The Feral Alpha(24)

As her grip slackened, a bead of hope dared to brighten in Jay's head. His gaze flickered between Kristi and Gavin. Her yellow eyes seemed to darken and her lips deepened into an awful scowl. As Kristi released his throat, Jay's knees buckled beneath his weight. He hit the ground hard, retaining enough balance to watch his Mate stalk closer to Gavin.



Gavin's eyes widened and he stumbled backward. Realizing he was retreating, the alpha anchored his footing. “What are you doing?”



“Why be a Beta when I could be an Alpha?” Kristi's head listed to the side as she narrowed her eyes. Her lips pulled into a thing, humorless smile. Oh, yes. This was better. Gavin was to blame. He put Jay on the raid assignment and allowed him to handle the silver. Her alpha had insidiously planted these trust exercises. At the back of her mind, a small voice muttered something about the silver-plated bear trap.



Jay watched with a mixture of awe and unease. How much of this was Kristi and how much was it her inner wolf? A small strand of sympathy for Gavin tied around his thoughts. The alpha was terrified of Kristi. Gavin was trying to keep it together, but the stench of terror enveloped him.



“W-what?” the alpha sputtered, eyes widening in bewilderment. Kristi didn't bother answering. She slammed into Gavin, sending the alpha skidding back a good few feet. He grunted and turned his green glare up toward Kristi. “Beta Kristi, I demand you stand down!”



She ignored him. Red rage painted over her thoughts as she careened toward her former alpha. She didn't want to think about Jay or Goldbridge. She wanted blood for something, anything. As far as she cared, Gavin had transgressions to pay for. Her hair bristled as she swiped at Gavin with forceful jabs. The alpha blocked and skirted back from Kristi's attacks. With every passing slash, his fangs grew, fur sprouted along his arms, and his eyes started to shine with feral luminance. In a bout of frustration, Gavin snatched at Kristi's extended arm after one of her sloppy slashes.



Kristi gasped, quickly finding herself flying through the air. Her back slammed into a nearby boulder and she let out a cry of pain. The rock dug into her back, arching agony up and down her muscles. Kristi slid down the boulder, but as her feet hit the ground, she refused to collapse. Gavin didn't give her time to recover.



With a snarling battle cry, he charged at her. She barely had the chance to raise her arms in defense as his claws raked across her skin. The sharp pain throbbed across her arms, barely protected by the denim jacket she wore.



Jay watched with bated breath and eyes wide. Something inside him itched to join Kristi. He wanted to see Gavin's reign end. He wanted the feral and the Goldbridge lycans to have a chance. That would never happen if that alpha were meant to live. A multitude of scents tickled at his nose. His heart skipped a beat knowing where he had scented these familiar smells. The pack was making their way through the forest, probably to find their missing alpha.



He scrambled to his feet, his guts throbbing and his ragged shirt soaked with blood. The bleeding had stopped, at least, but if he moved too much, he'd surely risk ruining the small progress his body had accomplished. Not to mention the fresh stabs that raked along his arms as Kristi took Gavin's beating. Half bent over, Jay hobbled to the bag of stolen goods. He managed to drag it away from the battlefield. Before he got too far, he glanced over his shoulder.



Near trees, the pack had begun to emerge. Selene held up her hand as the pack toed the edge of the forest. Goldbridge may not have noticed the three brawlers, but they would notice the whole pack.



Kristi had managed to drive the fight away from the boulder, swinging erratically back at her alpha. Even from this distance, Jay could see her eyes glowing with utter rage. Waves of rage numbly resonated on their connection, but something seemed off, as if half of Kristi were shutting him out. He shook the thought out of his head. With the pack close and his injuries throbbing, his best option was slipping into the shadows.



His stomach flipped, regret ticking through his heart as he watched Kristi for a half-breath longer. Jay sharply turned away from the scene and crept toward Goldbridge.



Kristi paused, Jay's stream of regret knifing into her conscious thoughts. The hair's breadth of a second gained Gavin the upper hand. He slammed his fist into her stomach, the air whooshing out of her lungs. The pain seared down Kristi's throat as she doubled over. Another punch made contact against her side, ribs crunching under the force. She swallowed down a whimper of pain as Gavin descended on her.



He grabbed her hair, forcing her watering eyes away from the ground. His other hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to stare into the distance. Next to her ear, Gavin hissed, “Your Mate runs off with his tail between his legs. Such love.”