No one spoke. No one even breathed.

A widespread stillness seemed to hang over everyone- everyone, except the man striding slowly forward through their ranks, his emerald green eyes locked on Rannulf, who sneered at him with death in his gaze. The high alpha brought his foot down, releasing Derric from his grip, and Derric rose back up to his feet, stepping back to give the two of them space.

“I have to say, Rannulf... Can I call you Randy? I have to say, Randy, your security forces are impressive. I was almost worried they would kill poor Derric, but it occurred to me that you wouldn't want them to do that, would you? No, you wanted to make a public example of someone, like you almost did me. And since Derric here was the one who sweet-talked you into sparing me last time, I figured he would be the ideal sacrificial lamb to have murdered in my place.

“And so, while your mighty sentinels were busy beating him to a pulp while also doing their damnedest to make sure he remained alive, I had the perfect opportunity to circumvent your security forces altogether. I made it through without a single wolf stopping me, or even seeing me, so far as I know. So um, while I appreciate all the effort you've made to keep people like me out of here, you might want to do something about that teency little glitch, if you actually want this whole thing to work the way it should.”

Rannulf stood staring at him, seething, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.

“You traitor!” he spat, his red eyes bugging as the words passed his lips. “I told you what would happen if you ever showed your face around here again! And not only have you returned, you've corrupted one of your former pack-mates in doing so! A man you call a friend, made to risk his life as a means for you to infiltrate our sacred laws!”

Adam simply laughed, and shook his head.

“You know, for all your talk of traitors and pack loyalty, you certainly don't seem to have any great qualms about poisoning your high alpha. Or poisoning a pregnant omega trying to force him to miscarry...”

He held up the paper in his hand, and a murmur rose up among the crowd.

“It's called the Silver Bullet weed,” he said to the pack at large. “A very toxic plant to our kind. It causes all kinds of horrible effects to anyone who ingests it. Of the ones that come to mind, there's losing weight, coughing up blood, muscle loss and weakness. Followed by a very slow and unpleasant death. I saw that and I thought, gee who do I know that's been going through all those things?...

“Oh, right- my father, the former high alpha, as well as my mate, whose offspring would likely pose a threat to you in time. It just kind of seems funny when you think about it, wouldn't you say? Especially considering the fact that both of those men have been living on nothing but food prepared by your personal chefs, for months on end.. One would almost be tempted to think there was some kind of foul play afoot here...”

“Lies! These are all baseless accusations!” Rannulf boomed. “Just a bunch of complete and utter nonsense!”

Adam couldn't help but smile.

“I think it all makes quite a lot of sense, actually. For someone as ambitious, and as starved for power as you've always been. You really didn't have that many options, did you? There was no way you could ever hope to ascend to the throne while my father and I were both alive and in good health. You couldn't just kill my dad though- he was far too well liked by too much of the pack for you to get away with that. You had to make it look like an illness, and stretch it out as long as you could. You kept him alive, but too weak to rule. And I think, somehow, you knew that I wouldn't be ready to take over in his place. My restlessness has never been a secret, and it wouldn't have been hard to use that to your advantage. After all, if I didn't cooperate, you could always just poison me as well...”

Rannulf glared daggers at him, his gaze so intense that it actually made Adam a little bit queasy.

But then, disarmingly, his face softened.

His lips curled into a smile, and he slowly shook his head from side to side.

“Alright,” said Rannulf, and it actually confused him for a moment.

“What?” said Adam, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I said, alright. Let's say, for the sake of this exercise, that I did poison Farrar, as well as the little human slut you've brought to this sacred place. Let's say that it was my goal all along to overthrow your family, for whatever damn reason I chose to do so. Maybe, I don't know, it was because I was tired of bending over beneath your father's spineless leadership, and letting them ream us up the ass right and left. Just for the sake of the argument, let's say that that was the reason I poisoned them- because I watched as my parents were murdered by hunters, and was permanently disfigured as child, trying to fight back, and I could no longer sit idly by while our pack's dearly beloved high alpha sat idly by and did nothing.

“Yes... I can entertain all of these notions, just for the sake of your argument.

“Let's say then, that that's all true. Every word of it. Down to the most minute, specific detail. I guess the only question I might have to all of that would have to be-

“So what?”

