Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(76)
Kaden shifted as he ran to meet the other alpha, becoming a monstrous black beast with poison fangs, like something out of a nightmare. The other packs all thought him a villain, and though he certainly looked the part, I knew better now.
Dixon waited for Kaden to get close to him, and then let out his lion’s roar. It was far enough away that I didn’t feel its effects, but Kaden stopped mid-stride and shook his head. I saw him tremble as if fighting against his body’s urge to run, and then he snarled again and leaped at Dixon, teeth flashing.
They tumbled to the ground, rolling and fighting for dominance. It was dead silent as we all stood frozen, watching them tussle for dominance, the only sounds the snarls and growls as the two alphas fought. Kaden landed a bite on Dixon, but the older wolf shook it off and kept fighting. He chomped down on Kaden's leg, jerking him around, and then tossed him into a tree with a show of strength. I pawed at the ground, whining softly, worried for the man I'd come to care so much about. I desperately wanted to run to him and help however I could, but I knew this wasn't my fight.
It went on for what felt like an eternity, a blur of fur, claws, and fangs that was sometimes hard to follow. I watched Kaden land several more bites on Dixon, and with each one, he seemed to weaken. But Dixon was fierce, fighting back with everything he had, his snout coated with Kaden's blood. He managed to knock Kaden to the ground, standing over him, and my breath caught, fearing the worst. But then Kaden flipped him over, knocking the other alpha to the ground, and sunk his fangs into Dixon’s neck. The Leo alpha twitched a few times and then went still.
Kaden lifted his blood-soaked head and howled, signaling the win. The sound echoed through the entire forest, and I knew every shifter fighting on either side had heard it. I looked around, trying to see what the Leo pack would do without their leader. A growl went through several shifters close to me, and then they turned tail and fled. I chased them down, as did others of my pack, and watched several meet their end as they tucked their tails and ran.
Let them flee, Kaden told us, and a huge sigh of relief went through my entire body at the sound of Kaden's voice in my head. They’re nothing but cowards. The victory is ours.
Something wasn’t quite right though. I hadn’t seen Jordan during the fight. I closed my eyes and sought him out through the bond, which wanted nothing more than to lead me to him. Uneasiness roiled through my gut as I realized which direction he was in—the same direction Stella had gone with the pups. I ran toward the woods without waiting to see what Kaden would do next, letting the bond finally pull me to Jordan, as it had been trying to do since we were mated.
Jordan lounged against a black SUV with some of the Leos who had successfully fled, and didn’t look surprised at all to see me crash through the underbrush. I was momentarily stunned with a wave of desire for him and had to forcibly hold myself back from leaping on him—either to kiss him or to kill him, I wasn't entirely sure.
“So glad you’ve decided to join us,” he drawled, flashing me a sinister smile. “Now you're going to get in the car and come with me."
I shifted back to human form, not even caring that I was naked. "Like hell I will. This is my pack now and your alpha is dead. Get the fuck off our lands and stay out of my life."
"I can't do that." His eyes raked up and down my body possessively and I shuddered with a mix of lust and hatred. "I'm not leaving without you, but I will make you a deal. The Sun Witches have the weak ones from your pack surrounded, along with the children. At my command, they’ll burn them all alive. That is, unless you come with me now.”
"I don't believe you."
He pulled out a phone from his pocket and tilted it toward me. On the screen, I could see Sun Witches standing around a hatch door they'd uncovered in the middle of the forest. As I watched, they dragged one of the wolf pups out of it, and then the camera panned to show me Stella and Clayton, both captured, both fighting with everything they had to escape. Fire surrounded them, the flames licking at their tails, and only the Sun Witches' magic kept it from spreading across the entire forest.
"You monster," I whispered. I glared at my mate, a man I hated so much it burned in my veins, making my hands shake. I wanted to jump onto him and tear his throat out, but the fucking bond wouldn’t let me.
Jordan looked down at his phone, watching the screen, then raised his eyebrows at me. "It's your choice. Join me...or watch them all burn."
There was nothing I could do. I couldn't fight Jordan, and even if I managed to reach out to Kaden for help, the Sun Witches could easily burn our entire pack lands within seconds. I wasn't going to let innocent wolf pups die for me—or anyone else in my pack.
Defeat flowed through me, and I bowed my head. There was no way out of this. I had to go with him.
I took a step closer, meeting Jordan's eye. “I’ll go willingly if the Sun Witches—along with the Leos and your allies—all leave without harming anyone in my pack. Swear it on our bond, and I'm yours.”
“You really are attached to them, aren’t you?” He tilted his head and smiled as if this had been his plan all along. “Fine, I swear it on our bond.”
I thought he might still be lying, but then he barked orders into his phone, and moments later he showed me that the Sun Witches were leaving. They seemed to go poof, vanishing in a burst of sunlight, but at least they were gone. I caught sight of other wolves rushing through the leaves, heading out of the pack lands. I closed my eyes, thankful it was over.