Wolf Torn: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Dark Ridge Wolves Book 2)
Page 7
His aim was either excellent or lucky. The stick punctured the skin, between the ribs. Holton knew the exact moment it had hit Gregory’s lung by the way he took a sudden gasp—or, at least, tried to. The result was a wheezy rattle, the look in his eyes sheer confusion and fear.
Gregory stopped trying to attack and slowly swung his head to see what had happened to his side. He caught sight of the stick poking out from between his ribs, and staggered. He turned back to Holton, who was fully human now, and had scooted back, getting out of the way of the injured wolf. He could shift back to wolf if needed, but he had a feeling this fight was done. Gregory glared at him in anger and pain, and Holton thought for a moment he would attack again, but then his front legs folded.
He remained in that position for a moment, and Holton thought he would slump right down, but then, with what appeared to take intense effort, Gregory managed to make it back to his feet again. With his tail tucked far beneath his body, his haunches right down, Gregory gave them all one final glare, and then staggered from the small clearing and vanished between the trees.
Both Joel and Ruby had already shifted back to human, and they ran over to Holton.
“Do you want me to go after him?” asked Joel.
Holton shook his head, his hand clutching his injured ribs. “No. He knows he’s done.”
“Do you think he’ll die,” asked Ruby.
He was mindful that Gregory was still Ruby’s uncle. No matter what he had done, or tried to do to them, nothing would change that. “We’re shifters, not vampires. I don’t think we can be killed with a sharpened stick.”
“And the stick would need to have been in the heart,” Joel pointed out.
“Yeah, good point.” He moved, and all of the lacerations and bruises he’d suffered during the fight made him wince. “We’ll go back to the compound. Valerie will have to leave now, too, so I’ll tell her where we last saw him and send her after him. I’ll let anyone else who wants to go with her leave, as well. I’m sure Gregory still had more than a couple of supporters. I’d rather not have to worry about having them around.”
Ruby reached out and took his hand, looking up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “You’re alpha now.”
He nodded, and then leaned down and kissed her. “And you, my love, are my mate.”
Chapter Thirteen
The remaining members of the Dark Ridge wolves were waiting anxiously back at the compound for news of what had happened.
Holton knew this was going to be a difficult time for them, especially as none of them would have seen the change in leadership coming. Alphas never remained in the same position their entire lives, but there was normally more of a buildup to the change in command, and the rest of the pack would have been notified about the challenge. In this case, however, there hadn’t been time, and it had been Gregory’s underhand attempt at getting rid of any competition that had led to his own ousting. Explaining this to the rest of the pack wouldn’t be easy, however, and he didn’t know how they would respond. What if they all rebelled against him? Where would that leave him?
With Ruby and Joel at his side, they entered the shifter compound. They’d already gathered up their clothing and dressed, so they wouldn’t be entering naked and vulnerable. It was important for him to show nothing but strength. Word had started to spread that something had happened. Several other wolves had heard the howls and snarls from the forest and, as they didn’t know the details, both tension and rumors had been running wild.
People began to emerge from their homes as the small group made their way through the compound, toward the meeting house Gregory had ruled from only a matter of hours earlier.
Did they sense it on him, the change in power? Did they already feel in their wolves’ blood that he was now their alpha?
News of their return filtered through the compound, and, by the time he reached the meeting house, most of the Dark Ridge wolves were either waiting for him there, or were following behind.
He climbed onto the platform, forcing himself not to wince at the throbbing pain in his ribs. He pushed the pain from his mind. His ribs would heal, but if he didn’t do this right, the rift in the pack might never mend. The two people he needed most were with him—Joel, who would be his new beta, and Ruby, his alpha female. He wished his sister, Alyssa, was here to see this, too. He hoped wherever she was, she was happy. She could come home now, if she wanted. He’d even accept her new mate as well, though he assumed if they’d set up a new pack of their own, with them as alpha and alpha female, they wouldn’t be happy accepting a lower rank in a larger pack.
With everyone gathered, Holton cleared his throat and addressed the pack.
“Many of you will be wondering what happened out in the forest tonight. I will keep this to the point. There were no outsider shifters. That was a lie. Chance Nickoli was hurt by members of this pack after Gregory ordered it. The whole thing was a ruse to get me into the forest so Gregory could frame the outsider shifters for killing me, when in fact he wanted me dead himself.”
A murmur rose up among the crowd, and he continued. “Gregory saw me as a challenge, and he wanted to eradicate that challenge. He ordered me killed and, when my brother and Ruby took my side, he demanded they be killed, too. I wasn’t going to stand by and allow that to happen. Gregory was right to feel threatened by me. I challenged his position as alpha and I won.”
He paused, looking across the crowd to see how the news would be taken.
Would anyone confront him?
