I nodded, remembering one of my kidnappers in France talking about Koda being really good at karate. “Okay.”
Ares exhaled and smiled. “Okay, come attack me.”
“Can I use my Sidhe powers?” I asked.
Ares shook his head. “Nope, just your wolf ones.”
I didn’t want to fight Ares, the idea itself was ridiculous, but the wolf side of me was excited to play fight. I let my instincts propel my movements, but kept control of my body, not letting myself change. I punched at Ares, but he dodged. I kicked, but he pushed my upper body, making me stumble. The more I tried to hit him and the more he remained untouched, the angrier I grew. Soon I stopped trying to hit him and let my subconscious and the wolf take over. My fist grazed Ares’ cheek and a jubilant smile broke out on my face. Ares smiled back at me and began attacking, putting me on defense. His movements were too fast for me to track and soon I was surviving his blows by instinct. Matt jumped from behind me and started trying to fight me as well, causing me to move twice as fast. Then Koda jumped into the fray, kicking and punching. With the three of them attacking, I was getting hit and kicked and left with no time to think. My fists hurt from hitting them, so I changed them to paws and began clawing at the men, opening a large gash on Matt’s arm. I started to get the upper hand until all three men changed their hands to paws as well.
My arms and chest stung with the numerous cuts from their claws, and I lost my endurance. Slipping in the grass, I fell to one knee and then the flame of magic inside of me flared up and covered me in a bright purple light. The men couldn’t get past the barrier of purple light surrounding me and were forced to stop their attack. Ares growled at me. “I said no Sidhe powers.”
Achilles spoke before I could. “She did not intentionally use them. Her body recognized it was near losing and formed the ward for her.” He walked towards me and reached a hand towards my ward. Ares growled, but Achilles placed his hand on the ward anyways. His eyes widened. “This is quite impressive. Most are not able to create as seamless a ward as this.” He ran his hand along the ward making the purple light pulse everywhere he touched and making my body shiver as though he were touching my skin.
I pulled at the invisible force covering me and willed it back into my body. Slowly the light ebbed and then disappeared. I collapsed onto the ground gasping for air. Achilles squatted down next to me, smiling. “You have to learn to pace yourself when it comes to magic.” Achilles stood and turned to Ares. “I need to work with her on her magic. Whatever qualms you have with me and whatever disputes we have between us regarding her do not matter in this instance. If she is not taught, she may cause a catastrophic event.”
Ares nodded. “I understand, but you are not allowed to touch her.”
Achilles smiled smugly. “It amuses me that you think one touch from me, and she would run into my arms instead of yours.”
I growled loudly at Achilles, causing Ares and him to start in surprise. “I will never run into your arms. I am not yours. I am tired of you tormenting Ares. Why won’t you just leave us and let us be happy!” By the end I was screaming even though I had not intended to.
Achilles looked hurt as he said, “Because you will see soon enough that I offer something for you as well.” He strode out of the field and into the darkening forest.
Ares helped me stand and smiled down at me. “Well, that was interesting. You fought fairly well, but your reactions are slow. We’ll have to work on that.”
“Can we take a shower? My body is itching with all of the cuts and the grass covering me,” I said as I leaned against him. He started to pick me up, but I pushed him. “I’ll run.”
He didn’t seem as bothered by my statement as I’d expected, but simply held my hand as we started running towards the house.
Koda and Matt were arguing about something when we finally arrived at the house. People started coming out of the surrounding houses to see what all the commotion was about.
Matt growled loudly and yelled, “I challenge Koda for place in the pack and rights as second!”
I frowned. “Rights?”
Koda snarled. “I accept!”
Ares and Achilles were on the porch of the house talking quietly, leaving me alone beside Koda and Matt. “Hey, guys, let’s just calm down and—”
Matt and Koda started fighting each other, their snarls and punches almost deafening me. I started to move forward, to stop them, but Darius grabbed my arm tightly. “You cannot stop a challenge once it has been accepted.”
