“Strange you should call our previous Alpha weak when you were too scared to challenge him. Instead, you used a weapon to defeat him. Your wolf not up to the challenge any longer?” My father’s gaze slid to Frank and a snarl ripped from the Hanley’s Alpha’s throat.
“You’ll regret this when you are forced to kneel before me,” Nicholas Hanley roared, spittle flying as he glared at my father and then the rest of our Pack gathered around. “All of you will be taught your place when my son rips out the throat of your young Alpha. You will know what a true Alpha is like,” he promised, his eyes gleaming with a fervent light.
“We’ll see,” Caleb spoke then, a small smile playing on his lips as the Hanley Alpha glanced at him, caught off guard by Caleb’s words. “If you’re done posturing?” He held up a hand and when the Hanley Alpha didn’t speak, he nodded. “Good, then let’s do what we came to do. Fight.” A roar met Caleb’s words as the Pack showed their support and the Hanley Alpha took a wary step back.
The Hanley pack formed a semi-circle across from our people, keeping their distance, but I noticed the Hanley Alpha continued to search the crowd. It wasn’t until his gaze found Sam that I realized who he was looking for on our side.
Jess, I thought urgently, keep Nicky out of sight. I sensed her agreement as I blanked the connection once again. I kept it open in case she needed to reach me, but with the fight about to start I didn’t want to be distracted. Normally, I would have closed the link but after the Hanleys attempted attack the day before I wasn’t taking the risk.
“For those unfamiliar with the challenge, Frank Hanley has challenged the Navarre Alpha, Caleb Bradshaw, for right to lead the Pack,” my father announced, stepping forward between Caleb and Frank. “No interference will be tolerated during the fight,” he stated, never raising his voice as he listed the rules, and everyone quieted to hear. “No weapons may be used or it will be considered an immediate forfeit.” He paused, his expression solemn. “This is a fight to the death.” He tilted his head respectfully to both men and then stepped from the ring.
Eagerness dripped from the Hanley Alpha as he watched the men strip down and shift. Caleb’s sandy blond fur stood in stark contrast to the dark markings on Frank. Caleb was also smaller than Frank, which I knew from experience was an advantage for Caleb. He’d brought me down on more than one occasion because of the agility afforded him by his smaller stature.
I forced my tight muscles to relax as they circled one another, neither making the first move as they sized up their opponent. I scanned the Hanley side, keeping track of them in case one of them tried something while we were distracted by the fight.
A low snarl drew my attention back to the fight as Frank darted toward Caleb, snapping at his foreleg. Caleb danced out of reach, and I nodded. He could do this all day and would eventually tire the bigger wolf out, if he could stay in control.
My gaze followed their movements as Frank tried to get close and Caleb stayed just out of reach of his snapping jaws. Frustrated, Frank lunged and managed to sink his teeth in the fur at Caleb’s back. Caleb let out a yelp but quickly recovered, swiping his claws at Frank’s underside. Frank released him as he tried to protect his flank and Caleb took advantage, darting forward to snap one of Frank’s legs.
Frank predicted the move and scrambled out of the way. A broken leg would be a death knoll, giving Caleb the advantage. Movement along the sidelines shifted my gaze back to the Hanley pack as one of their shifters crept closer to members of the Navarre Pack. I followed his path as he sniffed the air, tensing when I saw his gaze lock on Jess.
Trent, I pushed the mental thought down the link I wasn’t technically supposed to share with Trent since he wasn’t part of my Pack. You have eyes on Jess?
I can see her, he answered carefully. I’m not close.
Why, I growled, my eyes locked on the young shifter inching closer to my mate.
She told me to keep an eye on Anna, he replied hesitantly, flinching at my instinctive snarl. You told me to keep an eye on both of them, he defended himself. That would be a lot easier if they were together, but they’re not.
No, Anna is standing next to me so you should be standing next to my mate, I reminded him, fighting back the urge to force his obedience. I refused to dominate him, fighting the inherent desire to stake my position.
Going, he acquiesced, his easy acceptance calming my wolf. I kept my gaze locked on the Hanley shifter taking such an interest in my mate until Anna gasped.
