A Mate For Christmas

Chapter 18

The cathedral exploded into chaos. Wolves shifted and attacked, the sound of snarls and breaking furniture filling the air. Evie screamed as the rogue holding her was tackled by Jayden's red wolf.

The silver knife clattered to the floor. Evie grabbed it and scrambled away, pressing herself against a wall.

Around her, the battle raged. Gideon's pack was outnumbered, but they fought with desperate fury. She saw Julian take down two rogues at once. Saw Victoria in her silver wolf form, fighting with the grace and deadliness of centuries of experience.

But Raphael's forces had the numbers. For every rogue that fell, two more seemed to take its place.

Evie saw Gideon fighting in the center of it all, a black whirlwind of claws and teeth. He was heading toward Raphael, intent on ending this once and for all.

But Maxwell intercepted him. The old advisor shifted into a brown wolf and slammed into Gideon's side, knocking him away from Raphael.

The two wolves circled each other, former friends now bitter enemies.

Evie clutched the silver knife, feeling utterly helpless. She was just a human in a room full of werewolves. What could she possibly do?

Then she saw it. Raphael, in his silver wolf form, was stalking toward a wounded Delilah. The young woman was in human form, bleeding from deep scratches, trying to crawl away.

Raphael was going to kill her.

Evie did not think. She just acted.

She ran forward, silver knife raised, and drove it into Raphael's hind leg as hard as she could.

The silver wolf howled in pain and whipped around, snarling at her. His pale blue eyes promised death.

Evie stumbled backward, terror flooding through her. She had just stabbed the most powerful enemy Alpha in Europe. With his own knife.

Raphael shifted back to human form, standing despite the silver blade embedded in his leg. Blood poured down his calf, but he smiled at Evie like she had just given him a gift.

"Brave," he said. "And stupid. I was going to make your death quick. Now it will be slow."

He pulled the knife from his leg, wincing but not crying out. He took a step toward Evie, then another.

Evie backed up until she hit the wall. There was nowhere to run.

Raphael raised the knife.

A black blur slammed into him, knocking him across the cathedral. Gideon stood over Raphael's fallen form, his wolf body heaving with rage.

"You do not touch her," Gideon's voice echoed in Evie's mind, even in wolf form. "You do not even look at her."

Raphael laughed, blood spilling from his mouth. "Too late for that. I have already looked. And I see your weakness, written all over her terrified face."

Gideon lunged. The two Alphas collided in a fury of claws and teeth. They were perfectly matched in size and strength, two ancient wolves fighting for dominance.

The other battles paused as everyone stopped to watch their leaders fight. This was what it had all been building to. Alpha against Alpha. Old enemies finally settling their ancient grudge.

Evie watched in horror as they tore at each other. Gideon got his jaws around Raphael's throat, but Raphael twisted and raked claws down Gideon's side. Blood splattered across the stone floor.

Through the bond, Evie felt every wound Gideon took. Felt his pain like it was her own.

She could not take it anymore. She ran forward, not knowing what she would do but unable to just watch.

"Stop!" she screamed. "Please, just stop!"

The fighting paused. Wolves on both sides turned to look at her.

Evie stood between the two Alphas, shaking but determined. "This is because of me. This war, this death, all of it is because Gideon chose me as his mate."

"Evie, get back," Gideon growled.

She ignored him. She turned to face Raphael. "You want me dead. Fine. I will trade myself for peace. Let Gideon and his pack go. Let all of this end. And you can have me."

"No!" Gideon shifted back to human form, naked and covered in blood. "Evie, no. I will never trade you."

"This is not your choice," Evie said, tears streaming down her face. "I am making it."

Raphael shifted back too, studying Evie with those cold pale eyes. "You would sacrifice yourself? For a pack you barely know? For wolves who do not even fully accept you?"

"Yes," Evie said. "Because it is the right thing to do."

For a long moment, Raphael said nothing. Then he started laughing. "How noble. How utterly foolish." He looked at his allied Alphas. "This is what you fear? This pathetic human girl who thinks sacrifice will save her? She is weak. Useless. Hardly worth the effort of killing."

