Drake’s POV
I’ve been waiting for Selene to get over Bastien from the first day she set foot in Asphodel. I told myself that as long as I was patient, as long as I proved myself a good friend to her and gave her the space she needed to heal, she would eventually realize how perfect we are for each other.
I don’t care that I’m not her mate, or that this isn’t what the Goddess planned.
As far as I’m concerned mates are overrated. Bastien never appreciated Selene. He was never good for her and she has always deserved better. I’ve worked incredibly hard these last few years to help Selene move past him, and I’m certain we could have been together by now – if he’d only stayed away.
Except he didn’t stay away. He turned up in my city without notice or permission, and immediately set his sights on the woman of my dreams.
It would not be so terrible if he only wanted Lila.
Make no mistake, I love the pup, but she isn’t mine. She has all of her mother’s sweetness and charm, but she also shares her father’s fierce spirit and independence. Lila embodies the same temperament that Bastien used to destroy her mother, and I refuse to let any more harm come to Selene.
I feel like a fool now that I see them together. These past few weeks I’ve imagined that if I can only keep Selene and Bastien apart, I can keep their bond from reforming. But life doesn’t work that way. As soon as Selene saw the Nova Alpha, I ceased to exist.
Rationally, I understand that there’s nothing I can do to change what nature has predetermined, but in my heart, I cannot help but hope for more. I never intended to attack Bastien, I only wanted to protect Selene. But what’s done is done, and now I may have very well sacrificed my life in her name.
I throw myself into the battle with everything I have. Bastien is bigger and stronger than I am, and I know my chances of defeating him on my own are laughable, but if I have to go down – at least I can go down fighting.
I look to Selene as these final thoughts filter through my mind, and even as the rational part of my brain questions the logic, there is no doubt in my mind: she’s worth it.
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Selene’s POV
Everything happened so quickly I can barely keep up. One moment I was sobbing into Bastien’s neck, the next I’m flat on my back, looking up from the sofa while a pair of alpha wolves war above me. I can’t imagine what Drake was thinking when he decided to attack Bastien, especially not when I was standing between them, but his motives are irrelevant now.
Bastien responded to Drake’s assault as any wolf would, by shifting and meeting him head on. The fight is already under way, and I have a terrible feeling that only one man will come out alive. Unfortunately for my friend, the odds of Drake winning are abominably low. Bastien is almost twice Drake’s size in this form, and I’ve seen my mate fight off half a dozen formidable opponents without so much as breaking a sweat.
They clash in a fit of teeth and claws, their snarls rending the air in two. I’m certain Lila will wake at any moment, and suddenly my only instinct is to reach my pup before the danger can land on her doorstep. I scramble to my feet, only to find myself trapped in place by the massive tangle of fur.
Blood splatters on the floor in front of me, and I look up in abject horror to find Drake nursing a paw marred by a vicious gash. He whines in pain, but continues to fight, seemingly oblivious to the odds against him.
Finally deciding to escape over the back of the couch, I leap to the other side and dart for the bedroom where my daughter sleeps. I force my way through the door, eyeing the narrow mattress where Lila continues to nap, astonished that she can sleep through this ruckus.
Carefully pulling the door shut before the noise can disturb her slumber, I turn back on the battling men. I know it’s only a matter of time, Drake can only last so long against Bastien and his strength wanes with every moment that passes.
Just as I ponder these condemning thoughts, Drake’s Beta, Hugo appears in the doorway, flanked by half a dozen guards. They launch themselves at the warring wolves at once, shattering my calm and sending my nerves haywire.
Drake’s guards attack as one, surging forward to challenge Bastien like a tidal wave of fire and fury. They show no restraint, attacking my mate’s weak spots without even pausing to let him catch his breath. Bastien fights one wolf after another, throwing them off of him with practiced ease and making me wonder if there is any pack on the continent capable of truly challenging his dominance.
Luna loves his prowess, cooing and preening with every drop of blood he sheds. She loves how powerfully he expels his enemies, but she also frets for his safety when more and more guards arrive. What was once six sentries becomes ten, and the tactics Bastien once used to repel them begin to falter.
The greater Drake’s losses, the more wolves he calls to his aid. For every guard and sentinel Bastien takes out, another lies in the wings, waiting for their chance to destroy the indomitable Alpha.
I dash to the doorway, scanning the hall for signs of Aiden or Donovan. This isn’t fair. Bastien is fighting alone while Drake has an army at his disposal. I never thought Drake would do something with so little integrity. I understood it when I needed a ploy to escape the city and no other option was available to us.
If I thought Drake was attempting a similar strategy, I might not mind so much. I’m not ready to face everything which transpired between Bastien and I. My heart still feels hollow and broken, yet I’m also coming to realize how wrong I was about our relationship. Every instinct I possess tells me not to trust the wolf; to protect myself at all costs. Yet my heart also aches for my mate. I want to believe Bastien, I want to believe he loves me, that we could truly build a life together.
However it’s clear that this is no ruse. For one reason or another, Drake has lost his head. He’s going in for the kill.
As more of Drake’s men join the fight, Luna tries to force her way out of my skin, straining and stretching to make the painful shift we’ve only managed once before. No, I beg her, it hurts, and we don’t know how to fight.
We have to do something. She insists, They’re going to kill him if this keeps up.
For a few long moments, I continue to fight my wolf. She’s only come out once before, and the pain was such that I can only compare it to childbirth. Still, I know Luna is stronger than I am. She possesses skills I do not, and she can help me now.
Without thinking, I dive into the fray, putting my body between Bastien and Drake’s men and snarling with every ounce of courage I possess. I assumed they would back off the moment a she-wolf stepped in, but their aggression fuels their violence like a drug, driving them to destroy any obstacle which stands in their way.
Two wolves come at me at once, their glowing eyes boring into my psyche with more ferocity than I can ever recall facing. Garrick may have hurt and abused me, but he never sought to destroy me as a wolf. He always attacked as a man, and I was only able to fend him off because he remained in that form. This is another matter entirely.
Bastien is still mid-fight with Drake, unable to reach me but clearly conscious of my actions. He’s growling behind me, warning me off and threatening all sorts of retribution for interfering. Still, I persist. My mate might be strong enough to rule a pack, but I am strong enough to defend those I love, no matter the threat.
I bare my teeth and offer up my fiercest snarl, determined to protect him. The wolves launch forward, and Bastien roars in the distance as they tear into my delicate limbs and send me flying. A pitiful whimper leaves my lips even as I crash to the floor
I’m hurt and afraid, not to mention confused beyond all reason. I’m not sure who ends the fight, only that silence eventually falls in the room. However once the chaos halts, there is no question who’s in charge. I would recognize the hands that pull me from the floor anywhere.
I’m barely conscious; barely breathing after the terror of the fight and shock of my injuries set in. Still one thing is clear: I’m in Bastien’s arms now, and no matter what else might happen, I know I’m safe. As long as I’m with Bastien, I will always be safe.