“Caleb,” she murmured, her hand reaching out as he fell, and my attention snapped back to the fight. Frank had managed to use his size against Caleb, his brute force catching Caleb unaware as he locked his teeth on Caleb’s leg. We all heard the snap as Caleb tore his leg loose from the cage of Frank’s jaws and limped back. Frank lost no time as he took full advantage of Caleb’s weakened state, charging at him as Caleb braced himself.
“Die, you fucking bastard!”
The scream broke Frank’s focus as he faltered, his head swinging toward the sound of my sister’s voice and Caleb reacted instantly. He used the moment of distraction to launch himself at Frank’s unprotected throat, latching on as his weight rolled Frank on his back. Caleb clamped down, shaking his head as he held Frank immobile, blood soaking through fur and into the ground below them.
Silence cloaked the clearing as Caleb finally released Frank’s throat, dropping his dead body as he backed away limping.
“NO,” Nicholas Hanley roared, grief transforming his face as he realized his son had fallen. He charged toward Caleb, rage and revenge filling his eyes, as Caleb stilled, standing his ground against the Hanley Alpha. “You will pay for taking my son’s life,” the Hanley Alpha promised, about to shift into his wolf when the sound of a gun being cocked froze him in his tracks.
“What part of fight to the death didn’t you understand?” My father strolled between the wolf and the man, his hands loose at his sides. My forehead wrinkled as I looked for the gun I’d heard cocked, and my gaze landed on Jess’ father, seeing a rifle braced against his shoulder, the muzzle pointed unwaveringly at the Hanley Alpha. “Also, there is the rule of no interference.”
“Yet, you have a weapon pointed at me,” Nicholas Hanley snarled. “I thought there were no weapons.”
“There aren’t…. between the challengers. That is just to make sure you abide by the outcome. Your son knew the risk. He accepted it,” my father declared, his tone brooking no arguments. “Take your son and go home.”
He kept himself between Caleb and the Hanley Alpha as I walked up next to Caleb. My presence seemed to remind the Hanley Alpha he was outnumbered and he jerked his head. A couple of Hanley men came forward and carefully picked up the dead wolf as a low keening cry came from the Hanley pack.
“This isn’t over,” the Hanley Alpha swore, red-rimmed eyes burning with retribution. “This will never be over.”
I waited untill they’d piled in their trucks, pulling out as Jess’ Dad stood guard with his rifle, before kneeling down next to Caleb. “Can you shift back?” I asked him, checking him over. He had a few cuts but the worst was his leg. Most of the damage would heal with the shift, I hoped. Caleb whined, nosing my hand wrapped around his injured hind leg. Broken, he whispered along the link we shared, a red haze of pain accompanying the thought.
“We’ll need to set the leg before he can shift back,” I called and several shifters hurried forward to help me lift him. “Get a travois set up. I don’t want to risk jostling him.” Anna knelt at his head, smoothing the thick blonde scruff that had protected him from a killing bite.
“He’s bleeding,” she warned, her hands coming back red. “He needs to shift.”
“Not before we get this leg straight,” I barked, not willing to take the chance of laming him if he shifted back with unset break.
“I can help,” a voice interrupted and I stared in shock as Leah stood there resolutely, only her fingers wringing together indicating her nerves. “My dad’s a vet.”
“Are you kidding me?” Anna scoffed. “Do you think we’re going to bring him to your dad?” She added scornfully and Leah took a deep breath.
“NO, I think you’re going to let me set the leg so he can shift back and not bleed out,” she responded calmly and silencing Anna.
“Can you do it?” I asked bluntly. I didn’t have the first clue how to set a broken bone at least not one in wolf form.
“Yes,” she answered, crouching down next to me. “But you’re gonna have to hold him down because it’s going to hurt.”
“Dom, you trust her to do this?” Anna interjected in disbelief. “They’re going to get my mom. She can set the bone.”
“How long, Anna? How long does he have before he’s lost too much blood?” Red coated almost everything now and I could sense through the link he was growing weak. If he lost too much blood, he wouldn’t be able to shift back and the magic of the shift couldn’t heal him. “Why wasn’t your mom here anyway? Why wasn’t she at the fight in case she was needed?” My voice was sharp as I asked questions she didn’t want to answer and she bowed her head.
