Freed Wolf

69 Mercy

Pain erupts in me as the men collide, throwing me to the ground. With the flaming background of the burning forest, the valley is quickly turning into a scene straight out of hell as the brutes battle. The force that Dimitri threw me with is the only reason I'm not in the middle of them, but it reminds me just what a fragile state I'm in. 

I've never been equal strength to larger males but I've always been able to take a hit. Clearly that's not the case today, as just a fall makes my body scream in agony and leaves me gasping for air.

My heart races as the men grapple over top of me. No sooner do I crawl away, the fight between them intensifies. Both men partially shift, their fingers elongating into razor sharp claws, and start slashing viciously at each other, shredding flesh with lethal intentions.

I can't pull my gaze off of the snarling and growling men as they savagely attack each other, eager to finally settle the score. My mind screams run but my body gives out, and begs for a moment to recover.

My heart drops as Wayne gets the upper hand and lands a devastating slash across Dimitri’s neck and chest. By some strange luck, he missed the arteries but all the same, the gruesome wound bleeds freely and the scent of iron hits the air. 

The hit only fuels Dimitri’s rage and he strikes back twice as hard. He drops low, raking his claws across Wayne's inner thigh, shredding it and spilling rivers of blood onto the ground before springing up and driving his shoulder into Wayne’s chest and savagely clawing his gut.

Wayne digs both hand’s claws into Dimitri’s back but can't strike an advantageous blow from his position. His dark eyes go wide as he realizes his mistake too late. Blood loss makes his movements sloppy as he lashes out and strikes flesh anywhere he can.

Dimitri seizes the opportunity and drives Wayne back-first down to the ground. He's not going for the pin and continues to strike and shred his flesh open. Dimitri pulls back and delivers the final blow, sinking his claws deep into Wayne's throat, then rips a gruesome fistful out that leaves Wayne’s eyes wide as he chokes to death on his own blood.

His shredded and bleeding back heaves as he stands up panting before throwing the bloody mess of Wayne’s throat away. My heart hammers as I stare at him, unblinking and unable to move, no matter what my mind screams. Slowly he turns to face me, stopping my heart before his green eyes lock on mine.

Nikoli!

He takes an uncertain step towards me before stumbling to the ground, face first. Without thought, I crawl over to him and cringe, seeing the wounds up close. Wayne may not have been able to get to any vitals but he didn’t go down easy. Deep gashes are open all over his back, exposing his rib bones as rivers of blood flow freely.

Looking at the damage, I don't know how he was able to win. As carefully as I can, I roll him over as he struggles to control his breathing. The front is no better than the back. His pale skin is painted crimson from his own blood as it wells freely from the slash across his chest.

"It may not even the scales," he pants out. "But it's a start."

His pain and sorrow hit me in waves that wash over me, threatening to drown me.

In the end, he was able to take control and suppress Dimitri long enough to save me. 

Tears sting the corners of my eyes, then slip past my lashes and trickle down my cheeks as I take in his sacrifice.

"She's amazing," he wheezes, no doubt sensing Ember's aura. "I wish... I could have... seen her."

My chest tightens, watching him struggle to breathe. I feel Ember surge forward, no doubt dancing in my eyes.