Claimed by Love (A Rizer Pack Shifter Series Book 3)

by Wilson, Amelia

  The female werewolf who’d almost reached Ian came running back. She attacked Deon as Onyx and the other gray wolf began to circle each other. He was struggling to keep from joining the other wolf in the consumption of Deon.

  Onyx could tell by the way he kept letting his eyes stray in their direction. Stopped moving. He was too jittery to concentrate properly on the fight. Setting him off early would help him rather than aid her in the fight.

  The gray wolf snarled at her starting toward Deon and then stopping again and edging closer toward Onyx. He couldn’t seem to pick which way to go.

  Onyx faked a lunging motion in his direction and he sprang toward her. Taking aim Onyx leaped up into the air and caught him by the throat. It took three jerks and pulls to break his thick neck.

  The female wolf took advantage of Onyx being preoccupied with the male wolf and went after Ian. He was too weak to shift.

  Onyx raced back and leaped onto the female digging her claws and teeth into her back. The female shook Onyx off and took hold of her neck.

  Oh shit.

  Onyx dragged her feet across the she-wolf’s stomach.

  Damn her jaws are strong.

  Ian kicked the wolf off of Onyx. She rolled quickly, knowing the female wolf would go after Ian again. Onyx scrambled up in time to crash into the she-wolf and knock her off course before she could get to Ian.

  He was trying to back up and get out of the way and fell on the rocks. His burnt skin split on the sharp rocks, spilling fresh blood.

  The she-wolf was drooling, forgetting Onyx altogether.

  Onyx jumped on her and tried to hold her back to give Ian time to get to higher ground. The she-wolf was dragging her over the rocks without stopping to dislodge Onyx.

  The she-wolf wanted Ian too much. If Onyx let go to go after a kill it might be too late for Ian. She held on, sinking her teeth deeper, and jerking her head from side to side to tear out a piece of the she-wolf and make her stop.

  It didn’t though.

  She was one track minded ignoring all else. She pursued after Ian as he limped over toward the arch trying to get to higher ground. The arch wouldn’t be nearly tall enough.

  Her panic level tripled as he struggled to get onto the arch.

  I’m going to fail Errol and Ian. I can’t stop her.

  The tears that came were so big Onyx couldn’t see through them. She held on and continued to fight to stop the she-wolf from reaching Ian.

  Suddenly the she-wolf was ripped away from Onyx. She shook her head to clear her eyes and gasped. The Rizer pack had arrived. Cara and Angeline took out the she-wolf.

  Killian was already medicating Ian.

  Darian was coming toward Onyx.

  I have to show him where Errol is.

  Onyx raced back toward the Herod camp faster than she’d ever run before. Darian was right with her and the pack behind him.

  We’re coming, Errol. Hold on!

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The Herod pack was in utter chaos when they arrived. They were splitting into groups and fighting for power. Onyx didn’t stop. She kept right on running and dodging to get to the ring where Errol and Demitrus had battled.

  The ground was soaked in blood.

  Onyx could smell a fair amount from each of the men who battled. Demitrus’ skeleton was in pieces around the ring. The only sign of Errol was that he’d lost too much blood.

  The Rizer pack was making quick work of the Herod pack. The submissions were coming fast now to Darian and Cara. Darian was demanding to know what had become of Errol but wasn’t getting any answers.

  Onyx remained in her werewolf form as the battle came to an end. She couldn’t face Errol’s loss in human form. The spirit wolf bound to his wolf wasn’t giving up searching and Onyx would stay with her.

  The scents next to the battle ring were so strong that it was nearly impossible to track from the ring. It was all she had though. Onyx ignored Angeline when she tried to offer comfort. She just closed her eyes and let her spirit wolf lead the way with her nose.

  I can’t lose him again. I’m not strong enough. Why, would she say to trust him if he wasn’t going to survive?

  “Onyx,” came his weak voice, so quietly she was afraid she’d imagined it. Then it came again. “Onyx.” Her wolf head snapped to the left where Demitrus had Errol tied in his tent.

  She rushed in that direction.

  “Did you find something?” Angeline asked running after her.

  The floor of the tent moved.

  Onyx began to dig under the tent but Errol was only just beneath the entrance. Angeline helped Onyx pull him out from under the tent.

  Angeline listened to his breathing and heartbeat. She pulled out a tube of white cloudy liquid from her belt and poured it over the open wounds of his stomach. “Call Killian over,” Angeline directed Onyx.

  Onyx howled for Killian. She was still much too afraid of losing Errol to change back into her human form and face so many human emotions.

  Killian arrived quickly. He was talking in medical terminology that Onyx didn’t understand, at least most of it, she didn’t understand. She laid down across Errol’s feet so that even though he’d fallen unconscious again. He might know on some level that she was there, she was with him.

  “He got all of the silver out,” Killian said in a tone of disbelief. “Your mate is a tough son of a bitch, Onyx.”

  “Use the regrowth cells you developed. He’ll heal fast enough,” Angeline told Killian.

  He nodded but gave Angeline a scolding look as though she should not have sounded so sure that Errol would pull through.