Take it easy, Trent warned via our link as he jogged up. You know exactly what her mother was doing.
I lowered my head for a second, blowing air out of my lungs as I forced myself to apologize. “I’m sorry, Anna. That was uncalled for.”
“Do you want me to set it?” Leah’s question interrupted us but Anna gave a short nod, accepting my apology. “He’s getting worse.”
Let her, the words were groggy and laced with pain, but Caleb lifted his head enough for our eyes to meet. Let her, he said again before his head thudded back to the ground.
“Go ahead,” I told her, shifting around so I could pin Caleb down and give her room to set the bone. Her fingers moved delicately over the hind leg, gingerly prodding were teeth had dug in, tearing ligaments. She glanced up at me and nodded right before rotating the leg. I braced my weight against Caleb right as he twisted up, jerking against the pain.
“Got it,” she whispered, her fingers gliding over the leg to make sure the bone was aligned. “He needs to shift now,” she added hastily as more blood soaked into the ground from his sudden movements.
“You heard her, Caleb? You need to shift.” I prodded him, shaking his shoulder, but it looked like he might have passed out from the pain. “I’m sorry,” I muttered as I shoved my thumb into a deep cut on his side. A pained whimper escaped him as his eyes shot open and I said quickly, “Shift.”
A shimmer filled the air around his body and a moment later, Caleb laid naked in my arms. Leah still had a hold on his leg, her hand wrapped around his thigh, as the majority of his wounds healed from the shift. The effort took what little energy Caleb had left though as he passed out again.
“Whoa, that was cool,” Leah whispered, staring down at Caleb’s now human body. “So cool.”
“You can quit gawking,” Anna snapped, throwing a towel someone had found over Caleb’s naked body. Leah looked up, startled. A flicker of understanding flashed across her face and she pushed herself up. Trent steadied her when she stumbled and she flashed him a smile of thanks.
“We need to get him home,” I stated and she gave a jerky nod. “Someone will escort you home,” I ordered, giving Trent a pointed look. He huffed, tugging a sucker out of his pocket as he nodded grudgingly. “Thank you. We owe you yet another debt of gratitude,” I informed Leah and she bobbed her head, not replying as she watched me lift Caleb onto the stretcher some of the Pack had brought to get him home. Several of us grabbed the sides, holding it steady as we headed toward the path to home.
Chapter Eighteen
“You can let me go now,” Sam growled, jerking out of Payne’s hold and reeling on him. “What did you think you were doing anyway?”
“Keeping you from interfering and having it declared a forfeit,” he responded hotly, running his hand through his hair. Probably so he wouldn’t be tempted to strangle her, I mused as I watched them argue.
When Sam had shouted for her ex to die, I’d stood there in disbelief. It was only Payne’s quick action that had kept her from lunging into the middle of the ring and killing him herself. I wasn’t sure what had happened between her and Frank Hanley but from the brutal satisfaction I’d witnessed on her face when she saw him dead, I’d have to say he deserved what he got.
“That wouldn’t have happened,” Sam spouted off, chest heaving as she stared him down. “Probably wouldn’t have happened,” she concluded after another minute of calming down. She looked down and saw Nicky clinging to my hand watching her. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” He shrugged, two fingers hooked inside of his chubby cheeks, seeming unaffected by his mom screaming for his dad to die. It made me wonder what else he may have witnessed in his short life to make that seem commonplace.
Payne met my eyes, then flicked his gaze down to where I still had a stranglehold on Nicky’s hand and arched a single eyebrow. I shrugged, mouthing, “Dom,” as if that answered everything. Payne nodded slightly, his gaze wandering around the clearing and I figured he’d get his answers later.
“Nicky, you want a candy bar?” Payne asked, holding out his hand and Nicky eagerly took it as Sam bit back whatever scathing remark she was about to give. “Let’s hit up the vending machine and then go watch cartoons.” Sam opened her mouth, to protest no doubt, but he shook his head warningly. She conceded, nodding as she took Nicky’s other hand.
