Love, Alpha

Chapter 15

The border was blocked by a row of men. Rowan slowed down to a stop, puffing out his chest and straightening his spine to show off his size, intimidating some of the wolves.
Salen's father stepped forward with an unfamiliar man, both sharing the same sinister smile and clenched jaws.
"Well, it is nice of you to finally join us." The mysterious man sneered. "Brady, for a Beta you're not very smart." Brady cocked his head, side-eyeing Rowan who was growling lowly at the trespassers on his land. "A normal Beta that has to leave the land would at least tell his third in command. It was quite easy to breach your border with no one in charge." His ears dropped, now aware of how large his mistake was.
'Leave my land now, and death will not follow.' Rowan snarled, lifting his lips to reveal his large canines. The man just chuckled, shaking his head.
"Now why would I do that? The whole reason I am here is to dispose of you." He shifted into an ashy brown wolf and shook out his fur, snapping his teeth at them. Before he could launch his body, a wave of warriors from Celus' pack charged out of the trees, taking formation behind Rowan. The man scoffed, taking a step back as he tried to push down the hint of fear as Celus' men all glared him down.
'What's the matter? Is your Alpha not strong enough to take me on his own?' The men behind him began to cackle, irritating Celus' wolf and his men.
Salen ran her fingers through his fur in an attempt to calm his tensed muscles. She enjoyed the roughness as she tried to ignore the stare of her father from across the clearing.
'Sweetheart, you might want to stop what you're doing.' Rowan's powerful voice echoed through her mind. Salen froze, unaware that she was even able to mindlink with him. 'You can't. I can only speak to you.' She smiled down at him even though he couldn't see her. Her heart fluttered when she heard his soft purr, only loud enough for her ears to hear. 'Don't worry, I'm going to end this.' His voice left her mind as he motioned for her to step down off his back.
'You see, I don't have to do this alone. Because unlike you, I have the loyalty of a pack.' His men yipped to show their allegiance. 'That is a lot stronger than forcing your men to do your bidding.' Rowan buckled his hind legs and crouched close to the ground, releasing an earth echoing growl.
The man chuckled. 'You think I would come here without an army?' The ground began to shake before familiar faces of Darron's pack appeared, their faces full of fury. Salen gasped, stepping backward to hide behind Rowan as she spotted many people who she thought were her friends. Among them was a young man named Austin who she helped train many times so he could finally become a warrior. His gaze dropped, too ashamed to meet her eyes. He knew she would be disappointed when she saw him.
Brady and Rowan made eye contact. How could they have this whole pack on their side? Unless-
The man cut off their silent conversation. 'I would like to introduce you to my son.' He moved to the side, opening a space for his son to take. 'Darron, step forward.' A guilty-faced Darron emerged from the crowd followed by cheers from his warriors. He took the spot next to his father, earning him a pat on the back from some of his men.
'Why does he look guilty?' Rowan tilted his head slightly towards Brady who just shrugged.
'I don't know. He orchestrated this whole thing.' Darron looked down at his feet, shame shadowing over his features as he listened to his father's laugh full of satisfaction.
'Go ahead, Darron. Tell them our plan.' His father nudged his side, motioning towards the silent crowd. He just nodded, looking up at Rowan with an unfamiliar expression.
"Celus, or-" He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.
'Rowan.' Celus' wolf hissed, already irritated with the lack of respect. His body became rigid as Darron began speaking to them.
"Rowan," he corrected before continuing. "My father came up with the plan to overthrow our pack when I was young. He worked closely with Salen's father to find a way to get close to your family when they heard the news that you exhibited the traits that your cousin lacked." He shifted his weight, his eyes flashed between the fury-filled ones of Rowan to the confused expression that masked Salen's face. "They agreed that I would take over once the suspicion grew on my father. He faked his death and passed the title to me so I could continue on for him. Salen's father wanted a part of it, so in return he had to agree to hand Salen's hand to me in marriage. I didn't want any of this. I just want my mate." He began to fall apart but quickly pulled himself together when he received a deathly growl from his father.
'Forget about your mate. They just make you weak.' His father snapped, huffing in irritation with his son.
"I don't understand." All heads snapped to Salen as she stepped out from Celus' shadow. "If you weren't behind this, why did you treat us the way you did?" Rowan's eyes glued to his mate as she took a few steps forward, resting her hand on his large head and gripping his fir, tightly.
"I didn't have a choice." Darron pleaded. "If I showed any remorse, you would have become suspicious of us and the plan would be at jeopardy. You have to understand, this was what I was raised to do from the beginning. How do I tell my only family that I refuse to be a pawn in his evil plan?" His father sneered, shoving him out of the way.
'That's enough.' He growled. 'It's time to end this now, Celus.' He lunged for Rowan's throat, causing all the men to growl and rush towards each other.
