by Mandy Rosko
The only thing Shelley knew about Isaac was that he was quiet and followed his older cousin around religiously. The fact that he was more polite than Cal about his wishes for Michael to stay away hardly made her appreciate him, though.
As if they’d sensed her eyes on them, both men suddenly stopped talking and looked her way.
She snapped her head away, mortified to have been caught. Deena laughed at her like a traitor.
“You need to get used to that. The people in this room are all really in tune with what goes on around them. You can’t just stare for so long and expect them to not notice.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, hardly grateful for the advice.
Alex stepped in the middle of the room and called everyone’s attention to him. The murmur of voices quieted down almost instantaneously, a show of obedience if Shelley had ever seen one.
Alex cleared his throat. “Okay, thanks for showing up on such short notice, everyone. As you all know and can now see for yourselves, Michael is back, and he’s got a couple of things he wants to set straight.”
When Alex stepped away, giving the floor to Michael, Shelley half expected everyone to break out clapping like at a convention. The room remained oddly silent as he stepped forth, every pair of eyes on him.
He didn’t shift his feet or clear his throat. He just stood tall and spoke with a clear voice that carried. “All right, you all got the message. The vampires are still here, and they still want my pelt.”
“Step down, Hunter,” Cal interrupted, getting to his feet. All eyes turned to him. That serious glint in his eyes was strong as ever, but now with a sparkle of self-righteous anger to add to the nasty mix. “You being here puts us all in danger. You left. Things were safer then.”
“Sit down, Cal, before I knock you down,” Michael said.
Shelley clutched Deena’s hand tighter. Was it just her or did everybody in the room get even bigger?
She wasn’t imagining anything, though. Maybe it was the testosterone doing it, or that they all just sat a little straighter at the challenge to their alpha’s authority. The low growling was definitely there, too.
“We should’ve had it out by now, but you wanted to call this Girl Scout meeting to attendance.”
Alex stepped forth. “Cal, sit.”
Whoa. Shelley now understood why Michael thought Alex would do well as alpha. Cal had no choice but to sit under the harsh order, like a dog that had been severely commanded by its master. The air was thick with tension afterwards, but Michael continued on.
“I called everyone here to let you know, officially, that I’m stepping down.”
Murmurs filled the room, but not shocked ones. A lot of eyes turned to Shelley.
She turned just enough to see the happy smirk on Cal’s face. He stood again. “I wanted to fight you for it, but this is good enough. I nominate myself as alpha.”
Alex’s voice rang loud and clear. “I nominate myself as alpha.”
Shelley leaned into Deena. “Is Chris going to nominate himself?”
“No, he’s better suited as an omega, but he might take the beta position. A lot of the wolves in here are omegas. There aren’t many who are alpha material, but the ones who are will most likely step up, and only if they’re single. Jake’s an alpha and could probably nominate himself, but with the way he is…” Deena didn’t need to finish.
It wouldn’t have been good for anyone with a pack leader who could barely control himself.
Shelley caught Michael’s eyes on her. He seemed at peace with the way things were going, happy to be stepping down from such a high position, so long as Alex was part of the nomination process.
He knew what he was doing.
I have every faith in you, she thought, willing him to hear it.
In total, seven potential alphas, only one of whom was female, stepped up for the nomination.
Isaac quickly stood as well, but not to nominate himself. “Is it wise that you step down now? When we’re on the brink of war with the vampires?”
Cal grumbled at him, but the smaller were held his ground.
“I’ve taken a mate,” Michael said. “I can’t keep the respect of your wolves with her in my life, nor can I make proper decisions as a man if I’m worrying about Pearl attacking her. It’s better that I step down now and that we decide who becomes alpha as soon as possible. Deena, we’ll need you to see to anyone injured in the fights.”
“My stuff’s all ready,” she said.
“She won’t be needing to see me,” Cal said. “And when I do become alpha, the first decision I make will be to get you out of here, Hunter. The vampires want you. I haven’t forgotten what happened the last time they attacked.”
Every head in the room bent a little, as if in memory of their fallen. Michael had told her people had been hurt and at least one person had died. Shelley’s insides boiled. Cal was using that information to his full advantage in this situation, trying to lure out the sympathy of the pack to better turn everyone against Michael.
That bastard. She wanted to punch him and make that perfect nose all crooked but held back, clenching her hands into fists instead.
“I’m not putting Eric’s death on my shoulders, Cal. They attacked us without warning. There was nothing I could have done, or said, when they weren’t even interested in sending a messenger before they swarmed us.”
“You could’ve stayed away,” Cal countered.
Shelley caught the occasional nod, even from a few of the nominated alphas, and she decided she really hated those people. She prayed hard none of them would become the head alpha.
“We’re a pack,” Alex said. “We take care of our own. Michael left for a reason”—he nodded toward Shelley—“and he came back for a reason. He’s gonna step down, and we’re going to have this out real fast because the vampires are still out there. If I win the trial fight and become alpha, I’m letting each and every one of you in this room know that I will not turn one of my own away, Michael and his mate included. Anyone with a problem with that, say so now.”
