Terr6tory

by Susan A Bliler

  His smile triggered something among his pack. They fidgeted nervously beside him.

  “You,” Wren took another step closer, “belong to me.”

  This was it. Could she accept her fate, and become the property of a dominant she didn’t even know? Of course she couldn’t. It’s why she and her group of females had left their last pack. They didn’t want to be property.

  “Battle.” The word was out before she could check it, and by the look on the Apex and his pride’s faces, and from the gasps behind her, she knew no one had expected it. She’d fight to be free of the claiming. She’d fight to stay with her pack.

  The challenge had Wren’s smile vanishing.

  “If I win,” she continued before she lost her resolve, the challenge already issued. “When I win,” she began again, “my pack and I go free.”

  Wren didn’t move or respond, he simply frowned down at her.

  “All of my pack!” If she was going to make the sacrifice, then she’d try to save Ash as well.

  Wren challenged, “And if you lose?”

  Blood was pounding in her veins and thundering in her ears, making it hard to hear and making the whole scene feel surreal. She knew what he was asking, what he wanted. Submission. Regret swamped her for ever having brought her pack here. Why had they trusted her? Why had they followed her? She blinked once and her dark eyes met Wren’s. “To the death.”

  Kenna gasped and grabbed her arm, but she pulled free. Wren’s eyes lit with something she couldn’t immediately place.

  “I’m not going to kill you. You’re my mate.”

  “Female wolves have the right to challenge any claim made on them. Is it not the same for your lions?”

  When he cut his gaze to his pack, she knew it was.

  “I challenge your right to claim me. If it’s to the death, then we each have the right to make a final request should we fall.” She swallowed hard. “If I go down, I want you to let my girls leave.” Thoughts of Ash out there, running for all she was worth, flashed through her mind. “All of my girls.” There was no way she could win, and they both knew it, but to admit it openly as she just had by making her request upon the result of her demise was mortifying. Still, it’d save her girls, and if by some miracle she won, it’d be the same. If Wren accepted her terms, then no matter what, her girls would be safe.

  He jerked his head in a nod. “If you win, you’re free. If you die,” he backed up and ripped his shirt over his head, then jerked his chin toward Seven and Kenna. “They’re free. But know this, little mate, you can’t win.”

  Of course I can’t win. But it wasn’t about winning. She’d lose, but at least she’d secured the safety of her pack, and had just ensured that she wouldn’t spend her life in a torturous existence, mated to an Apex who clearly was not as just as she’d been led to believe.

  She mimicked him and backed up. At her side, Seven stepped closer. “Don’t do this, Ryka! Please!”

  “Ryka.” Wren growled, drawing her attention as he rolled her name around his mouth and nodded, eyes crinkling as if he liked the taste of it.

  Kenna was sniffling. “Please, Phena, please don’t!”

  She wanted to console Kenna and Seven, and at least say good-bye, but if she looked at them she’d lose it and start begging Apex Prime for things he clearly wasn’t prepared to give. Plus, Ash was out there somewhere, running. This had to end quickly.

  Watching Wren, she sprang when he turned to say something to one of his pride. One of Ryka’s booted feet found a tree behind her. She shoved off of it with all her strength, sending her body flying into the air. She shifted and came down in wolf form, her teeth going for Wren’s throat.

  The Apex was fast. He spun and caught her weight, shifting as they fell and rolled, he in mountain lion form and her in wolf. She landed on top of him, his body taking the brunt of the impact, which was odd. He could have used her own momentum to slam her body to the ground, but he hadn’t. Ryka was back on her feet in a flash, circling the lion as he got to his feet and squared off against her. God he was huge! She pinned her ears flat and her lips trembled as she snarled. Wren’s lion form was much larger than that of her she-wolf, and certainly more deadly. Her eyes dipped to the thick, three inch long claws on his paws.

  Glowing yellow eyes rimmed with black followed her every move, but there was no aggressive behavior by the lion. No hackles up, no ears flat, no claws swiping at her, no flash of those fangs that had to be at least two inches longer than Ryka’s own. He was watching her and waiting. He wasn’t fighting her, and it pissed her off. They were supposed to be battling to the death, and he clearly had no intention of actually engaging her.