I stared at the King of Werewolves and felt his power. He pressed it on to me, and I realized I was staring into his eyes. I looked down and nodded in understanding and acknowledgement of my submission to him. He let go of my arm, and I moved away from him as quickly as I could without running.
Achilles moved down the steps and lifted the sleeve of my shirt to expose red marks where Darius had grabbed me. Achilles skin glowed softly as he turned to Darius. “I believe the king may have forgotten how to handle the Sidhe.”
Darius frowned in confusion. “Speak freely, Achilles.”
Achilles pulled me forward and lifted the sleeve of my shirt. “You’ve marked her skin.”
Darius’ eyes widened. “I did not mean to mark her. I was simply stopping her from interfering.”
Ares walked down the steps and stood beside us. “Be careful, King. An offense such as this would have started wars not long ago.”
Darius glared at Ares. “Perhaps you should teach your halfbreed bitch our rules, and I would not have to touch her.”
Ares growled at him, and I felt his anger and Achilles’ anger rising at the same time. It was like they were feeding off of each other’s emotions. Ares whispered, “You should watch your tongue, Darius. You aren’t as loved as you once were.”
Darius snarled. “Watch your words. There are many who do not love you as much either, Prince.”
Matt screamed in pain, and I remembered why we were there. I scolded myself for being distracted and yelled, “Stop fighting! Please!” I pushed around Ares to see Matt bleeding from his arm and Koda smiling happily. “Koda, please!” I begged.
Neither seemed to hear me though, as Koda grabbed Matt around the throat and choked him. “Submit to me,” Koda growled.
Matt growled and struggled against Koda, refusing to submit.
“Ares, why are they fighting?” I asked.
Achilles whispered, “If the alpha dies, the second in the pack becomes alpha and takes the previous alpha’s mate.”
Me. They were fighting for the right to take me if Ares ever died.
“You stupid, idiotic men. Stop fighting!” I yelled at them.
Koda punched Matt in the throat and Matt whispered, “Submit.”
The crowd clapped and cheered, and Koda smiled happily. I shook my head and walked inside the house, ignoring both men. “Idiots.”
Chapter Six
For the next two days, Ares, Koda, and Matt trained with me. Soon I was able to keep pace with Matt and almost with Koda, but Ares beat me every time. I had no doubt that Natasha wasn’t as skilled as Ares, so I wasn’t worried.
I continued trying to half-shift, but every time I tried, I only changed into my wolf, so we gave up.
As the sun rose on the day of my challenge, I felt my nervousness. I rolled over and snuggled against Ares, who wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “You don’t have to do this. You could rescind your acceptance to fight,” he whispered into my ear.
I gaped at his serious expression. He’d stay with me even if I backed out of the fight? He knew I couldn’t do that and keep face with the rest of the pack. He’d lose respect as well for having a coward for a mate. “Ares, you know I can’t back out.”
Koda whined. “Artemis, if you want, we’ll leave with you. We’ll run and make up some story that will convince the others we had to go.”
I rolled onto my back so I could meet eyes with each of them. “Stop this. I’m not going to lose. Everythin
g will be fine.”
Ares and Koda nuzzled my neck and inhaled my scent at the same time.
My heart felt as though it were tearing apart. Tears trailed down my cheeks as I imagined life without my pack. Ares kissed my cheeks and whispered in my ear, “Artemis, please reconsider. I can’t bear to lose you.”
“I have to, Ares.” No matter how much I didn’t want to lose Ares, I had to finish the fight. With my mind made up, I focused on the amount of training I’d had with them and felt sure I would win.
Ares climbed out of bed and stretched. “I’m going to make breakfast.” As he walked away, I noticed the tension in his shoulders and back. Matt followed Ares out of the bedroom. It didn’t escape my notice that Matt had said nothing while Koda and Ares had tried to convince me to stay safe.
Koda sat up and looked at me. “Artemis, if you think you’re going to lose, you can ask for mercy, and she has to refrain from killing you.”
“And then be forced to have no Ares and no pack? No, I couldn’t do that. I’d rather die,” I answered with conviction.
