Vasile could tell a marked difference in the wolf he faced now compared to the wolves he had fought earlier. This wolf’s skill was much more honed and he was faster. Regardless, he was still no match for the Alpha. In less than fifteen minutes, the wolf was on his back conceding.

Vasile’s muscles shook with exhaustion and sweat coated his skin. His breathing was faster than usual but he was not yet winded. He had only minor slashes on his skin, most of which were already healing. Other than being tired, he was more than ready to take on his next rival. Serghei’s voice ringing in his head had him smiling. The wait was over, and justice was about to be served.

Alina’s stomach twisted as she heard the voice that she truly never wanted to hear again.

“Vasile Lupei, I challenge you.”

She looked over from where she and her two guards stood. Ion had managed to secure her some crates to stand on so that she could see because they were not about to let her get any closer. Serghei stood at the edge of the circle that Vasile occupied. He looked tired, and blood ran down his arms and legs from the wounds others had managed to inflict. Her mate, on the other hand, looked as though he could fight another day and night without stopping for a rest. He truly amazed her.

She watched as Vasile held up his hand to stop Serghei from entering the circle, and then his voice rang out strong and powerful. “Serghei, son of Sain and Theris, brother of Sisily, I sentence you to death. You need to know that whether or not you enter this circle you will die by my hand. For the murder of my mate’s parents and for the violation that you inflicted on her body and mind, I will rip you limb from limb.” He lifted his hand and motioned for the wolf to step in, to accept his fate.

“And if I kill you?” Serghei asked, still on the outside of the circle.

“Then hell has frozen over.”

Alina’s lips turned up slightly at her mate’s reply, but the smile faded as soon as Serghei moved forward. Vasile struck hard and fast. He leapt across the circle closing the distance between them and raked his claws down Serghei’s face. Deep gashes immediately began to gush blood, and one split his left eye, rendering it useless. Serghei staggered but quickly recovered and darted towards Vasile attempting to run his own claws across the larger wolf’s abdomen. Alina was surprised at how quick Serghei was. Both men were utilizing their wolf’s assets without fully phasing; their punches and kicks much quicker and more powerful than that of a human. They circled one another and Serghei managed to land a couple of blows to Vasile’s face and one to his stomach, but neither seemed to slow Vasile down. The longer the fight went on the more focused he became. Meanwhile Serghei appeared to become sloppier with each blow exchanged. His movements were jerky and inaccurate. It was during one of those uncoordinated punches that Vasile made his move. He grabbed Serghei’s arm and turned quickly moving behind the wolf and bringing the arm with him.There was an audible pop and then a shout of pain from the man held in Vasile’s deadly hands. The rage in Vasile’s eyes would have any smart wolf backing down, and the power rolling off of him in waves was making it hard for everyone to breathe. With a loud snarl, he jerked Serghei’s arm and ripped it from the wolf’s body.

“You should not watch this, Luna,” Ion urged her.

She shook her head. “I have to. He is my mate and to look away when he has been victorious would show weakness on my part and could be interpreted that I did not approve of his actions. I will not give either impression to our pack.”

Both wolves looked down at her and she felt their admiration. She could not respond because her eyes were glued on her mate who was doing exactly what he promised. He had ripped Serghei’s other arm off and the wolf was no longer struggling, only screaming. Blood flowed from his body like a river and she knew he would be dead in a matter of moments. But her wolf was not done. He took Serghei’s head in his hands dragging his body up from the ground as if it weighed nothing. Then Vasile’s eyes met hers. His wolf stared back at her and she felt her wolf responding. She was in awe of their mate―in his ability, his power, and his confidence. He stood before them with his prey at his mercy and yet he was waiting for her approval. Alina looked at the man who had killed her parents, touched her in a way no man other than her mate had a right to, and even bitten her, stealing her blood and leaving her skin marred for life. She looked back up at Vasile and knew that whatever she chose he would concede. Even in his fury he kept control. She thought about the consequences of both―whether he tore Serghei’s head from his body or simply broke his neck. Some would find the latter as weak. The Canis lupis considered their females precious, and to touch the true mate of another was an action for which mercy was not given. Alina knew that in order to lead dominant males, in order to control their beasts, it was imperative that they have a healthy fear of their Alpha. That fear allowed them to keep their wolf in check, especially those without mates. It gave them security and peace, both of which were needed for a thriving pack. Decision made; she nodded.

No sooner had he ripped the wolf apart, Alina saw a glint of silver moving fast behind her mate. She screamed both through their bond and out loud for him to move but it was too late. Emilian had plunged a dagger deep into Vasile’s back.

Vasile heard Alina’s gut wrenching scream just before he felt the air rush out of him and the cold steel bite deep into his back. His wolf howled, enraged at the cowardly action of his enemy. Vasile could not have stopped his wolf from taking over at that point even if he had wanted to. He phased, jumping out of reach of his opponent at the same time, and though the knife was pushed out by his power, the wound was still bleeding and badly enough that it would take some time to heal.