She felt the pang of betrayal and hurt flow through his mind, before he shut it away. He pulled her close to him, in a hug. “How close are they? I can’t read them.”
“I…I don’t know. This is the real trap. Last time you came in our area of the restricted lands, it was a quick setup. This is the one they’ve been planning for a long time. They’ve kept this from me. I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay. We’ll make it. Besides, you’ve been with me lately. I have faith in you. In us.” They walked farther apart in single file in case he had to shift suddenly.
They were almost there when her pack in human form began to come out of the trees lining the path. Their eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. They didn’t say a word, not even her mother as they passed the place she stood, confirming Alex’s suspicion that they’d expected him to have come alone. In fact, their surprise at seeing her was nearly all she could get from their minds—expectations of blood, violence, and freedom to be who they were. The last thought confused her. What did they mean by that?
Alex and Nolan walked up to the community lodge and went in. She sat the backpack near the door, out of the way. She was there as an official for the pack and for the humans and had to address this the right way. With the pictures of blood and violence from the others flooding her mind, she wished she and Nolan could just leave.
Although she could not completely hide it, she tamped down her fear. Nothing got the pack more excited than the scent of fear—except blood. She did not wish to give them the satisfaction of either one tonight. Her trepidation set on high, every sense on alert. She turned her head to the stone chairs that served as the high court for their pack. She felt the crazy satisfaction and knew Roxy was here.
“Hello, Red. What a choice morsel you’ve brought us today. The ulfric of the enemy pack. Perhaps we’ve underestimated you all these years.” Roxy’s sultry voice purred over the group. She sat on her chair as if on a throne. Proud, haughty, her dark features were exotically beautiful. The ones closest to her laughed. Alex heard the irony in her pack leader’s voice but didn’t understand the source.
Her confusion must have shown on her face. “Oh, my pet. We all have our gifts. I’m afraid intrigue isn’t yours. Come here, Lance,” she said, holding her hand out to one of the men sitting on the lower stair of the raised dais. “Our Lance here has a gift of foreshadowing. He foretold the healer would truly save us one day. That it would be she who brought us the leader of our most-hated enemy.” Roxy stroked Lance’s black hair as one would pet a dog. “He may be more paleface than I like, but he has come in handy.”
Well, now Alex knew the answer to the mystery of why Roxy felt such strong satisfaction when she looked at the younger healer. However, more surprising was the hatred and anger she felt pouring off Lance. It was not aimed at her. Shocked, Alex looked to Nolan to see if he could read it as well.
Lance had not lied to Roxy. But she had interpreted it wrong, and he had let it stand. He hated Roxy and the way she treated the submissives.
“It’s his gift that has kept him close to me in this position of honor.” Roxy continued to pet Lance possessively.
Alex almost gagged on the shame and fury emanating from Lance. She had to make sure he left with them. This was no way to live. She knew Nolan agreed and he had subtly altered his plan because of what he had heard in Lance’s mind.
Nolan stood his full, impressive height. “Listen,” he said in a powerful voice. “I have come to bring Roxy to justice and give her the choice as is the custom of the were community. You may come with me under human law or I will challenge you under pack law. If you lose, your pack will be subjugated to mine.” He looked around the room.
“I am the ulfric of the pack Wahpawhat. I claim the right to challenge for the killing of three of my pack’s pregnant females and Sean, brother-in-law of Darren, uncle to another unborn. Both Roxy and Boris. They have been seen and witnessed. What is your choice?” He oozed power and justice in that moment.
Pride and honor coursed through Alex. This authoritative man was her mate. Her lover. How did she get so lucky? She didn’t know, but she felt it strongly. His might stirred fear in the hearts of many who were waiting for the fight to begin.
And it would be a fight. Roxy had purposefully let herself and those with her at the attack be seen in human form to push for this confrontation. She wanted to be identified in order to execute her plan. Having Boris strike at Nolan when his back was turned was one of the goals Roxy had in mind.