Rowan dodged quickly, pushing Salen to the side before standing tall with a deep growl. Darron's father only crouched again, preparing to lunge before being tackled by Brady's familiar wolf.
Rowan stopped one of his warriors, pulling them to the side. 'Take Salen to safety. Make sure she doesn't see any of this.' He bowed his head before turning to his mate. Her eyes flashed between the two, her heart dropping when she realized what Rowan ordered the man to do.
"No." She shook her head fiercely. "I'm not leaving you. I need to stay here and fight." Rowan watched the turmoil in her eyes, fighting hard not to give in to her. "Rowan, please! I won't survive if you don't make it!" She began sobbing as the warrior nudged her with his nose towards the cellars. Below them lay a large shelter where women and children hid during emergencies to ensure the future of their pack.
'Salen, I am the one that would die without you. Now go. I need to know you're safe.' Rowan fought hard to hide his longing. She was a good mate. Perfect for Celus.
Rowan looked away as she fought against the warrior, but it was no use. With him in his wolf form, he was much stronger than her, effectively removing her from the fight.
He turned back towards the clash of bodies, scanning the area for one in specific. Salen's father stood at Darron's father's side, each taking down men after men. Rowan weaved through the crowd trying to get there before they killed any of his men. Darron was behind them, fighting his inner turmoil as he decided who to fight for.
Darron's father spotted him, grinning devilishly. 'What's wrong Alpha? Is Celus not strong enough to show himself?' Rowan ignored him, knowing Celus was still too weak. 'Or do I get the honor of fighting the Alpha King wolf? The only reason Celus means anything?' He threw the warrior he had clamped between his jaw to the side and sauntered towards Rowan, causing him to stop mid stride.
'You're wrong.' Rowan argued. He knew Celus was the strong one. He dealt with his inner turmoil every day but never let it show. He was the one that took control when he was angry instead of letting Rowan take over and tear everything apart. He was the one worthy of Salen, not Rowan.
'Oh come on.' He hissed when Rowan remained in control. 'Oh Celus! I know you're in there.' He gave the best wolfish grin he could muster. His eyes flashed behind Rowan, an evil grin replacing it quickly. 'Oh, I know what will get him out here.'
A man emerged from the crowd with Salen tightly in his grip. Rowan gave off a warning growl, wanting nothing more than to rip his arm clean off his body. Darron's father shifted back into his human form, tearing Salen from the man's grasp. This earned the attention of Salen's father.
"What are you doing? This wasn't part of the deal-" He began, desperate to save his only daughter. Darron appeared from behind the trees, showing no signs that he had joined the fight.
"Father, she's not part of this."
"Shut up, both of you.." Darron's father snarled, his eyes darkening with hatred as he grinned towards Rowan. Darron lowered his head, backing down as he obeyed his father's command. "Now, Celus appears or I tear her apart in front of everyone." The fight around them began to die down, all their attention turning to their future luna. Even though she was never officially mated to Darron, the pack members still looked up to her. They still had the urge to protect her.
Rowan glared down the man, not wanting to relinquish control when Celus was still healing. If he did, Celus would be too weak and it would mean their death.
'What's wrong? Afraid you can't fight me yourself?' Rowan internally grinned when he saw the confident smirk on his face turn to a scowl.
"Fine. So be it." He turned to Salen and gripped his hand in her hair, earning a high pitched scream as she dropped to her knees. He snarled at her and knee'd her in gut, successfully shutting her up.
'Wait!' Rowan's command made everyone's eyes flash to him. He would do anything to protect Salen from the pain he was about to give her. In an instant, his eyes faded from the coal black to the natural color of Celus'. The aura of power around his wolf shifted, revealing Celus was back in full control, Rowan hidden deep in the back of his mind. He wavered slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by the man. He chuckled, loosening his grip on Salen slightly.
"Really? This is the great Alpha King?" He motioned towards Celus, earning laughter from a few of his loyal men. Celus was visibly frail, his skin pale and his eyes dull. "Oh please. This will be easier than I thought." He tossed Salen to the side, shifting back into his wolf. Brady rushed to her side, checking her over to make sure she was going to be okay. He shot them both a look of terror, not knowing who to be more afraid for. His future Luna or his best friend who was about to be torn apart by a crazed man out for his blood.
Celus gained his composure, the sudden shift of control leaving him woozy. He could feel Rowan's presence, but it was very faint. Pain began invading his senses, causing a groan to slip from his lips. He focused his eyesight just in time to see Darron's father lunge. He stepped to the side, but not before earning a large gash in his side from the wolf. Celus hissed, whipping around to face the man again.
Salen sucked in a weary breath as she watched her mate struggle to survive. His pain-filled cries clutched at her hears as she sat off to the side, knowing there wasn't much she could do for him. This fight would be no problem for him if he wasn't so weak from exhaustion. She could feel Brady flinch beside her with every hit Celus took. Brady's mate was deep in the cellars, safe from harm and away from Darron.
