Chapter 27

Helen POV

Diana had me pinned, my shoulders to the ground, her wolf weight holding me down. I heard King Juden begin to count, “ONE!” The crowd was in a frenzy.

If this match had occurred even a week ago, it would have been over for me before it even started. It used to take me so much time to shift. But all of my and Justin’s time in bed meant I had grown into something so much more powerful than Diana could have ever imagined.

“TWO!” the Alpha King bellowed. Diana threw her head back in triumph, as if she were already beginning to celebrate. But before Juden could let loose the final number, faster than anyone in the crowd could even process, I shifted, letting Joy, in all her newfound splendor, free. I flipped forward, knocking Diana back, and she yelped in surprise.

Now, on all four feet, I shook myself from snout to tail, feeling my full strength as it rippled through my body. The crowd gasped in near-unison. The last time they had seen me, I was a small, unassuming, tricolor little werewolf. Now, my fur was thick and luxurious, and the purest of white, even more so than Diana, and I was solid, sure-footed, and lithe.

I knew Diana would be a difficult competitor, but if I waited to reveal my new form at the last second like this, I might have an edge over her. I was right. She was shocked.

It was almost comical. She sat back on her haunches, her head cocked to one side in confusion, looking for all the world like a common house pet. If I could have laughed, I would have.

Instead, I crouched down, shifting my weight to my back legs, feeling the muscles holding the tension there like springs. Before Diana could fully resurface from her stupor, I sprang forward, throwing all the weight of my body into it. I hit her like a freight train.

Diana tumbled backward, yelping and snarling, trying desperately to get her feet under her. But I was too fast, too strong, too determined. Before she could do anything about it, I had my teeth buried in the fur of her throat.

“ONE!” King Juden began to count. Diana knew that if she moved, I could rip her throat out in a blink. I was certain she was considering every terrible thing she’d ever done to me.

“TWO!” He continued. How certain was she that I wouldn’t kill her for talking down to me, for abusing me, for stealing my mate on my fucking wedding day? I thought that maybe, if I had to, I would.

“THREE!” the Alpha King roared, and I hadn’t realized until that moment that the crowd had been totally silent, so wrapped up in the fight between me and my sister. They exploded in a frenzy of cheers and applause, suddenly all seeming to be on my side. No one wanted to admit they hadn’t been on the side of the victor all along.

Suddenly, it was as if every member of every pack had shifted, and the clearing was suddenly filled with the bodies of dozens of werewolves, happily romping and rolling around. The competition was over, a winner declared, and now everyone could let off some of the energy they’d stored up over the last few days.

It was customary for the winner’s ceremony to be held the night after the final round, so in the mad jumble of bodies, I slipped through to the edge of the clearing. I didn’t even bother looking to see how Diana was doing. I just wanted to find Justin.

As usual, it took only a moment to find him, so magnetic was our love for each other. He was making his way toward me, and I shifted quickly back to my human form, so by the time he reached me, he was able to wrap his arms around my body and press his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer.

“You did it!” He breathed into my ear. “I knew you would, my incredible little wolf.” I laughed, feeling warm and happy and exuberant.

“Take me back to our room,” I demanded. “I want to celebrate.”

Back in our room, I caught my reflection in the long mirror just inside the entryway. My face was flushed, my hair was an absolute mess, and my clothes were filthy from rolling around on the ground. “Let’s take a shower,” I said, making my way to the bathroom.

Justin followed quickly behind, and once we were in the bathroom, he opened the glass door to the shower, and turned the water on. Steam began filling the room as we stripped out of our clothes. We stepped into the shower together, and I sighed happily as the hot water cascaded down my body.

Justin’s hands followed the water’s path, tracing my outline possessively. He backed me up against the shower wall and licked again at the juncture between my neck and shoulder. “Have I mentioned,” he asked, continuing to suck at my neck, “that you are absolutely delicious?”

“Once or twice,” I gasped as he pressed a finger inside me. “I thought we were going to take a shower?” I asked, playing innocent. He worked a second finger inside me alongside the other, and I rocked my body against his hand.

“Are we not showering?” he countered. “We are in the shower. I just happen to be fucking you, as well.”

“Such a multi-tasker,” I laughed. “Still helping me heal?” I was stronger than I’d ever been, and I could feel his growing hardness pressing against my leg. “You know, I already won the tournament.”

“Well,” he replied, grinding his cock against my hip, “Better safe than sorry.” I filled my palm with some soap from the pump on the little metal shelf in the shower. I took Justin into my hand, jerking him hard and fast, working the soap into a lather from the friction.

He tangled the fingers of his free hand in my hair and pulled my mouth to his. By now my tongue knew every inch of the wet velvet heat there. I moaned around his tongue as it traced its own path in my mouth.

“I’m so close,” I whined, needy, as he fucked me with his fingers, the rhytm matching his thrusts in my hand. At that, I felt a little disappointed that he wasn’t fucking me for real. There would be time for that now that the tournament was over though.

“Come for me, then,” he commanded. My body knew no other way but to obey, and so I felt my orgasm unfurl. Moments later, I felt Justin’s body grow bowstring-taut, and then he was coming too.

We panted together, catching our breath, and then Justin was reaching for the washcloth and lathering it with soap. He washed my body, head to toe, gently, carefully. I was teary-eyed with love for this man who was so strong, could be so brutal, but who treated me so delicately.

“You were amazing today,” he told me. “You are the most incredible wolf I have ever known, and everyone watching you learned this truth, too.” He was so confident, I couldn’t help but believe him.