Alex looked at Boris in rage. She had never hated him so much as she did at that moment.
He planned to turn an honorable fight into a bloody war between the packs. He had poison ready. A shudder of revulsion went through her. She looked in despair at her mom who stood in a corner away from the rest of the pack. What poison? It had to be strong to work on a Were. Did her mom know? Was this another betrayal she had to worry about?
“We will fight,” Roxy declared. “Here and now. The healer will be your second to insure a fair fight.” For a second Alex thought the leader meant her mom. At Roxy’s expectant look, she remembered her mom, Heather, was no longer the pack’s official healer. Alex was. Ever since saving a young cub a few months ago who had shifted early. She could use her status as Nolan’s second to get rid of Boris.
“Then I claim the right as second to have Boris leave the room.” She was desperate. In the true laws of fighting ulfrics or lupas, one pack was not supposed to have more members than another as witness. She did not know where Boris had hid the poison or how he intended to administer it, but if he was not in the room, he could not kill Nolan.
Roxy narrowed her eyes in disapproval, both at being addressed directly by Alex and at her request. “It is your right to clear the room of all members outnumbering the rival pack. Not pick and choose.”
Alex felt the verbal slap. She had also been given a warning that she was not high enough in the pack to speak in situations like this despite being healer and Nolan’s chosen second. If she staked her claim of lupa within Nolan’s pack, she would immediately elevate her status. However, she would also put herself into immediate danger from the rest of Roxy’s pack.
She looked desperately at Nolan. He had to do something. He could not, she realized a heartbeat later. Alex herself had to do it. The challenge was made. As his second, she had to make sure the rules were followed. “Fine. Tell everyone except your chosen to get out before this fight starts.”
“I choose Boris as my second. He will ensure everyone else leaves at once. I’ve waited a long time for this. I won’t let it be bogged down with technicalities now.” She waved her hand, and the rest started filing out of the lodge.
Now Alex was as nervous as if she were fighting. Boris had always eyed her with lust even though he thought her beneath him and not a true were. It had not been hard to read his mind about what he wanted from her. Now he was thinking of cutting her and making her bleed while taking her by force, and if she saw, then she knew Nolan—
“No! Nolan, if you attack him, you lose automatically. Take care of Roxy.”
Boris looked confused and wary when he saw Nolan start for him, and it gave Alex a moment’s vindictive pleasure when she turned toward the man who had made her life horrible when she was younger.
“I’ll take care of Boris,” she said. She had to. Her fight with Boris wouldn’t be nearly as bad as Nolan’s with Roxy and he couldn’t be distracted or Roxy would win. Alex was relieved when Nolan focused back on Roxy and shifted in preparation of the fight.
She knew Boris’s anger was overriding his personal racism about sex with non-weres—her only protection over the years. He also wanted to bite her and make her a were. Anger and revulsion coursed through her as she tried to pay attention to Roxy and Nolan’s actions.
Roxy attacked Nolan, taking advantage of his distraction with Alex. Roxy shifted into wolf in mid jump, never missing a beat. He met her in the air. Screams of rage turned to snarls and barks.
Alex rounded with the snarling duo, keeping Boris in her sight at all times. He hovered around a particular spot a couple of times before he circled the fighters as well. Although the combatants both had dark hair, Roxy was lighter in color than Nolan. In battle, they blurred together. Their eyes glowed, and their sharp teeth showed starkly against their pelts. It looked to Alex like the shadows of hell were fighting each other.
Alex hated seeing this fight. Her throat felt clogged, her hands were clammy, and her legs shaky. She had never witnessed anyone lose to Roxy, preferring to stay away from the lodge when Roxy was in a foul mood. But, of course, she had heard about the fights, and Boris had always stepped in to distract or maim the opponent. Something she would fiercely prevent.
The two combatants tore at each other, blood trailing the floor like a macabre abstract painting.
Where would it end?
