Zodiac Aligned

28

The audience was completely silent, as if everyone was holding their breath like I was, and the sound of snarling and growling filled the cavern as the two Leos battled. The fight was intense and brutal, with both wolves landing several blows on each other. Every strike that hit Jordan made me tenser, and I was glad to be holding his clothes. It gave me something to do with my hands.

Jordan's eyes practically glowed with intense, animalistic fury as he pinned Bates down, and I thought it would be over. But then Jordan paused, distracted by something he saw, his wolf ears standing straight up. I followed his gaze and saw a flash of platinum and red, disappearing behind a large stalagmite.

Roxandra.

The moment of distraction was enough for Bates to scramble away from Jordan, and the beta shook himself out, before leaping into another attack. Jordan narrowly dodged it, obviously rattled by what he'd seen.

Shit. I couldn't let Roxandra mess this up for Jordan. I dropped Jordan's clothes and darted after the Sun Witch to stop her before she could do anything to my brother.

I slowly came up behind her as she peered around the rock formation to watch the fight. "Found you."

I grabbed her shoulder and instantly teleported us away to a ledge I'd seen on my way in. Roxandra spun around, but the teleportation disoriented her, and she took a moment to recover. Roxandra started to blast me with sun magic, but I threw up my own moon magic, and the impact of the two sent us both flying backward. I landed in a shallow pool, water spraying all over me, while Roxandra slammed back against the cave wall, sending tiny rocks falling around her.

Before either of us could get to our feet, I teleported back to her and threw myself on top of her with a guttural roar. I grabbed her robes as rage made my vision red.

"I won't let you hurt them again!" I slammed her back against the wall, and I was about one second from ripping her throat out.

"You i***t," she said, as she fought to get me off her. "I'm not going to hurt Jordan. I want him alive!"

Her robes suddenly caught fire and I jerked back, my body reacting instinctively. We glared at each other, preparing to attack again, waiting to see who would make the next move.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Making sure Jordan doesn't lose."

"He doesn't need your help!"

I spotted her preparing another attack and I lunged toward her, turning my hands to claws. I scraped across one side of her face, drawing blood, and she screamed and vanished into a puff of smoke.

I hope that hurt, I thought, as I sheathed my claws. Then I heard a howl that I recognized as Jordan's and panic shot through me. I reached out for the mate bond, which was so muted now I barely even noticed it anymore, and felt him there. Injured, but alive.

I rushed to the edge of the ledge. Below me, the two Leos bit and clawed at each other, tearing chunks of fur and flesh from each other's bodies. The ground was slick with blood, and both wolves were bleeding from deep gashes, but they showed no sign of backing down. They were slowing down though. Jordan was limping, favoring his left leg, and Bates had a wound in his side that seemed to be causing him problems.

I put my hand against the nearest rock formation as a wave of worry made my knees weak. Come on, Jordan. You can do this. Be the better Leo.

The two wolves clashed and then danced back again. Jordan paused under a patch of sunlight, and visibly took a moment to regain his strength as the sun's rays illuminated his fur. He was a child of the sun, through and through, and when he darted toward Bates again, he moved with lightning speed. He bowled Bates over and clamped his jaws around the beta's throat. Bates struggled uselessly against Jordan’s superior strength and power, but my brother never showed any mercy. It was to the death, after all.

Bates slumped to the ground. Jordan shifted back to human form and stood over the defeated wolf. His naked body was covered in blood, but he stood tall and gazed around at all the shifters watching him. He let out a triumphant roar, his victory echoing through the cavern, and chills ran down my spine. All around Jordan, the Leos fell to one knee, their heads bowed, showing submission to their alpha. There could be no doubt now that he truly deserved the title.

I rejoined Kaden and Stella as the Leos began to cheer for their alpha. They surrounded Jordan, and the Ophiuchus and Scorpios stayed back, letting the other pack have their moment.

"What was that?" Kaden asked, jerking his chin to the ledge where I'd fought Roxandra.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." I grabbed some water from my pack and chugged it. "I'm just glad that's over."

"Were you worried?" Kaden shrugged. "I never doubted he would win. He’s the strongest shifter I’ve ever fought.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Stella piped up from my other side. Her eyes were glued to Jordan, and this time she was definitely taking him in. All of him. “His ego is already big enough.”

I raised my eyebrows at her, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushed. Was she thinking about his ego being big...or something else?

It took some time for the excitement to die down. Kaden and the other Ophiuchus walked away to discuss plans to head back to Toronto, but I stood to the side of the crowd, waiting for my brother. Making sure a certain Sun Witch didn't return.

Eventually, the Leo shifters began to head back to the caves, and someone covered up the beta's body. Jordan sauntered over to me, using a towel to wipe off some of the blood. He flashed me a cocky smile. "Told you I'd win."

"I'm glad you're not dead." I eyed the way he stood, like one of his legs was bothering him. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "Nothing I can't heal."

"I could ask one of the Ophiuchus to help."

"The only one I'd let lick me is Stella, and somehow I think she'd rather I bleed to death."