Chapter 585: Tide Of Battle
The black wolf and the brown wolf circled each other, ready to strike. Low snarls rumbled from their throats, vibrating through the arena. Their sharp teeth were bared in a primal show of dominance and challenge.
As if their growls weren’t enough to set their audience’s nerves on edge, the drummers began to play a dark, ominous rhythm. The war sound heightened the frenzy in the air, wrapping around the audience, pulling them into the moment until every heart seemed to beat in time with the drums.
The atmosphere grew suffocating, thick with tension and raw anticipation. No one said a word, suspended on the edge of chaos.
The two wolves charged at each other with bone-crushing force.
Dominic’s brown wolf pivoted at the last second, using the momentum to deliver a devastating kick to Asher’s side. The impact was so powerful it sent the black wolf hurtling through the air.
Boom!
Asher’s body slammed into the edge of the ring, crashing against the sandbags with a sickening thud before rolling across the ground. Dust exploded into the air.
"What the...?" Roman shot to his feet, shock etched across his face. The hell was that?!
Even Irene had risen, her hand gripping Aeron’s arm tightly. That didn’t seem normal. Was Dominic always that strong?
She wasn’t alone. Elijah’s wineglass froze midair, his gaze narrowing with instant suspicion. Something about Dominic’s strength didn’t feel right.
Inside the ring, Asher staggered to his feet. Sand clung to his black fur, his chest heaving as a low, guttural snarl vibrated from deep within him. His already slitted eyes narrowed into razor-thin lines as they locked on Dominic. That strike had hurt more than it should have. Just as he had suspected, Dominic came prepared.
As if reading his thoughts, Dominic bared his teeth in a silent taunt.
Asher lunged again, this time moving with lethal precision, refusing to leave his flank open. Their bodies collided once more as they fought for dominance.
The crowd held their breath as the battle raged, knowing only one outcome awaited the wolf who ended up pinned beneath the other, and it was death.
Asher fought with everything he had, but Dominic was far stronger, his strikes carrying an unnatural force that threatened to overpower him.
He barely slipped free before Dominic could pin him, rolling across the sand in desperation. But he wasn’t fast enough because Dominic’s claws slashed across his side in a brutal swipe.
The crowd gasped in unison.
Three deep, bleeding claw marks marred Asher’s ribs, vivid against his black fur. Whispers rippled through the pack like wildfire. It was becoming painfully clear that Asher was losing this match.
Roman shot to his feet, moving over to where Elijah sat. "Dominic’s cheating! Surely, you don’t see that?"
Elijah lifted his head. "And Asher’s not prepared for that?" their eyes met, daring Roman to refute him.
Elijah might appear like an unconcerned king, but when it came to his heirs, he was more than dedicated. He knew Asher to the bones and that one was always prepared. If Dominic had cheated, then Asher no doubt had his own secret move. That was a fair fight, wasn’t it?
Roman was stunned into silence. Without another word, he stalked back to his seat, though his jaw remained tight. He didn’t relax, if anything, he perched on the edge of his seat, nervous as hell. He could only hope Asher’s "preparation" was enough.
Inside the ring, the brown wolf lunged again, relentless. This time, Asher didn’t meet him head-on. Instead, he dodged, rolling, spinning away, again and again.
It became a deadly dance with one wolf attacking with feral strength, and the other evading with desperate precision.
The crowd began to grow restless.
"Oh, come on already!" Alpha Marlow bellowed, his voice booming across the arena. "Give us a real fight!"
He turned on the gathered pack members, sneering. "Is this the so-called Alpha you’ve been pinning your hopes on? A coward who runs?!"
Boos and jeers broke out with half the pack howling their support for Dominic while others shouted back in defense of Asher.
The noise rose into a deafening howl of divided loyalties, their chants clashing with the already pounding drum beats.
But what they didn’t know was that Asher’s retreat was on purpose. He wasn’t running away, rather he was studying Dominic. If the bastard used some help as expected, then he needed to understand exactly what had been done to him, how it worked, and most importantly, how to counter it. So far, it seemed like Dominic’s strength was augmented, nothing else.
When they clashed again, there was no testing the waters. Dominic lunged with full intent to end the fight, while Asher met him head-on, prepared this time.
The two wolves collided in a violent blur of fur and claws, snarling and snapping, their howls echoing through the arena. Asher ducked low and managed to rake his claws deep across Dominic’s flank, drawing blood at last, but victory came at a steep cost.
Dominic retaliated with vicious speed, slamming his body into Asher and pinning him to the ground. His jaws snapped dangerously close to Asher’s jugular. The crowd roared as Dominic’s fangs hovered a hair’s breadth away from ending it all.
With a guttural snarl, Asher summoned every ounce of strength and shoved upward with his hind legs. The move saved his life by mere inches, but Dominic’s teeth tore deep into the muscle at the base of his shoulder as he twisted free. Blood poured down Asher’s black fur, the pain nearly blinding him.
Asher roared, fighting through it. He clawed desperately, his movements wild and brutal. Dominic matched him, their bodies crashing together in a frenzy.
Then it happened.
Dominic stumbled for just a second. His pupils dilated unnaturally, and Asher instantly recognized the signs. A fierce, savage grin twisted his lips.
The venom he’d planted was finally working its way through Dominic’s system.
The tide of the battle had just turned.