Broken Raptors

Chapter 15

The dynamic of the pack changed, once more. Once more, like it did before, with the ousting of their former alpha.

Only now the change came in the form of the grey male attacking the green.

Bravo lay within a pool of his own blood, red iron liquid spritzing in globs from his gaping maw, throat muscles bobbing and convulsing as he tried to breathe and swallow. The male's amber eyes were wide and white, pupils large and glazed in terror. His arms and legs spasmed, and horrible gurgling and wheezing noises escaped passed his scaled lips. Warm, wet sanguine spurted from his throat like a raging river, dampening the earth and soaking the soil.

Winter looked upon Bravo struggling to breathe through his own gargled throat, her blue eyes locked upon him. Watching his scaled face contort and twist in distress, lips peeling backwards into a snarl. But despite the gnarled sneer, she could see that he appeared to be in more fear than anything. It felt like a haze, and the white female forgot how to breathe. She didn't understand what happened. She and Blue were fighting. And then-Bravo-her mate-attacked her?

Why?

Why did her mate attack her?

Why did Bravo attack her?

He knew her longer than the blue striped female!

He mated with her long before-and even after the last sister arrived!

He chose her as his mate!

But if so, why did he attack her?

Why did he hurt her?

Was Bravo attacking her to defend Blue?

Did he chose Blue as his true mate?

But if so, why mate with Winter at all?

Betrayal!

Winter's rage began to rise and boil, a heaviness spreading through her chest. She could feel the fury of her enraged heartbeat carry her pulsing blood through her body. She could feel her own power coursing through her veins.

All her rage.

All her sorrow.

All her regret.

She thought Bravo was her mate.

But he was just using her, like a plaything when one plays with hapless, injured prey before the kill.

Bravo could have been her mate.

They could have had babies together.

Winter hoped, at least.

But he attacked her.

He hurt her.

Bravo was no better than Rust.

He was just a different type of monster.

And just like that-Winter didn't feel pity, feel sorrow, feel regret for what happened to Bravo.

Did didn't feel any empathy, watching him drown in terror in his own blood.

No.

She was just shocked that her brother did such damage.

Her brother, who was so timid and shy.

Storm.

Winter's neck craned to look up from her position upon the ground. She had wounds and scratches upon her body, streams of crimson trickling lazily over her snow white scales-but she did not notice. She was more focused upon the blood of her mate-no, Bravo was never her mate-that adorned Storm's scaled lips and teeth like daggers.