ve ever seen, so I don’t really understand why she couldn’t fight Kristopher.  Maybe she really didn’t want to fight him.  I mean, I wouldn’t want to fight him if I was put up against him or anything.  He’s kind-of big, and muscled, and she didn’t look to sad to be underneath him when she was running from him.  But now that I know she’s a really good fighter, I can’t help but wonder if maybe she just didn’t want to fight him or something.  Maybe they will work out and she’ll stop denying him.  Holy cow!  She just took a chunk out of his side with this mad swipe of claws and there’s fur everywhere!  She just took a chunk!  Not like a little small chunk that could heal over in a little bit, I mean a huge chunk that even when he shifts back, he’ll still have a missing chunk of skin!  Wow!  He’s all hot and angry now, and I bet you that means she’s got the upper hand and everything!  That’s what Kristopher says, you know?  That if you get your opponent mad and stuff, then you get the upper hand because they can’t think clear enough to see any weakness.  Kris is teaching me how to fight; he’s been teaching everybody how to fight with this whole “impending doom” thing we’ve got going on.  But I think that since Sofia challenged the Alpha of the other pack, there’s not going to be impending doom unless she loses, and I’m pretty sure that she’s winning!  That’s great, because if she wins then that means she’s Alpha female of her old pack, and there won’t be any more beatings and that means that there won’t be a fight because Kristopher will be Alpha, because he’s mated to her.  I’ve never heard of the female winning the title for the male, but I guess Sofia doesn’t play by the rules very well.  Then again, she wouldn’t fit Kristopher perfectly if she did, because all the girls in our pack play by the rules, especially when it comes to power struggles.  And Kristopher could have had any one of them; they were all over him until he found Sofia, and even then, they kept…HOLY CRAP!  DID YOU SEE THAT?  SHE JUST TOOK HIS FREAKIN HEAD OFF!  Wow.  I think I’m in love.

Sofia

Standing over his lifeless body, I can’t help but feel pride coursing through my veins, and fear.  I’ve never been an Alpha anything, and this is the first time I’ve ever had to fight for anything besides my own life.  I know that once it dawns on people that I’ve just killed an Alpha, and not just any Alpha, whatever life I had known before of anonymity, it’s gone.  I can feel the liquid rush as I shift, and then, I’m standing naked in the clearing over Nickolas’s body, looking down at him with hate in my eyes.  All my pain, my hatred, my heart ache, that’s been his fault.  And now that he’s gone, I don’t ever have to feel it again.  Come to think of it; I don’t feel much right now…

I hit the ground without realizing it, and soon, Kristopher’s arms are wrapped around me, pulling me to him, and then scooping me up bridal style as he carries me through the woods.  Three wolves, one of them Danny I’m sure, watch as he leaves, and then follow softly behind.  I can’t feel him carrying me; I can’t feel any pain anywhere; I can’t feel anything.  I look up to Kristopher, and I know, as a mate knows, that something is terribly wrong with me.

“Kristopher?  Why can’t I feel anything?” I whisper against his strong chest, tucking my head in.  He looks down at me with those emerald eyes, and all I can see is pain and hurt, and fear.  Fear is overwhelming in those beautiful eyes.

“We’re taking you to see the pack doctor, don’t worry Sophie.  We’ll get you taken care of.  Don’t you worry,” he says, his voice laced with panic.  I don’t say anything for a moment as he carries me through the forest.  Once we hit the tree line, I look up at him and watch as his face turns to stone for his pack.

“I’m not worried about me Kristopher,” I whisper.  “I’m worried about you.  You look like someone cancelled your favorite T.V. show.”  I know, pitiful.  I’m trying to make a joke out of this whole thing, but I can’t help it.  He looks so hurt and lost; I don’t want to be the cause of his hurt.  Everything seems so different now.  I have a right to be happy, don’t I?

“Yes, Sofia, you do.  And I want you to be happy with me.  But right now, we have to worry about getting you to the pack doctor, and getting you better.”

“Oh.  I feel fine.  Well, what I can feel feels fine,” I grinned, looking up at him.  He smiled down at me and continued until we reached the meeting house.  As he crossed the threshold of the doorway, I heard gasps and whispers.  It hadn’t gotten around as well as I had thought it would that I took on Nickolas.  And won.

“Bring her in here, Kristopher.  I need space to work,” a gruff voice said above the noise.  I looked at the man who had spoken, taking in his pot belly and graying tufts of hair.  His large spectacles perched on his nose made his eyes seem huge and I couldn’t help but giggle.  Kristopher looked down at me and smiled, running through my thoughts about the large doctor who reminded me of an overlarge owl.  Gingerly, he laid me on a long stretcher that was lowered so the short, stocky man could reach it.  I grimaced as I felt a pudgy finger poke into my side; the man tsked at me and looked down, shaking his finger at me as he pulled off his glove.

“You should be fine, dear.  It will just take time to heal.  Take this,” he instructed, popping a white pill into my mouth and holding my nose until I swallowed.  I groaned and looked over to Kristopher, who had my hand clasped in his own.  He smiled and I couldn’t help but admire those straight white teeth.  After about fifteen minutes of staring, the world started to spin, and colors began floating.  I didn’t know where I was, but I didn’t mind.

“I think I love you, sir!” I giggled, and then clapped a hand over my mouth.  Really, Sofia?  You just had to say that, out of all the things you could be talking to this man about!  I heard him chuckle, and he leaned over me, nibbling on my throat and making his way down to his mark.  He licked the mark, sending thrills of pleasure through my body.  Pain medicine and pleasure were too much, and I felt myself spill over the brink as he whispered softly in my ear.

“I don’t have to think about it, Sofia.  I do love you.”