Fated

Chapter Fifteen

The moment the dark grey wolf, Lex, bolts toward the black one, I barely have time to react. They collide with a force that shakes the earth beneath me, their snarls and growls tearing through the night air. Lex is relentless, powerful, its movements precise as it lashes out with razor-sharp teeth. Each attack is met with a desperate counter from the black wolf, but it's clear who has the upper hand. Lex's strength is overwhelming, and it isn't long before the black wolf is forced to the ground, struggling beneath the Lex's weight.

My heart races, terror flooding through me as I watch them. I've never seen a fight like this up close, so raw and brutal. The sounds of teeth sinking into flesh and the sharp yelps of pain are almost too much to bear. Lex is winning, dominating the black one with an intensity that leaves me breathless.

But just as I think it's over, just as Lex seems poised to deliver the final blow, something white flashes in the corner of my vision. Another wolf—white and just as massive—bursts out of the woods, teeth bared, and lunges at Lex.

"No!" The word rips from my throat, but it's too late. The white wolf slams into the grey one, knocking it off the black wolf, and suddenly it's no longer a fair fight. The two wolves gang up on Lex, biting and tearing him with a viciousness that makes my blood run cold.

Lex fights back, but he's outnumbered, and the wounds he's already sustained are slowing him down. My heart pounds in my chest, fear and helplessness mixing into a sickening cocktail as I watch the wolves tear into each other. Lex is bleeding, limping, struggling to keep up with the relentless assault from both sides.

They're going to kill him.

My wolf stirs inside me, a growl rumbling through my chest, urging me to act. I can feel her anger, her desperation, and before I know it, I'm shifting. My bones snap and rearrange, fur sprouting along my skin as I drop to all fours. The transformation is quick, almost automatic, and then I'm charging toward the fight, a feral snarl ripping from my throat. The anger my wolf was feeling is now mine.

I launch myself at the white wolf, my teeth sinking into its hind leg. The taste of blood fills my mouth as I bite down hard, refusing to let go until it yelps in pain and stumbles back, momentarily distracted. The black wolf snaps at me, its teeth grazing my side, but I stand my ground, positioning myself between the two wolves and Lex.

The one I have to protect.

I can feel his labored breaths behind me, hear the pain in his low growl, but I don't move. The need to protect him, to keep him safe, is all-consuming. My own fear is drowned out by the primal urge to defend, and I bare my teeth at the black wolf, daring it to come closer.

The black wolf's eyes narrow, and it lowers its head, preparing to strike. My muscles tense, ready to spring, but before it can attack, the white wolf steps forward, growling so deeply that it vibrates through my entire body. It's a warning, a command, and the black wolf hesitates, its gaze flicking between me and its comrade.

For a moment, everything is still. The white wolf's eyes lock with the black wolf's, and something passes between them, a silent communication that I can't understand. The tension is thick, the air buzzing with the possibility of another attack, but then, slowly, the black wolf begins to back away. The white wolf limps to its side, its gaze still locked on me, but neither of them moves to strike again.

I don't relax, not yet. I stand firm, every muscle coiled and ready, until the two wolves finally turn and disappear into the trees, their forms swallowed by the darkness. Only then do I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, my body trembling with the aftermath of the fight.

I turn to the massive wolf behind me, taking in the blood matting his fur, the way he's struggling to stay on his feet. He's injured, badly, but he's alive. Relief floods through me, but it's mixed with something else, something deeper and more unsettling that I can't quite put into words.