Spiral of Need (The Mercury Pack 1)

Taking a life wasn’t something Ally had ever done before. As a Seer, she was used to trying to save her pack from danger and death, not fight to the death. But she was also Beta female now, and that meant being strong for her pack and doing whatever she had to do.

Standing there, so many emotions flowed over her: the worry, aggravation, and support of her allies; Rachelle’s fury, bitterness, and nervousness; the shame, guilt, and anxiety belonging to both Matt and Zeke; the contrary emotions that flitted through the crowd.

The Collingwood bystanders had turned silent. Their anticipation, anger, and confusion almost made her itch. Although they couldn’t deny to themselves that Rachelle was guilty, there was still an element of uncertainty there. They hadn’t yet accepted what they had heard, didn’t want to admit to the fact that they had been so easily fooled and had wrongfully isolated and targeted Ally.

Rachelle balled her hands up into fists. “Last chance to go home.”

Go home? “You really are a nut job.” Ally struck. No warning. No holding back. She rammed her elbow into Rachelle’s throat at the same time as she stabbed her claws under the bitch’s breastbone.

Stumbling backward, Rachelle doubled over, expelling a whoosh of air. To her credit, she didn’t take a moment to recover, didn’t move her eyes from Ally. Instead, the blonde straightened up, eyes shimmering with rage. She raked her claws, narrowly missing Ally’s face. Apparently, Rachelle was out for blood.

Ally had long ago learned not to telegraph her moves, to give nothing away. Rachelle, on the other hand, didn’t appear to have been taught any such lesson. So when the heifer dipped her chin and cocked back her arm, Ally easily ducked and slipped out of range. Again and again, Ally sidestepped her punches and kicks, allowing her opponent to tire and weaken from blood loss.

That was when Ally went at her full force. She used her claws like knives and delivered one dirty disabling shot after another, making every pitiless strike and slice count. Her anger was raw but controlled, giving her the fuel she needed.

This was for all the lies, all the insults, for turning her pack against her, for causing Ally to lose her status, and for plotting to kill her. If Ally hadn’t gotten away from the tigers and had died today, Derren would most likely have died right along with her. That wasn’t acceptable to Ally. Not one little bit.

Ally brought up her arm, ready to deliver a palm strike. Rachelle shoved her claws right into Ally’s palm. Motherfucker. Snatching back her bleeding hand, Ally sliced at the tendon on her opponent’s forearm, making Rachelle cry out. Good.

Rachelle drove her foot at Ally’s knee, hitting it hard with her heel, the bitch. The impact made Ally stumble and bend slightly. That was when Rachelle wrapped Ally’s ponytail around her fist and dragged Ally to her. She snapped her teeth at Ally’s claiming mark, trying to mar it—pissing Derren the hell off. Not a fucking chance.

She dug her claws just above Rachelle’s pubic bone, and the bitch instantly released her hair and backed away slightly. Feeling Derren’s anger so intensely, tasting it in her mouth, it was hard for Ally not to let it feed her own ire and make her lose her shit. She fought to keep her head clear, knowing that dueling in anger would make her sloppy and careless.

She heard Derren, Taryn, and Jaime shouting their encouragement—and making many disparaging remarks about Rachelle. One insult in particular made Ally chuckle . . . which was when the crazy heifer swung her claws toward the juncture of Ally’s thighs. Fuck. Ally barely intercepted the strike, retaliating with a punch to Rachelle’s temple that made her take a lurching step back.

“Rachelle, submit!” bellowed Zeke.

If Ally hadn’t been so focused on Rachelle, she would have told him that there was no point. Ally wouldn’t be content with her submitting right then. She wouldn’t buy it as a truthful surrender.

“Rachelle!” He took a step toward the fighting females but halted abruptly at Derren’s warning growl.

“Stay the fuck out of it,” Derren cautioned him in a tone that promised retribution. “Your mate deserves this. You can’t save her from it. If you try to interfere again at any point, I’ll be on you before you can blink. We clear?”

“She’s my mate!”

“And Ally’s my mate.”

A part of Ally—small though it was—felt a little sorry for Zeke. It had to be hard watching your mate losing a fight. But that wasn’t going to stop Ally from dueling the bitch. In a quick explosion of brutal hits, she almost had Rachelle on the ground. But Rachelle quickly righted herself and slammed her foot into Ally’s ribs. Son of a bitch! Pain pulsed through her abdomen, almost making her heave with nausea.

The scents of blood, sweat, rage, and apprehension tainted the air, swirling around them and inciting Ally’s wolf. The animal, despite being so eager to play a part, hadn’t battled Ally for supremacy; she knew Ally wouldn’t keep the wolf out of the fight. So she’d lain in wait, ready to lunge at the first opportunity. Now Ally was ready for her wolf to join in.

In a split second, she shifted into her wolf form just long enough to leap up and bite a chunk out of Rachelle’s upper arm. Then Ally was back in human form so fast her clothes barely suffered from the change. Gasps and exclamations of shock rang throughout the crowd. Rachelle appeared just as shocked, and Ally—wearing a grin that could only be called evil and clearly freaked Rachelle out—took clear advantage of it. She briefly shifted back and forth again and again as she mercilessly attacked.