TRISTAN

 

Even though Mordecai had given Julius some time to prepare, there wasn’t much need for it. Julius was ready for what was ahead of him.

Everybody knew how important this was. If he managed to defeat Mordecai, every Omega in the Timberlands would no longer have to live in fear. They would be able to make it to Dirge without worry of being hunted. The most dangerous predators will have been tamed.

I didn’t want to think about what would happen if Julius fell. The fate of Dirge didn’t matter to me. It was selfish but for me, all I wanted was for Julius to stay safe.

The hours went by and the sky grew darker. The expedition rested peacefully in a small clearing. The eeriness of the Blood Woods would have made any person want to leave. I took comfort in knowing that we wouldn’t be here for much longer.

I sat next to Julius. The Alpha was completely still. His eyes closed, he breathed softly through his nose as if trying to maintain his focus.

“You can do this.”

I spoke up. I couldn’t be a part of the fight but I wanted to do everything I could to help him.

His cheeks twitched into a slight smirk but his eyes remained shut.

Without warning, Goro jumped up to his feet. The other men in our group followed.

“They’re here,” Goro said.

Julius didn’t move in his seat. I looked away from him and into the darkness between the trees that surrounded us. The first thing I noticed were the eyes of the wolves. The yellow-tint shined bright even through the shadows. Just from their eyes, I could tell how savage they were in their hearts.

They kept moving forward. One of the wolves shifted and Mordecai stood before all of us, his body bare and exposed to the moonlight shining down through the gray clouds above.

“It’s time to meet your end,” Mordecai announced. “Say your farewells and let this end.”

Julius slowly opened his eyes. He appeared so peaceful. He wasn’t just hiding it. There was a calmness about him I’d never seen before.

He turned toward me. I nodded to him. There were no more words to be said. The time for talking was over.

We both stood up.

“This is between you and me,” Julius said to Mordecai. “We’ll settle the fate of the Blood Woods between us.”

“After I kill you, life will go on for the rest of us.”

I took a step back from Julius along with the rest of the group. Mordecai’s pack remained behind him.

The Primals were the most violent wolfpack in all of the Timberlands. They were even more feared than the Fierce wolves. They were so violent that nobody dared venture near the Blood Woods.

Now I was standing here with the rest of the expedition. And Julius was facing the lead Alpha in a fight to the death.

There was no turning back now.

Julius was wearing nothing more than a pair of pants and some boots. His upper torso was as fit as any man I’d ever seen before. Bulging biceps and a muscled chest made clear that he was capable in combat. I had to remind myself not to get too distracted by his physique.

Mordecai shifted into a wolf. The moonlight glistened off of his silver fur. He was intimidating just from the look in his eyes. Even his fangs looked sharper than usual. The claws on his paws looked like they could cut through bone with even the slightest swipe.

Julius took a step forward and held his arms out.

“Are you ready?” Julius asked.

“What is this?” Mordecai said. “Why are you stalling?”

“I’m not stalling. I am a man. I am a man more than anything else. And as a man, I will usher in a new era in the Timberlands.”

“I will not refuse the wish of a dying man.”

Mordecai moved forward like he was stalking Julius. Julius started to circle around to ready himself for the wolf he was about to fight. Everybody else on both sides of the clearing backed up to give the two of them space.

They didn’t engage. They just sized each other up, searching for the right opportunity to strike.

The nerves twisted my stomach into knots. I clenched my fists. My body was covered in sweat underneath my clothes. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would burst out of my chest.

Mordecai made the first move, snarling as he tried to pounce on Julius. Julius responded by moving to the side and avoiding the wolf’s aggression.

Mordecai was relentless though. He quickly spun around and charged back at Julius. Julius put his arms up just as the wolf swiped at him. He managed to block the blow and push the wolf aside.

But the damage had been done. Mordecai was the first to draw blood along the side of Julius’s forearm. The streak of blood didn’t break Julius’s resolve but I could see the devilish delight in Mordecai’s eyes.

“Come on…”

I muttered to myself, trying to urge Julius to fight back. Perhaps if he were a lion, this fight would be easier for him. But I couldn’t reason with him now. Julius’s attention was focused solely on the wolf trying to tear him apart.

Mordecai increased his aggression. The wolf attacked with an assault that would have made any man cower. Violent swings of his claws. Angry snatches with his teeth. He kept trying to pounce on Julius but Julius still managed to just escape.

Mordecai was able to swipe at Julius and draw blood but the wounds weren’t enough to slow Julius down. Still, Julius had yet to do anything.

Suddenly, Mordecai charged again. Just as Mordecai was near, Julius ducked and popped back into the air with a hard punch that connected right on the wolf’s snout. Mordecai whimpered as he stumbled back. One of his fangs was bloodied and loose as it hung out of his mouth.

Mordecai howled in anger and charged back at Julius. Julius put his hands up and blocked the swipes. But Mordecai didn’t stop. The wolf reached his teeth out and snatched Julius’s arm.

“Julius!”

I cried out as Julius grunted in pain. Mordecai snarled as he tried to sink his teeth even deeper into Julius’s arm.