  Please, stay with me, Errol.

  Killian and Angeline administered a paste over Errol’s open wounds.

  “He’s going to pull through, Onyx. You did the right thing,” Angeline told her.

  “We’ve talked about this, Angeline. You can’t say things like that unless you’ve seen it in one of your visions.”

  Angeline glared at her husband which didn’t give Onyx a lot of hope. Her spirit wolf began to cry. The howl coming out of Onyx through the voice of her spirit wolf was full of fear and sorrow.

  Cara in her human form kneeled down next to Onyx and put her hand on Onyx’s back as a show of support. The calming waves and strength coming from Cara, was like a lifeline catching Onyx before she slipped into that abyss that she would never have found her way out of.

  “You have to shift back, Onyx,” Cara commanded as if she could feel Onyx slipping away and refused to lose her. “Shift now.”

  Her spirit wolf gave way gladly to Onyx, retreating at the command of the female alpha. Onyx had no choice, the wolf spirit withdrew and with her, she took her form. The shift was triggered.

  Cara guided Onyx to the side of Errol as her body made the slow transition back into her human form.

  “This hurts so much worse. Come back,” Onyx pleaded with her spirit wolf.

  “Stay here with me, Onyx,” Cara said wrapping a coat around her shoulders and covering her. “Killian is the best doctor for our kind on this continent. He and Angeline have traveled a lot over the last few months and they have returned with even more healing knowledge than they had when they left.”

  Darian cleared his throat from behind Cara. “You need to ask her if she is fit to help us decide who lives and who dies of the Herod pack?” he asked Cara.

  “I’m not fit,” Onyx answered. “I’m too angry. I’ll just tell you to kill them all.”

  “You are ours now, Onyx. If that is what will give you justice for their treatment of you, Errol, and Ian than it is the justice we shall reap for you.”

  What was left of the Herod pack began to whimper and howl. It would be so easy to give into hate like Demitrus did and make all of them pay for when not all of them were guilty.

  “No. It is not justice to kill them all,” she managed to push out.

  “I’d like to take him back to the Rizer fortress,” Killian said to Darian, completely oblivious to w
hat was going on outside of Errol’s health.

  Onyx wanted to go with him but she also knew she was one of the few people who could say who would be an asset to the living world and who would be a tyrant.

  She held onto Errol’s ankle as they lifted him from the ground. Onyx scanned the faces of the pack Herod. When she met the eyes of Victor she knew what she would do.

  “He saved my life and Ian’s. I believe he will be able to help you find the value of what is left of the Herod pack if there is any. I am going with Errol.”

  “Onyx?” Errol said her name.

  She looked up to find his blue eyes on her and he was smiling with purple lips against his pale skin. He looks like he’s going to die any second.

  “You trusted me?” He asked. “You got Ian to safety?”

  “She did,” Angeline told him. “Ian will survive.”

  Errol reached out and took her hand in his. “Thank you, Onyx.”

  “You want to thank me? Live.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The weight against his chest was light and smelled of lavender and rain. It smelled like the woman he dreamed of every night and the one who he loved more than any other being on or off the planet.

  Onyx. My Onyx.

  Knowing she was with him, Errol pushed toward being awake instead of falling back into the lull of sleep where there was no pain in his stomach.

  He opened his eyes.

  Onyx was resting her face on his shoulder facing him. Her black silken tresses were fanned out over the top of the blanket, so shiny it was like looking at light reflecting off black water.

  Her brown eyes were drooping shut and then popping open. They found Errol’s gaze and struggled to focus. “Errol?”

  “You smell so good,” Errol said smiling past the pain in his stomach.

  “You slept for five days,” she said lifting her head so that she was resting her chin on his chest. A dark red line ran from her lip to her ear. For it to still be so red five days later, Errol knew it had to be deep when it happened. His insides twisted knowing he wasn’t there to protect her.

  Onyx picked up his hand and kissed his knuckles. “I heard you kicked Demitrus’ ass after I left with Ian.”

  “Ian. Angeline said he’s going to make it. He made it, right?”

  Onyx nodded, her eyes lowered to his lips. “He did survive and Killian was able to save all of his limbs and fingers.”

  Errol stiffened. “What wasn’t he able to save? Where is Ian?”

  “He has some scarring on his face that is still pretty severe, Errol. Killian says that most of it will fade with time, given that our werewolf spirit helps rejuvenate the body.”

  “I need to see him,” Errol sat up ignoring the burning across his stomach.

  Onyx pushed him back down on the bed. “He’s been in here every other hour to see if you’ve woken up. I’ll go get him. You stay in bed or it won’t just be busted stitches you have to worry about,” Onyx told him.

  “Onyx,” Errol said catching her hand. “Thank you for saving his life.”

  “I wish I could have saved him from ever having to see Demitrus again,” Onyx said.

  Errol pulled her down against him so he could hug her and hold her. “He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

  “Who can’t?” Ian asked opening the door. He was smiling with his mouth but Errol recognized the hopelessness in his brother’s eyes. The skin on the right side of his face was dented in several places where the hot poker had been pressed into his face.

