Big Bad Wolfie novel Chapter 86

I'm no hunter.

Even when it comes to animals, I'm not fond of having to chase my pray. It gives me too many opportunities to feel guilty about taking a life and just decide to go get something from a store that somebody else has killed for me instead.

But when The Hybrid King took off towards our people with deadly poison leaking from his already lethal fangs.

I had no trouble sprinting after him and giving chase.

And when I catch him. . .

It'll be the end of him.

Before I caught up, I made sure nobody was following. I'm not letting any of them get hurt like Wolfie did.

By the time I'd get the poison removed from them, The Hybrid King would already have made it to the first hideout.

I don't have to worry about that though, because the others are coming, just keeping a safe distance behind me.

Thank the goddess.

I'll try and make this quick.

I felt less remorse for The Hybrid King as I jumped onto his back and dug my claws into his flanks than I do for the cow when I bite into a juicy hamburger.

I dug my feet into the ground to slow him down and let my claws drag through his skin.

He gave a resounding growl as he slid to a halt and tried to snap at my arms with his powerful jaws.

I wasn't having any of it.

I grabbed his lower leg and put all the force in me into kicking it in half.

After hearing the bone crack and The Hybrid King howl, I jumped up before he could retaliate and landed my foot directly onto where he had been cut by the poison dagger across his back.

The impact made him bend his front legs as he tried to shake me off, but I just wrapped may arms around his neck in a bear hug and sunk my talons into his cheeks.

I meant it when I said that this ends now.

He tried to shift so I'd lose my grip, but that was the dumbest thing he could have done.

For the second he used to shift into his vampire form expertly, he was defenseless.

Using my new found indifference, created by the bomb that he triggered and my talent making a perfect storm. . .

I sunk my fangs into the side of his neck. And at the same time that I yanked all the veins and ligaments in my mouth out, I tore more skin with my claws, pushed against his shifting body with my feet and ended him.

I tore his head off and threw it across the field.

I heard the running footsteps of my friends come to a halt.

"You did it," I heard Marco whisper.

"He's dead!" Brandon breathed.

"Holy crap we're alive!" Rose hollered and jumped into Brandon's arms.

. . . The effects of the bomb are wearing thin now. . .

I was so high on adrenaline just a few seconds ago. . . Now I can't even think about celebrating for a second.

Crazy how things like that happen, huh?

All I can do is lay here and stare up at the sky.

I'd recognize the weight of the world crashing back down on me from anywhere.

I sank down into the hole created by the explosion. Deeper.

Deeper. . .

Deep —

"Maria!" Jason was dropped next to me by a panting Happy.

He didn't say anything.

He just dove on top of me and clutched me close to him.

I gasped in pain after my mate embraced me like this.

Not in physical pain, that hasn't processed yet.

In all the pain I said was for later. I felt it.

"I've got you, love."

And I kept sinking.

But he held me while I did.

We both know I'm going to be sinking for a while, but he still clutched me like he never wanted to be away from me.

And it made the pitch blackness of the hole a little less intimidating.

Everyone stood in exhausted, shocked, mournful, and grieving silence.

The silence was all those things. . .

But it was also victorious.

Because I can hear the allied houses and packs arriving.

And we've won.

After their king's death, the rest of the hybrid army started running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

They were equally as violent and strong, but they made mistakes, and made decisions that were dumb as rocks. So it wasn't difficult after they were heavily out numbered to wipe them out.

I guess we were right about The Hybrid King being all the brains behind the brawn.

Now it's still undecided if the affected houses and packs of both the first Blood War and the Blood War: The Sequel (we're still working out the name) should go out and hunt any remaining hybrids.

House Crimson or Silver Moon Pack won't be taking any part in genocide, but I'll still be asked to be involved in the conversation.

I still have no idea what my stance is on the whole thing yet. I want to wait until I have more of a grip on my emotions to think about it. I still feel like I'm watching the world go on from the bottom of a hole, no use trying to form an opinion from here.

But a ceremony commemorating all those pack and house members lost before their individual funerals over the coming weeks is not a time to think about hybrids. It's a time to think about them.

"I'd once again like to thank all the heroes we're commemorating today. My condolences goes out to their families. . . Your friends, children, siblings, cousins, grandparents, or parents were the bravest among us. It's up to us now to live on with them in our hearts like I know we will. . . I promise their sacrifice will be fruitful. We will live on with the life they would have wanted for us and have died for us to have. That's how we can honor them best. . . By thriving. Thank you" I stepped down after getting out the last few sentences of my speech. The sores in my mouth from helping Wolfie healed just in time to give it tonight.

Wolfie already gave his speech addressing his pack, so I don't feel bad about ruining his suit with my tear stains after I ran off the podium and into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, still weakened from the trace amounts of poison I failed to get out, even a month and a half later. He's doing better though. According to Doc he'll be back to normal in no time.

I tried not to get choked up while I was speaking but we all knew that wasn't going to happen. I'm just glad I didn't break down into sobs and not be able to get a word out.

After the speeches, everyone started mulling around to the different stations we had set up. Every six feet or so there was a small table set up with a picture of the departed and a little blurb about them that their families prepared beside it. Finally a small space to place flowers.

Wolfie and I carried boxes with 156 roses each so we could place one at each station.

We stopped and cried at a lot. Sometimes it'd be over someone I'd never seen in my life that Wolfie was close to, and others it'd be the other way around. But we both clung to each other during each of them and cried.