The Fight For Light

Chapter 32 Formal Challenge

Jayce's POV

I step away from my mate and the crowd of pack members that look terrified about what going to happen. My poor mother looks devastated as my sisters try to console her.. but what else am I supposed to do? I'm a man who follows the rules.. That is, if there are going to be rules, I'm going to follow them even if it results in taking my brother out. I can't believe he is acting like this.. He knows my mate loves me and wants to be with me, but he is still attempting this anyways. I can't believe he is that enthralled by her, I know I am, but that's because she is mine. I just never saw this coming and wish it wasn't happening.

"Man can't believe Daniel would do this." Theo states to me, as Drew comments. "Well, to me it explains the weird way he has been acting around her.. Come on, he just got done hitting on her right in front of us on the way to the ceremony. But to know that he forced her into a kiss is something that crossing lines.. make some comments sure.. guys hit on pretty girls all the time, but touching is something on a whole new level and never allowed with anyone.. Especially taken and forced"

"I told him to stop and that I only wanted you." Persephone states to me with so much sadness in her eyes. "It's not your fault that he is enthralled by you. I know you haven't led him on or anything, because I have heard you tell him multiple times that you just want me and he is still doing this. So there was obviously nothing you could have done to change his mind." I say to her, pulling her into my frame. She cries into my chest as she says, muffled by my shirt. "I'm so sorry for not telling you about him kissing me, I just didn't want there to be a fight or tension between your family because of me and here we are anyways. I'm so sorry. I don't want you to have to do this for me. Please my love." She begs me as I feel my shirt getting wetter from her tears.

"Don't let it bother you Percy, I know why you did it, but you need to understand that you can't change how he feels about you.. and it sucks that I have to fight him, but I would do anything for you without hesitation, even if it's against my brother." I declare for her as she shakes her head. "This is suppose to be a special moment with you and I, not a moment where you have to kill your little brother!" She spats at me getting mad at the situation. "Well I'm glad to hear you're confidence in me but I can't control who challenges me and as the Alpha I have to step up to do this. It's tradition. I want the pack to know that I will always step up and fight for what's mine.. especially when it involves my mate." I state to her, taking off my shirt as I handing it to her to hold.

"I love you Percy, You are my everything and you have saved me a handful of times, I'll be forever grateful, but you need to realize you can't save me from this chaos this time. This is something I have to do on my own." I say touching her cheek softly as she sniffles with worry in her eyes before she reluctantly nods. I lean in pressing my lips to hers, just enjoying this moment just in case.. I don't want to get cocky about this. Her hands drape around the back of my head, making the kiss deeper than expected. Which is just what I needed at that moment with her. I break the kiss reluctantly as I say into her lips, "I love you." she sniffles and responds. "No I love you more.. thanks for the amazing moments you have given me so far, and I can't wait to see where our future leads.. because you promise you're coming back to me right?" she demands from me as I nod at her. "Always." I peck her lips, taking in her scent as I close my eyes enjoying this possibly last second with her.. Before breaking our embrace, I reluctantly walked past my mate.. Then next, hugging before saying to Theo and Drew. "You both need to keep hold on her.. She will try to help if anything bad happens to me and we know I will get hurt at some point. It's a fight.. but she has to stay away. You know the rules, she can't help or that's my death sentence, so make sure to restrain her." I command them as they swallow the nervous lump in their throats before nodding, agreeing to my terms. "Yes Alpha." They say in unison as I continue past them to my parents, who are still trying to convince my brother otherwise but he is still refusing to stop this.

My mother is crying as she bursts into me, hugging me tight, knowing full well that she is losing one of her babies. I hate that this had to happen but he challenged me for my pack and my mate and no way in hell am I ever stepping down. I hugged her tight, then my father and sisters.

I watch my brother strip off his shirt as well, throwing it back before winking at my mate. She groans out at him as I say quickly. "Daniel, no matter what happens, I forgive you and still love you." I say to him as he gets a look on his face that says he feels bad about all of this. "Hey man me too.. come here." He says to me extending his arms out for a hug and I oblige with this because I want to give a proper goodbye. We collide, hugging each other tight. "Man please don't make me do this. She is my mate." I beg him in his ear as he lets out a deep breath, before saying into mine. "I know she is yours, but I can't stop thinking about her. She is something special and I don't even think I could accept my own mate because I'm so enthralled by her.. I want her with every last inch of me." He says to me before adding, "I'm sorry for this, because you know I love you too bro." He says to me as I feel a sharp pain into my side. I groan out in pain as I hear Persephone screaming. "That's not fair! That's cheating! No!!!! JAY!" I look back to see her struggling in my best friends' hold as I hear them say. "You can't help him my Luna. If you do, then he automatically loses and is forced to be killed because he has to do this on his own.. So if you help him, you're actually sentencing him to death." Theo explains to her as I look down to see my brother took advantage of the moment and my brotherly love by stabbing me in the ribs with his knife he apparently had on him. I stumbled back holding the stab wound. The knife is so deep and in such a crucial area that I'm scared to pull it out because it might do more damage if I do.

