My arms shook as I held my mate in my arms, her blood smeared body violently shaking with pain. I knew it would be a hard adjustment, but... I just couldn't shake the image from my head. The way the blood smeared her mouth and the crazed look in her eyes as she bit into Matthew regardless of his pained screams for mercy. No, it wasn't her. It was River high off her new power. But that didn't stop the chill from running down my spine. I'd recognized that look in her eye. The infatuation and curiosity that the blood drew out. It was like I was looking at Gavin. And it terrified me.

A fading heartbeat cut my thoughts short, causing me to turn to see Matthew's eyes rolling back in his head and the movement in his chest become fainter and slower.

"Atonya!" I yelled and within a moment's breath, she was there next to me.

"What do you-?" Her words died on her tongue as her eyes went between Avery to Matthew to me. "Did she..?" She softly asked.

I shook my head. "She didn't do anything. It was her wolf. Her lycan." I looked down at my mate before I gently pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Just take her to the safe room. Keep her hidden until I get there, understood?"

Atonya nodded and as quickly as she came, they both disappeared. I wasted no time rushing to Matthew, thankful to hear his fading heartbeat. He was hurt. Bad. Gavin stirred within me as the sharp stench of blood entered my nose as the taste lingered in my taste buds from River's tricks, but I pushed him down as I wrapped my hand around Matthew's. I closed my eyes and focused. Within moments, a pain shot through me as I felt my strength flow from me and into him. As quickly as it had cane, the pain was gone and I let out a shaky breath as I opened my eyes. He looked good as new. I listened to his heartbeat, praying that he'd be okay. The steady beating of his heart allowed me to let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"I'm always saving you," I muttered with a humorless chuckle before I quickly dragged him into a bush for cover. I really didn't want to leave him but I had no choice. Once I was sure he was safely hidden, I mind linked the pack and ordered the nearest person to take him to the safe house before I shifted into my wolf and headed back into the thick of the battle. As I ran, I saw the damage Avery had done. Her work- her lycan's work- was distinct compared to the clean decapitations or swift kills of the pack members. Hers was sloppy and cold. She'd literally ripped them apart so badly that you could barely recognize who, or what the body had even been.

But I wasn't much better.

Though Gavin wasn't as reckless or wild as he'd been mere hours before, his need for violence still thrived within me. More than that, he craved River in ways that physically made me ache for Avery. The fact that he couldn't have her made him even more upset. More savage. More blood thirsty.

It didn't take long for me to be thrown into the middle of a massive offensive attack as Phoenix's wolves started slowly but surely pushing into the territory. I had to admit that they were good. Clean, uniform, and united. But we'd been prepared. As much as I hated to say it, Andrew was good for something, and that something was proved as he shifted moved from wolf to wolf tearing into throats or cleanly decapitating them, leading the other wolves in his division strongly and swiftly. Within mere moments, Phoenix's wolves were dead and ours were standing victorious without a scratch, chests heaving and demeanor cold.

Andrew and I locked eyes just as I saw a large brown mass quickly approaching me from my peripheral view. I barely had time to turn before I was knocked off my feet with such force that when I landed, a few bones cracked. I quickly made it back to my feet as my bones instantly repaired themselves. In front of me stalked a wolf that was large compared to normal wolves but far too small to be Phoenix. It was his Beta. A she-wolf. Interesting. That revelation did little to dim the raging fire that burned within Gavin at her audacity to cross us. And I didn't try to hold him back.

She made the first move and lunged at me, but as soon as she made it into the air, she was tackled from the side. They struggled for a bit until Andrew emerged on top and pinned her down. But that didn't stop her from viciously snapping at him, and even when she sank her sharp, dangerous teeth into his soft flesh, he held her down, showing no sign of fear or his inevitable pain.

Letting Gavin take control, he hurried over to her and pushed air out from his nose, letting Andrew know we had it from here. He let out a thunderous growl and bared his sharp blood stained canines. I could sense her fear but she wasn't letting it show. Instead, she locked eyes with us and growled, digging her paws into the ground. It was a challenge.

Gavin loved a challenge.

We circled around each other and no matter how badly I just wanted to rip her head off, Gavin made me wait. He wanted to have fun with his prey.

As he lunged at her, she lunged at us. Gavin bite down into her thick neck, not enough to instantly kill her, but enough for her to howl in pain as blood poured from her gruesome wound. As soon as Gavin released her from his grip, she bolted in the opposite direction, her movements fast but disoriented.

Gavin waited for a while, watching her go. He enjoyed the chase just as much as the kill. Something we had in common.

Even after she's left our vision, Gavin decided to give her more time and instead, went into the thick of the battle, fighting and killing alongside our pack. Phoenix's numbers were thinning but they were putting up a good fight.

Code crimson, I announced through the link, causing howls of excitement to rip through the air. Code crimsons were a pack favorite: freedom to be as ruthless and savage as they wanted to be without any real rhyme or reason. Remember to stay united and help each other out. If any of you see Phoenix let me know. It's not our kill to make. It's your Luna's.

