“Here ya go!” Ren proudly beamed. “A souvenir!”

Zero stared at the broken katana that Ren had placed before him at the table, not nearly as pleased with the gift of the lonely hilt as the giddy angel was.

“What is he supposed to do with that?” Ivy asked from across the room as she packed her bag, another of Ren’s offerings gracing her amethyst waves. Though he had claimed to have made the girl a crown similar to the woman’s, it wasn’t merely a simple crown, but a veil that cascaded over her hair and down the length of her back, a rainbow of petals brightening her already cheerful disposition.

“It’ll serve as a reminder of the best day of his life,” the angel declared, tussling the devil’s hair roughly. “The day he almost became the den’s alpha.”

But it hadn’t been the best day of Zero’s life, and all it served to remind him of was how empty his left hip felt without it. How lonely the other blade must be without its brother.

Sakura sat across from the boy, observing the way his eyes narrowed slightly and the hint of emotion behind them. It was barely there, but it was enough to make her heart ache for him. “Zero?” she asked gently. “Are you sad?”

He considered it for a moment. “I am.”

Ren dropped to his knees and pulled the devil’s head against his chest. “You poor thing,” he cooed as he lovingly caressed the exasperated boy’s hair. “Papa will buy you a new toy. You deserve it after all the coin you made me yesterday.”

The demon sighed, shaking her head, and got to her feet. “There is something seriously wrong with you. Get off of him.” She walked across the room, grabbing her father’s katana from the open chest, and returned to Zero, holding it out to him. “Take it, it’s yours, but I reserve the right to use it as I please.” She gave him a toothy smile. “Don’t break this one.”

The devil pried himself away from the angel and took the weapon. “Thank you.” He unsheathed and examined the blade. It was a better quality than the previous one with stronger steel and a sturdier hilt. Zero sheathed it and proceeded to put the katana in its new place, enjoying the warm, satisfied feeling that sat in his ribs. It was a gift he wouldn’t take for granted.

“Are we ready then?” Sakura asked as she went to Ivy and grabbed her bag. “We’ll go say goodbye to Akiko first.”

“She may still be at home,” the girl ventured. “We can try there first.”

The fox nodded and stepped to the chest, intending to close it. The clothes inside were pieces of her parents; connected to memories she’d forgotten, ones she hadn’t, and ones she wished to never remember. This house had kept them, held them all together until it couldn’t. She never wanted to return, but she didn’t want to leave without.

Sakura shuffled through the chest, taking a cloth from each section and stuffed it quickly into her bag. She closed the lid, locked the latch, and left it to the past.

They found Akiko where Ivy had suspected, the woman preparing to make her rounds in checking on those who required her.

“I’m surprised you stayed for this long.” She smiled at the group. “But after that commotion you caused yesterday, I’m not surprised you’re leaving now.”

The angel sure seemed proud of himself. “I wouldn’t call it a commotion. It was fun for everyone involved. My boy was this close to being alpha.” His thumb and index finger nearly touched.

She chuckled. “It sure seemed that way from what I heard. I appreciate your help. I’ll certainly miss it,” the woman told Zero then looked at Ivy. “I hope you gained a little more knowledge during your stay. You did very well.”

The girl beamed. “I learned a lot. Thank you for taking the time to teach me.”

Sakura hugged the older fox. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice feeling too small for much else.

“I’m so glad I got the opportunity to see you one more time.”

The demon released her and began her departure. “Sorry, but it’ll be the last.”

“As it should be,” Akiko sighed with a small, bittersweet smile as she waved the group off.

The four crossed the village, the two girls holding both hands together, their arms extending before bringing their bodies together, twirling each other, their feet sweeping backwards and sideways, gliding down the path to the song that floated from Ivy’s lips.

Ren always enjoyed watching the two in times like these, both of them exuberant and lively. A vast contrast to how they had entered the den. He looked past them, a wide grin stretching across his cheeks. “Alpha!” he yelled and waved at the man who was joined by two others. “Did you come to bid me farewell?”

The girls slowed their dance as they drew closer to the other group, until only one hand connected them as they walked side by side.

“You’re leaving?” Yuki looked at Sakura, noticing her exposed shoulder and the black feather embedded into it. The shirts of her father and dresses of her mother had concealed the mark and it was an unexpected sight to see. “You said you’d be here for a week.”

“Our plans have changed so we’ll be on our way,” she informed with a shrug. “I appreciate you allowing Akiko to train Ivy. Take care.” She pulled Ivy past him and the other men, intent on continuing onto their next destination.

Yuki watched her pass before turning to Ren, looking up at the angel as the man looked down at him, the smile never having left his face.

“I’ll miss you the most, Alpha.” He opened his arms to the fox, waiting for his embrace.

“I’ll fight you for her,” the demon declared, not a man to waste time.

Ivy and Sakura froze at the challenge and turned simultaneously, both of their eyes wide, one in shock and the other filling with fury.

Ren slowly lowered his arms, his smile fading. “Oh. No, thank you. I’ll pass this time. But if you’re looking for a match, my boy here is always willing.”