  She lunged for his throat and he ducked his head, rolling gracefully until he was back on his feet without even the slightest hitch in his breath. Bastard! Ryka ran at him, lifting on her back legs at the last second, hoping to get an advantage from the top. Wren met her and rose up, wrapping paws around her shoulders as her teeth bit at his throat. She missed her mark, her teeth sinking into the strong muscle of his shoulder. They both hit the ground, and the air left her in a whoosh, forcing her to release her bite with a high-pitched whine.

  The sound triggered something in Wren, because his paws pinned her down expertly as he quickly lowered his head to her throat and opened his jaws.

  This is it! Ryka’s eyes met Kenna’s as the young she-wolf dropped to her knees and sobbed, gripping Seven’s hand. “RYKA!”

  Seven pulled her hand free and rushed forward. “NOOOOO!” One of Wren’s men stopped her, holding her back from her friend.

  Ryka closed her eyes when she felt Wren’s teeth sink into the flesh of her throat. He applied pressure, and she prayed it would end quickly. She didn’t fight or make a sound as he applied even more pressure until she couldn’t breathe. When he stopped and eased back just a mere fraction, her eyes slammed open. He isn’t! Realization dawned. He wasn’t putting her down. He was putting her out!

  The hold was one that would render her unconscious, but not kill her. She jerked and began to struggle, but he pinned her with the weight of his body and kept even pressure on her throat. This wasn’t the deal! Her vision swam, and pinpoints of light exploded in her sight before everything started to dim. She struggled to her last, until she went out with one last whine.

  Chapter 5

  Wren pulled his teeth from his mate’s throat and licked where his teeth had bitten into her flesh. His lion snarled at the fact that this was how they’d touched their mate for the first time.

  Shifting back to human form, he remained huddled over an unconscious Ryka. Rkya. He liked her name. Lifting a hand, he gently brushed his fingers over his mate’s fur. It was soft and he was in awe of how beautiful her wolf was. Her coat was pure black, which wasn’t typical. He’d always envisioned himself with a honey-colored lioness, but now, staring at Ryka’s dark wolf, he couldn’t imagine himself with anyone else.

  His lips tweaked at the memory of Ryka challenging him to the death. To the death! He chuffed a laugh as he studied her. She was fierce, and a good Phena to her pack of females. He knew why she’d made the challenge. There was no way she could best him, so she’d been willing to die for a final request that they be set free. She’d been willing to sacrifice herself for them, it’s what any good Alpha would do. By the Gods, she’ s perfect.

  “Look. At. Me!”

  The words drew Wren’s attention up to Lux, who stood holding one of Ryka’s females in the circle of his arms. It was the one who’d tried to come to her Alphena’s aide, the one with the long straight hair. The woman had her eyes tightly closed and her head down.

  “Lux?” Wren asked.

  Lux met his Alpha’s gaze. “I…I believe this one is mine.”

  Wren’s eyes, that had been assessing the uncooperative female in Lux’s hold, cut back to his brother. “How do you know?”

  Shaking his head, Lux studied the female he held captive in his arms, waiting for her to look at him. “There’
s something there. I feel…compelled.”

  It was unheard of for two couples to be simultaneously stricken, but three! Perhaps Lux was simply caught up in the moment. “Lux,” Wren growled. “Be sure.”

  Lux used a strong hand to force his female’s head up. “Open. Your. Eyes.” He commanded.

  Seven shook her head and whimpered, “Please!”

  Lowering his head, Lux inhaled slowly, easing his arms around the female’s shoulders and pulling her into him. He buried his nose in her long, black hair before sliding it up her throat. Looking through the veil of Seven’s hair, Lux looked directly at Wren and nodded.

  The revelation was shocking, and Wren’s gaze jerked to the remaining female huddled on her knees, crying as if her heart was being torn in two. She looked too young, but Wren had to know. “Jesup? Cason?”