Chapter Eighteen
Ten minutes of gnashing and scratching and the two wolves were still at a stalemate, although it appeared to Alex like Roxy was tiring. She felt a surge of hope. Maybe Nolan would win without being hurt beyond healing.
Both fighters stood on all fours and heaved great breathes. They stared each other down, watching for movements that meant an imminent attack. Alex tried to relax. As soon as she did Boris’s satisfaction flowed over her in a powerful stream of consciousness.
Roxy jumped Nolan, and the fight ensued again. Rough-edged threats voiced in gravelly tones and teeth gnashed against each other. Roxy tried to grab Nolan’s neck with her jaw and hold on but she missed. Nolan snapped at her and got a large piece of her underbelly when she rose up for another attack. Her blood gushed out.
“Do you yield?” Alex called as duty required of the second after a severe blow to the opponent. Her answer was a loud growl from Roxy and a slimy laugh from Boris.
Alex took a step closer to Boris. If he intended to cheat, it would be soon since Roxy was losing. She tried to read his intent, but nothing but blood and violence was on the forefront of his mind.
The pair in the center of the room attacked again, meeting head-on. Alex did not know how much more she could take. She did not care if it was ritual.
She was trying to keep her focus away from her mate being hurt when she caught a stray thought from Boris.
“Almost time.”
For what? she desperately wanted to know. A cacophony of growls and yips filled her head, and she could get no more. She held her hands over her ears and concentrated. There, she found the thought. Poison. Boris planned on stabbing Nolan with a knife dipped in poison.
What poison? Did her mom know the antidote if she could not stop Boris before he struck Nolan? Fear for her mate gripped her for a moment before she regained control. She held it back, thinking of the notes Doctor Waverly already had. He could do something she hoped.
A loud crunch filled the room. Roxy yelped and rolled from the ring. Nolan had dealt her a severe swipe. The grating of fractured bone was so loud, Alex would be surprised if the wolf could even move. She had no time to wonder if Roxy would make it because a surge of energy flowed from Boris.
She narrowed her eyes at Boris and glared. He bared his teeth in a snarl of challenge. She concentrated on listening to his mind. His thoughts focused on the knife hidden in his shirt. That explained his reluctance to shift.
She watched and waited for his move. When he reached for the knife, she was ready. She shifted into wolf form and reveled in the look of astonishment on Boris’s face as she rushed him. Power and purpose passed through her mind and body. She was on him by the time he had the knife out. A harsh crack echoed in her head as she took his knife hand into her mouth. She refused to let go. Blood leaked into her mouth, but no matter how much Boris struggled, she stayed clamped on his arm. Keeping him in her hold also prevented him from shifting into his more powerful wolf form.
He shook her hard, lifting her into the air, throwing her to the side. Nolan jumped him, and the knife fell to the ground. Boris turned to wolf and fled the room, smashing through a door. By rights, the winner was Nolan. She was elated. She changed to human form and moved to stand near Roxy. “Do you yield?” Roxy’s wolf body fled her as it changed for healing. She nodded weakly, her breath coming out in gasps.
“Yes,” she answered resentfully. “I yield.”
“Swear your fealty to him now,” Alex said. “You and your pack will now follow Nolan’s lead. It is the way of our people.” She stood up and went over to the doorway and retrieved her backpack.
She tossed Nolan his clothes. “Get dressed,” she told him and put her own on before going out the door Boris had escaped.
“Listen to me, people of the Lupin pack,” she called out to the congregated people waiting outside. “Your leader’s defeated. She has submitted herself to the new ulfric’s rule. Each of you come in to the lodge and swear your fealty to your new ulfric and his lupa.” She loved the shocked sounds and thoughts going through their minds. They started following her back into the lodge.
She had gone from being an unwanted, necessary evil of the pack to the lupa. There was poetic justice in that. She went back inside, smiling gently at Lance as she passed.
