I hadn't slept a wink. I was exhausted. I was so anxious about today that I think slept all of thirty whole minutes last night. I was terrified about how today was going to go. I had confidence in Rafael, but I was still scared. Samuel is the Alpha, and naturally, he is stronger. But he has not spent one day trying to prepare for this fight. Apparently, all of his time has been spent drunk at the bar in town.

He was careless. He was cocky. But regardless of all of this, he still had the upper hand.

"You can't sleep either, can you?"

Rafael sounded exhausted, which wasn't good. He needed to be rested for today. But he had tossed and turned just about as much as I had.

"Not even if I wanted to. I'm scared, babe."

"Me too. But we have to have faith. I just hope you know how sorry I am. I wish I could take this all back."

Today was a full moon. So Rafael would be at his strongest, but Samuel would be too.

Today was also the day that Taylor was supposed to have his first shift. I was also nervous about that. I may hate him for what he did to me, but I didn't want him to die. There was so much to be scared of right now, and I had no idea how to handle it all.

"I have to be there at 10 am, it's 9 now. Let's go make some breakfast and try to stay calm until there is a time to be worried. Okay?"

He was trying to be reassuring, but it wasn't helping at all.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds like a good idea." I faked a smile, but I knew it wasn't convincing. I knew there was no fooling him.

So that's what we did. We got up, took a shower, and now we were sitting at the table eating breakfast. It's 9:45, giving us only 15mins before we had to be down there.

Rafael had begged me not to go, begged me to stay home. But it just wasn't going to happen. There was no way I was going to stay away from this.

I was struggling to hold back my tears. I didn't want to make Rafael feel any worse than he already did.

"It's all going to be okay, babe. Please don't cry. I need you to be strong, for me. Can you do that?" 

He was trying to be sweet, but nothing was helping the feeling of dread that had wrapped itself around my entire body like a snake. Slowly but surely tightening it's grip, wanting to suffocate me with doubts and fear. 

"I don't think strong is in my vocabulary anymore, Rafael. I can't be strong for this. You're my soul mate, the love of my life, you're supposed to be the father of my children one day. The man that I'll grow old with. I can't help but be afraid that all of that is going to be ripped away from me today. I will support you the best that I can, but I can't be strong, not today." 

He pulled me in for a hug, he knew where I was coming from. I knew he was feeling all the same things that I was but magnified. 

I wasn't the one fighting today, putting everything on the line. He was, and he knew it. 

"I just love you so much. If I don't make it out of there, I want you to go on without me. I want you to find happiness and carry my memory with you always. Promise me you won't give up. Promise me you won't let go." 

I was sobbing. Ugly, blubbering, gator tears sobbing. "I promise." I croaked out. 

How could everything be so perfect one minute, then so fucked up the next? 

This Moon Goddess chick must really have it out for me. 

I pulled away from him and looked at the time. 

9:50 am. 

It felt like the clock was taunting me, every minute passing us by as though they were seconds. This morning went too fast. This past week has gone too fast, but there was nothing I could do to slow it down, no matter how hard I tried. 

"Alright, let's go." 

It was Lucas, he had been staying over here with Brittany. She was just as much, if not more, of a mess than I was. She had already lost her parents, if she lost Raf, she wouldn't have any blood relatives left. She had been looking for a way out of this-this whole week, only to find there were none. 

But this we already knew. There was no backing down once you challenged an Alpha. There were no take backs, no "I changed my mind." It was all or nothing. 

It was all or death.

That was werewolf law. 

Werewolf law is such shit, in my opinion. 

With a deep breath, Rafael and I pulled way from each other and he walked ahead of me and out the front door. I hung back to walk with Brittany, who was crying harder than anyone I had ever seen. 

"I hate this, I don't want him to do this. I wish I could take his place. I would surely die, but it would be better than having to live without him." 

Her words broke me even further, bringing even more tears to my eyes. 

"No, Brittany. You know that's not how this works. You've found your mate now, you and Lucas will have beautiful children, and you will be happy. You will always have me, too. I will never leave you. I know it's not the same, but you're my sister now. Don't forget that." 

She nodded but continued crying. I know how bad this feels for me, but I could not imagine being in her shoes. Wondering if you were going to lose your last living family member. I would be devastated too. 

The walk there was a short one, the arena that had been built for the fight just a few minutes from the house. I wish it had been further, to give us more time to let this sink in before we arrived, but we were offered no such luck. 

Samuel was already there, standing in the ring in nothing but a pair of stained basketball shorts. No shirt, no shoes. He looked cocky. He was smirking at Brittany and me like this was funny, like he was enjoying seeing us in pain.

But thinking about it, he probably was. To him, I should have chosen him. My happiness shouldn't have mattered. He said he would understand, but he obviously did not. 

It was taking every ounce of my will power to not storm over there and wipe that stupid smirk right off his stupid face. 

