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Ethan
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If she wasn't standing next to me, grounding me through the bond that was buzzing like a firefly, then there was a very a big chance that I would have marched across that ring and tore his head off right now.
She was my anchor and I was hers. I could feel her blood humming so loudly that if I was a lesser wolf I wouldn't have been able to hear myself think.
The vampires pushed through some of the Tikanni pack and nodded to me. Derek and Elliot were looking Charlotte with a concerned eye, like brothers looking out for their sister. Barrett and Evie were eying Emmett and Lucy, practically licking their fangs at the sight. I smiled inwardly, as had my beast; we had grown fond of the little pixie vampire and her mate.
I looked back at Thomas as my wolf snapped out; he was ready as was I, but we had to wait a little longer. We didn't come this far to just toss it all down the drain. We would have this pack, and we would have it the right way. He agreed, he knew how important it was and he could wait. Sometimes vengeance wasn't a quick trip, sometimes it was slow and required great amounts of patience–patience that I sure as hell knew I had exhibited up to this moment.
Billy stepped forward with a leather journal and nodded to me and then to Thomas, moderating the challenge so we could make sure that no one crossed the line. This would be done right, in a way that would make my father proud.
My father.
I was in the same place that he had spoken to me in my dream; my feet in the same place his were, and in that moment it was like I could feel him with me. Like he was sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ear and guiding me through the moment.
"Per our pack laws, they dictate that the challenger must present sustainable evidence to support his claims of a challenge," Billy called out. "So Ethan, what do you have?"
Billy was almost giddy when he asked the question, causing me to bite back a laugh. I nodded to Jake who waved his hand towards some guards. They pulled Larissa and Tate forward to the front and forced them to kneel next to Emmett and Lucy.
The pack gasped out and whispered a little more hotly as Andrea stepped up with Jaxon next to her, his hand on the small of her back as she clutched the bag protectively.
Aaron and Amber walked forward; Aaron was rubbing Amber's back while she tried to quiet her sobs as they stood between two warriors.
Pack members shrieked out while Thomas growled and Miranda covered her mouth, shaking her head before she looked at me and snarled. "What have you done to them?!"
"Nothing compared to what you have," Charlotte bit back, silencing her as her eyes widened in fear. She should be damn scared, Charlotte's beast was two seconds away from turning into the things that nightmares were made out of.
I looked over at Billy and nodded. "We have witnesses and evidence to support that Thomas and Miranda Browning collaborated with Emmett and Lucy Everette in order to assassinate the alpha family–my mother, father, and brother, attack our pack, and murdered the luna and alpha children of the Tikanni pack–Eve, Lucas, and Lydia Thorne.
"We also have witnesses and evidence to support that they have been actively allowing rogues on our land, conspired with pack members, and attempted to kill my mate as well as Evan's mate Lyanna Thorne."
Pack members were covering their mouths now. Mother's picked up their children while men moved in front of their families. The group of females, Charlotte's friends filed into the front. They all nodded at her and eyed Miranda like she was a piece of meat that has been perfectly marinaded.
My wolf swelled with pride. He would make his female a luna by the end of the day; a luna that he would be proud to stand next to.
"Alright, well let's see it," Billy called out.
Evan moved over to Tate and tapped his shoulder. "Tell them what you know Tate."
Tate flinched at Evan's touch while Lyanna moved to Larissa. He looked back at me, drawing a warning growl from my lips, then looked back at Billy. "I worked for Emmett and Thomas. Ten years ago they had me scout out routes so we could bring the rogues over the border. My job was to make sure they could get in without being detected.
"I was there when he killed them when they killed them. Ethan doesn't lie," he wheezed out, the wolfsbane doing its work on him.
The pack roared out in anger. Some people gasped and wailed at the news. Some looked around then back at Tate, wanting it not to be true; who wanted to believe that their alpha was capable of something so horrible? That a former alpha was capable of something so disgusting?
Lyanna snarled and tapped Larissa's shoulder with a clawed finger. "Talk, now," she bit out.
Larissa hissed which earned her an angry slap from the back of Lyanna's hand. She shook it off and let out a panted breath before looking back to Billy. "Emmet and Lucy wanted me to create a distraction so the rogues could attack Ethan's mate," she said, barely hiding her disgust for Charlotte in her voice. She couldn't even say her name. Lyanna snarled at her and squeezed her shoulder, letting her claw start to sink into her skin. "Thomas and Miranda wanted me to spy on her! Keep tabs."