Adam raised an eyebrow at this.

“What?”

“So what?” Rannulf repeated. “So what if I poisoned them? So what if I set into motion the very chain of events that led ultimately to my takeover of the throne, and so what if, unlike you, I'm doing everything in my power to maintain my hold over that power? So? Fucking? What?”

“You can't be serious...” said Adam, his eyebrows pursed together.

“Oh, but I am entirely serious,” he said. “Because, even if all of that is true, and again, let us suppose that it is, what does any of it actually change? Does it undo your abandonment? Does it somehow alter the fact that, when times were tough, you decided to run away from responsibility? To leave behind your entire people, your way of life, then go out and impregnate the first human male to come along and spread his legs for you? I don't think it does, does it?

“Nor does it change the fact that I fought for this position, fair and square. That I battled against the strongest men in our pack for the right to claim that throne, and that I sacrificed my blood, sweat, and tears in my climb to the top. What does it matter if the game I played was a clean one? All that truly matters, in the end, is that I am the victor. That I am where I am, by whatever means I happened to get here. And whatever conspiracy theory you think you've cooked up to try and overthrow me, it's all meaningless in the face of my sheer, undeniable supremacy...”

Adam looked at him for a long time.

Then he took a deep breath, preparing to say what he'd been planning all along. A statement from which he knew there could be no return once it was out.

“You're right,” he said. “Nothing I say can change a thing about what's happened up until now. You did fight for your position, fair and square, regardless of whatever means happened to precede you getting there. But whatever mistakes I've made, whatever youthful fantasies I've let lead me astray, the fact of the matter remains that you haven't earned the position in which you now find yourself. You haven't fought with every eligible male vying for that throne, regardless of what you might think...”

“Wait... You're not serious,” said Rannulf, a smile spreading across his lips.

Adam nodded.

“I am serious. I'm challenging you to fight me. I seek to claim this throne, as I should have done when first it was offered to me.”

Rannulf looked at him for a long moment, as though studying him to ensure he was serious. Then he tilted back his head, and burst out laughing, as did many of his followers.

Adam continued to stand there, unshaken by this display, his resolve still as firm as it had ever been.

The laughter died down after some time, and Rannulf brushed away two small tears from the corners of his eyes.

“My God... Do the depths of your arrogance know no boundary? You aren't even a member of this pack anymore, and you wish to become its high alpha?!”

“I've always been a member of this pack,” said Adam. “And I always will be, whether you like it or not. You can either accept that, and fight me like the alpha you claim to be, or you can forfeit, and give proof to the world of your cowardice...”

Rannulf smiled, and narrowed his eyes.

“Very well, then... If you wish to bring further humiliation upon yourself and your family, I shall not stop you. But be warned, you shall very soon come to rue the day you endeavored to cross me. You will regret having ever disrespected me, or my position, in the way that you have done. You won't be regretting it for long, though. Because it will be the last thing you ever do on this earth...”

Adam smirked at him, and shook his head.

“Whatever you say,” he said casually. “I'm eager to see which of us turns out right...”

The two of them moved into position.

They stood on either side of the fire in the center of the clearing, and the crowd around them spread out, giving them ample space for the brawl ahead.

Adam stretched himself out in preparation for the coming fight, cracking his neck, flexing his muscles, and trying to focus his thoughts on the singular goal of crushing Rannulf into the ground, and taking back all that had been stolen from him.

And it was then, in that moment, that he saw his omega's eyes gazing over at him from the fringes of the crowd...

“Okay!” he vaguely recognized a voice saying as it boomed in his ears. “On the count of three, let the battle commence.”

Adam was too transfixed on the sight of Kyle, staring worriedly up at him, to register the words being spoken. It had been so long since he'd held him in his embrace. So long since they'd seen each other, or wrapped themselves up in one another's arms.

And yet here he was. Right in front of him. Like not a day had passed since they'd been apart.

“Three!”

He had so much he wanted to say to him. So much he wished he could apologize for, or make some kind of atonement. But there was no time now, and deep down he feared there might never be time again.

“Two!”

