The Alpha and Her Secret Mate

To Fight

I shift on the stairs and leap to the landing below. There’s another explosion, and I wonder at how much fire power a bunch of wolves use. I would have guessed that melee combat is more our style, but there’s a lot about this world I wouldn’t have guessed.

On the lawn, wolves are running, trying to put out fires and moving injured people away. I feel a tremor in the ground, and suddenly I’m worried about another bomb going off. I can’t tell where it’s coming from, so I sprint towards the sound of battle.

My claws dig into the dirt, and I tear across the yard, scared of what I’ll find. I leap over a bleeding wolf, hoping that a healer will find them. There’s a roar ahead, and I think it’s Dan. When I get to the barracks, Dan is throwing another wolf off the porch of his cabin. The temporary barracks are in flames.

Another wolf launches themselves up at Dan, and I leap into action, grabbing his leg in my teeth. The taste of blood fills my mouth, and I yank down, throwing the wolf to the ground. He squeals and kicks out at me, and I duck under his first blow, but the second one hits me square in the chest, knocking the wind out of me.

I struggle to pull air into my lungs, and stumble to the side.

Someone screams, and I can hear the word “mate” in their cry.

Instantly, my mind goes in search of Alex. I don’t sense him on the pack house grounds, and I start to panic. My pulse pounds in my ears as I mentally travel over the mindlink, frantically looking for him. I finally find him at the Fourth Street construction site. I have a brief wave of confusion at that, but I can sense him sprinting towards me, and at just that moment, I’m hit from the side.

I try to yell no, but the word is lost on my shifted vocal chords, and it comes out as a stilted scream. A white wolf puts sharp pressure on my throat and I scramble to get away. My legs are kicking out in front of me, but none of my swings make contact.

Fear and helplessness pulse through me, and I try to roll over to get away, but this wolf has a tight grip on me. He shakes his head around my neck and I flail helplessly. I scream with my last bit of air, and he lets go, tumbling away from me.

I leap uneasily to my feet, and I see Alex standing over the white wolf, pinning him to the ground. Alex snaps at his throat and leaves him in a spurt of blood, then he turns to me.

“Get out,” he says. His eyes are frantic.

“No, the pack needs me.”

“The pack needs you safe, get away from here.”

“No, I can fight!” Even as I say it, I sway on my feet.

“You need to leave. What are you even doing here?”

I ignore him and take a step towards Dan.

“Layla, please,” he says.

“I can fight.” My field of vision narrows, darkening around the edges.

“You have no training.”

“I fought the rogues when they attacked Gracie.”

“You got lucky,” Alex doesn’t wait for my response. He just throws me over his shoulder and trots away from the fight. “I can’t lose you.”

I twist to watch the fight we’re running away from, and it does seem like Dan has the upper hand. He throws another wolf to the porch floor, and roars. Several wolves are restrained, and I see Timothy, one of the rogues, unconscious in his human form.

Alex shifts back and holds me in his bare arms. “They can handle this fight without you!”

I struggle against him, and my fur slips against his skin.

“You need to keep yourself safe, Layla, please. I need you to be safe.” He tightens his arms around me, adjusting his grip to hold my shoulders. When I try to jump away, he grips my shoulder blades, pinning me to the ground.

I look up and see Dan hit the ground, and I thrash against Alex, trying to get to him.

“Layla, please.”

I shift back and punch at his chest. “LET ME GO, I NEED TO HELP HIM.”

“Layla, watch!” He turns me around so I can see Dan’s cabin more clearly. Dan is on the ground, but Sammy has taken up fighting in his place. “The Alpha isn’t always needed in the heat of a fight. You need to trust your warriors.”

I sob against him and let myself fall to the ground.

“I’m so useless,” I tell him silently.

He lifts me off the ground, and places my head in his lap. “You’re not useless, I promise. Combat is a learned skill, not an innate talent.” He pushes my hair off my face, and strokes my scalp carefully. “Your pack has this under control.”