Page 21 of Unknowingly Being his Brat

“No, then Marcus will fight Jeremy right after, making it a fair fight since they’ve both then fought twice and won,” Dad said.

“It’ll be fine,” Darius voice startled me as he came up behind us. “Jeremy will handle it.”

I felt sick. Here wasmyfated, and he didn’t even care that I could get hurt? That I coulddie?

“They both will,” Cass declared firmly, nodding in my direction.

I smiled at Cass, thankful he at least seemed to care about me. Even after everything I’d done to mess things up for him and my brother.

“I accept your challenge of the Alpha title,” Jeremy said with clear confidence. He’d moved to stand alone, the rest of us forming a circle around him and Fillian.

“When my son wins there won’t be any humans allowed here. We’re wolves, not pets,” Marcus spat, glaring at Cass.

Fillian and Jeremy both shifted and I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It was my job as second to make sure things were done right, not that we had a lot of rules in a deadly fight. I needed to support Jeremy, if necessary, and I would do the best I could. Whatever tension there was between us was forgotten for the moment, the fight having taken priority.

They circled each other for way too long, either Fillian was too scared to actually fight Jeremy or he was buying time. I frowned as I followed their paws move around, their eyes locked on each other and then, Fillian finally jumped forward snapping his teeth where Jeremy had been seconds before. Jermey seemed to skip around Fillian seamlessly and soon the fight turned real.

Fillian dodged Jeremy’s next attack, but instead of turning around and continuing their fight, he turned his back on Jeremy, a fatal move normally, but when Fillian’s glowing amber eyes locked on Cass, it only took seconds before my brain had caught his intent.

I didn’t really think as I saw Marcus shifting in the crowd, jumping into the air to attack Jeremy while he was distracted by Fillian coming for his mate. My wolf form took over as I was mid jump, my only thought was to protect Cass. I wouldn’t bemissed, but Cass… Cass would. He was too good, toopure, to die because of Fillian’s stupidity.

So, I didn’t think as my wolf came between Cass and Fillian. Didn’t think as Fillian’s teeth came down hard on my neck. Didn’t think as I returned the bite, using what little strength I had left to break Fillian’s neck, only letting go once I heard the bone break and Fillian’s heartbeat stop. Only then did I allow myself to think.

My last thought before I welcomed the darkness, was that I hoped Darius would miss me.

Chapter Ten

Darius

My heart was breaking. There was no other way to describe the aching pain inside of my chest. When Jeremy was challenged for the alpha title and Milo stepped in as second, that was when my heart started aching, not because it was broken yet, but because it was beating in fear.

Then I had to stand there and support Cass as he fearfully watched Jeremy shift into his wolf before the fight. I couldn’t even muster the words to say anything to my own fated, only the hope that Jeremy would win and that Milo wouldn’t have to fight was enough to keep me somewhat sane. That all changed though when Fillian switched targets mid fight. Paul’s breath turned into a gasp the second Fillian’s eyes locked on Cass, and that was when Milo reacted, shifting and shredding his clothes as he jumped on Cass, forcing the human to land heavily on the ground, and thus taking the entire attack from Fillian.

Fillian’s jaw snapped around my fated’s neck. Before I could even shift myself to protect Milo from dying right there in front of me, Milo moved and somehow managed to snap Fillian’s neck. In all of this chaos, Jeremy had been attacked by Fillian’sfather Marcus, meaning that once Marcus was dead, Jeremy had no idea what had gone down between Fillian and Milo.

I kneeled next to Milo’s unconscious wolf form, seeing the blood flow out of him too fast for it to just be a tiny scratch. Our fast healing could mend wounds quickly, but Milo’s injuries were simply too dire for his healing to fix it.

I’d never been more afraid in my life.

Paul kneeled next to me as Jeremy shifted back into his human form next to us, watching his mate slumped underneath Milo, both of them unconscious. Fillian’s wolf form laid lifeless next to them, but we paid him no mind. He was dead to us in all ways possible.

“We need to take him to Nicmondus,” I stated, somehow managing to keep my voice even. Paul looked at me and nodded before helping me carry Milo to our pack healer, Nic.

Jeremy followed behind us as he carried Cass in his arms. I had no idea how badly hurt Cass was, as a human he couldn’t take as much damage as we could, and Milo’s wolf form had hit him rather hard when he took the attack from Fillian, then with Fillian’s hard hit to Milo, and Cass taking both the wolves’ weight… Poor Cass could have broken so many of his frail bones just from that alone.

Nic’s house was close to the packhouse, and his front door stood wide open, clearly waiting for us. His home was a tiny cottage style house with thatched roofing and stone walls surrounding it.

Paul and I carried Milo in first, Nic urging us to a cleared bed with a protective sheet over it. Both beds in the room were big enough for our wolf forms, so Cass would have plenty of room on his.

“I’m sorry, Paul, but you need to leave the room,” Nic ordered as soon as Cass and Milo were both on the beds.

“Okay,” Paul said, stepping back. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

I was glad he didn’t fight me on who had a right to be here for Milo. I won, being his fated. It was still nice he just accepted it, or was it because he didn’t truly care that his son was hurt? I’d always thought Paul cared equally about his sons, but his continuing words about Milo and the belief that whenever anything went wrong Milo was to blame, had somehow changed my view on Paul, as had my respect for him. He wasn’t the alpha I’d looked up to anymore, instead I eyed him warily as he hurried out of the room, leaving Nic to do his healing with more room.

Also, how Nic knew about me being Milo’s fated would remain a mystery, I could only guess that Paul had told the entire pack our business.

Nic looked Milo over carefully before ordering, “Hand me the vial labeled ‘Quick Up’.”