Even if there had been all the time in the world, he wasn't sure whether he could possibly find the right words for what he needed to say. He was just too transfixed, to swept up by the sight of him there. His body thin and fragile from not eating, but still hard, muscular, with the swollen bulge of his pregnancy protruding more than ever from the front.

“One!”

All the artists in the world couldn't conceive of a beauty so pure, so perfect in every possible way. He burned now, more than ever, to hold him in his arms again. To kiss that pure body from head to toe, and to hold him impossibly close to his heart, with a tenderness that defied the power of language to describe.

He was determined, now more than ever, to feel the touch of his skin. The warmth of his embrace. To feel the taste of his lips against his own.

He would know these things again.

And nothing in the world was going to stop him from knowing them...

“Fight!”

This final word tore him from his reverie, just in time to see Rannulf disappear across the fire. He fell onto all fours, and expanded to a massive size- the largest wolfshifter Adam thought he'd ever seen before in his life.

His response time delayed, he managed to transform himself just as Rannulf slammed into his body, shoving his canine form to the ground beneath his weight and immediately knocking the wind out of him.

Adam howled in pain and anger, and Rannulf began to dig his claws into his exposed chest, like he was trying to rip open a hole in the very center of him, and pull out his heart.

Adam managed to get his bearings, and hurled his body upward, knocking his skull against Rannulf's jaw, and sending him toppling backward. He disentangled himself from beneath him as he fell, scampering around in a circle to regain his bearings.

Rannulf had just risen to his feet again, and Adam shot forward in his direction, hurdling as fast as his legs would carry him in the direction of his foe. Rannulf started, and raced toward him at top speed, the two of them on a high speed collision course like two oncoming trains.

KRACK!

The audience howled and winced as the two beasts slammed together in midair, their bodies tumbling like rag dolls as they fell toward the ground. Before they'd even landed, Adam dug his jaws into the side of Rannulf's neck, latching to him as powerfully as he could. Rannulf howled with pain, but tore himself clean of Adam's grip when the two wolves impacted against the hard ground. He jammed his left rear paw into Adam's face, his claws digging through his muzzle, and Adam was sent toppling back, the blood streaming down his face.

He managed to get a hold of himself, skidding across the dirt in a cloud of debris. No sooner had he come to a rest than Rannulf was charging back at him again, rushing toward him at top speed, his eyes glowing red, clearly intent on murder.

“ROOOOOAAAAAAAOOOO!”

Adam had tried to stop it, but wasn't quick enough to prevent the sinking of teeth into his neck, Rannulf's fangs driving in deep and filling him with a terrible pain. He tried to pull away, but the harder he attempted to resist the high alpha's efforts, the deeper Rannulf's jaws fell into his flesh, ripping through fur and skin and muscle, blood pouring out in abundance.

Finally Adam hefted his weight back with all his might, slamming his body into the high alpha and dislodging his fangs from the bloody red gash in his anatomy.

Rannulf toppled over and over himself, and Adam shook off the pain of his injury, doing his damnedest not to let it distract him from the task at hand.

He knew the odds were against him. Knew that at any moment his foe might fatally overpower him, and put an end to everything he loved.

And he knew the stakes were far too high for him to even think about letting that happen...

Before Rannulf could get back up, Adam charged at him through the firelight, leaping into the air, and body slamming him with every ounce of his weight. He knocked the creature's wind out, and drug his claws viciously through the air, taking his vengeance for every last bit of damage that had done to him thus far. His claws tore through Rannulf's chest and stomach, his teeth snapped at the vulnerable scruff of his neck, and he attempted, on several occasions, to reach up and blind the high alpha.

Rannulf, however, was one step ahead of him.

Unable to block every blow, he nevertheless excelled at protecting the most vital areas of his body. Thrashing his head violently, kicking his limbs, he kept Adam from getting to his eyes, his neck, his snout, or his jaws.

Adam continued to dig at him for so long that his limbs began to grow tired, but he knew the very second he relented would be the one that Rannulf retaliated, catching him off guard in his moment of weakness.

And that was exactly what happened...

Lifting himself just long enough to catch his breath, Rannulf jerked his body upward beneath him, tapping a reservoir of strength h that he'd obviously been saving for this very moment.