“It’s not a request. It’s a challenge, and not one that you can push off on someone else. You either fight for yourself or you forfeit the woman.”

“Yuki,” Toshi, the older, ginger-haired fox, spoke quietly, trying to persuade him otherwise. “She has the mark of an angel, a Fallen One, I would advise…”

“She is of the den,” he said sternly, interrupting the man. “And the den does not concern itself with the matters of The Kingdom, nor does it acknowledge this farce of a union. Are you a man or not?”

Ren considered it. “Last I checked, but things change.”

“Then will you fight or forfeit?”

The angel sighed, disappointed that this wasn’t turning into the fight he’d been hoping for, and he doubted that at this point he could talk the silver fox into challenging the devil. However, that didn’t mean that all hope was lost. Not if he played his cards right. “Neither. She’s been long marked as my One, and I as hers. It doesn’t matter what the den thinks. Fighting over her isn’t going to change that.”

Ivy pulled her hand from Sakura’s, the woman’s grip nearly crushing her bones. She reached and touched her shoulder, the look on her face making the girl’s voice feel so small. “Sakura?”

But the vixen didn’t answer. She was already too far into herself, drowning in the waves of rage that were washing over her.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

She didn’t care that she was being viewed as something to be possessed by another. She hadn’t expected anything less when she decided to stay. It was a way of life here, one that she had seen at play as a child and now as an adult. She could accept that even though she didn’t like the custom, that it was larger than herself, something that she couldn’t change. Just as the birds in the sky and the mice in the ground, certain things are certain ways. It’s the way of life.

But when she looked at Ren with his deep blue eyes and bright smile, his carefree attitude and gentle nature, she had to protect it. Just as she always had.

He had already sacrificed so much, given away a part of himself that he could never get back. All for her sake. Always for her. And never did he think twice about or regret it.

She had promised herself years before to not put herself in a position of needing to be saved, needing to be fought for. Of not needing him to give up more of himself.

She never wanted to see those eyes again.

Frightening.

Sinister.

And then broken.

Another piece of him lost.

He was hers.

And no one would take him from her again.

“Then you’re a coward,” Yuki told the angel. “And I’ll take her.”

That struck a nerve and Ren looked down at the demon, a familiar but well repressed yearning clawing its way to the surface, overpowering the intricate composure he strove to constantly maintain. “I don’t think you understand,” his voice low as he stepped closer to the man, unwilling to part with what he most desired. “That isn’t how it works. You can’t just take her. She’s mine.”

Yuki held the angel’s darkening gaze, unfazed by the storm brewing. “She was born to the den, and she is beholden to our traditions. If you want her, then you must fight for her.”

“She’s not beholden to anyone or anything. I understand that foxes are very proud over the fact that they fight for their women. But I need you to understand that I don’t fight for my woman, Alpha.” He leaned over, his face aligned with the demon, and whispered, “I kill.”

The demon opened his mouth to respond but the clattering of steel behind him made both men pause.

The storm broke, ocean eyes becoming clear once again.

There she was.

Always the good, little fox girl.

“You know what?” The smile spread like wildfire across Ren’s face as he straightened up and patted the man’s cheek. “On second thought, you can have her. Good luck, Alpha!” He quickly snatched Zero’s arm and pulled him away from the quickly approaching inferno and towards Ivy.

The sudden change in the angel’s behavior threw Yuki off, and he turned around, following him, but froze at the sight of abandoned daggers on the path and the vixen tearing at the baldric across her chest.

Sakura stared at the silver fox, her eyes thrilled and manic, as the glaive fell from her back and onto the ground. “I’ll be your mate.” Her smile nearly a snarl as she stalked up to Yuki. “So control me.”

He stepped back as the woman swung on him, continuing forward after him, forcing the man to keep moving back.

“Control me!” she screamed, taking another wide swing.

“I’m not going to fight a woman!” the alpha yelled at her, not remembering the last time he had raised his voice.

Her blows started coming in faster. “Control me! Control your mate! Be a man!” she demanded, her voice crazed and shrill.

Yuki blocked the hits as his own anger began to rise. He was willing to go up against a man, someone on the same even playing field as him. But this woman had forgotten her place, having been absent from the den for so many years. Her punches were soft and they consistently missed their mark. She may have been decent at killing pests, but actual combat was far beyond her capabilities. However, despite the lack of threat the woman was, Yuki was tired of it.

The alpha blocked another hit with his left forearm and uppercut her with his right fist, hitting her hard under her chin. Her head whipped to the side, and she stopped progressing on him. Rather, she just stood there, feeling the effects of the blow.

Ivy gasped and pushed herself against Zero, refusing to watch any further.

She had seen this before.

Time and time again.

With angels in Golden City.

Countless men on the road.

And with the tunneler that she showed no mercy to.

The demon wanted to be hurt.

And to hurt.

Ivy couldn’t stand seeing the woman this way.

And she didn’t need to see it to know how it would end.

Zero enclosed his arms around the girl’s head, covering her ears as best he could. He knew that she dreaded this side of Sakura, but there was absolutely no way he was going to bother to even attempt to put himself between her and her target, so this little bit of comfort would have to do. It really wasn’t his problem.

