Great. I’d hoped to avoid Resno, but I’d learned enough about his personality to know he wouldn’t stay away once he’d spotted me speaking with his competitor. If I spoke to one, I must be fair and speak to the other.
“Shala.”
I turned at the sound of Resno’s low, husky voice. He looked a bit worse for wear, but it didn’t distract from his irritatingly handsome face.
Forcing a smile, I greeted him, but Resno didn’t get a chance to say more than a quick “Hello.” Fortunately, a howl interrupted whatever cocky crap he was about to spew.
Everyone shifted their attention to the south end of the clearing, but I could see nothing over the crowd. Even standing on my toes, I couldn’t manage to see over their heads.
Cursing my short stature, I turned to Wyatt. “What’s happening?”
“A small party of travelers, all of them wolfkind.”
“Scouters.” Kai’s gaze met mine. “Some of them from your pack.”
My pack? Was my brother with them? Had he made it to my Assertion after all?
When the newcomers finally came into view, I watched the rough-looking males weave their way through the crowd. They greeted everyone as they pushed toward the gathering’s center, and I couldn’t stop myself from searching each face for the one person I hoped to find.
One dark-haired young male drew and held my attention. Though built leaner than the others, he didn’t appear any less deadly. Unsure, at first, I studied his handsome features, searching for a sign of the boy I once knew.
When our eyes met, he stopped in his tracks, equally as shocked as I felt. He looked so different, but there was no mistaking those slate-gray eyes.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I sat my drink on the nearest table without looking where it landed and all but ran the short distance between us. Not even bothering to ask how he’d been, I simply flung myself at him, thankful he embraced me every bit as hard as I embraced him.
My brother had been my closest friend—my protector—when I was a little girl. I’d followed him everywhere, and he’d never minded. He’d happily let me tag along with him and his friends, even when the other boys complained.
Twelve years had passed since I’d last seen him, but it didn’t matter. Time couldn’t break our bond. Nothing could.
Putting me at arm’s length, Finn smiled down at me. “Good to see you, Sha.”
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I managed to squeeze out of my suddenly aching throat. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
Finn shot me a chiding look. “I would never miss my little sister’s big day. Duty can wait.”
Feeling the emotion rise even further, I let him pull me back into his arms. He kissed the top of my head the way he did so many times when we were children.
No matter how long we’d been apart, nothing had changed between us. Except for our appearances and his ridiculously deep voice.
“Look at you two.” My mother’s rough voice cut through the moment, drawing me from the comfort of my brother’s chest.
Forcing myself to face her, I saw the happiness in her expression and tears close to spilling.
“Don’t start, Mother.” Finn warned, an amused tone in his deep voice.
Around our little reunion, many curious pairs of eyes focused on us. A part of me felt a little annoyed that I’d shown such emotion in front of everyone again. Especially when I saw Decker’s hard stare focused on me and Finn.
Irritated that the guard looked at me with such disapproval, I had the sudden urge to punch him in the gut. I refrained, though. I knew I’d only hurt my hand. No doubt the muscles beneath his deeply tanned skin were hard as stone.
Chapter 11
My head was a mess. Complete chaos. Even after all the drinks I’d put away, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the future held for me. My body was so tense I felt I might shatter if someone so much as tapped my shoulder.
The outcome of this last fight determined my life’s direction. I had two paths laid out before me. The first? I lived a potentially happy life with a male who I knew in my gut would be a good companion. And the second, I didn’t even want to think about. I’d already dwelled on it too much. It was time to…
“Breathe,” Wyatt whispered next to me.
Without taking my eyes from the final competitors, I shot him a sardonic reply. “Easy for you to say. Your future doesn’t hang in the balance.”
“Fair enough, but passing out in front of everyone isn’t going to help anything.”
That much was true. The last thing I needed was to add to the shit storm. And fainting like a delicate female was not in the cards for me. I refused to look weak in front of all the packs.
Drawing a deep breath in, I squared my shoulders and focused on the fight as I released a slow, steadying exhale.
From what I observed, Kai and Resno appeared evenly matched in every way. They traded punches and kicks, both males panting, both growing tired. How long had they been at it? How long had I been stuck in my own mind?
There was no way to know which would prevail in the end. Either male could win. Kai’s face appeared to have taken the brunt of the beating and Resno had a noticeable limp. If Kai took advantage of his opponent’s injured leg, he might just defeat him.
The balance suddenly shifted, and I knew the second Kai was in trouble. Resno caught him across the chin with a powerful right hook. Kai staggered.
Holding my breath, I stepped forward, praying quietly for Kai to recover from the blow.
Resno didn’t allow it. He saw the moment of disorientation and took full advantage, hitting Kai repeatedly. Resno only hesitated when he noticed the slight wobble to Kai’s legs.
Even from my distance, I knew the fight was over. Kai’s deep blue eyes had lost their sparkle and I wasn’t the only one who saw it. Resno took a step forward, and with his momentum, landed one last punch to the side of his opponent’s head.
Kai dropped like a stone, and with him, my heart.