Julius struggled before using all of his strength to pry the wolf off of his arm. Mordecai was sent flying back and tumbled to the ground.

Julius grimaced and held his hand to his arm. The blood leaked out of the fang wounds and dripped between his fingers.

Just like that, Julius was running out of time. He couldn’t be patient any longer. If he waited, Julius would eventually bleed to death.

I stared at Julius, hoping that he would see the urgency I was trying to give him. He looked back at me and I saw the determination in his eyes. He clenched his jaw and breathed hard through his nose.

“It’s over,” Mordecai said. “This truly is your end. Don’t worry. The others here will be able to speak of your valiant effort.”

Julius straightened up and pulled his hand away from his forearm. Blood leaking from his wounds, he marched forward.

Mordecai snarled at Julius’s defiant display. He bared his broken teeth and charged at Julius.

Julius raced forward the same as his opponent.

The two of them were on a collision course in the center of the clearing.

They both leaped up at the same time and collided in the air with a thud. They slammed down onto the ground and started wrestling with one another.

“Julius…”

I grew desperate. I couldn’t hide the worry that burned in my heart now that I could see them struggling with each other.

Mordecai kept swiping and snatching with his jaw. Julius struggled with the wolf, trying to put his hands around his head.

Julius suddenly cried out as Mordecai found his mouth back around Julius’s arm. Julius grunted from the obvious pain but he didn’t quit.

He kept wrestling with Mordecai until he managed to put a hand around the wolf’s throat. The muscles in his wrist and forearm bulged as he squeezed with all of his strength.

I looked into Mordecai’s eyes. The life was slowly beginning to drain out of him but he still clenched his jaw around Julius’s arm. Julius shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. He roared as he squeezed his grip with every last ounce of strength.

Mordecai’s eyes suddenly started to go lifeless. The intensity I saw just a few moments ago had disappeared. His broken jaw was loosening its grip.

Julius kept squeezing until dropping Mordecai lifeless to the ground.

I watched in disbelief as Julius stood back up to his feet. His arm covered in blood and his body dripping with sweat, Julius was completely exhausted.

He breathed deeply as he walked back over to me.

“It’s over,” he sighed. “It’s over—”

“Look out!”

Vesper suddenly shouted and stepped forward.

Julius turned around but it was too late. Mordecai had gotten back up and swiped at Julius. He dug his claws into Julius’s leg. Julius screamed in pain from how deep the claws were.

Vesper jumped in and tackled Mordecai. He lifted the wolf off the ground and with all of his might, gripped his throat and squeezed the life out of him.

He dropped Mordecai to the ground and the wolf fell lifeless for good.

“Julius!”

I yelled just as Julius collapsed to one knee. As I tended to his wound, the others stood by Vesper’s side to confront the other Primals.

“Go,” Vesper said. “It’s been done. Let the other Primal packs in the Blood Woods know. ”

One of the Primals stepped forward and growled at Vesper.

“The fight was between the other man and Mordecai,” he said. “You were not part of the fight.”

“The fight was over,” Vesper replied. “Julius made the mistake of showing mercy. He is not as savage as you. He would not desecrate a dead body like you when it’s already been defeated.”

“Mordecai was not defeated.”

“Then step in his place. Step in his place and join him.”

Vesper took a step forward.

“The lead Alpha is dead,” he said. “And those who don’t wish to join him must abide by the code. Live in peace and serve the Omegas who need help. Or die. That is your choice, Primal.”

I looked at the Primals. They were all growling. Their eyes narrowed, they could strike at any moment. Vesper stood defiantly with Goro and the others by his side.

A war in the clearing was about to break out. When it did, my only priority was to protect Julius.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered to Julius. “I’ll be here. I’ll be by your side. No matter what.”

All of the blood he’d lost and the fatigue of fighting a wolf was beginning to take a toll on him. His eyes narrowed, Julius somehow managed to smile back at me as I cradled him in my arms.

I turned to the confrontation about to take place. I stared at all of the Primals.

But just before they were about to engage, one of them shifted suddenly into a man.

The anger I expected on his face wasn’t there. Instead, there was a sad look in his eyes. He looked down and nodded as he stared at Mordecai’s body.

“We have no desire to live in the city,” he said. “We want to remain here, as our ancestors have done for centuries. We are animals. We must live as animals.”

“If your pack is your only concern then so be it,” Vesper said. “But if you encounter others, you must live in peace. You must respect the wishes of your Omegas and assist them in finding their own peace.”

The man sighed a deep breath through his nose.

“The lowliest Omegas in our packs will be sent away,” he said. “The Blood Woods have no place for the weak. We will help find them a proper place.”

He shifted back into a wolf and receded back into the darkness with the other Primals. I waited a few seconds to make sure they’d disappeared.

“Is that it?” I asked. “Is it over?”

“Mordecai is dead,” Goro said. “They have no choice unless they wish to join him.”

A sense of relief washed over me. But when I turned and looked at Julius, I knew I couldn’t rest easy. His injuries were mortal.

“We have to get him back to the herd,” I said. “Before it’s too late.”