  The bright reds, purples, and bright white colors running over his skin looked angry as if still causing him pain. Perhaps, it still was.

  “Were you talking about that bastard Demitrus? Gotta boast you were the one to put him down first thing when you wake up huh?” Ian forced a laugh.

  “I heard you didn’t give him shit on us even when he did his worst,” Errol said not willing to brush over what Ian went through. “I would have sung like a bird.”

  Ian swallowed hard. “Fuck, I’m glad you killed that sonofabitch.”

  Onyx moved to the side. Ian stepped forward to embrace Errol.

  “Thank you for all the shit you’ve been through because of me,” Errol said, his voice choking up.

  “What this?” Ian gestured toward his scarring. “This wasn’t you. It was, Demitrus. You made him pay plenty.” Ian put his arm around Onyx. “This little beauty saved my ass right and left. Damn, I’m proud she’s my sister.”

  “He saved my ass right back,” Onyx said. Hugging Ian tightly.

  Killian knocked on the door and pushed it open. “You’re awake, that’s great. I need to do some responsive testing with you.”

  “I’ll go and get you something to eat,” Onyx said.

  “Don’t be gone long,” Errol said. The reality of Demitrus being gone still too unbelievable for his mind to accept.

  Angeline said from the open doorway, “I’ll go with her. Don’t worry about a thing, Errol. I’m so glad you’re awake.”

  Errol smiled on an exhale. Angeline would keep her safe. They pulled the door shut leaving Errol with Ian and Killian.

  Killian poked and prodded, asked questions, checked Errol’s healing progress and then stepped back with a smile. “Well, Errol. I can officially say that you being in love is proving to be the best medicine for you. You’re in great spirits and healing at twice the rate you should be.”

  “Yes well, I’m not going to deny it,” Errol said. “Having her in my life is worth having my stomach torn out twice. Crazy, right?”

  “Bat shit, crazy,” Ian said shaking his head at Errol.

  Killian chuckled with a sly smile that both Errol and Ian caught.

  “What’s so funny?” Ian asked.

  Killian shook his head. “I’m not saying. You wouldn’t believe it anyway.”

  Angeline opened the door for Onyx who carried in a tray of food. It had Errol’s mouth, watering for sustenance but also for Onyx.

  It must have been clear because the room cleared out as Onyx set up the tray over his lap. Ian was the last to go and he lingered for a moment watching the two of them together with a smile that was happy and yet sad at the same time.

  “Have fun you two,” he snorted and pulled the door closed.

  Onyx was grinning a smile that reminded Errol of the one Killian was wearing. “A lot has happened while you’ve been asleep,” she said. “Darian took on three new pack members from what used to be the Herod pack.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Victor, Kaden, and Syros.”

  “What do you think of them?” Errol asked avoiding the spoonful of food she held out to him.

  Onyx raised her brows at him. Errol quickly accepted the spoonful of food so she’d keep talking. “You need to eat all of this, Errol,” she said handing him the spoon and sitting next to him on the bed.

  “I will.”

  “Victor is good. I don’t know about the other two. I didn’t pay the pack as much attention as you would think.”

  Errol made a mental note to keep a wary eye on the three new members.

  Onyx had that smile again. “What else happened?”

  “Keep eating, and I’ll tell you.”

  Errol took another bite of food and then another.

  “Angeline had a vision.”

  “A vision about what?”

  Onyx leaned into his one-armed embrace smiling up at him like she was about to burst. “Ian.”

  “What kind of vision?”

  She pressed her lips against his jaw line. “Very soon, your brother will be meeting his predestined mate.”

  Errol squeezed Onyx as relief flooded through him. Ian deserved happiness. He deserved real and true love. “When? Who?”

  “Um, that part she said it was better to leave alone,” Onyx wrinkled her nose. “She did say that the woman will be a great challenge not only for Ian but for the pack.”

  Errol laughed pulling Onyx i
n tighter against him. “I think after you, she’s going to be a walk in the park babe.”

  Onyx nibbled harder on his ear. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Hey if she’s half the woman you are, she’ll be worth it.”

  “Eat your food, baby. Your mate wants to welcome you back to the world of those awake, properly.” Onyx stood up and began to slowly disrobe.

  Errol shoveled his food down and gulped the broth. “Done.”

  Onyx removed the tray and climbed on top straddling him. Errol grabbed her ass pulling her down against his hard cock. “God, I love you. Now, let me show you.”

  The end

  To find out about Ian’s Pre-Destined mate, his love to be, read the next book in the Rizer pack series entitled, “In Love with the Enemy.”

  Please don’t forget to review if you loved this book. Thank you!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Amelia Wilson has dedicated her life to writing. She is a firm believer in the power of love to conquer all, and her works reflect this belief. Her paranormal romances are known for their love stories, action and suspense. She creates immersive worlds that are rich in detail and full of emotion.

  Amelia can be contacted at her Facebook page or through her newsletter.

  http://www.ameliawilsonauthor.com/

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