Koda hugged me against him. “I can’t watch you die. If you ask for mercy, I’ll leave Ares’ pack and join you. I know I’m not Ares, but wouldn’t it be better than being dead?”
“You’d leave Ares’ pack to be my mate? To be the mate of a worthless mixed blood?”
Koda pulled away from me and smiled. “You aren’t worthless, and I don’t care what bloodlines you have. I love you, Artemis. You’re my pack mate and nothing will change that.”
I kissed his cheek and climbed out of bed, surprised by his offer. “I’ll consider it if the need arises.” Though, we both knew I wouldn’t. I couldn’t continue living if I wasn’t Ares’ mate. It would be like cutting out an organ.
We’d all chosen to sleep in shorts and shirts so I didn’t need to change before I went downstairs in front of Achilles. Ares and Achilles both whispered in angry tones with one another when I walked into the kitchen, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Achilles looked at me with glistening eyes. “Good morning, Artemis.”
I bowed my head towards him. “Good morning, Achilles.”
Ares set a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of me with a smile. I kissed his cheek and started eating. The men milled around the house in silence while I ate, a sense of doom clouding the air.
The time arrived, and we set out for the fight. The walk to the town center was filled with worry and sadness. In my mind, I was determined to win because I had finally found my pack, my family. But in my body, worry and fear resided, causing my hands to shake ever so slightly.
Ares squeezed my hand reassuringly and in an instant my worry was swept away and replaced with the knowledge that he loved me and no matter what, we’d always love each other.
Ares led us to a large grassy field where a large square had been marked out with white paint. It looked as if the entire town had turned out to watch my challenge, hundreds of people surrounding the square. Even the king and queen were sitting in chairs on the sidelines.
Koda stopped us at the sidelines and gave me a hard hug, whispering into my ear, “Remember what I told you.”
Matt hugged me, too, and then both walked a ways back in the crowd. Achilles looked at me with sparkling eyes and softly glowing skin. The blue vines on his arms glittered like sapphires. “Win this battle Artemis,” he said softly.
I nodded at him, and he quickly moved through the crowd. Ares rubbed his cheek against mine and inhaled my scent. Without thinking about it, I’d inhaled his scent as well and felt his unease within him. “I love you, Artemis. You’ll win. I know you will.”
Ares took my hand again and walked with me out to the center of the square where my opponent was waiting, bouncing on the balls of her feet and swinging her arms around. She smiled at Ares and then glared at me.
Ares raised his hand and the crowd silenced. “Today we witness a challenge between Artemis and Natasha, to the death. Winner earns the right to be mated to Ares, Prince of the Werewolves.” The crowd gasped and began murmuring loudly. The queen stood up out of her chair, but the king put a hand on her arm and she sat back down. Ares raised his hand again, silencing the crowd. “No full changing will be allowed. Begin.”
My skin itched, and my heartbeat tripled in pace as I watched Ares walk to the sidelines, never looking back at me. Natasha cracked her knuckles, bringing my attention to her. “Let’s get this over with. I want to have your crap moved out of the room by sunset.”
Her calm demeanor and cockiness made me seethe. “The only thing you’ll be doing at sunset is paying the ferryman.”
Her eyes widened for a moment before she recovered and charged at me. All thoughts shut off, and I went into battle mode. My wolf side took over, allowing me to use instinct to avoid most of her attacks. Unfortunately, she was faster than I’d thought, and I was soon bleeding from my lip and a cut above my eye.
I changed tactics and instead of being defensive, I became offensive, jabbing, upper cutting and attacking as fast as I could. I knew the crowd was cheering and booing, but all I could hear was Natasha, my breathing, and the dull thud of our fists hitting each other. My thoughts flickered to Ares and Koda as I turned to dodge her fist and noticed them in the back of the crowd, encircled by men restraining them. If I lost to Natasha, I couldn’t stand to see her with Ares. I couldn’t bear to see Ares with any other woman.