He noticed a couple of the older male members slinking off at the back, no doubt going to grab their belongings and families, so they could leave to find Gregory. That was fine. He didn’t want others around who would cause him trouble. Valerie had also vanished by the time they got back. She must have sensed trouble, communicated with Gregory in the way only long-term mates could, and headed into the forest to find him. Holton wondered where they would go now.
Someone spoke a word in the crowd, and it was picked up by another and another. It took a moment for Holton to understand what was being said and then he realized what they were chanting.
“Al-pha, al-pha, al-pha, al-pha …”
More and more people picked up the chant until they were all repeating the two syllables, growing louder and louder.
By his side, Ruby stepped forward and took his hand.
He had the final laugh. He had the position of alpha, he had the pack, and he had Ruby.
***
When everything died down, Ruby allowed Holton to take her back to his place. She guessed it was their place now they were mated, and she was alpha female. That title still felt strange, as though it didn’t belong to her. Earlier that day she’d been the alpha’s niece, and now she was the alpha’s mate. Her head felt like it was spinning. She had an important position in the pack, a new mate, and a new home.
Though she was overjoyed to be mated to Holton, and for them to be alphas of the pack, she couldn’t help the melancholy that settled upon her shoulders. Perhaps she was just overwhelmed. So much had happened in the last couple of days, she’d been left reeling.
Holton must have noticed she’d fallen quiet. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Just a bit overwhelmed, I think. Plus, I know Gregory was an asshole who tried to have us both killed, but he was still the only family I had left. It’s weird to think he’s not in the compound anymore. I think I’m just feeling a bit … Untethered.”
He took her hand and pulled her against him. “You’re bound to be, but we’re family now, you and I. I know it hurts, but try to remember that. I’ll treat you better than that son-of-a-bitch ever did.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up into his face. “I know you will. I’ll get used to not having Gregory around—it wasn’t as though he ever did anything special for me. I guess he was just the last connection I had to my mom and dad, and not having him here makes them feel further away, too.”
Holton nodded,
and lowered his head to press his forehead against hers. His long hair fell around her face, his dark eyes staring intensely into hers. “I understand how it feels to suddenly not have family around. I know losing Alyssa isn’t the same as how you lost your parents, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss her.”
“Do you think your sister will come home, now you’re alpha?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know where she is. They might have started a new pack by now, but I’ll get everyone to keep their ears to the ground.” Holton reached up and brushed her hair from her face, the backs of his fingers tracing down her cheek. “You know, if it had all gone horribly wrong back there, I’d have done whatever I could to try to make it back to you. I would never have chosen the pack over you.”
She nodded, and forced a smile. “I know that. I’d have done the same. I always thought I’d put the pack before everything else, but you taught me differently.” She thought for a moment, and then said, “What about now, though? You’re alpha, and I’m alpha female. We have to put the pack’s needs at the forefront of everything.”
“I’ll always consider the pack, but you’re my first priority, Ruby. Nothing else will come above you. Nothing.”
Her heart lifted. She’d always insisted she didn’t need to be looked after, but perhaps it was okay to let someone else take care of her.
Her mate.
Her alpha.
***
Watch out for ‘Wolf Betrayed’, book three in the Dark Ridge Wolves which will be release on the 11th of April. Make sure you sign up to Marissa Farrar’s newsletter so you don’t miss the release! http://forms.aweber.com/form/61/19822861.htm
All of the books of the Dark Ridge Wolves will be available to read for free in Kindle Unlimited!
About the Author
Marissa Farrar has always been in love with being in love. But since she's been married for numerous years and has three young daughters, she's conducted her love affairs with multiple gorgeous men of the fictional persuasion.
The author of more than twenty-five novels, she has been a full time author for the last six years. She predominantly writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but has branched into contemporary fiction as well.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk and to stay updated on all new releases and sales, just sign up to her newsletter! http://forms.aweber.com/form/61/19822861.htm
Also by the Author
The Spirit Shifters Series:
Autumn’s Blood (free first novel)
Saving Autumn
Autumn Rising
Autumn’s War
Avenging Autumn
Autumn’s End
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Serenity Series:
Alone (free first novel of the series!)
Buried
Captured
Dominion
Endless
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Dhampyre Chronicles:
Twisted Dreams
Twisted Magic
The Blood Courtesans Vampire Romance:
Stolen
The Monster Trilogy
DEFACED
DENIED
DELIVERED
The Mercenary Series:
SKEWED
WARPED
FLAWED
Contemporary Fiction Novels
NO SECOND CHANCES
DIRTY SHOTS
CUT TOO DEEP
SURVIVOR
THE SOUND OF CRICKETS
Dark Fantasy/horror novels:
UNDERLIFE
THE DARK ROAD
WOLF TORN
The Dark Ridge Wolves
Book Two
Copyright © 2017 Marissa Farrar
Warwick House Press
Cover art by Cover Studio
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Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.