  Seven’s eyes jerked open, and she struggled in Lux’s arms, pushing hard at his chest to no avail. “LEAVE HER ALONE!”

  Lux held firm, attempting to soothe a struggling Seven. “Shhhhh, it’s alright.”

  Jesup and Cason ignored her outburst.

  “No,” Jesup spoke behind him in clear relief. “She’s not mine.”

  “Mine either,” Cason bit out angrily, sounding a little deflated.

  Kenna’s shoulders slumped as if a great weight had been lifted from her, and she cried harder.

  Christ! Wren and two of his brothers had found their mates, but how? Why? Why like this? He dropped his gaze to Ryka. It wasn’t lost on him that she’d opted for death over life as his mate, and it would be laughable if it wasn’t so screwed up. Of course he’d find his mate this way, and of course she’d rather die than be his. He snorted derisively.

  Picking her up, he cradled her wolf form in his arms, possessive instincts warring with protective ones as he barked at Jesup, “Go find Liddick.” His eyes cut to Cason, knowing he’d be a more understanding and patient option for bringing the young female still crying behind him to their compound. “Bring the girl.”

  “Please!” Seven’s tone was imploring as she looked at him, still avoiding eye contact with Lux. “Please, let us go. We’re sorry we came.” She reached a hand toward her unconscious Phena. “Give her to me and we’ll be gone.”

  Lux growled his dissent, his arms still wrapped firmly around Seven while Wren’s eyes dropped to Ryka. “I can’t let her go.” His voice lowered. “I’ve been waiting for her. I’ve been waiting for her my whole life.” And look at how poorly you’ve handled things, he self-admonished. He truly had gone about everything entirely wrong. He should have met with Ryka and her pack at their first request, but he’d been too busy with lots of other stupid shit. Shit that could have cost him meeting his mate.

  Turning, he strode back toward the compound while his brothers followed with the females of Ryka’s pack.

  ***

  Ryka woke slowly, her body one giant ache and her throat sore. She knew she was in wolf form when scents and sounds assaulted her. The scent of smoke and male…her male, tweaked her nose while the sound of crackles and pops filled her ears...accompanied by the faint sound of a heartbeat.

  Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find herself in a large cage. An actual. Fucking. Cage! She was resting on a fluffy blanket and the cage was placed close to a fire burning in a large hearth. It was autumn, and while it still wasn’t too cold outside to her wolf, her human side would have found the temperature too cool.

  Pushing up from the ground, she bit back a whine at the pain the action caused. She’d fought Wren with all she had. He hadn’t fought back, but she’d still acquired injures in her attempts to take him down as he’d defended himself. She wanted to shift to assess her injuries, but not until she found out who else was in the room.

  Staggering on her feet she scanned the room. Wren was sitting in a large, high-backed chair in a darkened corner. He looked relaxed, one booted foot kicked out in front of him, the other curled under the chair as he pressed two fingers against his lips. Watching her. She bared her teeth and growled, letting her hackles rise as she hunched in a threatening manner. Her throat was raw and made her growl sound funny, but she didn’t care, the message was still the same.

  Wren didn’t react. He just continued to watch.

  Ryka’s challenging position was difficult and painful to hold, so after a few moments, she licked the front of her teeth and straightened to circle the oversized cage. It wasn’t a cramped space, but she didn’t understand his intentions.

  “Shift,” he commanded, and she looked over her shoulder, giving him the best ‘fuck off’ look she could manage in wolf form. The cage was large enough that she actually could shift in the space and not be too cramped, but she wasn’t about to follow his orders. It was bad enough being caged as a wolf, but to be caged as a human… No way. “Wren Prime is a just Alpha”, she mocked in her head. Who in the hell had the people that had told her that met? This Wren Prime was a first class asshole. Honestly! Who locked their mate in a cage?

  Mate. She was still trying to come to terms with what had happened out in the woods. She’d been stricken. And not just her. Her head jerked toward the window and she worried about her girls, wondered where they were. Please be okay, Ash!

  As if reading her thoughts, Wren leaned forward bracing his elbows on his knees. “They’re here. They’re safe. All of them.”

