I yawned as I went through the order forms. Working the day shift was ideal for me so I could be with Willow at night but it was also boring. Not many people came in during the day, still enough for us to be open but not like the night.
I'd just finished the last one when a strange feeling swept over me. It felt like someone had just walked over my grave whilst dousing me with an ice cold bucket. I knew it had something to do with Willow.
I checked the time, she should be either at home or on her way by now. Just as I was about to call her my phone buzzed. It was Matty, an old human friend of mine from school, who worked the night shift here.
"Matty? What's up?" I asked.
"Max somethings happening with your mate," he said,
Matty was one of the few humans who knew about us shifters. I'd introduced Willow to him a few weeks back after we'd mated.
"Why, what's happening? Where is she?" I demanded, making my way to the door.
I called for Thomas, one of the bartenders, to call my dad to get someone here. He nodded and shooed me away.
"I'm in the supermarket's car park. This old guy and a woman approached her. I saw them watching her inside the store, so I followed them just to make sure."
My blood boiled, I knew exactly who they were.
"I can't hear what's being said but the woman has just hit her … wait! Now Willow's running. I think she's heading for the woods. Get here now!"
"I'm on my way."
As I headed over I called the Alpha to let him know and he said he would bring some warriors.
Once I reached the woods I shifted and raced through. My wolf reached out to hers as I raced through. I could feel her fear but she also felt relieved to feel me.
'Where are you?' I mindlinked.
'Near a clearing, the one you took me to for our first date. Hurry, they're catching up. They didn't expect me to shift.'
A part of me was scared, thinking about what could happen to her, but another was excited to finally see her wolf. I didn't have to wait long. As I reached the edge of the clearing I could see an almost pure white wolf, except for the two grey paws, standing snarling at four wolves.
One I recognised, was her father's wolf, another was a female so I assumed that was his mate, but I had no idea who the other two were. One looked small enough to be a female but I wasn't sure as the other wasn't that much bigger.
I growled as I raced around the clearing so I could move beside her. Her father shifted back and glared.
"I was hoping you'd show up."
I huffed at him before growling in warning.
"I wanted to meet the wolf who turned my daughter against me. You got me kicked out of my pack, you both will pay for that. I know you are a strong fighter but can you take all four of us whilst protecting your pathetic mate?"
I glanced at Willow who looked scared but determined. I knew she would give it her all, hopefully, the stronger ones would come for me.
"He doesn't have to!"
We all turned to see my alpha, in human form, walking up with several shifted warriors. They came to circle us and I could almost hear the sigh of relief Willow felt. My alpha walked up in front of us.
"Max didn't turn your daughter against you Nicholas, you did that yourself and your mate helped. You forgot she was your daughter, instead, she became your slave."
Willow shifted back and took a small step next to Alpha John.
"Father, after mother died I was grieving too. I needed you and you abandoned me. The day I lost mother, I lost you too. I thought if I did everything you asked, then you would remember who I was but it only got worse."
"I welcomed your new mate and new children, hoping they would help but your mate just made it worse. I started wishing for the day I could leave, I even wished I could die, just to escape you."
I growled at that and moved next to her. She stroked my muzzle and smiled.
"You accused me of being lazy, of not doing enough but … I was doing everything. Cooking, cleaning, laundry as well as studying. I did it all by myself, you made sure of that. You even blamed me for things I hadn't done and punished me. I didn't need help from Max to make me hate you. I hated you long before he arrived."
Her father growled at her but Willow didn't shrink away. She held her ground and took a deep breath.
"Why are you here Father?"
"I want what's mine back!" he growled. "The pack, the money and my reputation. You've destroyed everything!"
"So that's all that's important to you?" her voice sounded flat, void of emotions.
After everything she's been through she was still hoping for something kind from her father. It killed me to see her shrink a little because of him. I growled at him and took a menacing step forward.
"Stop Max!" my alpha ordered.
I stopped advancing but I didn't stop the growling. Willow stroked my fur to calm me down, it worked a little.
"You only have yourself to blame for what you think you lost. Now, since you didn't come onto pack lands, I will only give you a warning. Do not come back again, if you try to attack anyone from my pack then you will have forfeited your lives. Am I clear?"
"I'm not leaving until I get what I came for!" he growled.
The alpha sighed and I smirked, well as best as I could in wolf form. He was an idiot. The alpha had just given him a lifeline and he refused to take it.
"That's your choice!"
Alpha John shifted, which caused everyone on their side to back up. Nicholas shifted too and they started growling at each other. The other wolves in their pack started to growl and I could see the former Luna's eyes trained on Willow.
Willow quickly shifted and moved behind me. I growled in warning to her but she ignored me. Nicholas charged at Alpha John and that was the signal. I stayed close to Willow, as predicted Nicholas's mate, whatever her name was, charged for Willow.
I knocked her sideways, it was obvious she wasn't a fighter. A part of me felt bad for fighting her but she was threatening my mate. I wasn't going to allow her to get close.
She circled us but I kept Willow out of her reach. Since I was so focused on her I didn't see one of the other wolves charging at me. The dark wolf rammed into me and I was knocked sideways which left Willow open.
I growled and quickly pushed the other wolf off, then with a sharp bite to his neck I snapped it in two. He thudded to the ground just as her stepmother charged at Willow.
My heart stopped, I wouldn't be able to get there in time. Goddess no! Not again, please not again! Willow looked so small as she tried to back away. Her stepmother pounced, her jaws wide open.
Willow surprised both me and her stepmother. Just as soon as the other wolf was in mid-air, Willow struck. She jumped up, clamped her teeth into her exposed neck and slammed her into the ground.
The other wolf thrashed and tried to get free but Willow had a stronger hold. Soon the thrashing stopped and Willow released her. She stood panting as she looked down at what she had done. I reached her at this point and nuzzled her head.
She whined into me and I knew she hated what she'd done, necessary as it was, she still took a life. I felt like that the first time I had killed an opponent. Like Willow, if I hadn't I would have been dead.
We both heard a roar and turned to see her father charging at us. He must have felt it when his mate died. I positioned myself in front of her and looked around for Alpha John.
I could feel Willow shaking behind me and I had no idea what to do. Nicholas was far stronger than me and I had Willow to protect, he would use that as a weakness.
Just as he was about to reach us, Alpha John appeared out of nowhere. He slammed into Nicholas and bit down on the back of his neck. I felt relief but also worried about the other warriors. I scanned the clearing to see only my pack warriors standing watching the two alphas.
We'd won, now there was only one left to deal with.