"What else Ethan?" Billy barked out, silencing the pack that had become a circle of heated whispers.
Ethan nodded to Andrea. Andrea stepped forward and handed Jaxon the bag. She pulled out a journal and the letter–the letter that changed it all.
"We first have this journal that names Thomas and Emmett both in code as conspirators of the 'Pure Seven' group of rebels. For those of you that don't remember, they were the ones that opposed the treaty that brought peace with the vampires. The journal goes on to talk about their plans to attack this pack, and their plans to use rogues to do it!"
Andrea paused as pack members snarled and growled out. Thomas was stiff, frozen and trying not to give anything away. He was caught red-handed. There was no denying this in front of the pack, not now, and not after we were done.
We weren't done at all.
Andrea put the journal away in the bag and pulled out the letter. "We have a letter that we found in one of alpha Chris Everette's journals! I won't read all of it, just some, but I think this will be enough dad.
'If I die, and you are reading this, it is because my father had a hand in it. I can't tell you how or why, other than I know that he is making moves. He's been talking more with Jeremiah Black and I fear that he's been turning Thomas against me.'
"'If you're reading this, you need to know that my father will do anything to get what he wants. I know he wants to stir up his cause again and I know Thomas has been eyeing my seat for a while and Miranda has been eyeing your mother as well.'"
Andrea stopped and looked over at Emmet and Lucy who were on their knees in the dirt. Lucy was weeping while Emmet was fuming with fury. If he wasn't tied up like a hog then he would try to have my ass; I almost hoped he would try something I could let Char have another go at him.
"Well, Lucy and Emmett? Want to tell this pack what your son meant?!" Andrea spat out.
The pack was like a tide. A tide rolling in pain, fear, and anger. I could feel it over the bond, feel the cracks start to form. Cracks that we would fix, that we would heal with the truth and justice.
Evan walked over to Emmett and Lucy, giving them a hard eye as his wolf snapped out at them. Emmett hissed at him, earning his a hard growl from Evan while Lucy cried harder.
"Emmett stop," she wailed out. She looked frantic. A female that was trying to save her own hide, save her mate's hide. She looked around desperately at the pack that wanted to turn on them, that was ready to turn on them. "We were trying to do what was right! Trying to protect you from that filth! It was the right thing to do! It was–"
She was cut off by growls, snarls, and roars from the pack and from us. I felt Charlotte's blood surge a little more, feeding off our bond that felt like a ball of fire–like the sun.
I flickered my eyes to her, to my sunshine; the one thing that I would happily walk to the moon and back for. Her eyes met mine, full of love, adoration, and pride. My female.
I gave her a small smile then looked back to the pack; people were clutching at their hearts as they wailed out in horrified agony. Our warriors were snarling at the others; we had only shared some of the details with them in fear that they could possibly leak something and spook Thomas.
Oh, he was spooked now. He had been caught and there was no denying the facts. There was no deny that his hand spilled my father and brother's blood and his mate's hands spilled my mother's.
I looked up to the sky and prayed that Eli and Lucas had a front row seat next to mom, dad, Lydia, and aunt Eve up there. They were certainly going to get a show.
I shook my head to Billy when he looked at Aaron. We had what we needed and there was no need for them to stay and watch this or have a hand in it.
"Aaron you can take your sister away from here, I can have them take you home now."
He shook his head. "I want to see this through."
I nodded before flickering my eyes to Amber then back to him. "Watch her and do not let her get caught up as collateral."
"I won't, you have my word."
Billy's satisfied smiled tugged at his lips. He looked back to Thomas, practically biting back a laugh as David moved to stand next to him. "Anything to say in regards to the evidence presented Thomas?"
Thomas snarled loudly while Miranda shook in her shoes. Charlotte licked her lips and I laughed to myself as I thought about the fun my mate's wolf was going to have with that vile woman.
"So be it then," Thomas bit out, not even trying to deny that he was created from the ass sweat of Satan.
Billy nodded while a sly smile tugged at David's lips. "Mangata pack, do we have a second for the challenge?"
"I second!" Charlotte called out, her wolf practically moving under her skin to be let loose.
"Second!" Evan called out next.
"Second!" Lyanna added.
"Hard Second over here!" Jake said while raising his hand.