Yes Alpha, they chorused through the link before pure chaos commenced. Blood, screams, carnage. A beautiful mess.

The sweet taste of victory slipped across my taste buds as I bit into yet another wolf's throat before I threw him to my pack for them to finish off, his screams for mercy tearing through the air as the pack tore into him. Then I smelled it, the familiar stench of blood from my prey. This excited Gavin and within a moment's breath, we were off in her direction. She was holding up far better than I'd expected, but she was still no match for Gavin's ruthlessness. Our ruthlessness.

I bobbed and weaved between trees and my fighting pack members, wanting nothing less than to get between them and their prey, until I found myself in a familiar spot: the cliff. And there she was, laying with her back facing me, practically begging to be killed. But something didn't feel right. However, that didn't stop Gavin from lunging at her, canines bared and ready to end the chase for once and for all, but we were suddenly thrown from out of the air and tackled to the ground.

Phoenix.

He didn't give me any time to think before he savagely started going for my neck. This made Gavin furious not only because he'd come between us and our prey, but also because he'd caused our mate so much pain in such little time.

Fueled by pure rage and bloodlust, I pushed Gavin back and took full control. I effortlessly dug my canines into him and effortlessly threw him off of me. I barely had enough time to stand up when his beta lunged at me. A bold, yet stupid move due to her emmense bleeding and my incurable thirst for her blood. Irritated, I side stepped out of her way and when she collided with the ground, I pinned her down and within moments, her heart was in my mouth and she was dead.

Phoenix growled before he shifted back into his human form, but not in a way that would suggest surrender. No, the fun was just starting and he had a lot more fight left in him. "Greyson," he lowly growled, "come on and fight me like a real man." Gavin was itching to just kill him then and there and so was I, but I had to remember that Phoenix wasn't our kill. It was hers. And I wasn't going to take that from her.

That didn't mean that I wasn't going to hurt him a bit though.

Deciding to play along, I shifted back. "Very bold of you to actually set foot in this pack, Phoenix," I lowly sneered as we slowly started circling each other. "Okay tactics and formations. Unfortunate we're tearing your pack to pieces, isn't it?"

He scuffed. "Your cockiness will be your downfall, Greyson."

I laughed. "I've survived this long. Wait, was that a threat, runt?" I spat. I wanted to piss him off. It made things more fun when they were blinded by rage and gave it their all.

"I guess we'll have to see," he said. "How's Avery by the way? I heard her. Can't wait to get my hands on her."

My jaw clenched, though I couldn't let him see how much it affected me. If he wanted to go low, I could go low. "She's doing better than Abigail."

That made him snap.

"Don't you talk about her!" He growled as he charged at me with full force, eyes dark and canines extended.

As we fought, I couldn't help but admire his clean movements and smooth footwork. He even caught me off guard, allowing him to sink his teeth into my neck. I easily got him off, breaking a few bones in the process.

He got up and huffed and came at me again, allowing me to get just close enough to grab me before he slipped away, frustrating both Gavin and I. I knew I could easily end this war by ripping into him and basking in his broken body and blood, but then I remembered Avery and the promise I'd made to her.

I had to keep reminding myself.

Suddenly I realized what he was doing. I was on the edge of the cliff and he was right behind me.

"Phoenix, you clever son of a-" I said as I started turning around only to be interrupted by his fist shoving itself into my chest and his fingers wrapping around my heart.

Within that moment I had two options: play along or rip his head off. It was clear he didn't know about me due to the satisfied grin on his face. But I ultimately decided that playing along was the best bet. If he ripped my heart out, it would keep me from killing him which I was fighting against my natural instinct to do. But I was going to take him with me.

"I told you your cockiness would get you into some trouble, Greyson," he growled, a sickeningly satisfies look on his face.

"I guess so," I forced out. Even though it couldn't kill me, having his fist wrapped around my heart still hurt like hell.

Phoenix's body will be at the top of the cliff at the edge of the territory. Mine will be at the bottom. I'll be fine. I'll explain later. I quickly linked out to my pack. They had no idea about my condition and it worried me that they'd do something, but I couldn't miss this opportunity.

I had to time this just right or the bastard was walking away, and I couldn't let that happen.

"Go to hell Greyson," he lowly growled and all at once he ripped out my heart as I snapped his neck, causing him to instantly fall to the ground, my heart on the ground next to him. I felt my strength drain away as my body began shutting down.

"You first," I groaned before I allowed gravity to pull me backward over the cliff's edge. Even though I knew it would hurt like hell when I woke up, I felt satisfied knowing that my Avery would make the runt wish he was never born.

I saw the rough ground quickly approaching and I braced myself for the impact. I closed my eyes and within a second, my body was engulfed in an immeasurable pain then nothing.

Absolutely nothing.