Chapter 520: The fight

"What powers? The one you stole by killing a mermaid, or the one you were born with, which was nothing but pure cowardice?" Sebastian gritted out with a growl. "No wonder Camilla discarded you from the beginning. She must have had a mother’s foresight to know what you would turn out to be."

Nick’s eyes darkened and his expression turned sour at those words that were a sensitive reminder of his life. "So this is how you want to fucking play it, I see. Fine. I’ll play," he gritted out, shifting into his own wolf form, knowing his human form couldn’t fight them with the bullet wound still lodged deep, hidden beneath his flesh.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed on his cousin’s wolf, silver smoke curling off it, some byproduct of whatever ability he carried that gave him the supreme Alpha’s aura. The wolf stood every bit as tall as Sebastian’s own, its coat full silver unlike Sebastian’s, which now carried the stain of corruption. Nick, done shifting, turned to face them both.

"If you and I were to stand before Silver, I would be picked as their Alpha before you. You are getting buried in your grief, cousin. What a waste," Nick said nonchalantly before adding, "Now we can fight fair. I didn’t actually want to kill you yet until I regain my strength, Sebastian, but you brought this on yourself by coming out here."

(Music Recommendation: Darkness and Light by Secession Studios.)

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Nick began circling the two of them like he was the one hunting, not the other way around. "How about we make this a real fight, though, just you and me? Unless you’re too afraid of me, and need your Beta here as backup."

His words did nothing but sharpen Sebastian’s fury, and he bared his teeth. "Matt, stand back." He had hoped to get to beat Nick before ever doing anything else and this was an opportunity to fight him with the the burning fury inside him.

Matt stood back and Sebastian lunged, and the two of them broke into a brutal fight, paws slamming against one another, teeth sinking into flesh, tearing fur loose, as the rest of the wolves gathered in the woods to watch.

Nick was fast, far faster than Sebastian had anticipated, and despite the blood he’d already lost, he fought as though the wound in his shoulder didn’t exist at all.

Sebastian slammed his body into him, sending them both rolling across the snow, but Nick twisted at the last second, landing back on his paws before lunging straight at him again.

Their claws collided, and Sebastian was forced back several steps by the force of Nick’s ability and strength, which had come from the mermaid’s heart.

Nick growled and charged again, but Sebastian met him halfway, their bodies crashing together with enough force to shake the ground beneath them. A true Supreme Alpha against one who had granted himself the powers to imitate one.

Sebastian’s claws tore into Nick’s side, while Nick’s teeth caught his shoulder, sinking in deep before Sebastian wrenched himself free.

Blood dripped from both of them.

Neither backed down.

Nick’s silver fur was already soaked through with blood, silver smoke still curling off his body as he panted heavily. Sebastian’s silver eyes burned with rage, fangs bared as he circled his cousin slowly.

"You really think you’re going to kill me?" Nick mocked, a wicked grin cutting through his blood-stained fangs. "You couldn’t even save your own sister in time. What a useless waste of a man you are. Your parents must be rolling in their graves in disappointment at what you have become."

Sebastian’s ears flattened.

Nick caught the reaction and knew he had hit the mark. "That’s right. Zoe’s dead because of me, sure, but you’re just as much to blame for it for not paying attention to her like a brother should. You are the cause of the death of every single one of your family."

To some extent, Nick’s words weren’t completely wrong. His parents had died because the sea witch was trying to kill Sebastian, and his sister had died because he hadn’t paid her much attention lately before her death. The words hit him like a blade, and he lunged.

Nick barely dodged, but the claws still caught the side of his face, tearing three deep gashes through his fur. He stumbled back, recovered, and kept taunting.

"Did my words hurt?" He asked. "Or does hearing the truth hurt worse?"

Sebastian’s growl deepened, but he gave no other reaction.

"You should’ve seen her face, when she realized I was actually going to kill her," Nick pressed on, deliberately twisting the knife. "When I stabbed her the first time, I almost wanted to stop, but she shot me first."

Sebastian’s claws dug into the earth beneath him.

"Shut up." He warned.

"Why?" Nick tilted his head. "Don’t want to hear about your precious little sister? You were having a bliss calling me Nicky Dick and using Camilla on me, so why can’t I use your sister too?"

Sebastian charged again.

This time, Nick met him head-on.

The two wolves collided, claws raking into each other’s bodies. Sebastian managed to knock Nick onto his back, but Nick kicked him off with his hind legs and sprang back up almost instantly.

"You know what I find funny?" Nick said, breathing hard. "Even after everything, I still want your life to be mine."

He wiped his bloodied mouth against one paw.

"Zoe could’ve been part of the family I wanted, she was such a good sister. But Vee still will be. Eventually."

The words made Sebastian freeze, just for half a second as they circle each other.

Nick saw it happen.

"I’ll kill you, Sebastian," he said, his voice thick with a twisted kind of excitement. "And once you’re dead, I’ll take your wife. I’ll build a home with her. I’ll finally have the family I always wanted, and I’ll make sure she gives me children. Plenty of them."

Something inside Sebastian snapped. He let out a roar so loud that the wolves watching from the woods flinched back. If Nick didn’t carry the same powers as Sebastian, this fight would have ended already, but fighting him was like fighting himself, because Nick had everything a Supreme Alpha should have. And his words about his wife were doing nothing but adding fuel to the burning flames in Sebastian’s bleeding heart.

"Sebastian!" Matt shouted, already seeing exactly what Nick was trying to bait him into with all those words.

But Sebastian wasn’t listening anymore. He charged at Nick with nothing but pure rage driving him forward.

Nick’s eyes glimmered, because this was exactly what he’d wanted.