The room remained silent, with barely a breath to break the trance Alex’s words seemed to put everyone in. Cal’s fists clenched up. What exactly was he supposed to say to something like that?
“All right.” Michael brought his hands together in a single resounding clap, gathering the attention of the room back to himself. “The nominees are decided. Let’s get outside.”
Everyone got to their feet and moved toward the door. Alarm bells were ringing in Shelley’s head. “We’re doing this now?”
“Guess we have to,” Deena said. Chris had come over to them now that the meeting was adjourned and wrapped his whole arm around her waist.
“What’s wrong?” he asked at what was no doubt a shocked look on Shelley’s face.
“Why are they having this out now? The nominees were only just decided.”
“Yeah, so now they have to figure out which of them gets to be leader. They need to fight to do that.”
Holy fast-as-lightning Batman. Shelley figured there would be more procedures to be followed, times to schedule the fight, where it was going to take place. Didn’t anyone fighting need to call whomever they worked for to arrange for time off should they get hurt? Boxing fights took months to set up. She knew they wanted this done fast, but Shelley had still thought this whole setup would take at least a few days. This was happening in minutes.
Michael took her hand. She hadn’t even noticed he was in front of her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Are you still fighting?”
“Have to. The nominees still have to prove they can beat me to be alpha. But I’ll only fight the last man standing. Hopefully that’s Alex, in which case, since I’m stepping down, it’ll be mostly for show.”
“And if Cal’s the last man standing?”
He flashed his teeth in a dangerous grin. “Then I’m going to knock his ass out.”
Chapter Five
>
Every member of Michael’s pack filed out the front door and onto the green lawn with an eager anticipation that Shelley could feel thrumming throughout their collective bodies and into the surrounding air.
Two omegas had run into the nearby brush to collect twigs and sticks and were now placing them on the grass in the shape of a large octagon that went at least fifteen feet around. The wolves who were not participating in the fight were either crowding around the alphas they were rooting for to win or running back and forth to their cars and trucks collecting foldout chairs and coolers with drinks.
“They look like they’re getting ready for a barbecue,” Shelley said, miffed that the pack picked now to be all social. Michael took her hand and led her closer to the octagon.
“These things tend to get turned into parties. It’s a big deal when a leader is chosen.”
Made sense. Shelley had gotten totally wasted and had partied like there was no tomorrow at the last election. Of course, there were the usual pictures in the gossip mags the day after to highlight that particular night. “What are the rules?” she asked, putting herself back in the present.
“Well…”
A loud roar resounded through the air. Cal leaped into the octagon, tearing his shirt from his chest, knees bent, feet bare, and giant hands clenched and looking ready to rip into the next person he ran into.
Another alpha roared and jumped in with him, muscles bulging similarly. The guy even grinned as he licked his lips, obviously more than ready for what was to come. Shelley didn’t know the man, but he was bigger than Cal was, and by the size of his snarl, just as eager for the title of head alpha.
A spark of hope lit up in Shelley’s chest. Cal might not be the only wolf who wanted to see Michael completely thrown out of his pack, but Cal was the only one so far who had rudely come out to make those thoughts known. For that reason alone, he was on her hit list. If this giant here had as much strength as he looked like he did…
The two men threw themselves at each other. The larger of the two jumped high, and Cal kept low, diving entirely under the huge space between the larger man’s legs, pulling a dirty move by kicking him in the groin on his way through.
A pained sound echoed through the onlookers as every male’s hand seemed to find their crotches, faces twisting in sympathy pain. No one felt it more than the giant wolf who’d been hit. He clutched at crotch and fell to his knees, catching himself on one hand to keep from completely falling on his face.
He was a fighter, though, and despite coughing and gagging for air, he was already struggling to get up when Cal caught him from behind, one hand gripping the back of his belt, the other his neck. The veins in Cal’s throat swelled to the bursting point, and his face turned red with the effort, but he hauled the larger were into the air and launched him out of the octagon. The guy flew like a regular bird, despite his size.
Several members of the pack who’d set up their chairs and drinks in the landing zone had to scramble out of the way before they got squashed. Their chairs were all but destroyed in the hard fall.
The giant hulk of a wolf wasn’t knocked out from it, but when he got to his feet, the whole of his body seemed to ripple and shift. He fell back to his hands and knees just as his body burst out with fur, bones cracking and taking knew shape. He was a wolf, a real, gray wolf, almost before his paws touched the ground.
Everyone watched as he shook himself out of his pants and shoes. He was so huge as a man that, even though he was a pretty big wolf, the transformation did nothing to his clothes.
The wolf’s head came up as though suddenly aware that everyone was watching him, which Shelley found strange because the wolves had no sense of being men.
Maybe his shame for losing was so bound to him that he felt it even in this form. He raised his head high, neck stretching out, howled a low, sad tune, and ran off.
Shelley blinked as the defeated party disappeared around the house. That was it? That was the first trial fight? It lasted less than thirty seconds!