Adam tried to pull himself back in time and avoid the attack, but he was too slow, unable to protect himself from the gnashing teeth of the high alpha.

He felt the hot sting of those jaws sinking into him again, penetrating through the flesh of his neck even deeper than they had a moment ago, and only a few inches away from the exact same spot. Adam pulled back desperately, thinking that this might be the blow that killed him if he let it get any deeper. He yanked back, and howled out in pain as a strip of flesh was pulled from his neck, the blood gushing as he stumbled back in agony.

He swayed uneasily, determined not to lose his foothold in the battle, but too weak to make good on his promise to himself.

Rannulf plunged his body forward up into him, forcing into him with the bulk of his weight, and Adam found himself utterly to resist him, wracked as he still was by waves of excruciating pain.

He toppled back, yet again, and felt the hard slash of claws through his flesh, stomping his face into the ground, ensuring that he stay down this time.

Not about to surrender, he struggled and pushed back against the weight of the high alpha's paw, kicking up dirt as he tried to squeam loose. Then, unexpectedly, Rannulf jerked his claw up off of him, and releasing him from captivity.

Having built up considerable momentum through the course of his struggle, Adam found himself overwhelmed by his sudden freedom. With a burst of energy he shot across the ground, tripping over his own legs now that the impediment to his movement was gone. He skidded and writhed, straining as hard as he could to regain control of himself.

He ended up face-planting in the dirt, skidding several inches across the hard ground. Immediately once he was down he sprang back up to his feet, panting with exhaustion, his fur caked with blood and dirt.

I've been away far too long, he thought to himself. I'm out of shape, ill-conditioned for any of this. And now it's going to cost me everything...

Nevertheless, he was determined to do everything in his power to keep that from happening, even if it killed him- which, at this point, didn't really seem like that great of a stretch...

He leapt back up off the ground for what felt like the dozenth time, rising to his feet and bracing himself, certain as he was that Rannulf would come bearing down on him at any second, smashing into his ribs like a living, wolf-sized bullet.

But Rannulf never came...

He waited, and waited, jerking his head around to see where the hell he'd gone-

But he was nowhere to be found...

He gazed out at his surroundings, at the faces of the men standing clustered around, watching the fight unfold. It was hard to make out their expressions, obscured as they were by the vibrant glow of the firelight.

But when he squinted, Adam could see their heads moving, turning in a hundred different directions, as though they themselves couldn't quite seem to figure out where Rannulf had gone.

Confused and terrified, Adam continued to jerk his head back and forth, looking for any possible signs of life.

And that was when he saw it.

A sudden black blur, just on the periphery of his vision.

He spun around to face it, ready for the attack-

But it was gone...

He felt his blood run cold.

He waited, his ears piqued, his nostrils flaring, trying to get a lock on his location.

Then, a sudden scuffle of dirt in his ear over the crackle and roar of the fire.

He jerked around, only to see an instantaneous flash of movement- one that was gone before he even had the chance to take it in.

Gone yet again...

Again and again, Rannulf kept disappearing and reappearing, pieces of his massive canine anatomy showing up for mere seconds at a time- his face, his paws, his tail, or the trunk of that hulking body- but then vanishing again by the time Adam managed to turn and face him.

He knew, though, exactly what was going on...

Very gradually, he pieced together the fact that Rannulf was circling around him, trying to intimidate him, and succeeding quite well in doing so. The speeds at which he moved were nearly unbelievable, but now that Adam thought he understood the pattern of his movement, he felt certain he could head him off, before he had the chance to strike.

He waited, steeling his nerves, doing his damnedest not to let himself be intimidated.

He held tight, waiting until Rannulf had passed the exact same spot several times in a row, and he'd managed to count out the seconds between each pass.

Then, at what Adam had calculated to be the precise moment of his next lap through, he sprung up from the ground, and leapt headlong into the air. He soared to the place where he was certain Rannulf would appear, his jaws wide, his green eyes gleaming with hatred.

Then he landed.

And there was nothing there...

Again he skidded across the dust, having worked up enough speed to plow into Rannulf with all his weight. He very slowly dragged himself to a rest, his head spinning as he tried to figure out what he'd gotten wrong in his calculation.

And that was when he realized exactly what it was.