  She circled the blanket with the intention of dropping onto it, but her too-sore body wasn’t ready. She continued to circle, but stilled when Wren stood.

  “You’re going to stay in that cage until you shift.”

  Ignoring the screaming pain that shot through her, Ryka dropped to a hip and lay down, crossing her front paws over each other and lifting her chin regally to stare at the fire in disinterest, hoping he got the message.

  “Fine,” he growled in displeasure. “Play it your way.” He stomped from the room and she moved her eyes to watch him go. He was one hell of a specimen.

  Once he was gone, she took stock of her injuries as best she could. It was difficult to do in wolf form because she couldn’t see everything. Her throat was so sore that it actually hurt to swallow, and the growl she’d let loose earlier hadn’t helped. Her nails hurt from where she’d dug them into the earth for leverage, and her gums and jaw ached too from locking her teeth into Wren. The rest of her was just sore, like one big bruise. Battling a mountain lion could do that to a girl. And look where it got you. She eyed the cage nervously, uncertain of Wren’s intentions. The fact that she was locked up wasn’t good. Several emotions bubbled to the surface. Disappointment and anger that he’d lied and hadn’t killed her once she was down came to the fore quickly, followed by fear for her females and worry for her future. What were Wren’s intentions where she and her pack were concerned? And where in the hell was Ash? Was she here, like Wren had said? She scented the air trying to pick up on Seven or Kenna’s scents, but there was only the overwhelming scent of the fire and Wren. His scent was the stronger of the two, and her belly fluttered. Her stupid wolf was all excited, but she didn’t have time to convince her wolf of anything. No, her concern was Ash, Seven, and Kenna.

  Eyeing the door where Wren had disappeared, she regretted not shifting to speak to him. At least she could have gotten some answers in human form. She just wasn’t ready yet to face him in human form. She needed to formulate some sort of plan, but first, she’d need to get herself out of the damn cage!

  Chapter 6

  (Seven & Lux)

  Seven watched Apex Prime carry Ryka’s limp form from the clearing. One of the shifters, Cason she’d heard him called, helped Kenna to her feet, and they trailed behind the Apex followed by the shifter called Jesup.

  Alone in the clearing, she was fully aware that Lux still held her pressed to his chest as if reluctant to let her go. He should have been, because the second he released her she intended on running.

  Breathing ragged and hands trembling, she couldn’t look up at him. She could feel him staring down at her and still she
refused to meet his gaze.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

  Everything’s gonna be okay? What in the hell was he talking about? Her Phena was down, their Beta was in the wind, and Kenna had just been taken back to their compound. Nothing was okay! “Let…let me go,” she demanded, curling her hands into fists to hide their trembling. God how she wished she were a fighter like Ash, she’d call Lux on and take her chances. Hell, she wasn’t even a leader like Ryka, so without guidance, she wasn’t sure what to do. “Please,” she tagged on, hoping to appeal to any sense of decency in this male who claimed she was his.

  His arms loosened slightly, but he didn’t release her. Instead, he said, “Won’t you look at me?”

  She shook her head. She wasn’t going to pretend to be strong like Ryka, or tough like Ash. She was going to just be herself. “We didn’t come here for mates. We came seeking permission.”

  “Permission for what?” As if unable to stop himself, he lifted a hand and brushed gentle fingers along her cheek.

  Seven closed her eyes, shying away from the warm brush of his fingers. “We wanted to stay in the town. We didn’t want any trouble.”

  “Trouble?” She heard the worry in his voice. “What trouble? Where are you from?”

  Eyes still closed, she swallowed hard and shook her head, wondering how much she should divulge. “Can’t you just let me go?”

  “If you’re in trouble, beautiful, then I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, which means the safest place in the world for you is exactly where you are right now. With me!”

  She tensed.

  “Hey,” he soothed. “Why don’t you tell me what trouble you’re talking about? Let’s start from there.”

  Right now things were at their worst, so she decided the truth was best. “We left our pack. The men were…aggressive. We wanted a choice, didn’t want to be forced. Ryka led us here. She said we’d be safe. She heard Wren was good.”