"Roger that, I second too," Ryder yelled out as he, Remi, and the trackers covered in mud pushed through to the front of the crowd. He nodded to me with a smile that was the only clean thing on his body, making Charlotte breath out a laugh as Remi winked at her.
"Mangata pack, does the evidence and seconds to it, satisfy you for a challenge?" Billy called out.
The pack roared out in agreement. Snarls and growled out words of 'yes' rang through the air.
It was time.
Billy nodded to Thomas then gave me a firm nod. "He's all your's Ethan." Billy looked at Jake and nodded. "Make a circle, get the hell back behind the warriors! All of you!"
Our warriors ran and stood in a circle around the pack, guarding them from being collateral. "You ready sunshine?"
She smiled and looked at me with a firm nod. "You white hot?"
I kissed her quickly then tugged her with me through the line, towards where Thomas was already pacing while Miranda shook in her shoes as the indignation started to settle in her.
I looked over at Levi who gave me a firm nod while Lander stepped up next to him and nodded as well. Charlotte growled lowly at Miranda, she was ready and I was too, but this wasn't going to be quick for them. This wasn't going to be quick at all.
"Are you two ready?" I asked Evangeline and Evan.
"Tear his ass up brother," Evan snarled out.
"Make dad proud Ethan," Evangeline added.
"You both can in a second, just wait for my signal and be ready," I replied.
Char nodded to me before looking back at Evangeline as Liam looked curiously at her then me. I wasn't going to do this without letting my siblings have their blood as well, it wasn't just my parents and brother that were killed. It was theirs too.
My beast growled in approval. We would do this together with our mate and our family as it should be.
I gave Char a slight nod then stepped away from her, away as we both started to walk a slow circle parallel to each other towards Thomas and Miranda who walked slowly towards the center. Thomas cocked his head, flickering his eyes to Emmett who snarled out, then back to me. "So this is what it's come to? After everything? After everything we've been through together?!"
Charlotte snarled at him, earning her a growl from Miranda that she just laughed at. "Want some tea Miranda?" Miranda's eyes widened as Charlotte shook her head to her. "Tsk, tsk," she clicked out. "Do you want to tell the pack about that too? About how you were poisoning Margaret with a special tea that you tested with Lucy on your own damn daughter?!"
Mother's in the pack growled out and snapped their jaws out as father's growled out in horror. They should be horrified because it was damn horrible; they were filth on our land that needed to be disposed of.
"You goddamn Thorne!" Miranda yelled out. Earning her a fierce growl from Charlotte that was backed by the Tikanni pack; warriors snapping their jaws out towards Miranda in support of my mate, of Levi's daughter. Lander was whispering something to Levi, calming him from intervening. He didn't need to though, he wouldn't need to.
"We going to walk around in a circle all day?" Thomas asked as he started to mirror my movements.
I nodded to Charlotte from across the way. She snarled and charged after Thomas, confusing him. He thought I was coming for him, and I was.
She faked left and rammed into Miranda while I tackled Thomas from behind. My fist met his jaw, then met his jaw again; cracking the bone in it as it crunched liked popcorn in my mouth.
His kicked me in the gut, but I looped my arm around his leg and tossed his sorry ass across the circle towards Tikanni warriors that looked hungry.
He scrambled up and tried to run to Miranda who was meeting blow after blow from Charlotte, but I stopped him. I nailed his ribs a few times, causing him to hunch over then slammed his head into my knee.
I could feel his teeth crack a little and had an idea. He clawed at my thighs, but I pushed him back with a hot growl; nailing him in the mouth before I reached forwards and snatched a fang from his mouth that I immediately tossed to Levi. A move I stole from Charlotte.
"I should have put you down back then, put you down with your damn brother!" he growled out to me. Evan snarled out with me and I knew it was time. It was time for them to have their piece too.
I caught Charlotte's eye, nodding to her while my beast growled out for Evan. Charlotte kicked Miranda hard in the stomach and sent her flying towards Thomas before she walked around towards me, nodding to Evangeline along the way.
I walked towards her while Thomas eyed me curiously. Evan and Evangeline stepped forward, growling out with hungry jaws as they eyed the flesh before them.
"Your five minutes of fun starts now," I said to them.
I didn't have to tell them twice. As soon as I stepped to stand next to Charlotte, Evan tore out and tackled Thomas while Evangeline rammed into Miranda.