“Chocolate sounds good right now,” she admitted, her eyes straying back to the blood-soaked ground for a moment before she straightened and followed Payne and her son back to the motel.
“Apparently, I’m now an Uber driver,” Trent drawled, appearing next to me with Leah in tow.
“It was only a matter of time before you were forced to find gainful employment,” I responded, having to force a smile after I saw Leah’s hands. They were covered in blood. “Caleb?” I asked worriedly, checking the connection to Dom. It was there, a low hum that didn’t speak of death.
“Fine,” Trent assured me with a lift of his eyebrows. “It appears Leah here is a vet in training.”
She ducked her head, rubbing her fingers together as she tried to flake the blood off. “I’ve helped my dad a few times,” she said dismissively. “Setting a leg isn’t a big deal. His shift did all the work.”
“Yeah, but he couldn’t shift with a broken leg and was losing a lot of blood. Your quick action saved him,” Trent explained for my benefit.
“Wow, that’s impressive, Leah. I know the Pack appreciated it.”
“Not all of them,” she muttered under her breath and I pretended not to hear. “Can I clean up before I get ‘escorted’ home?” She used air quotes, telling us exactly how she felt about being escorted.
“Of course, you can use my room.” I let her inside the apartment, quickly closing the door behind her as I hissed to Trent, “He’s okay?”
“Yeah, no joke, she saved the day.” Trent eyed the door Leah was behind as he yanked the sucker out of his mouth. “Caleb owes her his life.”
“It was that bad?”
“The break wasn’t and if he’d shifted sooner it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but shifting with a bone that isn’t set….” Trent shook his head. “It would have healed as it was and probably left him with a limp.”
“So, she set the bone and he was able to shift, healing everything.”
“Yeah basically,” Trent agreed, lowering himself to the bench by the door. “Anna’s mom would normally be the one to doctor an injured wolf so he could shift back but she wasn’t there.”
“Why wasn’t she there?” I asked, baffled by that information. It seems like Anna’s mom would have been front and center, knowing the Alpha could potentially be hurt and her daughter at risk.
“She was doing something else,” Trent said evasively, his expression saying he was sorry he’d said anything. I narrowed my eyes but before I could say a word, Leah came out. She’d washed the blood off and straightened her ponytail.
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br /> “I’m ready,” she said to no one in particular, her stare unfocused.
“Great, let’s go,” Trent said hurriedly, taking her arm and steering her to the parking lot and away from my questioning gaze.
“I’ll talk to you later, Trent,” I called to his back and he waved behind him, not bothering to turn around.
I sighed, turning to go back into the apartment when I saw my Dad and Wren arguing. I moseyed closer, their intensity keeping them from noticing me.
“You put my son at risk,” Dad accused. “You put my entire family at risk and this Pack. These women. How do you think I can trust you with my son after that?”
“It’s not what you think,” Wren pleaded. “Please understand I would never let Theodore get hurt.” It took me a second since she used Monster’s given name but I couldn’t doubt her sincerity.
“Did you take him into the woods, intentionally avoiding the patrols put in place to keep you safe?” Dad asked, each word precise and cutting.
“Yes,” she admitted, her voice shaking. “I did, but he was never in danger.”
“Did you go to the Hanley border and met someone there?”
“Yes,” she cried, tears streaking down her face as my Dad stared at her coldly. I was actually starting to feel sympathetic toward her. It was rare for my Dad to get angry but finding out Wren had endangered Monster and possibly the rest of us had been too much for him.
“Then I don’t need to know anything else,” Dad informed her. “Your services are no longer needed and it might be best if you look for other lodging.” Dad spun on his heel, long strides taking him to his office and probably the bottle of whiskey he’d taken to stashing in his bottom drawer.
Wren stood there for a moment, sniffling, and right when I was about to offer a shoulder to cry on, she ran. Straight into the forest, disappearing within seconds as I stood watching.
“Why was Dad so mean to Wren?” Monster slipped his hand inside of mine as we stared at the edge of the dark forest.
“She shouldn’t have taken you into the woods without permission,” I explained to him. “It’s dangerous because of the Hanleys.”
The Challenge (The Pack Book 2) Page 16