The man took one last lunge at Celus, knocking him to the ground with brute force and tearing at his side. He shifted back, glaring down the whole crowd. He was covered in Celus' blood and wanted more. "Is this your Alpha?" He shouted, hearing no response. His eyes scanned the fighters until they landed once again on Salen. Brady moved in front of her, knowing the best thing he could do for Celus right now was to protect her with his life. "Move pup." He hissed, earning a growl from Brady. He smirked, stalking towards them with a murderous expression. "Fine. You're next." He shifted mid air, tackling Brady to the ground. Salen shrieked, tears streaming down her face as her frantic eyes flashed from Brady who was fighting hard to take control over the wolf to Celus who was laying in the dirt, his chest rising and falling slightly.
"Celus." She cried, crawling towards him with tears choking her up. She threw her body over his, trying desperately to get his wounds to stop bleeding with her hands. Her hands were shaky as they became covered in her mate's blood.
Celus' eyes shot open when he felt her touch. It gave him the surge of energy he was missing. He observed his sobbing mate, her blonde hair draped over his fur. Her face was covered in dirt, but to him she never looked more beautiful. His blood covered her, but the only thing he cared about was that none of it was hers. He shifted slightly, hissing when pain shot up his side. Salen's head shot up, her mouth blubbering from her sobs.
Celus got his paws underneath his body that now felt like dead weight, lifting it shakily off the ground. With little strength left, he shifted back to his human form with a groan. The gashes on his side bleed heavily, bruises slowly forming on the rest of his body where he took the most hits. With one last groan in pain, Celus focused on the man who currently had Brady's throat in his jaw.
"Hey." He growled with a rough voice. His warriors cheered slightly at the sight of their Alpha on his feet, but it was short lived when Darron's father dropped a still breathing Brady to the ground and turned towards Celus.
'Well well well. Looks like it's time for me to finish you off. Then maybe Salen too. She has proven useless to me.' He shot a glare to Salen's father who was being restrained by his men, swiftly snapping his neck. His eyes rolled back and his body became limp, but Salen focused only on her mate and his fight for his life. Celus just glared down at the man, his dark hair sweeping over his face. Celus reached over and grabbed Salen's hand, pulling her to his side.
"You're wrong." Celus took a step forward, gaining strength every second he held Salen's hand. Celus glanced towards the cliff that was just on the other side of a row of trees.
'I just need to get him over that cliff,' he thought, 'Then this will all be over.' Darron's father adjusted his weight on his paws, focusing only on Celus. As he charged, Celus gripped his fur and threw him aside with renewed strength. He stood, shaking his fur and preparing to attack again. This time, he was taken by surprise when Celus charged, grabbing his body and throwing him closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.
Darron's father shook the surprise from his eyes and jumped up from the ground before being knocked down by Celus' speed. His heart began to race with panic. Celus was a lot stronger and faster than he thought. Before Celus reached him, he snapped his jaw, latching onto his arm. Celus hissed in pain, yanking it back and gripping his hand over the fresh bite mark. He began desperately surveying the distance between them and the cliff, wanting nothing more than for this to be over.
'Give up. You're too weak.' The man sneered, throwing Celus to the ground and towering over him.
'No.' Celus thought. With one final surge of energy, Celus gripped the man by the scruff of his neck and lifted his body off him. He shoved him with a grunt, his body sliding almost to the edge. 'This is for Salen.'
The crowd of warriors surrounded them, all silent as they watched their leaders who were now both covered in each others' blood. It took longer for Darron's father to get up off the ground, weak from his fresh wounds. This gave Celus enough time to find Salen's tear streaked face. She was tucked tightly into Brady's side who was slowly recovering from his wounds. He had a look of fear on his face as he read Celus' thoughts.
'No.' He shook both in pain and in denial as he pleaded with his friend. 'Don't do it Celus.' He begged, his eyes wide as Celus just gave them a smile. 'There has to be another way.' Celus just shook his head, giving Salen one last longing glance before turning towards the weak wolf. He was quivering slightly on his legs, shaking his head to clear the hazy cloud that was taking over his senses.
"You have threatened my family and my pack for the last time." Celus boomed, venom dripping from each word. "I will not let you take them away from me, and if this is the only way to do that, so be it." Celus tried to ignore Salen's eyes on him, because if he thought about it, he would change his mind.
'This is for you.' He thought as he took off towards the wolf, gripping his fur tightly as they both went plummeting over the cliff.
"No!" Salen screamed, fighting against Brady's arms as she sobbed. Celus' pack was silent, everyone too shocked to move. The only sound was Salen's wails as she collapsed in Brady's hold.