He mustn’t be convinced she would. Blaine found small hope in that.
“Can you help?”
Gee gave him a pensive look. “According to Sioux legend, a latent wolf can become influenced by the full moon to the point where they are plagued by the planet’s force. They can become a danger to themselves. The excessive mental and physical stress makes them lose control. It also weakens their bodies.”
“Thanks, Gee. That was enlightening.” Sarcasm dripped off every word. But then Drew’s power reached out to him, and some of his anger diminished. He tried again. “Is there any way to help her?”
Gee gave him a penetrating stare as if he knew something about Blaine he didn’t know himself. Who knew? Maybe he did. After a moment, he said, “Yes.”
“And?”
“You and Drew can help her. Elijah’s brother should’ve exercised his alpha power over his mate. He chose not to. Elijah’s dominance alone couldn’t help his mate. He needed the strength of his alpha.”
Drew grinned. “Aren’t you glad you joined the pack?”
Blaine snorted, but relief flooded through him. “We are going to have a talk with Elijah.”
Ryker entered The Den. Blaine had no doubt the enforcer also qualified as part of the “we.”
***
Blaine didn’t expect Elijah to welcome them with open arms into his home, and if it hadn’t been for Drew and Gee, he probably wouldn’t have made it past the door.
His future father-in-law glared at him. Nothing Drew said had an impact on Elijah. The old man didn’t want to budge.
Didn’t he understand what he would do to his daughter? He’d experienced existing without his mate. Why keep them apart when no harm would come to Rebecca?
“Over my dead body.”
“That can be arranged.” Blaine had lost his patience a half hour ago.
“Blaine.” Drew’s reprimand kept him in line. The blood oath tugging at his skin meant Elijah felt drawn to obey, too.
“She will lose her life.”
“I will never hurt her.” Blaine shook his head. “I would die protecting her.”
Elijah took a step toward him. “Don’t you think that’s what I’m also doing?”
“No.”
His eyes flashed, his wolf making itself known.
“You’re keeping her from choosing the life she wants to live. Keeping her from facing the consequences of her choices, not that I think being my mate is a negative one.”
A deep growl echoed through the room. Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed, but trying to reason with Elijah had gotten them nowhere. “I challenge you,” Elijah snarled.
Blaine looked to Drew for his consent. His wolf wanted to take the stumbling block out of their way.
The alpha frowned. “Elijah, it would be a fight to the death.”
The older man shrugged. “My or his death will decide the outcome.”
A ripple went through Blaine, and he fought to keep his wolf from bursting out in Elijah’s living room.
An unreadable look passed between Drew and Gee. “The challenge won’t happen in town. Ryker will lead you to a spot outside.” He gave further details of the location, and Blaine realized they had anticipated this.
Blaine wondered if anyone would inform Rebecca. He didn’t have time to go to the library and tell her. But then again, he didn’t want her to witness the clash between himself and her father.
“I’ll ask Betty to keep Rebecca away.”
“Thank you.” Drew was a perceptive leader.
***
Leaves rustled in the trees as a light wind blew over the mountains. Elijah’s log cabin stood at the edge of the Black Hills National Forest, close to Mt. Rushmore. Blaine didn’t think this gave Elijah much of an advantage since he grew up in the area and knew the terrain like the back of his hand.
It was a good location away from town—though word had spread about the fight and a small crowd surrounded them.
Blaine knelt down and touched the dry soil on the ground, running it through his fingers. He took a deep breath, concentrated on the energy in the earth. A cottontail rabbit dashed a few yards into the woods, moving far away from the predators that trespassed on its habitat in the woods. He’d always believed his power came from nature, and whenever he found himself heading into a fight, he focused on this source.
The late evening light fell in low rays across the clearing. He straightened, and they faced off.
His hands became claws, but he didn’t change fully. Many wolves would’ve run in the opposite direction, intimidated. He could shift whenever he wanted; he didn’t need a full moon.
Elijah grinned. Not the reaction he expected.
The older wolf transformed his face, giving a canine smirk. If Blaine had been a pup, he would’ve gulped.
Elijah shifted completely into a lethal black wolf, distinguishing himself as an infiltrator, a secretive legendary pack, born and bred to be spies. Had Magnum known this? Blaine didn’t think so.
Like Gee, his story before coming to Los Lobos ran murky, but he had given his support to Magnum and now to Drew.
The older wolf was a formidable opponent, well muscled, without an ounce of fat. His shrewd eyes missed nothing.
Never underestimating anyone in a fight, Blaine crouched, preparing for his attack. The older wolf stooped low, his tail cocked, lips pulled back, fangs bared, ears forward, his glare wild and threatening. Blaine stared him down.
Elijah surged forward and lunged with a snarl and a snap of teeth and came up short with a loud clap. He struck hard and fast but missed.
Blaine rammed the crown of his head right into his flank. The black wolf, quick on his feet, recovered but kept a good distance away from him. If the old wolf thought he could take him out with a snap attack, he had another think coming.
