Scarlet - Alpha Marked, Book I by Celia Kyle Read Free Book Online

ache
pulsing with every beat of his heart. Wetness coated his ribs, and
he knew his enemy had injured him.
    But he couldn’t dwell on the wound.
Not when Garron spun on him, rising to his hind legs. He countered,
balancing and meeting the attack. The Colson Alpha snapped his
teeth, fighting to bite Keller’s vulnerable throat, but only
managing to gouge his muzzle.
    Garron’s nails dug into his shoulders,
sinking past fur and skin deep into him. More of his blood crept
forth. Keller pushed back the blossoming hurt.
    The enemy wouldn’t win, no matter how
hard he tried.
    Keller remained upright and dug his
claws into the other wolf’s fur, searching for skin and flesh that
lurked out of sight.
    His competitor broke off from their
clench, stumbling, but he didn’t let the wolf wander far. Keller
pounced, mouth opening wide and then it was filled with the wolf’s
protective fur. He fought to breathe, drawing in air past the blood
that filled his nostrils. Fuck. Had the bastard broken his
nose?
    Increasing the pressure of his bite,
he was rewarded with a rush Garron’s of blood filling his mouth.
Applying further force gave him the crack of bone.
    Garron pulled and yanked against his
hold, snarling barks interspersed with whimpers. Keller had managed
to slow the larger wolf, his attack breaking a leg.
    He released and danced back, moving
out of reach and he watched the other wolf limp back and forth.
Garron’s gaze absorbed everything, and Keller did the same. His
enemy’s hobble was easily noticeable. Blood flowed freely from the
wound, and a bone poked through the skin. The other wolf’s muzzle
bled sluggishly, but the hindquarter released more and more viscous
fluid with each beat of his heart.
    The enemy wolf was close to the end.
Its chest heaved with every breath, expanding and contracting in an
ever-increasing rhythm.
    He distantly heard grunts and groans
from Madden’s fight, the collision of flesh against flesh coming
with regularity. But few of the sounds came from his
partner.
    Keller flashed his fangs, curling his
upper lip until the gleaming lengths were visible.
    A bellow of rage reached
him, and he stretched his mind to Madden. Easy. Don’t fall into his trap, Madden.
    He didn’t have time to say much more.
Not when Garron rushed forward and pounced on him, shoving him
until he lay beneath the larger wolf.
    A shout reached him, the single word
from Scarlet’s mouth working to bolster his strength.
“No!”
    Keller worked his back legs, clawing
the vulnerable underbelly of his attacker while he used his
forelegs to keep the man’s life-ending teeth from his neck. A
mixture of his and Garron’s blood surrounded him. His enemy didn’t
simply snapped at him with deadly teeth. No, claws scraped and
shredded him as he lay supine on the ground.
    Enough.
    He gathered his strength, dug into the
part of him he often suppressed, and let his true beast free. He
shed the mantle of calm knowledge and peace to reveal a
monster.
    With a great heave, he shoved Garron
from his prone body, rolling them until he stood over the larger
wolf.
    Part of him, the portion that always
worked toward a diplomatic end to any conflict, detested what he
was about to do. His other half reveled in the bloodshed. It
rejoiced in securing their place at Scarlet’s side. They couldn’t
care less about ruling the North American packs. But nothing would
keep them from their mate. Nothing.
    That single thought in mind, he
lowered his head, opened his mouth wide and then tightened his
jaws. He relished the resounding snap of bone as he killed the wolf
beneath him.
    Fresh, tasty blood flowed freely, and
he only allowed the wolf to swallow one mouthful. It fought against
his control, aching to finish its meal, but he wrestled the beast
into submission. The encounter wasn’t about the hunt, but the kill.
They’d search out dinner. Later. After they’d secured Scarlet as
theirs.
    He released the dead wolf and moved
away from the body