Chasing Tail [Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x Sʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀs Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ]

Part 26

Ash POV

With a single sharp pull, I break the chain holding Y/N's cuffs together and trapping her against the wall. She tumbles forward and I catch her, wrapping my arms tightly around her.

She's bleeding and trembling in my embrace. It's almost enough to break me apart on the spot. I never thought anything could make me so strong and yet so vulnerable all at once, yet here she is in my arms.

I pick her up in a bridal carry and leave the shed. Y/N releases an audible sigh of relief as soon as the fresh outdoor air swirls around us. I'm just as relieved to leave behind the awful miasma of fear and blood that pervaded that small, dark space.

It's not safe out here, though, not yet. The courtyard is full of shifters, big cats and wolves, fighting each other in a head-to-head battle. At the center of it all, a giant golden-brown direwolf faces down another shaggy brown-and-gray wolf.

"Cody!" Y/N gasps. She recognizes him immediately, as do I.

He looks up, as if sensing me and our mate from across the yard. His bright eyes meet mine, then they drink in the sight of the human woman in my arms. Somehow, perhaps through our mate, I feel his intense fury in reaction to her injuries. He nods to me, trusting that I'll protect her while he eliminates the piece of trash who hurt her.

I'm strangely honored that he trusts me still, even though she escaped us and got kidnapped on my watch. And it feels even stranger to be honored by the trust of a dog. Man, mated life is not what I expected at all. But I wouldn't trade it for the whole world. Not when the comforting weight of my mate in my arms feels better than anything else.

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Cody POV

I tear my attention away from Ash and Y/N. I've seen what I needed to see—she's safe in his arms.

Now, to finish my work here.

I round on the gray-brown wolf—Braden. He's large for a direwolf. Almost as big as me. Since he was groomed from birth to one day be alpha, he has far more training in fighting, especially in how to win a one-on-one challenge to the death.

But I've got the strength and the motivation to win this. My fury is a living inferno, raging inside me, giving me power and clarity.

He darts forward and snaps at me. I dodge to the side. He attacks again, and again, and each time I evade him. His lips draw back to reveal his sharp teeth as he grows frustrated the more I escape his grasp.

Here's one advantage I do have: As the alpha, Braden is constantly worried about looking weak in front of his pack. He can never let anyone question his right to rule, so he can never go on the defensive. He'll attack and keep on attacking until he tires himself out.

All around us, the pack and the pride have stopped fighting. I note out of the corner of my eye that the cat shifters have all aligned themselves behind Ash in a protective, supportive semi-circle. The wolves, on the other hand, surround me and Braden, eagerly watching the battle without interfering.

His strikes become a tad slower. The angrier and more tired he gets, the sloppier his form is. I'm quick, ducking and twisting, using his momentum to throw him off me whenever he gets a hold.

And then he leaves me an opening. In an instant, our roles reverse—I go on the offensive. I clamp my teeth around his neck, and this time, I don't leave even a second for him to react before I tear out his throat.

It's over, just like that.

Good, my wolf purrs. He doesn't deserve any last words. He lives and dies like vermin.

In death, Braden shifts a final time, returning to human.

I drop his lifeless form and shift. Every single wolf shifter around me shifts too, all following my lead.

Slowly, I stand, feeling the former alpha's blood drip down my jaw. As I straighten, the pack shifters bend, all dropping to their knees in unison.

It dawns on me: I killed their alpha. I challenged him and won. That makes me the new alpha now.

I turn, searching for my friend and my mate. Ash stands surrounded by his pride, all of whom have shifted too and are now bowing their heads toward him in a show of respect and submission.

Apparently, in the time he was gone, he managed to take over leadership of the pride.

I don't even care to think about the implications now. All I see is my mate. She squirms until he puts her down, though he keeps a firm hold on her.

She drags him toward me, pushing aside kneeling shifters like they're nothing more than tall blades of grass in her bid to reach me. Suddenly, I'm running, dying to hold her, to touch her.

We meet halfway. I sweep my mate into my arms and kiss her until we both can't breathe. 

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shorter update for you today loves, but you can expect some smut in the update tomorrow <3