Wolf-less Omega Luna

CHAPTER 46: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Alana's POV

The air was thick with tension. So thick that I could bite through it and there’d still be more than enough left to go round.

As soon as Axel let go of me and turned away, my well of thoughts was flooded and it almost drowned me. I couldn’t get myself to stop panicking.

“Pull yourself together, Alana. For Axel,” I said to myself.

“He’ll be fine,” I said again.

Maybe if I repeated the lines enough times, I would stop panicking.

There was no need to panic right? Axel was Alpha. He was strong, but Jerad was strong too. I could now remember how his heavy slaps felt. How much it stung The kicks to my rib. The punches to my jaw.

But still, he had nothing on Axel’s 6 foot 4 inches of pure muscle. Right?

A snarl from Jerad and a bone-chilling growl from Axel echoed through the fighting arena and pulled me from my reverie.

“Axel’s got this.” I rubbed my palms together for friction.

“Sorry, I’m late. A family in the pack needed my attention.” Coral inched to sit close to me, panting as if she had just run five miles to get here.

“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here.” At least, one familiar face to tell me that Axel would not be hurt. I linked my fingers with Coral’s, my knuckles as white as chalk.

“Jerad’s got nothing on Axel, Alana. He’ll be fine.”

I had to believe her. I had to believe that my mate was still the same terrifying and powerful Alpha I had heard of before I knew his sweet and gentle side.

Britney stood on the opposite side of the arena, her taut face intensely focused on Axel and Jerad. If she stared any harder, her jaw would break.

Jerad leaped from his position and lunged at Axel, claws bared to swipe his guts out. My breath hitched in my throat. In one fluid move, Axel slipped to the side and shoved him below his back with his double-sized heel, causing Jerad to stagger and snarl.

“There’s no going back now,” I whispered as my heart skipped frenetically.

A part of me had still hoped that somewhere along the line, a siren would blow, telling us that there was no need for the fight. Or Jerad would back out. Or anything would happen. Something. Anything.

I had hoped till this last moment but it all washed down the drain when Axel started to circle Jerad like the apex predator that he was.

I knew Axel would do fine, but the guilt jabbed at my stomach like a thousand blunt knives coated with wolfsbane put together. Then the fear of the unknown? It consumed me to a paralyzing degree.

“Jerad,” Axel warned. “You can stop this.”

Axel wasn’t making much attempt to hurt Jerad. Was he trying to scare him or make him see a reason to end it?

The selfish part of me that didn’t want to take any risks begged Axel to hurt him and get it over with.

Jerad’s deep grunt sounded again before he lunged off in Axel’s direction with nothing but fury in his eyes. This time, Axel zoomed into him and tossed him far to the side like a bag of garbage. Jerad hit the floor with a loud crack.

That had to hurt.

He groaned, grunted, and snarled angrily before regaining his stance again.

“Back down, Jerad,” I said silently. It was more of a pleading request than a suggestion. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

The unrelenting male sprang back up again but this time, a big ash chunk of fur flew through the air and landed on Axel’s broad chest, causing him to fall back. The wolf barked, canines gnashing at Axel’s face.

While Jerad’s wolf was much smaller than Axel’s Alpha wolf, Axel was in human form and Jerad’s wolf was mad and aiming for nothing but Axel’s perfect face.

Hissing furiously, Axel wrapped one thick hand around the wolf’s neck, and in a fluid movement, he rolled the wolf to its back, caging it with his frame.

Axel’s shirt was now ripped by the werewolf’s claws, crimson pouring down and coloring the white material. The same way his midsection bled, my heart did too. Painfully.

Thick bulging veins ripped through Axel’s muscles as his hold on the wolf’s neck tightened to a fault. Jared's stubborn wolf didn’t relent. Claws kept swiping the air, sometimes grazing Axel, leaving ugly takes in the place of smooth skin.

I’m sure that only fueled Axel’s anger more because I must have heard Jerad’s windpipe pop.

I couldn’t look. Tears were now streaming down my cheeks as I muffled my cries into Coral's crook.

“Surrender!” Axel’s cold, rumbly, and commanding voice barked. The word echoed with a roar that said his wolf was speaking even if he wasn’t turned.

My eyes met the scene again and the ash fur was starting to lose its power. Limbs went limp, and from the small distance, his dark orbs were dimming. Fluttering open and close.

Slowly and visibly painful, the wolf shifted form and in the place of ash fur, pale skin coated in bright red blood was strangled around Axel’s bared claws.

Jerad’s limp hands tapped on the floor showing his surrender and a breath I didn't know I was holding for so long escaped my parted lips and I broke down into a fresh round of tears.

From my peripheral, I caught sight of Britney, all the color had drained from her face, and her eyes desperately scanning all exit points for escape.

Axel stood tall over a naked Jerad, his eyes were dark but when his head lifted to lock eyes with me, I felt…sympathy somewhere through our bond.

“The only reason you’re being spared is because of your mate, Bonnie.”

Saying as few words as possible, Axel took slow but purposeful strides to me, his eyes caging me in my seat before he dipped his head to me and whispered in my ear. “I told you I’ll be okay.”

His lips found the corner of mine, grazing softly before wiping my moistened cheeks with his lips.

“You’re bleeding,” I choked out. Because of me. I didn’t add, but I thought it.

“I’ll heal.” He slightly lifted the ripped shirt, making the sound of flesh separating from the raked skin course between us, causing me to flinch more.

The cuts were deep, but they were rapidly closing up and the bloodstream was slowing down.

“We should go. Get this wrapped up,” I sniffed. He was healing, but he still needed medical attention. Just in case.

He stubbornly shook his head before lifting me from my seat, bridal style, and leaving the crowd behind.

I tried to protest but he only groaned. “You’ll only make me hurt more.” That caused me to stay still.

“I’m sorry.”

His once dark and deadly eyes turned soft and met mine. “Don’t you ever be.”