Ravenwood(99)

She didn’t think as she moved. If he shifted, she wasn’t sure who would win. She lurched forward, feeling the ghastly grind of broken bone in her chest, her left leg wobbly and weak behind her as it buckled from punctures Hayter had left. She remembered the bulk of his body as a wolf - the sharp press of his teeth in her arm, the heavy weight of him against her human form. She pounced, aiming for his throat, her teeth closing in on Hayter’s neck. They fell to the ground, Hayter beneath her, her teeth embedded in his skin. Blood poured hot and thick from the wound and Hayter punched at her - hitting her in the ribs, digging his claws again into her flank. It hurt - it hurt deep in her bones, the pain surrounding her. She ground her jaw harder, feeling her teeth sink further into his flesh, his tendons, his muscles and veins.

“You’ve not the heart of a killer,” Hayter rasped, his voice like sand in Elinore’s ears. She believed him and she faltered. He took her hesitation as an opportunity to swing madly at her, pummeling his fists into her side, trying to make her release her jaw. She was paralyzed by indecision. She could not let go, but neither could she kill him. Movement off to the side drew her eye and she saw Caleb struggling to his feet, Alice being tended to by her mother, Jonah ready to come to Elinore’s aid with only a shovel, and Mrs. Davenport standing afraid, but unmoving, holding an overlarge axe her that Elinore doubted the older woman could even swing. No, Elinore didn’t have the heart of a killer. But she believed she had the heart of a protector. She had to protect her pack.

She bit down harder and Hayter howled, punching solidly against her again and bucking his feet. Now that the decision had been made, that she would kill him to protect her pack, she distressingly found she lacked the leverage to do it. Between his struggling and her awkward position, she had tired. She was hurt, exhausted - not strong enough to yank his throat out with her teeth. Yet she was still unwilling to release him. She may never get this chance again. If she failed, Hayter would kill Caleb, kill her pack.

Another shape came out of the woods. The omega wolf. He slunk forward, his eyes watching Elinore carefully in case she suddenly turned her jaws on him. When she made no move to release Hayter, he was emboldened and moved closer. Elinore heard Caleb call out her name in warning - to him the omega was unknown - he had no way of knowing that Elinore did not believe he posed a threat.

The omega pounced on Hayter’s legs, settling the bulk of his weight, holding his lower body down. Elinore was able to shift her weight, placing her in a better position. Then, Caleb came forward, his eyes on the omega wolf, then Elinore, then finally, Hayter. His uncle, his Alpha. Grimly, he placed his foot on Hayter’s shoulder, pressing down hard, pushing the Alpha’s body to the ground.

Now, Elinore could get the leverage she needed. The bones in her chest ground against one another as she bit down harder and tore with her teeth, ripping her jaw sideways and pulling skin, sinew and muscle from Hayter’s neck. Hayter screamed, a horrid, ghastly sound that made Elinore’s hackles rise. Blood spurted from the wound, hot and red, spraying against her fur as Hayter’s body started sagging to the ground, going limp. A deep gurgling sound welled up from him and a gasp escaped his lips. Elinore shimmied backward, wanting to be away, away, away, from the grisly sight, but unable to turn her eyes from his dying form, while he twitched and jerked. Her world narrowed - she no longer saw Caleb, nor the omega - only Hayter, bleeding out, his eyes fixed on her. He twitched again and she waited for the next awful convulsion of his body. And waited. And waited. There was no more movement from his body. No further sound from his mouth.

“Elinore.”

Caleb’s voice startled her and she padded backwards into the brush of leaves, feeling shy, scared and shaky. She killed someone. He’d been trying to hurt her, hurt her pack and she killed him. He’d been alive minutes ago, breathing and moving and now wasn’t, because of her.

“Elinore, it’s all right.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off Hayter’s body, looking foreign and unreal in the silver light. She could hear Caleb moving toward her, slowly, leaves crunching under his feet, the soft fall of his feet upon the earth. His voice sounded different to her now that she was a wolf. It was more. His soft tone seemed softer, the caramel smoothness of it sounded more peaceful and calming to her pointed ears. She shivered.

“It’s all right,” he repeated, finally standing in front of her, blocking her view of Hayter. Caleb was so tall to her wolf form. She tipped her head back to look at him, staring, not sure what to do. She crouched lower, awful agony shooting through her flank as she did. He reached his hand out, palm up and open, holding it carefully in front of her. She stole a glance to the forest, feeling an urge deep in her belly to run and hide.

“Let’s go home, Elinore.”

Home. Ravenwood. A high-pitched whining sound escaped her throat and she took a halting step forward, her back legs buckling. Sharp pain lanced through her chest and she whined again. Caleb moved toward her, slowly, carefully, reading her body language, seeing the way her eyes kept darting to the depths of the forest. She could hide there. It would be dark and safe.

“Come now, let us go home.”

Caleb took another step closer and on her next breath the familiar scent of him filled her lungs. She lurched forward and nosed at his hand, and then sniffed up his arm when he crouched down to her level. She stepped the rest of the way forward and nuzzled into his neck, turning her face away from where Hayter lay. Caleb’s arms came around her and held her close.