Ava's POV
I struggled against Freya, as she tried to pick me up and drag me away. My aggrieved cries were drowned by the cheering sounds of the other werewolves, gathered in the arena. They were howling for joy at the fact that their alpha just won, even as he clearly broke the rules. He wasn't supposed to shift into his wolf form.
My mind was still having a hard time wrapping around the fact that Jared was now dead. His body was now lying on the cold, snowy ground in a pool of his own blood. Alpha Damian took yet another person from me. First my father and now, my mate.
I looked at the alpha standing in the middle of the arena, as his wolves cheered for him. He had a proud smile on his face and that made me frown immediately. He walked around in his wolf form, basking in the glory of his most recent "victory". I sneered at him from the distance, with as much hate as I could muster... and that was a lot. There was a sour taste in my mouth, as I watched them celebrate the death of my own mate.
Surprising myself in a fit of rage, I threw Freya off me, pushing through the crowd of werewolves and heading for the fighting pit. There was absolutely no way I'd let Alpha Damian get away with this. I know I'm not even close to a match for him but if I have to die, then so be it. It's better than living without my soulmate anyways.
Just as I was getting closer to the fighting pit, a body slammed into mine, pinning me to the ground and I instantly knew it was Freya. More tears escaped from my eyes, as I struggled against her.
"You'll get yourself killed, dammit!" She hissed at me in annoyance.
"I'm not afraid of him, let go of me." I replied her, still struggling against her hold. None of the werewolves seemed to have noticed the both of us.
"You think that alpha is the real threat here?" She asked before lifting me up, all of a sudden. I turned back to look at her in question.
Freya turned me around so I was looking right into the fighting pit. Then she tilted my head to look in the direction of Jared's lifeless body. I frowned, not understanding what she was trying to show me.
"Many people are so focused on how hybrids are too short lived, that we forget one important thing." She whispered in my ear.
"They're a cross between two powerful species. Taking them down would require more effort than usual."
"...especially for one like Jared." She said, just before pulling away from me. What the hell does she mean?
My eyes widened, as I watched my "dead" mate suddenly stand up from the ground like some freaking zombie. His neck was twisted around to the back and he slowly twisted it back into normal position, making a gasp escape my lips. By now, he had caught the attention of everybody gathered in the arena and they watched him in pure horror.
He let out a low, dark chuckle, looking at his father's wolf form with glowing, red eyes. The latter took few steps away from Jared. He was beyond terrifying... even for me.
"My turn!" Jared snarled viciously, his voice sounding like two beings were speaking together.
I saw Alpha Damian tremble visibly but still held his ground, desperately trying not to look like a coward in front of his whole pack. Jared smirked at him, just before cracking sounds started coming from his body. His shoulders, legs and spine....I saw them pop and shift into place, dark furs quickly covering up his body. He was shifting. I thought hybrids were incapable of shifting?!
Freya suddenly grabbed my hands, trying to drag me away. I resisted her.
"We have to leave. This whole back will be torn to shreds." She warned, making me look at her in disbelief. There's no way Jared would do that...no way!
I turned my attention back to the fighting pit and a scream escaped my lips at the sight before me. It happened so fast...too fast and I wasn't the only one horrified. Panic hung heavily in the night sky above us. Even the moon seemed to be hiding behind a body of dark clouds. Jared was mutilating Alpha Damian's unmoving body, his limbs and organs scattered around.
For an alpha with a record of being ruthless and powerful, he was taken down really quickly. Jared happened to be twice as ruthless and powerful in his beast form. He was larger, stronger, faster and more menacing. I have never seen anything like him before and I was sure none of us have either.
In a moment, some pack warriors were roaring and shifting into their wolf forms. They were charging aggressively towards Jared, in a bid to avenge the death of their alpha. The challenge was now over but for some reason, they weren't content with accepting Jared as their new alpha. Jared saw them as enemies immediately and didn't hesitate to attack, ripping them apart, one after the other.
The whole crowd of spectators were thrown into disarray, werewolves running around in panic, in an attempt to get to safety. Freya kept shoving off people that bumped into her and I decided to use that distraction to go closer to the fighting pit. I mean...it will make sense if I was the only one that could stop Jared from his rampage. I was his mate afterall and there's perhaps a chance that his beast might recognize me. I had to try.
From the distance, I spotted Luna Arielle, frozen in a spot with a distraught look on her face. She had somehow made her way into the fighting pit and was staring blankly at the dismembered corpse of her mate. My eyes widened when I saw Jared fighting his way to her direction. He was tearing through the warriors, who were trying really hard to protect their Luna. Freya was right, this is a bloodbath.
I ran faster, hearing Freya coming after me. There's no way I'll just let him do this. The pack members were now terrified and running for their lives. To them, Jared was a monster...a bloodlusted beast to be feared, not an alpha. I had to make him stop before he wipes them all out. The only way would be to submit to him, acknowledge him as alpha.
I finally jumped into the pit, jumping over the pile of dead bodies and severed limbs on the ground. I tried my best not to puke at the sight of the carnage that had taken place here. I quickly made my way over to Luna Arielle, positioning myself in front of her and acting as a shield against my deadly mate. Before he gets to her, he'd have to kill me first. For a moment, I wondered where all these bravery was coming from.
Jared's red eyes were now locked in on me and I felt a shiver run down my spine. There were no more warriors to stop him and he let out a deafening roar before charging at us. At this point, I was literally trembling all over and I felt the same from Luna Arielle. She was also scared to death for her life.
I suddenly dropped to my knees and bared my neck in submission, as he got closer. My eyes were tightly shut but I could hear him slowly coming to a stop. Was he accepting my submission?
"Alpha Jared!" I whispered, slowly opening my eyes to see him looking down at me with bared fangs. I decided to remain calm and show no fear, avoiding eye contact.
I looked back to see Luna Arielle also kneeling in submission. She had her eyes cast downwards too and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Alpha....Jared." She mumbled, earning a guttural growl from Jared.
Just as he was about to advance towards the Luna, a number of pack warriors also dropped to their knees in submission. I looked around us to see the whole pack, slowly kneeling before Jared, all baring their necks in submission. They were soon chanting the name of their new alpha. They were chanting "Alpha Jared!"
And just like that, he shifted back into his human form, as naked as the day he was born. I felt my wolf stir inside me, as he brushed past and I looked to my side to see Freya looking at me with a small, relieved smile. I know right? I also thought for a moment that I was going to die. Wait! She actually followed me into here? I raised an eyebrow at her.
There he was, the first hybrid alpha and new leader of the Silver Claw pack. He slowly walked towards the shaky Luna behind me, grabbing the fur cloak around her and snatching it off her body. She yelped and shivered, as the cold wind hit her body...or was it fear?
Jared had just stripped her of her title as a Luna. He was alpha now and it was customary for him to do so. My heart beat faster in excitement, as we walked back towards me. I'm his soulmate, which means I'm automatically supposed to be his new Luna. My wolf clawed at my insides in exhilaration and I found myself unable to stay still. Was it finally happening?
I remained kneeling in my spot, waiting for him to get to me but he never did. I turned my head and the next thing I saw, literally smacked the wind out of me. Jared was wrapping the cloak around a very shocked looking Freya.
"Freya Irons of the Iron Wolf pack, you will be my Luna."