Elijah came at him. He blocked his blow then, catching him by the hind leg, he clamped down, tugged, and twisted. His opponent howled and struggled to get away from him. His teeth snapped close to Blaine, but not near enough. He flung Elijah away from him.
He may be strong, but Blaine hadn’t survived so long outside a pack by being weak.
Elijah rose with a limp.
“Dad!”
Rebecca’s panicked voice brought him up short. She struggled to get to them, but Betty held onto her.
Blaine howled, her distress causing him pain. He didn’t want to do this to her, but he had no choice. Her father wasn’t going to let them be together without a fight.
A heavy mass slammed into him. Sharp stones and rocks burned his side, but he forced the sting aside and attacked the snarling wolf on him. He tasted blood, the copper tangy on his tongue. Elijah had taken advantage of the distraction.
Blaine shoved him away hard, and the huge wolf fell but came at him again, and, this time, they tussled up a cloud of dust.
If either one of them made a single mistake, it could mean the end. They were too evenly matched—each attack coordinated, powerful, uncomplicated in its simplicity, and effective. Bones crushed. His ears rang from a blow to his head. Deep red gashes appeared on both their fur. Pain knifed across his spine, but he couldn’t concede.
Though he didn’t show signs of fatigue, inevitably he would. Blaine just needed to hold out longer. His side hurt, a few of his ribs probably cracked or broken.
Elijah still favored the hind leg that had been twisted. Taking labored breaths, Blaine focused on the other wolf’s scent. Defeat had a scent. He had learned to recognize it.
The black wolf gave off hints of it. He snarled and growled, displaying dominance, but Blaine knew different.
Lunging, Elijah nipped him, and pain shot across his nape. Taking a bite from teeth that felt like they’d been encased in steel would have anyone reeling. He howled and twisted away from him.
He came for him again, this time aiming for his torso. Blaine slammed into his side, sending Elijah sprawling then grabbed him by
the throat.
Chapter Ten
Time stopped. The noise from the crowd faded. Rebecca couldn’t breathe. She stared in horror at the scene unfolding before her.
As her mate killed her father, her heart broke. The black wolf, streaked crimson, tried to fight the death hold but didn’t seem able to move, its limp hind leg offering no support.
A high-pitched wail sliced the air. Betty engulfed her in a tight hug, her hold comforting instead of restraining, and she recognized the cry as her own voice.
She had done so much screaming, her throat hurt. Tears streamed down her face. She should’ve left town.
Blaine stepped away from Elijah, and she struggled free. He lay so still, so quiet. When she reached him, Blaine snarled, and she looked up into his glittering glare. A shudder went through her. All she could see was a predator.
He sniffed the air.
She took it as him giving her permission to touch her father. She dropped to her knees and cradled his head.
“Dad,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. Thick tears landed on his wet fur. His tongue lolled out from between his teeth.
“Dad.”
She stroked his snout and laid her head on his.
A soft, warm breeze danced across her cheek. She drew away. His eyes were open. “You’re alive.”
He licked her face, and she gasped. Blaine growled above them. Her father whimpered, exposing his neck in a submissive stance.
“Help him, someone help him!” Her shout snapped everyone into action.
Blaine hadn’t shifted and looked on as they attended to her father. His beautiful gray pelt coated in red was a testimony to how brutal the fight between her father and him had been.
But she couldn’t reach out to him. She couldn’t alleviate his pain. As much as every fiber in her being wanted to, she couldn’t.
She had been afraid for him, for them both. Ripped in two not knowing who would make it out alive, or what she would do if both of them ended up dead.
She hadn’t thought of what would happen if the one died and the other lived. A chill swept into her bones.
She stared at him as a healer helped her father. His injuries, varied and deep, meant they couldn’t move him. They had to take care of the life-threatening wounds first.
Someone approached Blaine, and he gave a threatening growl. Betty came for her, and he stepped between them.
The alpha’s mate stared him down as if to make sure he understood who he defied, and then she gave a grim nod to Rebecca and helped Elijah.
Rebecca couldn’t think, much less care about what Blaine wanted. He had won the challenge, but, at this moment, he hadn’t won her.
The battle had come to a sickening close.
Elijah had yielded, submitting to Blaine’s dominance. He shifted and looked to where Rebecca stood. They had taken Elijah away, but she hadn’t gone with them.
Her usually honey-toned skin was a pale reflection of its former self, her cheeks wet with tears. Her anguish wrecked him. He had been part of the cause.
She stared at him—defeated. He didn’t expect her to be happy that he’d bested her father, but he hadn’t expected her to look like her world had crumbled.
He’d done this for them.
She shook her head. “This is my fault. I—”
“He’s to blame. He brought this on himself.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, as if his words had hurt her.
He moved toward her, but she held up a hand.
“Please make sure he’s okay. He isn’t a bad person,” she told Betty. Then she walked away.
“Rebecca!”
She didn’t stop. His heart beat at such an alarming rate, he had to keep himself from shifting. His wolf clawed to burst free and give chase after their mate.
“I love you!”
Her stride faltered, but she regained her composure and kept walking.