Evangeline snarled at her as she backhanded her with a clawed hand, slicing her flesh before she stood up and started to circle her. Liam looked at her, pride in his eyes. She had come a long way. My little sister was starting to shape up more and more; one day she would definitely be able to give Charlotte a run for her money.
"She was your luna," Evangeline said to Miranda, calm and cold like the still of winter.
"You took them from us, from this pack!" Evan bit out. "You slit their throats and took what wasn't yours you piece of fucking shit!"
He lunged towards Thomas and laid into him like he had seen Eli and I do time and time again. He and Thomas went blow for blow until Evan somehow whipped him around in a headlock and reached down quickly with a clawed hand that ripped his ear off mercilessly. A move that Eli loved.
He yanked it out and tossed it to me before whistling to Evangeline who was busy ripping a chunk of Miranda's hair out. She walked around towards Evan and tossed the hair to us as well with an appreciative growl, a pile of tokens that made Charlotte and I growl in satisfaction.
Levi eyed my two siblings as a dark smile tugged at his lips then chuckled as he looked back at me. I nodded to him then nudged Char as Evan and Evangeline stepped away from the ring.
Char eyed me a little while I looked at the two wolves standing back up in the ring. "Ladies first sunshine," I said with a dark smile.
I charged Thomas again, knocking him out of the way so Charlotte could have her fun with Miranda. She landed blow after blow on the she-wolf; stressing organs, breaking bones, tearing flesh, and covering her hands in red while I stalled Thomas so the girls could have their fun–well really Charlotte and her beast.
"Do you remember that day Miranda?" She bit out before she reached forwards with a clawed hand that ripped right through Miranda's shirt while her other hand reached held Miranda's shoulder and kept her in place.
Miranda ripped wildly at her, but Charlotte didn't budge. Thomas growled out in approval of his mate, but I landed a punch with the power of a freight train to his mouth; knocking a tooth out and discombobulating him long enough for Charlotte to finish her work. She clawed at something until she ripped her hand back while blood shot out from Miranda's chest, drawing a bloodcurdling cry tore through her lips.
A nipple.
She ripped her damn nipple off.
Charlotte tossed it to Levi with a firm nod. "That's for Eve, Levi!" she called out while Thomas tried to fight his way forwards, but I wasn't having it. My mate was going to have her fun and he could wait his damn turn, his turn for me to have my time with him that is.
I pushed him back and landed a couple of blows on him, dizzying him some more while Charlotte walked around Miranda who was clutching her bleeding breast. "Do you remember how their faces looked? How their pulse felt under your hand before you slit their throats? Before you took Margaret, Eve, and Lydia from us? Do you remember?"
Miranda snarled and went after Charlotte, but Char just ducked then turned and socked her hard in the chin. She grabbed her ponytail and yanked her backward so her clawed hand could rip off Miranda's ear.
She tossed that to Levi as well. "That's for Lydia," she called out before she walked around Miranda, eying her up and down for the next place to strike.
Miranda let out a shrieked cry while Thomas roared out; He charged me but I ducked and let my back hit his stomach; he stumbled back while I sent two blows to his collarbone, breaking it before I blocked one and landed another to his bad knee.
I pushed him to my warriors who snapped out at him with hungry teeth. He snarled at the, took his attention away from me. A mistake. I grabbed a chunk of his hair and let his face meet my knee before I nailed a rib that I knew had been sore on him for some time. He let out a pretty pissed off growl, but I just chuckled.
I dodged a blow, then faked so I could him again in the rib, then again until I could hear it crack against my fist. He bit back a hiss as I shoved him back towards my warriors again, distracting him so Charlotte could have her time with Miranda.
"Oh, I know you do. I know you remember Miranda," Charlotte snarled out. She lunged at her again; knocking her chin back with a hard blow before she kicked her knees out.
She hit her hard again in the nose then reached forwards with clawed fingers and scooped an eye out. Miranda cried out in a shriek that made the pack members shudder.
Charlotte snarled at her then tossed the eye to Levi. "And that is for Lucas," she said before she looked back at Miranda who was trying to growl through her labored breaths. "Lucas and Lydia are going to love seeing you before your soul gets sent off to hell. Say hello to them for me and tell them that I said 'your welcome.'"
"For what?" she snarled out.
"For warming you up for them of course," Charlotte replied back with a sinister smile before she charged Miranda again, lunging into her fur and letting her wolf's jaws sink into Miranda's flesh.