All around, cheers rose from the packs, but I didn’t feel their excitement. The second Resno turned, his wild obsidian eyes locked on me. An unsurmountable dread settled in the pit of my stomach. The unthinkable had happened. The goddess hadn’t seen fit to grant my most desired request. Instead, Resno was my champion. My companion.
Everything in me said I needed to run, but I held myself rigid as he approached. The possession in his hard features made my heart hammer against my breastbone, but I stood firm. I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. The second we were alone, I’d put him in his place. If he refused to see things my way, I’d flee before the full moon ceremony.
A strange buzz of energy flowed around me, growing in strength as the bloodied victor drew closer. Was it his lingering aggression or was the energy coming from the enlivened crowd? I couldn’t tell.
Beside me, Decker shifted forward. I doubted anyone else registered the subtle movement, but I felt it. Though he wasn’t touching me, his massive body radiated heat, taking the chill right out of my bones. Strangely, his proximity gave me strength as Resno ascended the three shallow steps to stand before me.
Resno extended an upturned palm, silently requesting I give him my hand. I didn’t want to. Offering him anything felt like a surrender of sorts, and I was not that type of female. Still, I didn’t want to refuse him in front of everyone.
As I slipped my hand into his, I hoped I’d misjudged him. It could be he wasn’t as bad as he’d first appeared. Earning your companion was a monumental thing, and since he was my future, I hoped I’d been wrong about him from the beginning.
Resno gripped my hand firmly and placed a lingering kiss to my knuckles. The crooked smile he gave me was a bit disconcerting. Still, I offered him one in return: my attempt at being civil.
He then leaned in to kiss one cheek, and whispered next to my ear. “You’re mine now, Shala.”
Heat rolled beneath my skin. My jaw clenched as I tried not to react to his words. Somehow, I managed to h
old still as he moved to kiss the opposite cheek.
“I can’t wait to play with you,” he added, his voice nothing more than a rasp.
His brazen words triggered something inside me, and my fist flew forward before the thought ever registered. My knuckles connected with Resno’s already brutalized nose with a loud pop, and bright red blood ran anew.
I realized my mistake the second his gaze returned to mine. He was angry and I knew before he moved, he would retaliate.
Everything that came next happened fast. I took a step back, Resno shifted forward, and Decker placed his massive body between us. His wide palm connected with Resno’s sternum, the blow sending the furious male backward off the porch.
I didn’t have time to register my shock. Resno was back on his feet, his dark eyes filled with rage. Those obsidian orbs had taken on an odd silver glow and his low growl echoed all around.
“You will regret that,” he spat.
Decker didn’t reply. Resno didn’t intimidate him. He stood his ground when the livid male ascended the steps once again.
“Step aside, guard.”
Resno’s snarling emphasis on the last word made his contempt for the title clear. He saw Decker as lesser male simply because he was a member of the guard.
When Decker didn’t budge, Resno stepped closer, standing toe-to-toe with him. “Move. I wish to claim my prize.”
Horrified that he saw me as such only fueled my need to shove the guard aside and slam a knee into Resno’s crotch. The need died quickly when a sudden rumbling sound came from the sturdy male standing firmly between me and my target.
Decker’s menacing growl echoed across the dead silent yard. “If you see her as nothing more than a prize, you are an unworthy companion.”
“Your opinion is irrelevant. I have won her, and you can do nothing about it.”
A long silence hovered, and I held my breath, waiting for Decker’s response. But what could he do? Resno was right. He’d won. The trials were over. And he was the last competitor standing.
“I challenge your title as victor.”
My audible gasp wasn’t the only shocked response to Decker’s unexpected words. Low murmurs spread throughout the gathering, and Resno bared his teeth. “Then I shall beat you just as I have beaten the others.”
“You can try.”
What the hell was Decker thinking? He was a guard. He couldn’t challenge Resno. Could he?
“Decker.”
Prying my gaze from the two angry, posturing males in front of me, I saw Kene, along with half a dozen other guards surrounding the scene. I’d been so focused on the situation unfolding before me, I hadn’t noticed the others come forward.
Kene said Decker’s name, this time sterner than before.
“What?” he growled, his hard stare never wavering from Resno’s.
“You need to step away and take a moment to breathe before you do something you’ll regret.”
Resno chuckled, as if amused.
Decker bared his teeth. “Laugh all you like, pup. She is mine and you will never have her.”
Wait. What? I stared at Decker’s hard profile, my disbelief in the entire situation growing even more. Did he just stake his claim on me?
“Save it for the fight.”
Without replying to Kene, Decker grabbed my hand and all but dragged me toward the cabin’s front door. We didn’t get very far, though. Kene stepped in front of Decker, halting our escape.
“You cannot do this,” he warned.
“I am her personal guard. It is my duty to protect her and I will not leave her with him,” Decker snarled, jabbing his finger in Resno’s direction.
With a placating tone, Kene tried reasoning with Decker. “You need to take a few minutes to breathe. Let someone else take her inside.”
Before he had a chance to respond, I spoke up. “It’s okay. I’d rather Decker take me.”
I don’t know where the words came from, but as both males turned surprised eyes toward me, I realized what I’d said. What on earth had possessed me to intervene? Had I lost my mind right along with Resno and my guard?