"Then let her go," the gray haired Alpha from earlier said. "If she is so worthless, why do you care if she lives or dies?"

"Because she represents change," Raphael said. "The erosion of our pure bloodlines. If we allow human mates to become Lunas, more will follow. And within generations, we will be diluted. Weakened. Human."

"Or we will be stronger," another voice said.

Everyone turned. Treasure stepped out of the shadows. She had followed Evie, disobeying orders just like Evie had.

"Human mates are rare because the moon goddess only chooses them for special wolves," Treasure continued. "My father taught me that when I was young, before he became obsessed with power. Human mates bring gifts we wolves do not have. Compassion. Creativity. The ability to see beyond pack law and tradition."

"Silence," Raphael snarled at his daughter. "You have already betrayed me. Do not make it worse."

"I betrayed you because you are wrong," Treasure said. "Mother saw it. She tried to leave you because she knew you had become a monster. And you killed her for it."

Gasps ran through the allied wolves. Clearly, this was news to them.

"You killed your own mate?" the gray haired Alpha asked, horrified.

"She was weak," Raphael said coldly. "She wanted to leave me. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Let her go," the Alpha said. "That is what a true Alpha would do. But you are not a true Alpha. You are a tyrant."

"Careful," Raphael warned.

But other wolves were nodding. Murmuring. Looking at Raphael with new eyes.

Maxwell stepped forward. "This is getting out of hand. We need to refocus. The human is still the issue."

"No," the gray haired Alpha said. "Raphael is the issue. He lied to us. Told us this was about protecting werewolf traditions. But it is just about his personal grudge against Gideon."

"He is right," another Alpha said. "I did not agree to murder innocents."

One by one, Alphas stepped back. Withdrew their support. Until only a handful of wolves remained loyal to Raphael.

Raphael's face twisted with rage. "Cowards. All of you." He turned to Maxwell. "Are you with me or against me?"

Maxwell hesitated. Then he looked at Gideon. "I am sorry. I truly thought I was doing what was best. But I was wrong."

He shifted and ran, disappearing through a side door. Other wolves followed, fleeing the cathedral.

Within minutes, only Raphael and maybe ten loyal wolves remained.

Gideon stepped forward. "It is over, Raphael. Your alliance is broken. Your support is gone. Surrender."

"Never," Raphael said. He shifted back into wolf form and lunged.

But this time, he was not aiming for Gideon. He was aiming for Evie.

Evie tried to dodge, but Raphael was too fast. His jaws opened wide, going for her throat.

A silver blur intercepted him. Victoria's wolf slammed into Raphael mid leap, knocking him aside.

Mother and enemy Alpha crashed to the floor in a tangle of fur and fury. Victoria was smaller than Raphael, older. But she fought with the skill of centuries and the rage of a mother protecting her son's mate.

Evie watched in shock as Victoria got her jaws around Raphael's throat. The silver Alpha struggled, trying to break free.

But Victoria's grip was iron. She bit down harder. Harder.

There was a sickening c***k. Raphael went limp.

Victoria released him and stepped back. Raphael's body shifted back to human form. His eyes were open but empty. Dead.

The cathedral went silent. The most powerful enemy Alpha in Europe was dead. Killed by Gideon's mother.

Victoria shifted back to human form, breathing hard. She looked at Evie. "No one threatens my family. No one."

Then her legs gave out. She collapsed.

"Mother!" Gideon ran to her, catching her before she hit the ground.

Evie saw the wounds then. Deep claw marks across Victoria's side, bleeding heavily. She had been hurt worse than anyone realized.

"Get a healer!" Gideon shouted. "Now!"

Delilah and Julian shifted and ran for help. The remaining wolves, both allied and enemy, stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

Evie knelt beside Victoria, taking the older woman's hand. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me."

Victoria smiled weakly. "You are pack now. Family. We protect family."

Her eyes closed. Evie felt panic rise. "Victoria? Victoria, stay awake!"

But the older woman had lost too much blood. She was dying.

And through the bond, Evie felt Gideon's heart breaking.