When the lodge had filled to overflowing, Nolan addressed them.
“I’m Nolan Littlebull. I am the ulfric of the pack Wahpawhat. You will swear your allegiance to me and my protection and that of all the pack, or justice will be swift and deadly. This,” he said, indicating Alex, “is my lupa. You’ll accord her with the respect due her position. To fail her is to fail me. Is that clear?”
There was a general murmur of surprised agreement. They looked over to Roxy, clad now in only a tapestry she had grabbed from the wall for cover. Blood poured down her side, and her breathing still raspy. No one talked to her.
“Does anyone wish to challenge me?” Nolan shouted out fiercely. When no one made a move toward him, he continued. “No? Then you’re part of my pack and deserving of my protection as well. We’ll meet tomorrow night at Wahpawhat pack’s warehouse. Now come and swear your allegiance to me and mine.” Nolan was such a warrior in that moment. She could see the spirit of the ages in him and felt honored to have witnessed it.
She went to him and kissed him. “You’re my mate. My pack leader. I swear my allegiance to you.”
Nolan smiled down at her. “It is fitting that the first to swear their allegiance from the main pack is the one who’ll be at my side for the rest of my life.” He pulled her into a deep kiss, announcing his claim once and for all before the group of Lupins. There was no question she was his.
She looked deep into his eyes. The pleasure of belonging and being respected moved through her, and she blushed.
They stood together as the rest of the pack was found and swore fealty. She felt vindicated for all the years of being not really of the pack. She looked around for Roxy to see how she taking Alex’s new rank but could not see her and Boris had not returned either.
Alex stood looking serene, but inside, fear was taking hold. Where had they gone?
Nolan grabbed her hand and squeezed, reassuring her with his touch. She kept the fear from overwhelming her since at this juncture it would be very bad for her and Nolan if she showed any. The pack would not respect her being afraid of a defeated Roxy and Boris.
***
After the last person had sworn fealty, Nolan placed two people in charge of collecting grievances and writing down the names of everyone currently in their pack. He took Lance and any others who wanted to go with him out of the lodge and walked to his vehicle.
At his truck, he turned and looked at all the faces of those who had accompanied him that far. The walk back had been a lot different than the one to the fight. He felt euphoria and worry in equal parts. Roxy had not shown her face since the pack started swearing their allegiance to him and Boris was still nowhere to be found.
“Lance, if you’d like, I’ll give you a ride to town. I think it’s best if you don’t hang around here for a w
hile. Roxy is vindictive and hateful,” Nolan said.
“I know,” Lance replied fervently. “She hated me before. Now she will kill me. I respectfully ask for asylum with your pack.”
“You’re all of my pack now. I will find someone strong enough to face Roxy for you to stay with,” Nolan said, then turned to the others. “I’ll find a place for all of you, but if you’re willing to stay together, you can stay in the warehouse.”
“If you don’t mind, we’ll take the warehouse,” a tall woman said. “The pack meeting is tomorrow night, right?”
“Yes. At the warehouse.”
“Then we’ll be okay for one night if we stick together. Thank you, Ulfric, for saving our pack.”
Nolan mumbled an acknowledgment before getting into the truck with Alex and Lance.
The trip back to town was strangely quiet. Nolan expected Lance to have questions and Alex to push him about the disappearance of Boris and Roxy, but no one said much of anything. Tiredness crept along his back and neck as he got closer to town.
He drove to his guard Freddy’s home. Nolan and Lance went in while the ulfric explained the situation. Freddy was single with extra bedrooms, and the pack paid him well to have a safe room open.
Nolan left Lance, went to the truck, and stepped in. Alex looked as tired as he felt. He started the truck and backed out.
“Almost done. We can collect Joseph from Sherona in the morning. I need to go home,” Nolan said. “It’s been a long day.”
“Mmm,” she replied sleepily.
He grinned at her, happy she was with him. “Before we go to sleep, we do have one problem. Make that two.”
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