Though reluctant, Kene stepped aside, allowing Decker to lead me inside.
The second the door slammed behind us, Decker released my hand and paced the room like the caged animal he was.
I stood motionless, still in shock over the whole ordeal, wondering what the hell had just happened. I didn’t know what to do. Should I say something? I supposed I could at least thank him for what he’d done.
“Sit!” Decker snapped, his hand waving in the general direction of the bed.
That was the last thing I wanted. My nerves were shot and every circuit he made across the small space only made my anxiety grow.
He nearly brushed against me every time he traveled the short distance between the window and the closet. He turned toward me again, this time halting his progress. The aggression in his eyes grew even more intense and he pointed toward the bed. “I said sit!”
My heart hammered against my ribcage, but I forced myself to do as he said, keeping my eyes on his as I moved out of his way.
The second I dropped to the edge of the bed, Decker continued his pacing, mumbling to himself, his words undiscernible.
I waited, wondering how long he’d keep it up, but I soon grew impatient with him. The more he paced and grumbled, the more it irritated me. Why couldn’t he calm down already? He’d made his point. Staked his claim. That should’ve been the end of it, but he showed no signs of his temper abating.
Hoping to help, I kept an even tone. “Decker?”
“Don’t talk to me,” he growled without so much as glancing my direction.
That did it. My temper flared as well. “What the hell is your problem?”
He was on me so fast, I barely saw him move. One second, he was across the room. The next, he had me pinned beneath his heavy body. His eyes blazed gold, and his snarling mouth hovered a scant inch from mine.
“This is my problem,” he growled from between clenched teeth, shoving his hips against mine to ensure I knew precisely what he meant.
There was no denying his arousal, and good goddess, he was big. The enormous bulge thrust against my feminine mound scrambled my brain. I couldn’t think, much less breathe.
“Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you, I’ve been out of my mind,” he rasped. “I’ve been painfully hard since the moment you first spoke to me and your scent pushes my limits of control.”
He rolled his hips, grinding his erection against me again as if he couldn’t stop himself. I’d soon be bruised if he kept that up, but I wasn’t going to stop him from circling those sinful hips again if he wanted.
He drew a shuddering breath. “All I can think about is being inside you, my mouth on yours, and your sharp little claws digging into my back while I take you.”
Well, that was a visual I was never getting out of my head. It had my heart beating wildly and a hard throbbing in my core that kept perfect time. I had never experienced a feeling so intense, and though it felt amazing, it also frightened me a little.
I expected my first real intimacy with a male to be gradual. Instead, someone I thought hated me had me pinned beneath him, his shocking arousal impossible to deny.
Decker suddenly dropped his forehead to mine, a shaky exhale escaping him. “I’m sorry.”
His pained whisper surprised me, but the feel of his breath on my lips and the way his body shifted against mine sent a million flames dancing beneath my skin. I wanted to tell him there was nothing to apologize for. Unfortunately, the words wouldn’t come.
My body felt cold the second Decker pushed himself off me. I wanted to drag him back down, but the rational part of me felt relieved to have a little breathing room; some space to think logically.
Staring at the ceiling, I drew a series of deep breathes before slowly sitting up on the edge of the bed.
Decker was back to his pacing, but his anger had significantly diminished. I
nstead, he looked worried. Upset even.
I had a thought to assure him I was fine but didn’t get the chance. Wyatt slipped into the cabin, taking a cautious look around as he closed the door behind him. His eyes lingered on Decker, studying the irritated male closely before turning to me. “Are you okay?”
I managed an awkward smile and nodded.
Turning to Decker, Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “And you?”
Shoving his hands through his dark waves, Decker sighed.
“I would ask what possessed you to throw out a challenge like that, but I’m not blind. That look in your eyes tells me everything I need to know.”
Decker shifted his weight, a curious expression on his hard face. “What look?”
“One I’ve never seen before. You bypassed protective and leapt straight into possessive. I’m surprised you didn’t rip that boy’s head off right there in front of everyone.”
“Believe me, I wanted to,” Decker admitted.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, because there is no going back now. Win or lose, you forfeit your place among the guard.”
Shocked by that bit of information, I stared at Decker, waiting for his response. I’d suspected guards were off-limits, but I hadn’t thought about repercussions.
Though I hadn’t understood the full extent of what he’d done, Decker knew full well what he’d risked when challenging Resno.
His intense gaze shifted to me. “I have no reservations. And I will not lose.”
I felt both comforted and exhilarated by the certainty in his tone.
“Well, you better kick that boy’s ass, or I’ll have to challenge him myself.”
My gaze leapt to Wyatt. What? I knew he must have lost his mind. Especially when Decker stalked toward him, a frightening growl reverberating through the room.
Wyatt held his ground. “Just thinking of Shala. Neither of us want that asshole anywhere near her.”
“I will defeat him, even if it kills me,” Decker snarled. “No one else will have her. She is mine.”
Wyatt’s smile was slow in coming, but he laughed out loud. “Decker Lykos. I can’t believe you finally found a woman you’re willing to fight for.”
Assertion Trials Page 8