“You’re my mate, Rebecca.”
A hush fell over those who remained in the clearing.
She hung her head but didn’t face him. Her body language appeared fatalistic, as if she knew something he didn’t. Whatever the obstacle, they could overcome it together.
“Rebecca.” Calling out her name again seemed to jolt her into action. Go after our mate. But shock kept him immobile. Had a claiming ever been rejected? He couldn’t recall anyone ever being publically abandoned.
Rebecca. The silent plea cut through him.
He needed space, needed to run. He shifted and took off into the woods. Of course, his wolf didn’t like it. He wanted to go after their mate. He wanted to soothe and protect.
She was hurting, and he didn’t know how to make life easier for her.
***
Her vision blurred, and she tripped over a stack of books.
She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to be left alone to work out what her next step would be. Her first impulse was to pack an overnight bag and leave; she could send for the rest of her stuff.
She never wanted to be responsible for any person’s death or their getting hurt. She never imagined finding herself in such a situation.
She wiped her cheek and headed up the stairs to her apartment. Right now, she couldn’t think about what would happen after today.
This was part of pack life; dominant challenges happened. Wolves got more than hurt in the process. Her father had been lucky. If Blaine hadn’t considered her, she didn’t think he would be alive right now.
She sniffed and went to her room, heading straight for her closet. She couldn’t stay here. She needed to get away for a while.
Dad was a control freak, but he was still her father. And Blaine’s my mate.
Heaviness settled in her soul.
The conflict wasn’t whether she wanted to stay—she was already part of the pack—but rather if she could live with the permanent rift between her father and herself.
Before, she had known no matter what, he would be there for her, even if he didn’t want her in Los Lobos. Now, the distance between them would be permanent. This challenge had made sure of it.
Her dark thoughts carried her out of town, and her truck didn’t complain over the rutted roads of the countryside. As she reached the outskirts, Mother Nature commiserated with her, opening up the sky in a heavy rain that sounded like a roll of drums on the roof.
Of course.
Her throat hurt because of the golf-ball sized emotion lodged there. She turned on the radio, and the thunder clashed in competition with the upbeat song playing.
It was a miracle Blaine hadn’t come after her. She could see the devastation on his face, the moment he realized what the fight had done. It hadn’t solved their problems.
Oh, she knew on an intellectual level what the pecking order in a wolf colony meant. Such confrontations couldn’t be avoided.
But she had lived as a human for far too long to ignore her abhorrence of violence. She’d been torn apart. She’d wanted to protect Blaine, but Betty’s steel grip had kept her in place. If she’d been a wolf, she could’ve broken free and gotten between them. Even if it meant being mentally unstable, she would’ve done anything to stop what had happened today.
When Dad got hurt, she fought to make sure he hadn’t suffered a fatal blow, even as he got up and went after her mate again.
Tears further blurred her view, and she wiped them away. Rain came down in sheets. Her hands shook on the steering wheel, and she took a deep breath. “Stop. They are fine. They’ll heal. They are wolves.”
But I’m not and not sure I will.
Her progress was slow, but the more distance she put between herself and Los Lobos, her father, and Blaine, the more her body trembled.
“Stop.” But no part of her obeyed.
The more she thought about Blaine, the more she shook. Her heart set a maddening pace in her chest. She couldn’t hear the radio anymore, so she turned it off.
She must be th
e only one out on the road. Her headlights didn’t penetrate farther than a couple of feet in front of her. Reaching the nearest rest stop, she would pull over to wait out the storm.
Chapter Eleven
Thunder roared, the ground shook, and a lightning bolt flashed from the sky.
Rebecca slammed on the brakes when the slash of electricity hit a tree down the road. Another strip of lightning followed but farther away.
Mother Nature was trying to force her to Los Lobos.
The hair on her forearms stood on end. No way. Such a thing couldn’t happen. Goose bumps peppered her skin, and she glanced over her shoulder.
She shook the silly notion off, pulled to the side of the road then glanced at the rearview mirror and blinked. That can’t be right.
In front of her, fat rain drops came down in such quick succession, her eyes almost couldn’t distinguish them. Behind her, a few clouds were in the sky, but nothing as strand worthy as what took place before her.
No way. She shuddered.
This was a freak shower. In some parts, it rained and others not, right?
She grabbed her handbag and fished for her phone. No signal. She suddenly didn’t want to be next to the road or on it. Anxiety gripped her, and she fought to stay calm.
Rebecca rested her head against the seat. I’m being ridiculous. Her tremors stopped, and she gave a nervous laugh. And acting stupid. The downpour would end soon, and she’d be on her way.
The door on the passenger side flew open, and Rebecca screamed.
Blaine, with his clothes clinging to his body, his hair glistening, and rivulets of water streaming down his face, crawled inside, closed the door, and shook himself like a dog.
“Ah!” Cold pelts hit her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he growled.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She was royally pissed off at him for barging in and covering her in icy water. Grabbing a tissue, she wiped her face.
“You can’t leave.”
The Wolf's Choice Page 7