Natasha growled in frustration and changed her hands into paws. She swung her right hand at my face and I barely managed to dodge backwards, her claws slicing off a piece of hair that had come out of my ponytail. She screamed with rage and charged forward, slicing first into my forearms and then into my stomach. The wounds stung worse than I could have imagined. Natasha punched me in the face, making me stumble backwards. She took advantage of my imbalance and jumped on me, pinning my arms with her knees and began pounding my face repeatedly. She snapped my right wrist making me scream and fight to stay in my human form.
I was wrong, I couldn’t beat her. I should have listened to Ares, but I hadn’t and now I’d lose everything. I’d lose Ares and Koda. I’d lose my pack, my family. I’d lose my life.
She growled loudly. “You’re nothing, but a worthless halfbreed! Your father should have killed you when you were born as he’d promised to do. You don’t deserve Ares, and I’ll make sure to erase every memory of you he might possess. One night with me, and he won’t even remember your name.” She punctuated every sentence with a blow to my head, but her words hurt me more than any physical attack could.
Anger boiled inside of me and before thoughts could form in my mind, I had exploded out from under her and grabbed Natasha, holding her up in the air by her throat. “Ares is mine,” I said with conviction.
Natasha kicked and scratched at me. “Put. Me. Down.”
I squeezed her throat harder. “Ares is my mate!”
I didn’t want to kill her. I didn’t want to kill anybody. I knew I had to end the fight, but I wanted to make her submit. As I debated what to do, she jammed her claws into my shoulder, making me drop her to the ground. I backed away from her, but she ran forward, slamming into me, sending us head over heels together.
She ended up on top of me and pinned me to the ground. “You’re not meant to be the Beta’s mate. You’re too weak to be his.”
She picked me up and threw me across the square. I landed on my face and felt a rib crack. She was on me again before I could roll over. She grabbed me by the hair and stood me up before kicking me in the side. The force of her kick knocked the wind out of me and broke another rib. She squatted down next to me as I gasped for air and writhed in the grass. “It’s time to end this. It’s time to finish you and take you out of Ares’ life once and for all.”
She turned my head, and I found Ares at the edge of the square being held back by four men. His eyes glowed golden as he looked at me. Koda and Achilles were near Ares, but both of them were also being held back by people. I reached
out to them and brushed their wolves’ energies with mine. My energy was depleted and it was only a matter of minutes before I died, whether by Natasha or the internal bleeding I could sense.
“I love you,” I whispered. Tears leaked out of my eyes as I looked at the man I loved and my pack mate.
Ares growled angrily and struggled against the men holding him. “Artemis. No!” More men surrounded Ares and Koda.
Natasha turned my face back and smiled. “What a sweet goodbye.” Her claws pierced my stomach as she drove them deep into my body.
I screamed and thrashed against her, pulling her hand out of me and smashing her nose with my fist. She stumbled backwards, eyes wide, and I pounced on her. I couldn’t lose Ares. I couldn’t die. Dammit, I couldn’t lose.
In a matter of seconds, I had my arm around her throat and my legs around her waist with my left hand pushing her neck deeper into my arm. “Ask for mercy,” I whispered.
She nodded once, and I released her, collapsing on the ground myself. I rolled onto my back and exhaled.
I’d won, but I could feel my life ending. At least I’d won. Natasha roared and jumped at me. I lifted my hand up, summoning what little energy I had left, and my Sidhe powers. A small fireball sped from my hand to her and disappeared through her chest. She staggered for a minute, looking down at the hole in her chest, before collapsing to the ground. Her lifeless body lay next to me, and I knew it was right that I’d won.
I took one more breath, whispered, “I love you, Ares,” and then darkness consumed me.
The afterlife wasn’t what I’d expected. First, I hadn’t expected to be woken in the afterlife by a slap in the face. And second, I didn’t expect to find Ares and Achilles sitting next to me.
“Artemis! Artemis, wake up!” Ares yelled at me.
“You’re not dead. How can you be here?” I asked.
“Artemis, you’re not dead,” Achilles said through clenched teeth.
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 36