I can feel the pain causing my side to get hot and throb at the same time. I stumble back as I see my brother coming for me so I dodge his first real attempt to hit me. I see him coming back as I turn around and kicked him, sending his body to the ground. I hover over him hitting over and over again as he quickly grabs hold of the knife handle, twisting it into my side, making me groan out in more pain.

"That's not fair!" Percy keeps yelling as I watch the tears pour down her face for me just wanting to help me with every inch she has inside of her, which somehow gives me the strength to keep going, no matter how hard the breathing is getting. My brother knees my side as I elbow him in the face before he shoves me over getting on top of me.

"You know you don't deserve her, so this is what's best for everyone." He says to me as he continues to claw the hell out of me, creating so many open wounds across my skin with his claws. "I know I don't deserve her.. I don't know how I got lucky enough to get her, but she is mine and mine alone.. even if you win this, she will never want you." I spat at him as he growls at me, before punching me in the face so hard that it sends my face to the side as I stare over at my beautiful fae of a mate.

"You see her looking more beautiful than ever over there? Just know, I'm going to f*#k the s**t out of her as she begs for you, but you won't be there." He says into my ear as I watch the tears pour down her cheeks as she shakes her head at me. "Jay, baby you promised me always.. you pomised." she says to me as I knee my brother and he continues to hit me.. So I try to give my body a chance to get away and heal by shifting. I push and grunt trying to change like I have done a thousand times before. "I can't shift.. I can't help." Milo states to me as I try again and he is right I can't shift.. So I try to hit him again. I get some good shots in on his face, but it doesn't stop him since he has me pinned now.

I continue to hit with all my might, but everytime I think I'm getting him good, he stabs me with that knife again.. but after so much blood loss and fighting, I'm starting to feel weak, light headed and tired.. But I think he knows what I'm thinking as he quickly smirks and pulls his knife out, causing me to gasp for air and I hear the reverberating sound of my mate's screams as my friends still hold her back. My brother's maliciously filled laugh hits my ears as he stabs me again. I feel his weight lifting off of me but I'm having a hard time moving. "Why can't I help? Why can't we shift?" Milo begs of me, trying to help me out, but we can't. "Oh I forgot to mention that I laced this blade with wolfbaine so you couldn't heal from this wound or shift to help you heal." He spats at me as he circles me like I am his victim and it's the first time I'm actually feeling as if he is right and this could be it.

I'm gasping for air, laying on the ground as I bleed out. Percy's crying can be heard as my brother kicks me then takes the blade out and stabbing me again for good measure. I watch him laugh as a sadistic smile emerges on his face.

Daniel turns and grabs my mate, flipping her over his shoulder as she hits and screams for me while crying all the while. "NO Jay NO! You can't leave me like this! I love you Jay!" she begs for me and this is all I need to hear before I reach up slowly, grabbing for the handle of the blade. This is it, my last shot or I will die, right here, right now. I quickly pull it out as I gasp for air, but using the last bit of strength I have to throw the blade as I hit my brother smack dab in the middle of the back of his head. He drops to his knees and bleeds out as my mate stands up, getting out of his hold before she runs back to my side, getting onto her knees next to me. She touches me as I take in her succulently sweet scent, staring up at her beautiful face as I go in and out of hearing what's around me.

"I'm sorry Jay I wanted to help." Milo states to me sounding so exhausted. "It's ok man, I know you tried." I respond pretty quickly to him as he groans out in pain, "At least we got to see her and smell her one last time.. she is stunning isn't she." I feel the tears building up in my eyes as I say, "The most beautiful creature I have ever layed eyes on." I reply watching her yell at the people around us but I can't hear what she is saying. She is looking so worried for me that I can't help but just enjoy the sight of her stunning features, doing what she does best.

"Can I help him please?! He doesn't have much time." she yells, just begging from everyone around not trying to break any rules as I feel the darkness hitting me like a brick wall, consuming me completely into the exhaustion, as I hope and pray that this isn't the last time I hear her voice or see that beautiful face.