“Seems like you’ve grown a bit, Claude,” said a familiar voice. “But you’re still no match for me.”
It couldn’t be.
Eyes glittering with revenge, I turned in the direction of the voice, an injured Remington huffing as he clutched his bloody shoulder. The man didn’t look a day older than he had several years ago.
Having never seen his wolf form, I hadn’t recognized him. But I did now. And I was angrier than ever.
I released an irate bellow, charging toward him. He extended both hands in a show of surrender, nodding toward April. “I’ll make you a deal.”
Ears prickling, my curiosity peaked, I paused. Though I didn’t drop my guard. I would never again make that mistake with this man.
He smirked. “I’ll trade you.”
I dared to glance at April. Her reddish-brown fur was stained with dark blotches of blood as one paw pinned a wolf to the ground. Lips curled back to reveal vicious teeth, eyes glaring into the wolf beneath her.
Remington waved for my attention. “Your daughter for April. You don’t need her. She’s useless to you, Claude.”
And how would he know that?
My question must have registered in my features, inspiring him to smile wider. “She’s barren. She’ll never give you children. Honestly, why would you ever want a woman like that?”
Is that what she wanted to tell me? My eyes flickered to my daughter who was hiding in Viola’s soaked shirt. He’s trying to manipulate me. He could be lying.
I growled, stepping forward to corner him against the rushing river.
“She’ll never be loyal to you like that. Never. I mean, look at me. She left me!”
Another growl sent his foot slipping out from under him. But he didn’t lose his balance—yet.
“Her body will never belong to you because she belongs to me. Release her back to my pack and I’ll let you go free with your daughter.” I raised an eyebrow. Remington rolled his eyes. “And the woman, too. The caregiver.”
I didn’t believe him. Why would he want to make a deal now? The only reason he would even suggest it was because he knew he was losing.
I shook my head.
Remington waved his hands. “I swear on my life!”
Not a chance.
Just as I was preparing to haul ass toward the man who took my late wife’s life, a flash of fur lunged into my view, taking Remington to the ground. April tore into his throat, an awful gurgling noise erupting from the man’s lips that made me cringe.
Of all the carnage I had witnessed—of all the things I had personally done—this was hard to watch. Seconds later, the incident was over, the man’s soul having left his body by the time April planted a triumphant paw on his chest.
She tipped her head back and howled.
A mixture of emotions was evident in that wail: victory, grief, loss. My mate continued to howl toward the sky, paws batting Remington’s chest that had stopped rising with breath. He was gone.
It was over. It was all finally over.
When the howling was through and April joined my side, I rubbed my face into her neck, soothing the whimpers that echoed from her lips. My poor mate had faced her greatest foe—and had won. I couldn’t imagine how she was feeling.
As much as I had wanted to take Remington’s life, I was happy to see my mate succeed. Her victories were mine, and her losses were mine as well. Considering the things she shared with me back at the shelter, I could see how much this would inspire healing.
The war was done. We would walk away from this wreckage and begin anew, somewhere the sun could shine on our fur as we wandered through the countryside. Maybe we would go farther north. I had heard from a few local shifters that packs were more welcoming up there.
One more howl lit up the night with life, birds chirping frantically and bugs joining our great chorus. As I turned my snout to the sky to sing with my mate, I realized we were one with each other.
And I knew that we would always be connected, no matter what happened next.