I hated him. I fucking hated every single thing about him. 

How could the Moon Goddess have possibly thought that he and I could be a pair, could be soul mates? 

Samuel and I were polar opposites. 

Rafael walked over and kissed me one last time before he entered the ring. 

"I love you so much, Deirdra. I promise if I make it out of this, I will give you everything the world has to offer, and I will never stop trying to make this right." 

He leaned his forehead against mine as he said this, and I nodded my head in response. "I love you too." 

He walked over and kissed Brittany's on the cheek and giving her a huge before he turned to walk into the ring. Stripping off his shirt and shoes, and laying them near our feet. 

Lucas was holding Brittany, almost completely, because as soon as he entered the ring, her legs gave out from underneath of her. Mine wanting to do the same, but I would not allow it. I would try to be as strong as I could be. I would stand tall for my mate. I would not give Samuel the satisfaction of seeing me hurt. 

Elder Caroline stepped in between them, clearing her throat before she began to speak. 

"This is a fight to submission, not to death. Any use of poison, silver, wolfsbane, or anything other than what you have naturally, will be automatic elimination. That means, you will lose, and the challenge will be over. Do both of you understand?" 

"I understand." 

"Yup."

Of course. Samuel couldn't be respectful, even in a time like this. 

"Shift." Elder Caroline ordered. 

They both closed their eyes, calling to their wolf, and then they shifted. 

Samuel's wolf was taller than Raf's. More muscular, and looked more agile. But there was something in his eyes. Something that told me his wolf didn't want this, but he had to defend his title.

Rafael stood strong. His eyes full of fight, his posture relaxed and ready. 

Elder Caroline walked away from them and up a small flight of stairs to a box that was positioned over the ring, I guess to see if there was any foul play, to see who submitted first.

"Fight." She yelled out.

Samuel lunged straight for Rafael's neck, but Raf was quick. 

He hit the ground and Samuel flew straight over him, and onto the ground behind him.

Before he could get up and retaliate, Raf was up and circling him, looking for his weakest link. To find which side, which leg, he was favoring, and which he was trying to protect. 

To me, there were none; but Raf must have seen differently. 

He dove straight for his left hind leg, sinking his teeth into it. 

Samuel let out a guttural howl, filled with pain. 

Raf was shaking his head violently, and I could feel his wolf. He was not in control, his wolf was. 

I reached out to see if I could feel Samuel's, but I didn't. Not the way I could feel Raf's anyways. 

He was staying in control. He wanted revenge, and he wasn't going to let his wolf interfere. 

When Rafael let go, he turned to walk away when Samuel whipped around and pinned him down. Trying as hard as he could to get his teeth to his neck, but Raf was agile, he was expecting this and he used it to his advantage. 

He quickly flipped them so Raf was on top, and Samuel laid under him on his back. Samuel was being sloppy, putting himself at a disadvantage by forcing his wolf to the back, by taking control. 

Samuel swiped a paw at Rafael's underbelly, and blood started to soak the ground. He quickly hopped off of him and was growling and whimpering as he started to circle him again.

While his belly was torn, Samuel's hind leg was completely useless. Raf had really done a number on it. Samuel was eyeing him, assessing his situation, trying to find Rafael's weakness. 

His eyes landed on me and my heart started to hammer in my chest. 

Before I could even think, Samuel was running and jumped the side of the ring, landing right in front of me. His eyes full of hatred, lip curled back into a snarl. He was licking his lips while he looked at me, at his prey, looking at me as if I were a meal. 

He crouched down, preparing himself to pounce when Rafael bounded over the fence as well and landed right on his back. His wolf in total control. Angry snarls and growls pouring out of him as he latched on to the back of his neck.

Elder Caroline was screaming for them to stop, that no pack members needed to be harmed. 

Unfortunately, though, they were not limited to the ring. There was no use of illegal substances, but they could leave the ring if they wanted. 

Rafael ripped his head back, a huge chunk of fur and flesh in his mouth, that he quickly tossed to the side and went back for more. 

His moves were animalistic but calculated. He may have been going for submission originally, but now he was in it for the kill. 

He dug and dug until I heard his teeth scrape bone, and then he clamped down. Shaking his head, there was a sickening crack, and the entire world stopped. 

Samuel's body went limp under him. Rafael jumped off and watched him fall to the ground. 

Samuel's body shifted back to his human form, and blood was pooling around him. There was so much blood, the iron-like smell was everywhere, turning my stomach as it invaded my sense of smell. 

There was no life in his eyes. His mouth hung open, as he laid there naked. 

He was dead. Rafael killed him because he was coming after me. 

Elder Caroline slowly approached us and touched two fingers to Samuel's wrist, even though she knew he was gone. 

"There is no pulse, Samuel is dead. Rafael, you have won the challenge. Night Fall Pack, your new Alpha and Luna, Rafael Smart and Deirdra Lockhart."