45. Water Run Red
Kiran’s temper got the best of him in letting him think he wanted to grab Seff by her shoulders and shake her. “Why the fuck would I let you do that?!”
There was her bite: Her eyes seemed to narrow to slits and his anger incited hers. She jabbed a finger at him just like Selene and snapped, “You owe me!”
Beside him, Selene purred. “Ooh, what do you owe her? Better follow-through, yellow wolf.”
He refrained from making any physical move despite the overpowering urge. His hands were suddenly tied. *Make her happy or pursue his own ambitions?* Gods, why was this so fucking hard? *Mine, mine, mine. You’re* mine, *Seff! Fuck Hawthorn, and fuck Selene.*
“That is not a good enough reason.” At their twin sour expressions, an idea popped into his head. Oh, a terribly good one. “You haven’t written Hawthorn yet, have you?” he asked smoothly, smiling.
Seff’s anger faltered and her eyes flicked to Selene, who assumed neutrality just as quickly. “Hawthorn?”
“A friend—”
“A *male* ‘friend,’” added Kiran.
“—from my pack,” finished Seff with a scowl. “Yes, a male. But… Kiran hoarded my mail!”
She glared. “You *what*?”
He could have smacked himself on the forehead. “My jealousy knows no bounds, we’ve established this! Can we stop bickering like pups? My Seff, I will not allow you to be in her presence. Selene, get the fuck off my grounds.”
“*Your* Seff?!”
“Yes I am! You don’t own me yet!”
“Yet!” Kiran snapped. “Let’s fuck right now, then we’ll see—”
Selene moved before Kiran could; she Shifted and slammed her body into his, sending them both sprawling into the river. Kiran Shifted, his legs working to plant himself in the slow-moving water. Rock and silt made poor footholds. But that didn’t matter as Selene was aiming her maw at his throat. She was almost as big as him but made for speed more than brute strength, which he excelled in.
“Seff, run!” Selene ordered.
Kiran snarled “No—” as the Moon wolf leapt on top of him and closed her jaws on his ear. Pain exploded through his senses and spurts of blood and water blinded him. He reacted on instinct, twisting his body hard and fast in hopes his teeth would gnash down on something. No godsdamn luck—he bit empty air.
Kiran and Selene fought more times than either could count—in more ways than they cared to admit. They knew each other’s moves, strengths and weaknesses, and how to keep the other pinned. It always ended in a stalemate; no winner, no loser. Well, they were always losers.
This time, they were especially motivated. Kiran: stop Seff. Selene: stop Kiran. All Seff had to do was *run*.
“Not without—” Seff began.
Kiran ripped free, feeling a chunk of his ear go free as well, lunging for the shore. But Selene rammed into him again. “Shred that gaudy dress and run!”
Kiran twisted and snapped, just half an inch away from Selene’s neck. *Gods, what was wrong with him?!* He felt *off*. Slow.
He didn’t have to fight Selene. He just had to shake her.
But she was beating his ass.
The splashing water didn’t seem to affect her in the slightest. They locked in a tumbling mass of muscle and fur, claws ripping and teeth gnashing, neither yielding to yelps, even as fangs found their marks in flesh. The water turned red.
In a flash, Kiran raked a paw across Selene’s face. This time she yelped as her muzzle was instantly shredded. He took the chance to bolt out of the river, shaking blood and water from his eyes. His vision was shit and his front leg was fractured but he had to go after Seff.
Where was she? He shook his neck furiously. Which way was east?
“I’m not done with you.” Selene barreled into his once more, shoving and pinning him down on his back. Her tongue wrinkled with her lips peeled back from her teeth. Just like that, Kiran’s strength went out like a wisp of fire. Her blue eyes were ice shards. “You’re going to stay *the fuck* away from her. You hear me?”
“You ripped my ear off,” he growled. “So no.”
She shoved her nose to his good ear, blowing a harsh breath straight into his ear canal. He flinched. “How about now? Three days. On the third, she gets the choice to either stay or come back to your sorry ass. Don’t look so cute now with one ear, huh?”
She got off him with a shove and immediately started walking. Limping, rather, but when Kiran rolled onto his side lax, somehow she found east. She left a trail of blood from several injuries. Kiran just lie there watching her, heaving for breath and panicking—yes, panicking—because he really couldn’t hear out of his mangled left ear. He probably didn’t *have* one. He couldn’t manage the Shift. It would fuck up all his injuries. He’d just have to wait until someone found him. Lying on the sandy, bloody shore, defeated miserably as if he hadn’t put up a fight at all.
*What the fuck’s wrong with you?!* he roared at himself.
He couldn’t keep his eyes open. The last thing he saw before his eyesight went black was Selene craning her neck to look at him one last time.
He swore he saw her smile.
*I just want her love.*
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