The only thing he'd miscalculated was the notion that Rannulf would let him calculate his movements at all.

It had simply been a part of his plan...

KRACK!

Adam howled in pain.

At the very dawning of his comprehension, one of his ribs was snapped by the bulk of Rannulf's weight, ambushing him from the shadows, and sending him skidding, uncontrollably and painfully, across the hard ground.

The two wolves rolled several feet through the dust, kicking and scratching and flailing as they vied for dominance, but the victor of this contest clear given the grave extent of Adam's injuries. They rolled on and on until they'd come to within feet of the fire, Rannulf landing on top, and a weakened, defeated Adam twitching in pain beneath him.

Without further adieu, Rannulf lifted a paw through the air. He brought it crashing down against the side of Adam's face. Pulling it through his fur and flesh, ripping open yet another gash along the extent of his muzzle. From there, he tore in relentlessly, clawing up his neck, his chest, his shoulders, his exposed stomach.

Adam did everything he possibly could to try and wriggle free, thrashing, biting, straining with all his might, but it was simply no use. Every move he made to try and free himself was met by a searing pain in his ribs, exploding through his body in violent waves, and sending him flat on his back once again, no matter how he tried to resist the force of his agony. The pain just kept getting worse and worse, amplified as it was by the addition of numerous additional injuries, to the point that his entire body began to grow numb, his muscles no longer even responding to his orders to fight back.

Then, at last, just when he thought he could stand no more-

RRRIP!

He felt a quick surge of pain, so horrible in its intensity that he ceased being able to feel it after the initial moment of contact.

He knew that he was screeching in pain, but he couldn't even hear the sound of it past the violent ringing in his ears.

“ADAM!!!!”

That, he did hear- Kyle's voice, working its way feebly through to him.

He tried to turn his one remaining eye to gaze over at him, but Rannulf stomped on his chest before he could do so, calling him promptly back to attention.

He looked up at the high alpha, certain, in that moment, that he'd won.

There he lay beneath him. His ribs cracked. One eye slashed out. His neck torn open, his body cut to ribbons. Pinned beneath the enormity of his weight.

What hope remained to him, as he gazed into that scarred and disfigured face, those cold red eyes burning into his soul?

But there, on the verge of his surrender to destiny, was where he found his answer.

He had Kyle.

He had their child.

He had all the hope in the world, and that was enough for him...

Rannulf stood there on top of him, panting, sneering, letting the undeniable fact of his victory sink in. Adam would be gone from this world in a matter of moments after all, and he wanted to give the poor wretch the chance to savor the depth of his failure before he died.

After a moment or so, though, he decided he was too impatient to wait any longer.

He lifted his body up, bringing a claw into the air, clearly preparing to bring it down through the center of Adam's neck, and sever his jugular vein.

It was at that moment, that most crucial of junctures, that Adam leapt into action.

He shoved his entire weight forward, and with a tremendous effort managed to kick Rannulf back off of him, despite the surges of pain flooding through every inch of his body. He didn't stop with simply dismounting him, though, but kept on going, swinging his body to the side, and throwing his attacker straight back over his head, and into the surging gold flames of the fire.

There was a loud gasp from the crowd.

Adam scurried around, panting like mad as he strained to catch his breath.

He loped to a safe distance and turned back toward the inferno, the high alpha's body still twisting and writhing in the fire.

Then, abruptly, he stopped.

Adam's eyes widened.

All was silent.

A tense stillness crackled through the air, so taut and so palpable that Adam nearly felt crushed beneath its weight.

His chest swelled with pride, and he thought, at last, that it was all over.

But then the creature in the flames lifted its head.

Adam's blood run as cold as ice in his veins...

Slowly the burning creature rose, elevating up onto his haunches, stretching out his arms as he transfigured back into his human form.

He stepped out of the fire, the flames becoming detached from themselves as they clung to his body, melting him away as he moved toward the place where Adam stood.

“You think a little fire is enough to stop me?” he sneered, his voice hoarse as he struggled for breath. “You think the pain of disfiguration is something I haven't known before? Pain only makes me stronger. It's what fuels the fire inside me. It's what gives me power over weak minded fools such as you...”