Thomas tried to push past me, but I pushed him back and started to let my fur come forward; it was time for my beast to have a turn.
He roared out in agony, clutching his chest as the veins in his forehead popped out; Charlotte had beheaded his mate. She tossed it over to me then roared out at me, her muzzle covered in the blood that was spilled out of the headless she-wolf laying on the grass.
Thomas lunged forwards and I lunged after him. My beast tore forwards while Charlotte whipped around to watch my flanks.
She growled out and snapped at Thomas. Licking the blood of his dead mate off her lips and snarling while the pack watched in silence; silence because the tension of the moment was so thick that you could barely get words out without disrupting it.
"Want a piece babe?"
"Ethan," she said gently. "Baby, he's yours. Take what's yours."
God, I love that female.
My beast growled out and snapped out at Thomas. He pawed at the ground, looking at his dead mate then back to me with a crazed fury in his eyes.
He charged at me. He charged and I met him; I ripped into his ribs, tearing at them until I could feel the bone in my teeth. You don't stop until you can feel the bones crunch, my father always taught us that.
I let go of him, snarling while Charlotte paced behind me; she was ready to go if I needed her. I wouldn't. Not this time.
I ran towards him, knocking him down and tearing into his flank until I got my jaws around the meaty part of his leg so I could tear it away. My mouth tossed the chunk of flesh to my mate who yipped out at me in return, making my beast growl in approval as she pushed it around with her nose.
He came at me and I ducked; he got a good bite of my back, right where the meaty part of my hip was. I clenched my jaw and flipped him over; slammed him down to the ground as I landed on him.
He tried to push in my brain, he tried to link me but I pushed him the hell out. There was nothing he could say that would change my mind; there was nothing he could to do undo what he had done.
I whipped around and tore at his front leg while my paws held his face down. He scratched at me, clawed at my sides and face, but I wasn't about to stop. I didn't stop until I had a tendon in between my teeth.
Ripping it out he growled out painfully. My beast tossed it in the air then picked it up and tossed it to our mate who was snarling at Thomas with her hackles raised. She eyed me then snarled more viscously at him.
I walked slowly towards him; snapping my jaws while he turned around with a limp he wasn't doing well to hide. Running towards him again, I jumped on his back and tore at his shoulder; grinding and grinding and grinding my teeth until I could feel bone, but my beast wasn't satisfied. We ground and ground and ground some more until the bone was like gravel in our mouth.
I let him go then spat out fragments of bone while his arm practically hung off of his body. He tried to charge at me and he got another good piece of me, a deep bite at my shoulder as revenge for his.
He was growing more frantic, more wild, sloppy as he bit into me while the pain of losing his mate coursed through his veins; I could taste the heartache in his blood that still lingered on my tongue.
My teeth found his other ear, ripping it apart while my claws sunk into his ribs. His ear tore in my teeth and I couldn't help but think that Eli would have been pretty damn happy with Evan and I. I tossed that to Charlotte to before I let go of him then rammed him back to the ground; letting my teeth rip at his good leg, at his front paw. My teeth crunched against it as I yanked him back, shaking my head like a maddened feral wolf while he tried to snap at me.
He tried to snap but my paw met his face, stopping him as claw met flesh. I yanked and yanked his ass backward as I shook my head again and ground my teeth; it was crunching as the smaller bones began to break until it broke off in my mouth. He yelped out and gurgled out a growl of pain as I tossed his paw over to Evan who growled out with wide eyes and shit eating grin on his face.
Thomas had one good front leg, well, depending on how you looked at it. His shoulder injury rendered it pretty useless, and right now he was only making it worse as he clutched his pawless arm to his chest while his eyes swirled some more.
I looked to Emmett and Lucy who eyed me in horror. They should be horrified, they were in for a similar fate.
I snarled again at Thomas as the pack growled out and barking in support of me. My pack.
He ran at me with his three shitty legs that, like my father said, were as clumsy as a lanky male adolescent who didn't know the difference between his dick and his legs yet. I chuckled inwardly and let him jump at me, sloppy and desperate as he snapped out at me.
I easily rolled him around and pinned him down; my paw was on his face, holding him down while my teeth ripped into his face. They dug and dug and dug until they ripped off a piece of his scalp.
I trotted over to Evangeline and tossed it at her feet before running back to Thomas who was thrashing around in the dirt, trying to paw at his face while he made sounds that sounded like a dying rabbit.
It was time.
