Talia and I were just clearing the plates from the table when a few teenagers ran past us.

"Where do you think they're going?" I asked.

Talia just shrugged in response. She gave me a look that said "Kids these days" before continuing what she was doing.

Another woman, who had been in the kitchen, came out to see us. "You guys have to come see this."

Confused, we both followed her out onto the training fields. There we could see Lucas standing in the middle of many of the pack members. He appeared to be shouting.

"I will not stand for this any longer! We all deserve an alpha who doesn't think he's too good to even speak to us! It's time to put him in the place that he belongs and I'm here to do it! That man is not deserving of his title!"

So many of the pack members were too shocked that he was saying this to even argue with what Lucas was saying. It was then that Calum started making his way through the crowd.

Lucas gave him a mocking smirk. "Good morning, Calum."

Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd and Calum growled in response to him. It was so disrespectful to call an alpha by his first name.

"What is this?"

"I've come to challenge you for the alpha title and your mate."

My hand immediately went up to cover my mouth. Lucas had mentioned figuring something out so we could stay here together. I should've seen this coming, but I still couldn't believe he would go to such lengths.

Anyone here could see that Calum was furious with Lucas. He surely couldn't have enjoyed someone questioning his rule or threatening to take his mate. However, he couldn't back down from a challenge like this.

"Alright."

I watched as Calum transformed into his massive black wolf. Lucas took that as a signal to shift into his own gray wolf. Lucas' wolf was smaller than Calum's, but not by much.

I didn't want either of them to get hurt. They both meant so much to me. It was my fault this was happening. Lucas wouldn't have challenged him if it weren't for me.

Both Lucas and Calum began circling around each other. They exchanged snarls to try to intimidate one another. Not a single pack member made a sound as we all waited for the first wolf to attack.

Lucas, of course, was the one who made the first move. He lunged at Calum, going for the soft spot of his neck right away. If Lucas had any chance of winning, it would only be if he struck hard and fast enough to take Calum down early on. Lucas could be easily worn out if the fight lasted longer because he didn't get any good hits in on Calum.

It wasn't until Calum shoved Lucas back while remaining unharmed did I let out an exhale of relief. I hadn't even noticed that I was holding my breath.

Silently, I cheered Calum on. I needed him as my mate. We could have such a wonderful future together with love and children. Lucas meant a lot to me too, but not in the same way Calum did. Lucas was wrong to challenge Calum, and for that, he deserved to lose. Unfortunately, this fight would only end in either death or submission. It didn't seem like either of them would ever submit to each other.

I shut my eyes for a brief moment as they wrestled to the ground. It was far too painful for me to even watch. Talia reached out and grabbed my hand to comfort me. She knew how hard this was for me.

Looking back to the center of the field, both of the wolves were back on their feet. The gray wolf lunged again. This time, he dove for the left calf and his bite hit the spot successfully. Calum held in a howl of pain and pounced onto Lucas' back. He took him down and aggressively clawed at any body part in reach.

My heart pounded as Lucas tried to take back the advantage. Even though he was successfully pinned, he wouldn't give up fighting, I was sure of it. As soon as Lucas made a move to get out from underneath the heavy black wolf, Calum bit down on his ear and pulled it clean off.

Instantly nauseated, I gagged and turned. I couldn't look at the gruesome sight any longer. A loud howl confirmed for me that it was as painful as I imagined. Maybe even more so. This was a side of my mate I had never seen before. I didn't like it, but I understood why it was necessary.

Though I didn't want to look, I had to. What I saw next seemed like a blessing. Lucas bared his neck as a sign of submission. This meant he admitted to defeat and Calum could no longer fight him.

Calum bared his canines once more to prove a point, then moved off of Lucas. Lucas shifted and stood up. He was breathing heavily and the spot where his right ear used to be was covered in blood.

"You may still have your title, but I promise you that I will be back for my mate." Lucas locked eyes with me before shifting once again and running to the woods.

Once they were knocked to their senses, a few of the warriors ran after him. Now that Lucas threatened to take the pack's luna, it wasn't a good idea to allow him to roam free outside of the pack.

Now that the fight was over, people began to disperse. Talia tugged on my hand and I let her lead me back into the house.

I was waiting in the bed when Calum finally entered our bedroom.

"Are you ok?" I asked before he had even fully stepped foot in the room.

"I'm fine. My leg is already healing up nicely." He only said that to alleviate my worries, but I noticed his slight limp. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's alright. I just can't believe Lucas would be so crazy as to think I were his mate. Did the men ever catch him?"

"No. They were too far behind by the time they started chasing him. He covered up his trail and they lost his scent. I'm sorry." He took hold of my hand and kissed the top of it.

"It's not your fault."

"I guess not, but now you're in danger. We're going to increase security so he can't harm you. I promise that I'll protect you."

"I know you will." I had more faith in Calum than I ever had in anyone else.