To Kiss A 𝙹𝙴𝚁𝙺𝚆𝙰𝙳

30. THE MATE

"Oh, I'm coming home," Drake snarled back at me, chops rolling back to show black gums, "And it's after you and your Alpha and your filthy human mates are all rotting into the ground. Then I'll be in control, ruling with my powerful mate by my side. We're no longer going to live by the outdated rules of shifter society."

"Rules exist for a reason, Drake."

"We are so much more powerful than humans are so why are we the ones hiding in secret?" Drake was seething, "Why shouldn't we rule over them?"

"Did your mate tell you why he was exiled?" I asked, pouncing forward as he leapt to evade me, "Did he tell you what he did to the humans?"

When I sprang at him again, he snarled and retreated over the naked body of a fallen rogue.

"Nothing they didn't deserve," Drake answered proudly, "Humans are the lowest of life forms on this earth, lower even than the vampires who feed on them," Lunging for my throat, Drake's face met my claws and streaks of red were dragged across his cheek as he was knocked back into the crowded fight.

A rogue attacking from our flank was grabbed and pinned, his lights put out instantly when strong jaws latched onto his neck and I pulled, tearing off his head and facing Drake again.

His wolf watched with dark eyes now, as Drake had apparently given up control, blood dripping from the gashes in his face, "Humans are so insignificant and yet you parade them around as if they're not a fitting representation of what you're worth. Nothing."

"And yet you're the ones feeding off our scraps."

He snarled at that and made another move to attack, jaws aiming for my legs and I dug my fangs into his scruff, tossing him over onto his back. He scrambled to his feet and as we fought, I aimed to pin him.

"Your little mate," He growled, flashing his head once he had gotten some distance between us, "I'll be the one to kill her."

'NO!' Zain protested, and it was getting even harder to keep in control.

Drake lunged at me and I stood my ground, letting out a growl as saliva dripped from my bloody maw. The growl was echoing in my throat and resonating through the air, causing even the fight happening around us to pause for a moment.

I might not be the Alpha yet but Alpha Jackson's blood runs hot through my veins and my commanding tone was enough to intimidate a low ranking wolf like Drake.

He might be Alpha of the rogues, but he wasn't a True Alpha. Their power didn't come from an Alpha's bloodline; a place of purity and sacrifice. It didn't come from love for the Goddess. It was fuelled by violence and rage and was nothing compared to the true heart of a wolf.

"Stop this or I'm going to rip you to shreds!" I said, facing him as he'd stopped in his tracks.

"You can try," Was his response, "But we both know you're too weak for that."

I might have been weak once, when we were boys, but that clearly wasn't the case anymore.

Once again he took another lunge at me and I met him head on, aiming for his neck. There was a sharp pain in my side and I realised he'd dug his claws into me when they curled into skin and dug under my flesh, ripping gashes into me when I managed to flash him off.

My fur was now dripping with blood and caked with dirt and under my paws, blood was soaking into the ground. The pain in my side was almost unbearable.

"How could you do this? After what he did to our mother?" I snapped.