The seconds stretched.

Rage narrowed his gaze as my father, Justice, and Kaja’s dad stayed on their knee.

No way. I stared, waiting, each breath becoming more shallow as panic wormed through me. What would happen if Daybreak refused?

Clive stepped forward.

And I exhaled with relief.

“I challenge Courage Midnight for the alpha king position. Wolves-only fight.”

Wait. What?

No!

The wolves rumbled their disapproval, and my father, Justice, and Kaja’s dad shot to their feet.

“Be reasonable, Clive!” Kaja’s father yelled over the noise.

Then, the Daybreak wolves started to chant, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Oh shite.

A stone sank in my gut. This could not be happen—

“I challenge you, Courage Midnight,” Clive growled once more, pointing at my mate for added intimidation.

‘Can he really do this?’ I asked Rage.

Instead of responding to me verbally, my mate plucked his crown off and handed it to Noble.

‘No!’ I cried out. He’d barely healed from the horrible fight with Declan. This was insane.

I ran down the stage steps as Rage slipped off his coat, and then he started to undo the buttons on his shirt. By the time I reached him, Rage was shirtless and seething at the Daybreak alpha.

‘Stay back, love,’ Rage growled to me. His fury seeped through our bond; its depth indicated far more feeling than today’s betrayal. He chucked his shirt and coat at Noble and snarled. “I accept.”

‘No!’ I lurched forward, intending to do something, and Justice folded his arms around me, pinning me to his chest.

“Be cool,” Justice whispered. “He’s got this.”

I blinked, and both men had shifted into their wolves. Rage’s black animal was just slightly smaller than Clive’s silver and gray beast. They stalked each other in a slow circle, and the crowd backed up, giving them more room.

“What is wolves-only?” I whispered.

Justice sighed. “Clive Daybreak was never strong with his element. ‘Wolves only’ means they can only fight as wolves. They can’t use their magic.”

Frick. That’s what I figured.

Before I could dwell on it further, Clive bared his teeth in a vicious snarl and then lunged at my mate.

Chapter 14

A cacophony of voices exploded as the shifters screamed and bellowed indiscriminately. Male and female voices, filled with panic, malice, contempt, and anger, merged into a grating tumult. My heart thundered against my ribs, and the noise faded as blood rushed in my ears.

Rage darted away from Clive’s attack, my mate’s movements fluid, agile, and fast. His ears remained erect and forward-pointing, and his tail curved upward in a clear show of dominance. As Clive’s wolf lumbered past, Rage swung around, his tail stiff and upright, and my mate tore into the gray wolf’s flank. I exhaled with relief.

He’s got this.

Clive spun and bared his teeth, snapping at the air as he stalked forward.

Rage paced the center of the circle, the bold move declaring this was his territory and Clive was the interloper. Clive’s ears leaned forward, and he sniffed the air. There was no way he needed to scent the air to know Rage’s temperament; every wolf in the room could smell the dominance rolling off my mate.

As if to emphasize his place, Rage raised his lips high, exposing the full length of his teeth. His nose pulled back and ears shot out to the sides like horns. As Rage snarled, his muzzle seemed to become wider, displaying his powerful jaws.

‘Why’s Clive waiting?’ I asked Honor. ‘Maybe he’s rethinking this.’

The black wolf, almost identical to Rage’s, settled next to me. Cocking his head, Honor studied the two wolves. ‘No. Clive smells of aggression and greed. Not fear.’ Honor sniffed the air again, and his eyes narrowed as his ears straightened. ‘Something is wrong.’

‘Wrong?’ What did that mean? I started to inhale, desperate to understand, when Clive charged again.

The gray wolf’s hackles and mane were raised, and just like Rage, the Daybreak alpha’s posture indicated confidence and power.

Rage sprang through the air to meet Clive’s attack.

My heart skipped a beat as it leapt into my throat.

The two wolves collided, snapping their jaws as they tumbled to the ground.

Each of them jockeyed for position as they rolled across the red carpet, their snarls tearing through the din. Rage came out on top, standing over the other alpha, and dived at Clive’s exposed throat.

I sucked in a sharp breath, fierce pride thrumming through me—before he was … bucked off by an unseen force. Rage flew through the air, landing with a thud on the other side of the circle, right in front of Daybreak Clan.

What the…?

His body shuddered heavily and, through our bond, I felt agony pulse through him.

Fear sucked the air from my lungs, the sound echoed by hundreds of others in the room. What the mage?

‘Rage!’ I jumped to my feet, but Justice caught me around the waist before I could step into the circle.

“If you go out there, you’ll shame your mate,” Justice said. “He’s not done.”

‘I’m okay,’ Rage said, climbing to his feet. He shook his head, and his entire body wobbled. ‘That … what was that?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know,’ I replied. ‘Did he kick you?’

Clive stalked toward Rage, who snarled at the gray wolf while he spoke in my mind. ‘It smelled like magic.’

Rage’s declaration punched me in the chest. If Clive was using magic … wasn’t that cheating in a wolves-only fight?

‘Honor, what’s Clive’s element?’ I asked. Was it even possible for the Daybreak alpha to use his magic as a wolf? If so, I’d never heard of it happening before.

‘His element is earth,’ Honor replied, his voice filled with confusion. ‘But he can’t use it as a wolf. None of us can.’

If he wasn’t using magic, who was?

I watched the two wolves intently.

They traded nips and gouges: Rage clipped Clive’s ear and then his snout, and the gray wolf opened a gash along Rage’s shoulder.

Both males used their advantages, Rage his speed and agility, and Clive the bulk of his body to throw Rage off balance when they collided. But Clive was older. Slower. Eventually, the gray wolf couldn’t keep up with Rage’s relentlessness, and once again, my mate forced the other alpha to his back.

Only this time, Rage hesitated.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” the Midnight pack chanted.

My stomach clenched.

Rage dove for the gray wolf’s throat, and a faint flicker of blue energy sparked at Clive’s neck. Once again, Rage was hurtled through the air.

“He’s cheating!” I screamed, pointing at Clive, but my words were lost in the roar of the crowd. Whirling to Justice, I growled, ‘He’s using magic.’

Justice frowned and then shook his head. “I-I haven’t seen any magic.”

Was I the only one who could see it?

‘I saw it,’ Honor said, and I wondered if his time in the spirit world had affected him and given him powers or something.