Keith was consumed in rage and dejection, and he saw Cristian as a target to vent his anger.
Cristian was an Alpha, and Keith knew a lot about them. They had high libidos and insatiable appetites, and for most of them, their mates were not enough. But no matter how much Cristian's debauchery stretched, did he need to seduce Keith's mate to the point where she will turn her back on him?
Keith waited and endured forever, only to find her nearly dead and then to turn her back on him!?
Keith put his anger behind every punch, kick, and twist of his body, boiling in his desire to punish Cristian for ruining everything!
Keith growled, and his limbs moved faster than ever before.
Mates are one of a kind!
'POW!' Into Cristian's stomach.
Not everyone finds one!
'POW!' Into Cristian's shoulder.
It was Keith's chance for happiness, and it was gone!
'POW!' Into Cristian's jaw, propelling him backward by several steps.
Cristian spat a mouthful of blood, which was the final straw that made him snap. Keith was not an Alpha, and the fact that Cristian was on the losing end was infuriating. He is no one's punching bag!
To make things worse, several people gathered to see their Alpha being pushed back by a warrior from another pack. At this rate, Cristian will lose the trust of his people.
Cristian lunged at Keith with a ferocious growl.
Keith readied himself to intercept Cristian and deliver another blow when a figure appeared in front of him.
He couldn't see her face, but the scent of the cantaloupe told him who was now clinging to him.
Keith's eyes snapped to see enraged Cristian going at him, and the only thing Keith could do was wrap his arms around her frame and turn to shield her with his body.
"Ugh…" Keith groaned as Cristian's punch landed on the left side of his lower back, and he fell to his knees.
"Stop it!" Arya shouted.
Cristian paused at the sound of Arya's voice. He saw her coming between them, and he knew that his punch might hit her, but his momentum was formidable, and he couldn't stop. If Keith didn't turn, Cristian would punch Arya, which would be another mistake. How did he end up tangled in this mess?
Keith looked at the bandaged woman, who returned his gaze full of concern.
"Are you OK?" Keith asked.
Arya's heart tightened. He was fighting an Alpha. No matter how that ended, Keith would need to face the consequences, yet he was worried about her.
She saw bruises forming on his handsome face, and she searched his eyes for something, unsure what it was.
When Michelle challenged her to step up or let Keith go, the only thing Arya could think of was to get in there and stop the fight, determined to salvage whatever possible.
Arya gritted her teeth and went against Cristian's pressure, throwing herself at Keith in her desire to protect him. Now that Keith was holding her, Alpha Cristian's pressure diminished; she could still feel it, but it was not suffocating, and Arya wondered if Keith had some power that worked against Alphas.
Her heart was tormented at the thought that Keith got hit in her place.
"I am fine," she said before asking, "What about you?"
His face hardened. How was he supposed to answer that question? He was NOT fine!
Seeing that he didn't answer, Arya asked her next question, "Can you stand?"
Keith gave a small nod and got up to his feet, pulling Arya to stand with him.
Arya had so many things to say and questions to ask, but she couldn't say a word, not to Keith, at least.
Arya stepped away from Keith and turned to face Cristian.
She bowed her head. "Alpha Cristian, I hope that this fight can end here."
Keith gritted his teeth. Why was Arya submissive to that guy? And why was she asking Cristian to end the fight, like Keith was at a disadvantage?
Cristian's body was buzzing with adrenaline, and his wolf was itching to jump on Keith, but he knew that it would only deepen the rift between Keith and Arya, so he forced himself to calm down.
"If he backs off, I will as well," Cristian said. "But I need him to explain why he attacked me."
"Thank you, Alpha," Arya responded without consulting Keith. "I have a request."
"Speak."
"I wish to be dismissed from my position."
Cristian's brows came together.
Arya broke the rules. The warriors of the Spring Leaf pack had a rule that a unit fights together, lives together, and dies together. Arya leaving her unit in order to lure rogues away might be valiant, but it was also suicidal and stupid. If she stayed with her unit, maybe more of them would be injured, but their chances of survival would be higher.
Cristian was about to lecture Arya about it and to punish her somehow, but not dismiss her. She was young and talented, and she had a heart of a warrior. Her loyalty was unprecedented, and losing her as a general would be a loss to the army of the Spring Leaf pack.
"Let's not rush with this, Arya," Cristian said.
Arya shook her head. "I ask to be dismissed from my position, and I hope you won't take it against me when I leave the Spring Leaf pack."
Cristian was now frowning fully. "Think about what you are saying, Arya."
"I don't need to think, Alpha. You always told me to follow my instincts, and now that I found my mate…" She turned to Keith, who was staring at her with his eyes wide to the point of hurting. "My instincts are telling me to be with him. I heard he is from the Dark Howlers pack, and I wish to follow him there. If he wants me."
Cristian released a sharp breath. He was about to tell her to stop exaggerating. She would be foolish to quit as a General, and leaving the pack was just plain stupid. If she wanted to attract attention, there were many other ways to do it, but hearing that her reason was her mate, Cristian couldn't find a single reason to ask her to stay.
"I will grant it if he…"
"No ifs, Alpha," Arya interrupted him. She was not asking for permission. She was informing him, but she wanted to be nice because just leaving felt wrong. "I am not doing this because I want to force anything on anyone. I am doing it because my wolf is telling me that my other half is right here and that if my mate can't handle my temper, my pride, and accept me for who I am, no one else will."
Arya got closer to Keith and reached to hold his hand. A soft whimper escaped her lips when electric sparks flared on her palm.
Now that they stood only inches apart, Arya realized how tall Keith was, and muscular, and handsome… and it was all enhanced by his scent of cotton candy. It was light and sweet, and it made her feel all fluffy on the inside she wondered if he would melt into sweetness on her tongue, just like the cotton candy she had loved since she could remember. It was her favorite treat.
