MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

54. DEVON and DAVID: I FEAR FOR MY MATE

Devon

So much blood and so much death.

It could've been avoided, but I didn't want to think of it. David had betrayed me. He had taken our mate and placed her in danger. He had placed his pack before his mate. I shouldn't be angry, but I was fucking furious.

It has been drilled inside our heads from the moment we were old enough to understand things. It should've been the first thing to do when we started getting threats, but damn it, I just couldn't.

I was not so cold-hearted as my father. Look how that turned out for him. He got my mother killed because he thought of the pack first. If something happened to Valeria, I would never forgive David—I might just fucking kill him. No, if something happened to her, then he needed to live with the pain and regret of following those stupid rules.

I was tired.

It was hard to stay upright. I panted for air as another flash of pain shot up my hind leg. One of the hunters had shot me. It hurt like a bitch but I barely felt it at the time he shot me because I was too busy tearing a rogue apart. The hunters had all been killed; it was only the rogues that remained. Movement from the corner of my eye drew my attention. I turned but was too slow to react.

The rogue slammed into my body. Sharp teeth racked my neck for a second before moving lower to sink into my shoulder. I howled in pain, unable to move. My body was starting to shut down. For some reason, none of my wounds has started healing yet. It was the reason for all the blood loss, the sudden exhaustion, and the reason I couldn't shift back.

The hold on my shoulder loosened. I blinked up at the rogue hovering above me. His lips parted. Sharp teeth snapped inches from my face. This was it. This was how I died—killed by a rogue in a war I could've prevented.

A body suddenly slammed into the wolf. I turned my head to watch as they rolled a few feet away. Growls and whines filled the air as they fought. I instantly recognized the one standing on top of the rogue. David dug his claws into the rogue's stomach and waited for the rogue to throw back his head and howl before going in for the kill. Blood splattered as he ripped his neck out. He held on for a few more seconds to make sure that he was dead before he let go.

David growled lowly as he made his way over to me. He pressed his snout against my belly and pushed.

Get up, he ordered.

But I just didn't have the strength. He pushed harder. I snapped my jaw at him and snarled. He took a step back. David glanced around before focusing his attention back on me. Shifting from foot to foot, a low whine fell from his lips. His eyes darted around again. I knew we could be attacked at any moment. One look at my downed form and they would move in for the kill.

David was fighting, so Val was locked up with the women. He wouldn't be here if something had happened to her.

I needed to get up—for the sake of my mate, for my pack, and David. I used all the strength I could master to roll onto my stomach. David was right there, sliding his head under me to help me up. I staggered, but he slid his body under mine. He was carrying me to the house. Halfway there my body finally gave over to the shift. Thankfully I had no broken bones that would cause complications. I gripped his fur tightly as he moved faster. Once we reached the house, he entered and turned left. I raised my head a few inches to glance around.

More injured pack members were scattered all around. Doctors rushed around to tend to the severely injured. We wouldn't know how many members we had lost until everything ended. Men rushed closer to help me off his back and lower me onto some blankets.

David's eyes caught mine for a few seconds before he spun around and disappeared.

***

David

I shook off the rogue who attacked me from behind.

A kick to his stomach with my hind legs had him whining, and stumbling back. A weight suddenly slammed into my side, throwing me off balance. I growled loudly when teeth sunk into my flesh. Seconds later another body slammed down on top of mine. Another pair of teeth dug into my hind leg. I bit into the flesh near my mouth. The teeth close to my neck sunk deeper.

Pain shot through me.

"The big bad Alpha is finally on his knees," a voice spoke up from somewhere behind me. "Well, you're not really on your knees." He let out a laugh. "That's enough, he won't get up."

I sucked in a breath when the weight was removed. The teeth disappeared from my flesh and then the rogues took a few steps back. A moan fell from my lips when my bones cracked as I shifted back. We were made for endurance, but with all the blood loss from the injuries during the fight, I had almost no strength left.

It's been hours since the fight started. The sun was slowly starting to rise in the horizon.

I turned my head to stare up at the man as he stepped into view. I instantly recognized him. It was Carl—the man who had shown up at Alark's place claiming to know Val. He looked different now. Blood soaked his hands and clothes. His hair was down, framing his face. My eyes dropped to his parted lips. The tips of sharp teeth—sharper than mine—were visible, and like his hands, they were stained with blood.

"This could all have been avoided if you only gave me what I wanted. "

"She is ours," I breathed. "Mine."

His smile widened. "She was promised to my son before she even met you. That old bitch knew she was mine but she sent her to you! Valeria belongs to my son, not you!"

I stumbled to my feet and roared at him. "She is ours!"

Carl raised his hand. Long sharp claws grew from his fingertips. I tensed; waiting for the pain I knew would come. His claws swiped across the left side of my face. The pain made me drop to my knees. I watched as blood dripped onto the dirt. I was on my knees in front of him. I knew he was going to kill me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. A vision of Val and Devon stretched out on the bed flashed through my mind. My shoulders relaxed. They were both safe.

"No!"

My head snapped to the right. I knew that voice.

My heart dropped when my eyes fell on Val hovering a few feet away. Blood soaked her clothes. She was pale and shaking. Carl took a step towards her. I knew what was coming, so I lunged at him. My teeth only scraped his skin before he turned and threw an arm out. He hit me right in the chest. Something cracked as I landed on my back. Panic hit because I couldn't get any air into my lungs.

"I'll make you a deal Carl," Val yelled.

I opened my eyes to see Carl hovering next to me. His attention was solemnly focused on me. Any second now he was going to go in for the kill. My eyes darted over to Val. She was moving closer towards him. I parted my lips but no words escaped. It was hard to breathe and even harder to utter a word. Where's Wrin?

"You're in no position to make any deals with me, Valeria," he muttered as he turned towards her.

"You're here for me." She stopped a few feet away. "Geraldine made a deal with you."

"One she didn't keep," Carl growled. "That—"

"She's dead."

Silence surrounded us. For a second, Val's eyes darted over to me before focusing back on Carl. She clenched her fists at her side, squared her shoulders, and raised her chin.

"I challenge you," she said, her voice coming out loud and clear. "If I can bring you down to your knees, injured or otherwise, you let me go. You walk away and leave me to live my life here as I want. If you win, I'll go with you peacefully but you must promise me to leave them alone."

Carl stayed silent for a long time. "You will leave with me without making a fuss or trying anything?"

"Yes."

"Fine." He turned to look down at me with a smirk playing on his lips. "Let's fight."