I tighten my jaws, shaking my head back and forth. Bones pop and snap through Vince’s tail, and still he tries to run. I lean back on my paws, sinking down as I anchor my weight againstVince’s momentum. He starts to yelp and whine like a puppy as his claws drag through the dirt, slowly drawing him back towards me.
Finally, he collapses, all his effort spent. When I leap on him, I see his wide, terrified eyes looking up at me briefly before I land on him and grab him by the ruff of his neck. My teeth sink in, and I feel his spine under the skin. With a growl of triumph, I close my jaws, hearing the satisfying snap as his bones shatter.
As he drops from my mouth, all the surrounding wolves begin to howl in triumph. There are far more in the hills than I expected. It looks like Galen brought in reinforcements from his own pack before they came after us.
“Kit,” Galen says, shifting to his human form as he comes towards me. “Are you alright?”
The shift comes over me slowly, with difficulty. When my human form resets, I can barely stand. Slowly, I stagger towards Galen. He catches me before I can hit the ground.
“I told you not to come,” I growl.
“I know,” Galen answers. “But—”
“But I’m glad you did,” I finish breathlessly.
Galen laughs. “Any time, old friend.”
I hold on to his shoulder, trying not to fall to my knees. Then I see Lexa running at me, tears flowing down her face.
“Kit!” she screams, running into me so hard that we both hit the ground. “Oh my God, my love, I was so scared!”
“I’m here, it’s okay,” I say soothingly. “Everything’s okay.”
“No, it’s not, you fucking jerk!” she yells, looking like she wants to slap me. “How dare you charge in here like that? You almost got yourself killed!”
I lay on my back, looking at her sitting on top of me with wild, bright eyes and her face twisted into a scowl. I reach up and stroke her messy hair, shaking my head a little.
“Lexa, I love you.”
“What?”
“I love you—so much. Now and forever.”
Lexa stares at me, her face going blank as her lip trembles violently. She screws her eyes shut before slapping me lightly on the shoulder.
“I love you, too, you stupid fucking idiot.”
“You what?”
“I love you, too.”
“One more time?”
“You fucking prick,” she laughs, leaning down. “Don’t play me.”
She kisses me, and I try to lean into it. Then both of us pull back, wincing.
“Ow,” I mutter. “I don’t think I’m up for it tonight, darling. I’m just a little torn to shreds.”
She laughs. “Okay. I’ll let you off tonight, but I won’t have any more of your excuses from now on. I expect sex at least three times a day.”
“I can do that,” I say, pulling her down to me to kiss her again. Both of us jump back again.
“Well, that’s not going to work until we heal a bit,” she says, smiling.
“Sadly, I concur,” I agree. “Do you want to let me get up?”
“I don’t know. Are you ready to stop being a goddamn fucking fool and not risk your life again?”