I ran back to him and smacked him around with my paw. He was pathetic. An alpha that watched his luna get torn to pieces without putting up a worthy fight for her.
If that was Charlotte, I would have torn the asshole who dare try to stop me from getting her from limb to limb; then I would save his limbs as a gift to her. My beast agreed. He was despicable and not worthy of this pack, not worthy to breathe the same air our pack and mate did.
I stalked around him then grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and started to drag his body oozing out blood across the circle. Blood ran down my face from where he had slashed me, stinging my eye but I didn't give a shit.
I drug him through the pool of blood that his dead mate's body had seeped out; he howled out as the heartache tore at a heart I didn't really think he had. There was no denying the pain of losing your mate; Thomas may not have a heart left, but what he did have had been ripped to shreds and was laying headless in a pool of blood now.
Levi was eying him with silver eyes that thirsted for his blood. I drug him over to the Tikanni pack members then tossed him towards Levi.
It was time for his turn. He deserved this just as much as any of us. He deserved to finish it.
Levi looked at him, snarling before he flickered his eyes to me. He cocked his head as he struggled to keep his skin in place of his fur.
"His throat is your's, uncle."
Backing away towards Charlotte, Levi didn't hesitate, nor did he need much coaxing. He lunged forward, black fur combing over his skin until he landed on all fours. Silver eyes stared out from fur as black as night; lustful growls of hunger tore from his lips that he licked as he slowly approached Thomas.
Emmett yelled out while Lucy screamed as Levi tore into Thomas like a feral beast. I whipped around to them and snapped my jaw close to Emmett's face; growling at him and Lucy and reminding them that they were no longer in charge here.
They would behave and watch quietly until I told them otherwise.
I turned around and watched as Levi dug into Thomas' belly; he was taking his time, he didn't go for his throat first. Thomas cried out, almost gargling, as Levi pulled out his intestines and started to trot away with them like they were a rope in his mouth.
He came over to Charlotte and dropped the end at her feet then pushed it to her. A little gift of his own to her that seemed to please her. I walked towards her and watched out of the corner of my eye as Levi went back to work.
The wolf went for Thomas' testicles next. His claws pawed at them like they were digging; digging and digging at flesh until his mangled balls fell away from his skin while Thomas cried out wildly–a cry that could haunt your damn dreams.
Evan's mouth dropped while mother's pushed their children away to shield them from the show, and I didn't blame them. This was a scene that could give you nightmares; Levi was one scary ass bastard when he wanted to be. He kicked them over to me, the two balls bouncing through blood and dirt until they landed a few feet away from me. My growled in approval, we more than liked seeing that bastard looking a little more true to his nature– ball-less.
He dug in his stomach some more and pulled out Thomas' liver. He licked at it then tossed it to Lander who was watching his brother with wide eyes that did little to hide the mix or shock and amusement on his face. Thomas was murmuring out pained whines, wheezing as his life started to dwindle down to his last moments.
Levi looked at me with a face soaking with blood and barked at me. I stopped walking towards Charlotte and eyed him. She was cautiously walking towards me, watching Levi carefully as he licked his lips.
"Uncle?"
"Son, his throat is yours. Finish this."
I growled out again as my blood crackled. Levi backed away and nodded at me, nodded at me to finish what I had started.
He didn't have to tell me twice.
I lunged forwards and sunk my teeth into Thomas' neck; ripping and gnawing, and grinding, and tearing while his blood pooled in my mouth. I spat out his blood then went back for his head, grabbing it by his scalp and ripping it away from his body.
The pack howled out together; praising the action as they yipped at me while my beast rolled the head around a bit like it was a soccer ball. I picked it up again and tossed it towards the guards that once stood with Thomas. They eyed it then looked at me with wide eyes before they cast them down and took a knee.
I snapped at them, shaking them in their skin as another roar tore through my lips.
It was over.
She was licking at my face and rubbing her face against mine. Reaching out into the bond, grasping her as her love for me poured out into it.
We had done it.
I shifted to my skin, and not soon after she had her arms around my waist and I had my head buried in her hair. There were yips and howls singing into the morning air for us; my beast howled out in the back of my mind, as did hers.
"Ethan," Levi called out. I looked over at him to see his silver eyes gleam at me with pride. "Come on son, we're not finished yet."
"What do you mean?"
Levi breathed out a laugh. "Gotta put your handprint on that weird ass tree, Ethan."