Mated to my Alpha's Rival

Chapter 36

Ryder's POV

It seemed to be a regular occurrence now, Elias walking out on me. Not that I can blame him this time. If the people I loved, my family, friends or pack were in danger, nothing would stop me from protecting them.

I mind-linked my best friends to meet me in my office, where I was currently pacing, waiting for them to appear. The door opens without warning, "what's wrong?" Blaze speaks first, with Arabella entering my office behind him.

"The Sage pack is being attacked as we speak," I inform them. "Elias left 10 minutes ago to assist them."

"It's them, isn't it?" Arabella asks me, and I slowly nod in response.

Blaze pales a little, looking directly at me, "they won't survive this Ryder," he warns me, "not alone at least..." Arabella and I look at him.

"What are you saying Blaze," I urge him to continue.

Blaze looks between Arabella and me, "We all know the deal you made with them Ryder, and you agreed because you knew alone we wouldn't be able to fight against them. The Sage pack won't survive this alone, but both of us together? We could have a chance."

"You're thinking of it Ryder, aren't you?" Arabella questions. "Elias is out there."

"What if this backfires, all I have done is to protect this pack," I remind them of the danger, the warning I was given a couple of years ago.

Blaze speaks to me, "Elias is your family, we are your family. And if Elias' pack is in danger, then no matter what, so is yours. We understand Ryder, the pack will understand, and we fight for family."

"You don't need to worry about us, we will all fight for you, with you," Arabella adds.

I take in their words. "So we fight," I state.

"We fight," they both respond.

  *

Within the next fifteen minutes, I had my pack's warriors outside our borders and headed towards my mate's territory. I could smell him along the path we had taken, he was here within the last half hour. Quickly we made our way past their borders, not a single guard or soul in sight.

Are we too late? I ask myself worriedly, but I could still feel the bond which calmed my nerves a little. Elias wasn't hurt.

As we got closer and closer to the centre, the more fallen human bodies and wolves we came across. The Sage Packs and the Rouge Kings. "Stay on alert," I warn my warriors. "Half of you stay in your human forms, the rest transform into your second now," I instruct. I nod to both Blaze and Arabella, before transforming into my wolf.

I could hear Blaze doing the same beside me, while Arabella stayed in her human form. She fought more effectively with her daggers than her teeth.

Now in my wolf form, I could hear everything much clearer. I could hear the screams, fighting, crying, pleading and bodies crashing against each other. As we round another corner, we could see everything happening in front of us. My eyes try to find my mate in the crowd but there was too much happening at once. My pack runs ahead, joining the fight while I focus on my bond, trying to reach out to Elias.

I could feel his anger, he had to be close enough. My body led me towards him, my eyes still not seeing within the crowd. A rouge runs towards me, clearly up for a fight. It only takes a few moments before it's on the ground under my paws unmoving. "Fuck you!" That sweet voice, filled with seething anger makes me look up across the stretch to see my mate under another male.

My vision was red when the male suddenly wraps a hand around Elias' neck. The pain radiates through my body as if I was the one being choked. I don't even register my wolf moving until I'm crashing into the male's body slamming us both into the ground. Red terrified eyes look up at me through my reddened vision before I dig my teeth into his arm, ripping it off in a quick motion. The male screams bloody murder, tears falling down his face. But I didn't feel an ounce of pity.

He was now hyperventilating, "yo- you" he coughs. "Shouldn't b- be her," it was pathetic, wasting his last words like this. I watch him suffer, struggling with his breaths and words till he finally stopped. The fighting around me continued, causing me to snap out of my trance.

"Kai!" My mate's voice made me snap my head over to where he was running to. I watched as another rouge in their human form loomed over Kai, a knife in hand ready to kill. There was no way Elias was going to make it there in time, let alone myself. Suddenly, a familiar wolf runs right past my mate and tears the predator down in a swift kill. I don't hesitate to run towards the action, getting there just after Blaze finished his slaughter.

Blaze nudged a barely conscious Kai on the shoulder making him groan out in clear pain. Blaze looks at me, with what I couldn't mistake as fear in his eyes, I have to take him back to the pack's hospital.

I nod to him, you'll have to carry him on your back. I focus on returning my body to its original form, before leaning down to gather Kai into my arms. Kai attempts to fight back, trying to get out of my arms, his eyes tightly shut as he whined out in pain. I manage to place him on top of Blaze's wolf and luckily, Kai didn't fight back once saddled, his arms wrapping around Blaze's neck closing his eyes, humming. Odd.

Blaze gives me a nod in thanks before taking off away from us, far from this place.

I look to Elias who was looking in the distance, where Blaze and Kai were a second ago, "He'll be okay?" Elias' voice cracks.

"He'll be okay," I promise him. Blaze would not let anything happen to Kai. I didn't totally understand why I knew that indefinitely, but I simply did.

Elias' red, puffy eyes find mine properly for the first time. "You came," he whispers softly as if he didn't believe it still.

Goddess, how I would do anything for this man, "I love you, Elias," I tell him. And I will do anything to protect you.

Elias crashes into my chest and I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around him. He lets out a sob of relief and pain. Today was coming to an end and tomorrow would be a new beginning for us all.