Cal’s answer was more of a victory roar than a howl. Shelley half expected to see foam dripping from his mouth. He exited the octagon instead, snatching a towel from Isaac, who had been waiting with it, and stomping into the house.
“The fighters pretty much get to choose their own partners. Anything goes. That’s the rules,” Michael said, answering the question that by now she’d forgotten she’d asked.
“What’s going to happen to that other wolf? Is he okay?”
“He’ll be fine. Just embarrassed and needs to run it off. Alphas don’t like being beaten.”
No, she imagined they didn’t. “And Cal?”
“As per the rules, he doesn’t have to fight until at least two more people have fought and won. There aren’t enough fighters for that, though. He’ll rest up and get back in the game after this fight ends.”
Shelley frowned. “Why does Cal hate you so much?”
Michael looked at her.
“He keeps talking about the safety of the pack, but he definitely hates you.”
A crooked smile touched Michael’s lips. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. He thinks I became the head alpha unfairly.”
Shelley cocked her head, no longer paying attention to the other weres who were milling about, passing around drinks, and fixing the positions of the octagon twigs.
“Silver pelt,” Michael said. “He and I were the last two competitors fighting for the spot to go against our then-head alpha. I transformed into a wolf and won the fight. People said it was no contest.”
Explained the hatred thing, but… “That’s his problem. You’re both werewolves, you both fought, and you won. Did you win the fight against your alpha as a man?”
Michael seemed definitely too pleased with her praise of him and even seemed to stand a little taller. “Yup.”
“Then it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s just petty and jealous.”
“And he’s going to take that out on the fighters in the circle,” Michael said, becoming serious and pointing toward the octagon.
Shelley thought of the werewolf whom Cal had given flying lessons to just five minutes ago. Suddenly her mood had been killed.
Just then, something occurred to her. “Have I ever met him? Your previous alpha, I mean.” She took a second to scan some of the faces around her, wondering which of them could possibly have been the man formerly in charge of Michael’s safety.
Michael looked at her, his jaw clenching as he turned back to the octagon, his arms folding over his massive chest. “Eric was our previous alpha. One more reason Cal wants me gone.”
Shelley hissed, as though the new knowledge had stung her.
She reached her hand out to him, an apology on her lips, but already someone else was stepping up to the plate to issue a challenge, and the cheering and clapping drowned out anything she was about to say.
The fighters seemed to be decided based on who wanted to immediately volunteer. At the rate this was going, a winner would be declared by dinner time.
It was the female alpha, her black hair cut Emma Watson-short. She, too, had removed her shirt, only she hadn’t ripped it off in a show of strength like Cal had, revealing a simple gray sports bra that held up small breasts and showing off a flat stomach with the hint of a six-pack. She wasn’t hugely muscled like Cal or the giant who’d fought before her, but as Shelley had seen, that wouldn’t necessarily be her downfall. Alex entered the octagon with her, Chris and Deena loudly cheering him on. Even Jake had sulked over to silently offer his support.
There was no ding of a bell, no one, two, three, go. It seemed to begin as they circled each other.
This fight was different from the last. The female wolf stepped in confident but not overconfident. She didn’t count on her strength to win her the match. Alex must have known this from the beginning, as he didn’t charge her right away. They circled, knees bent, ready to spring, each searching for whatever openings they could find, the crowd around them cheering.
Alex made the first move. He dived down and grabbed her legs, pulling them right out from under her before the female could do anything about it, but to Shelley’s surprise, she bent backward, nimble as a piece of elastic. She caught herself on her hands, kicking her legs back up in the air, catching Alex in the face in her backflip, and spinning back onto her feet.
The onlookers went insane. Some of them transformed into their wolves right there with the adrenaline rush they got from the show.
“Macy is a good fighter,” Michael said, his voice monotone. Shelley looked at him, saw the twitch in his muscles, and knew he was working to keep his own body from reacting to the fight.
“Would you choose her as alpha?” Shelley asked. Macy lunged for Alex’s exposed torso, gripping him much the same as he’d done to her, lifting him clear off the ground, and putting him onto his back. She scrambled to pin him.
“On a good day, maybe. Otherwise, I’d stick with my first choice.”
Cal had stepped out onto the deck, holding a brown beer bottle by the neck, white towel over his bare shoulders, ready to watch now.
Shelley turned back to the fight just as the heel of Alex’s palm came up and caught Macy in the jaw in an attempt to throw her off. A tiny spray of blood flew out from her spittle, and she went rigid over top of him.
Uh-oh, Shelley thought as the dark, coarse hairs began sprouting through the pores of Macy’s skin. Her neck thickened, her face became longer, and fingernails lengthening to sharp claws. It was almost like watching a woman grow a beard in super speed.
Macy tore clean out of her clothes in the transformation, unlike the last alpha whose body was so big his wolf could walk out of his clothes.
Alex was not at a disadvantage. Her transformation sparked his own body to react, and his arms thinned and fingers shrank into paws, gray hair rising out of his peach skin in the same Miracle-Gro way it seemed to do with all the wolves.