It was Ren’s.

He peeked over at Ren, the man completely enthralled with the savage woman and the show she was putting on.

At least the angel was finally getting what he wanted, and he’d get around to putting an end to it when he was ready.

Maybe.

Sakura’s head rolled around her shoulder until she was looking into the sky. She sighed, expelling all the breath in her lungs.

Blue.

So pretty.

She lowered her face and smiled. “Such a weak man,” she breathed before raining down an onslaught of fists on the other demon.

Yuki struggled against the woman, hardly able to keep up with blocking and taking several punches that made his head spin and stealing the oxygen from his lungs. He needed a moment, just one, to turn the tide and go on the offense, but it never came. She never stopped, she never slowed down, each strike more powerful than the last. And when her fists finally stilled and he was able to take a shot at her, she spun under his fist and delivered a roundhouse kick into the side of his neck, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. He gasped for air, feeling as though his trachea had been crushed. He attempted to inhale, just as her foot went into his gut, forcing whatever air he had claimed back out.

“Control me!” Sakura was completely lost to herself, sending another kick into the alpha’s stomach. “Get up and control me, you coward! Control your mate! Be a man!”

She could hear the footsteps behind her, long strides that quickly caught up to her, ready to put an end to her rampage.

But she wasn’t done.

She couldn’t find herself in the darkness overtaking her mind.

She spun, her leg kicking high into the angel’s raised arm.

“That sure was fun, but we’re done playing for now.” Ren pushed her leg away. “We’ve got other shit to do. Come on, it’s over.”

But it wasn’t over. It never would be.

Sakura had escaped it, but she was the only one.

Boys who would only ever take and girls who would only ever give, never understanding what it was like to experience the other. To experience both. The life she could have lived. The one she would have been forced into.

It wasn’t necessarily Yuki’s fault. He had only ever done as he was told, a slave to ideals that he never thought to question.

She knew she should stop.

But she couldn’t.

She went after Ren, throwing her fists and feet wildly at the angel. He took the blows, working his way to dodging and blocking her furious attacks.

Watching.

Waiting.

She threw out her right fist, connecting with his ribs. He winced but ignored the sharp pain, reaching over her right and grabbing her left elbow, pulling and spinning her around, locking his arm around both of hers. His leg latched over her thighs and dropped to seated, one on top, the other on bottom, while hers stuck out straight. His free hand covered her eyes, pushing her head against his chest, preventing her from headbutting him as he whispered in her ear.

Slowly.

Bringing her back.

Her breathing steadied and she stopped struggling. “Ren,” her voice soft.

He slipped his hand from the fox’s eyes, and she looked up at him, emeralds bright and full of hope. “Well, hello there.” He grinned. “Welcome back.”

“Did I win?”

He nodded. “Of course you did.”

“That means I’m alpha now, doesn’t it?”

Ren was going to tell her that it did, but then the realization set in.

Sakura may have defeated Yuki.

But Ren had defeated Sakura.

Blue orbs burst with joy along with the exuberant smile on his face. “No!” he gasped. “It means I’m alpha!”

Sakura’s face fell. “Bullshit!” she cursed, watching her status as alpha disappear just as quickly as it had come. “That’s not fair! That doesn’t count!”

“Oh! What an honor,” the angel announced as he ignored her and scurried to his feet, still holding the woman whom he proceeded to spin to facing towards him before throwing her over his shoulder. “To be the mate of an alpha! Rejoice woman!” He smacked her rear end. “Your mate is victorious!”

The demon yelped at the impact, her rage returning as she shrieked and fought against the man. He guffawed loudly, holding her down snugly, as he strutted over to the fallen former alpha.

“Yuki!” he called to the fox who was still crumpled on the ground, struggling to breath. “It hurts, doesn’t it? I know how it is. I’ve taken my fair share of those kicks to the throat. Give it a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, you’ll be alright. If I can survive it, then so can you!” He prodded his chest with his boot. “Listen Yuki, you’re most honorable alpha has to leave now. I don’t know when I’ll return, so I’m leaving the wellbeing of my den to you. Make me proud!” He spun on his heels, sauntering back to the path as he bid a cheerful farewell to the two other foxes who gawked at him and the ballistic woman in horror.

Ivy and Zero watched the excessively jubilant angel come closer, practically skipping towards them as Sakura continued thrashing against him.

Ivy peered up at Zero, the exhaustion already seeping in. “We’re never going to hear the end of this, are we?”

Zero’s frown set a little deeper. “No.”

The angel stopped at the glaive and crouched down. “Gather your weapon, woman!” he commanded as he swept the daggers up into his hands. “It’s now or never.”

She paused her beating and clawed her way further down his back, frantically reaching for the handle, just barely grasping at it in the nick of time before the man launched himself back up.

Ren blew past Zero and Ivy, not even offering them a glance. “Come loyal subjects!” his voice a regal boom. “We’re off to Golden City! Ow! Fuck, woman! Don’t bite your alpha mate!”