MATED TO THE LONE WOLF

Chapter 8:part two

Lizzie!"Ramond’s roar echoed from the rafters, a sound of pure, unadulterated terror. He had seen the side door buckle from his high vantage point. Without a second thought for his own safety, he dropped his bow and leaped from the ten-foot-high crossbeam, crashing heavily onto a stack of overturned tables below to bridge the distance.But he was too far. The first raider, a scarred beta with a wicked hand-axe, burst through the ruined door. His eyes locked onto Lizzie, then traveled down to the silver medallion resting against her collarbone. A cruel, recognition flashed in his gaze. "The commander’s pet," he sneered, lunging forward with a sweeping strike meant to disarm and capture her.Lizzie didn't run. She remembered Ramond’s words: use your size.As the raider lunged, she dropped low to the stone floor, letting the heavy axe swing harmlessly through the air where her chest had been a second prior. Using her momentum, she slid across the slick tiles, driving her small steel blade upward into the raider's exposed inner thigh, severing the femoral artery. The man choked out a gasp, his leg buckling instantly as a torrent of dark blood spilled onto the stone.Before the second raider could step over his falling comrade, a silver flash of absolute fury intercepted him.Ramond arrived like a descending god of war. His broadsword cleaved through the second attacker’s guard with such savage force that the man was thrown backward through the shattered doorframe. Ramond didn't stop. He stepped into the gap, his blade a blur of lethal motion as he cut down the third raider attempting to squeeze through the breach.The immediate danger passed, Ramond kicked the heavy log into the ruined doorway to block the opening, then spun around. His chest was heaving, his face splattered with fresh blood, his blue eyes wide and wild with the feral energy of his wolf. He dropped his sword, the heavy steel clattering against the stone, and practically fell to his knees in front of Lizzie.He grabbed her by the arms, his hands shaking with a violence that shocked her. He pulled her flush against his chest, crushing her into a fierce, desperate embrace that buried her face in the crook of his neck."I thought I was too late," he choked out, his voice cracking with an emotion he couldn't contain. He kissed the crown of her head, her temples, her cheeks, his lips frantic and burning against her skin. "I saw him break through, and my heart stopped. If I lose you, Lizzie, there is nothing left of me. Do you understand? Nothing."Lizzie wrapped her arms around his massive neck, holding onto him with equal desperation. The heat of his body washed over her, dispelling the cold horror of the combat. "You didn't lose me," she whispered fiercely against his ear. "I fought back. I watched your movements, I used your training. I am alive because of you, Ramond."He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his large hands cupping her face. The raw, unprotected vulnerability in his gaze was breathtaking. An alpha, the fiercest warrior of Blackwood, was completely undone by the mere thought of her absence. "You are incredible," he murmured, his thumb rubbing over her cheekbone, wiping away a smear of soot. "You are more than a survivor, Lizzie. You are the heartbeat of this entire defense."He leaned down and kissed her—a deep, bruising, possessive kiss that tasted of iron, rain, and an unbreakable covenant. It was a declaration of ownership, not of a master over a slave, but of two souls hopelessly entwined in the middle of a slaughterhouse.The moment of sanctuary was brutally short. Outside, a horn blew a sharp, desperate note—Talia’s personal signal. The alpha leader was being overwhelmed in the main courtyard. Vane had her pinned.Ramond broke the kiss slowly, his forehead resting against Lizzie’s as he let out a ragged breath. The warrior was returning, the cold steel settling back into his eyes, but the bond between them had hardened into something diamond-sharp."I have to go," he whispered, picking up his broadsword. "I have to end Vane."Lizzie reached out, her hand resting over his heart, feeling the rapid, powerful thud beneath his armor. "End him," she said, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, shared resolve. "And come back to me."Ramond gave her a single, fierce nod, his wolf answering her call. He turned and charged through the main doors into the raining night, leaving Lizzie standing by the hearth, her dagger ready, waiting to claim the dawn.