Adam stood rooted to the spot, filled with horror at this new development. It seemed impossible that he might have survived, much less be addressing him in full and complete sentences as he was now doing.

It gave him an air of invincibility a sense that nothing in the world could stop him.

And Adam panicked...

He leapt through the air, his jaws wide, aiming to strike him down while his defenses were low.

Rannulf simply stuck out a hand, and caught the wolf by the neck before he could even get close to his target. He wrapped his massive fingers around Adam's throat, and lifted him up off of the ground, his lower legs suspended in midair, and kicking at the empty space around him.

“This is over,” said Rannulf, shaking his head. “You've lost. You've given up everything you had, and you aren't getting it back again. You were never strong enough for this... You were never the man you needed to be to fulfill the role of high alpha. Or that of a husband, or a father. You're just an insignificant runaway, trying to escape his destiny. But there is no escape for you this time... Don't worry, though- I'll be sure to take good care of the slut and his kid when you're gone...”

Adam could feel the oxygen draining away from his lungs. His windpipe being crushed. His life gradually being torn away from him.

But he wasn't going to let it go.

Wasn't going to surrender it.

Not this time...

Jerking back, and then surging forward as hard as he could, he clamped his teeth down through flesh and muscle and bone.

He felt the hot red tang of blood on his tongue. The giving of the meat between his jaws as he bored down.

He saw the nubs of Rannulf's fingers, scattering through the air, and felt the breath surging freely into his lungs, for the first time in almost a minute.

Rannulf screamed.

Adam crashed to the ground, and sprang right back up again the moment his feet touched down in the dirt.

He opened his jaws again.

He sent them crushing down.

He bit into Rannulf's exposed neck, this time severing the vein without a moment's delay.

Rannulf gasped, and choked, and clutched at his throat.

And then the life drained away from his piercing red eyes.

He toppled to the ground, his still burning body like a piece of firewood that had rolled away separately from the pile.

Adam scurried back, and shifted into his human form the moment his body hit the ground, needing to conserve energy.

All was silent for a moment.

Then- the crowd burst into applause.

As he'd surmised, a large percentage of his pack had despised Rannulf's leadership, and they were now thrilled beyond words to see him lying there, burning to a crisp at Adam's feet.

Adam sighed, welling up with emotion, still a little bit amazed at what he'd just done, and that he'd actually managed to survive it.

He savored the pride of the moment, unable to deny the swell of pleasure he felt at the jubilation of his people.

In that moment, though, none of that mattered all that much. At least, not when compared to the matter he held foremost in his mind.

He craned his neck around the cheering throng, looking with his one good eye for the face he desired to see.

Thankfully, though, Kyle was on him like glue before he even had a chance to realize it.

“Oh my God! Adam! Oh, Adam! Are you alright?”

He felt his omega’s arms twisting around his chest, squeezing him so tight that he thought it might choke him again. The pain in his ribs was excruciating, but he decided the warmth of Kyle's embrace was too sweet for him to complain about it.

In any case, Kyle seemed to catch himself quickly enough, easing his grip, and stepping quickly back to give him space.

“I'm sorry,” he said, aware that he was in pain. “But God... I can't believe it... Are you okay?”

Adam smirked at this, the blood still streaming down his face from the place where his eye was missing.

“I've seen better days,” he grunted, the smile quickly fading from the pain.. “The really important thing is- are you okay?””

Tears were streaming down Kyle's face, and he was shaking his head, smiling.

“I've never been better,” he said. “I'm just so happy to see you again. I'm so happy you're back, that you're alive!”

He had one hand on the side of Adam's face, and Adam pulled it to his lips, kissing it softly on its palm.

“I'm here to stay this time,” he said. “No more running away. As long and as much as it's taken for me to be by your side, I don't ever plan on leaving it again. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart...”

Looking into his one green eye, Kyle smiled at him, certain beyond a doubt that he did mean it. Every single word of it.

Overcome by his emotion, he couldn't stop himself from leaning back in again, and wrapping his arms around Adam's chest, and holding on as though he might never let go.

Adam didn't really mind the pain.

He closed his eyes, rested his head on Kyle's shoulder, and placed a warm, loving hand against the mound of his stomach.

He didn't think he'd ever felt safer in his life, than he did at that very moment...