Galen stepped out of the forest. Before him, the combined forces of Sumr and Broken Crag fought with everything they had to hold back the invading fae and hybrid monsters.
He watched as a treant wrapped its roots around two wolves that let out pained cries as they were lifted into the air and swung around rcilessly.
In the other direction, two bats screeched at one of the Sumr wolves, causing him to fall to his knees as the disorientation of both shrieks overwheld him.
And closest to the tree line, one of the frog creatures had pinned a soldier to the ground, piercing her shoulder with its needle-like tongue and proceeding to suck out her blood as she scread below.
Galen growled and pulled the large black sword from his belt. He raised it in the air, and with his entire body, he swung at the frog, cutting through it like it was nothing. The beast fell to the ground in two large pieces, both still twitching as Galen ripped the tongue from the soldier's shoulder.
Before she even got the chance to stand up, Galen was already moving. He put his sword back on his belt and summoned two small daggers into his hands as he charged toward the bats. He threw one of the daggers, hitting the bat farthest away directly in the eye. The beast scread, and the other turned to face Galen.
Galen jumped toward the bat, bringing the dagger down into the creature's head as he landed with his knees against its chest and rode the monster down to the ground. Galen let the blade fall away, summoning a new one to stab into its throat with a quick and violent twist. Then, he stood up, leaving the dagger behind as the bat sputtered and twitched.
He pulled the sword from his belt, and with a swift move, he severed the head of the bat that had already lost its eye.
The soldier on his knees looked up at Galen, but the Beta of Sumr had already moved on again.
Galen continued moving from one fight to another, saving the n and won that were trapped or facing an enemy with the upper hand.
The soldiers of Broken Crag and Sumr alike watched as he fought for each of them with unwavering determination and focus.
And as these n and won watched with renewed energy and pride, as they thought of how bravely and strongly he fought, Galen's mind was entirely elsewhere.
As he cut through the frog, Galen thought of the first night he ca to Winter, of the playful woman that smiled as her eyes looked him over.
'Hey, handso. Welco to Winter. I'm Bell, and you are?'
Her flirtatious voice whispered in his mory; her smile lingered.
The mory shifted to how she had so fearlessly pulled him out to the dance floor, how her body had moved, how he had felt so instantly drawn to her.
As Galen moved toward the bats, his mind shifted.
He thought of her office, a snowball fight, and their first kiss. He rembered their conversations, the phone calls. The way she pushed him away but never so far that he couldn't reach her.
He hoped she wouldn't be alone. She hated being alone.
As he twisted the knife in the bat's throat, he clenched his teeth together, thinking about the mountain camping trip.
Sharing painful but cherished mories of their parents. The nervous look in her eyes as she opened her heart to him.
As he pulled the sword from his belt, he saw her walking through the archway, Axel and Alpha Wyatt on either side of her. The moonstones sparkling under the full moon's light.
'You are the man I love. You are the future that I see. Galen, you are the man and the future that I choose, for .'
His heart ached.
He swung his sword and killed the bat, imdiately turning toward the distant treant. As he ran with his sword in his hand, he thought of soone else.
'Galen, I would like to introduce you to your son, Ren.'
He thought of the almost weightlessness of the tiny creature in his arms. The gentle movents and soft smiles.
He thought of Bell holding Ren, of their sleepless nights, the crying, the laughing, the warmth of their ho.
As Galen fought to free the two wolves held by the treant, his heart and mind scread for his family.
For just a mont, just this one mont alone in his mind, he allowed himself to regret. To wish that he had made a selfish choice. To wish that he had stayed with them.
In this one mont, he wished that he could watch Ren grow into a man, to find his own love, to start his own family, and find his own happiness.
In this one mont, he wanted to grow old with Bell. To make sure that she never felt alone, that she always knew how deeply he loved her.
And as he allowed himself the thought, the mont, the regret, even knowing that he could never have chosen differently, his body took that regret, that anger, and pain. It turned it into the fuel that pushed him across the battlefield.
Galen was a force.
He killed the treant and freed the captive wolves. Next, he took down a group of feral wolves, then moved to a bat, a frog, and a rotted bear.
No matter what creature stood before him, Galen cut it down with extre prejudice.
The wolves of Sumr had always looked at him with respect, but now they looked at him with deep reverence. Seeing him fight with such conviction bolstered their waning energy and sent them back to join the fight.
Even the wolves of Broken Crag had stopped and taken notice of his actions.
As Galen continued his march across the field, he was suddenly surprised by not one but two treants joining together to take him down.
He fought hard and almost succeeded in taking one down, but the other managed to catch an arm and a leg, keeping him from completing his attack.
As Galen snarled and tried to free himself, he heard a loud howl.
He turned and was surprised to see ten wolves rushing toward him. He knew imdiately that these were the Broken Crag wolves.
They fought together; in short work, they had taken down the treants and set Galen free.
As the roots fell away from his limbs. Galen took a deep breath and thanked them for their help.
"You're Beta Galen?" one of them asked.
Galen nodded.
The man grinned.
"I am Landon," he said, then tilted his head toward the others. "I lead this group."
"Good to et you," Galen said, "thank you for coming to help."
Landon grinned again.
"You fight like a beast," he said.
Galen swallowed and then sighed.
"That is because I am thinking of what I will lose if I die here today," he replied honestly.
Landon nodded, then looked up with a serious expression.
"You have a great weakness in your heart… and it has given you even greater strength," he said. "The wolves of Broken Crag would be honored if you would allow us to follow you, even into the arms of the Goddess."
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