A hum of excited conversation filled the air as Victor, looking properly humble and surprised, took his place beside Kay in the center of the circle.
Greta held up her hand, silencing the crowd. “As is custom, anyone seeking to be accepted as Alpha must shift on a night when the moon isn’t full to prove they are able and worthy.”
Victor smiled at Greta, then bowed from the waist. “Ladies first.”
He was as good as his word. He waited for Greta to begin, but before she finished, he shifted from man to wolf and back again, proving that he was stronger, faster.
Murmurs ran through the pack.
Resuming her own form, Greta made a slow circle, her gaze resting on each man and woman present. “The choice is yours. Those of you who wish to follow Victor, please stand behind him. Those of you who wish to follow me, join me on this side of the circle.”
Kay held her breath, wondering what the outcome would be. Marriages had broken up when couples refused to follow the same Alpha.
Brett was the first one to make a move. He went to stand at his wife’s side.
Victor looked at Kay; after a moment, she went to stand beside him. She lowered her head, hands clenched at her sides, unable to meet her aunt’s disbelieving gaze.
In a surprisingly short time, the pack had made its decision.
And Victor had lost his bid to be the Shadow Pack’s Alpha.
It took all Kay’s self-control to keep from smiling. She had done what Victor asked and the pack had rejected him. He couldn’t blame her for that, she thought, until she saw his face. His eyes glittered with anger. Tension rolled off him in waves as he fought to keep his wolf in check.
The pack members felt it, too. Their unease was a palpable thing in the taut silence.
Fear’s cold, clammy hand curled around Kay’s insides. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
* * *
Chapter 37
Victor made a slow circuit around the circle, his gaze resting on the face of each pack member. Most of them held their ground; a few glanced away.
He stopped in front of Greta. “You’re not strong enough to hold the Shadow Pack. Either surrender to me, or fight me for it, here and now.”
“No!” Brett sprang in front of his wife. “The pack has made its decision, Rinaldi. Go home, where you belong.”
“My wife is here,” Victor replied with a sneer. “So here is where I belong.” His gaze shifted back to Greta. “Surrender or fight?”
Head held high, Greta stepped around her husband. “I will never surrender to you.”
Victor smiled as if the fight was already won. “So be it.”
Kay placed a restraining hand on her aunt’s arm. “Don’t do this.”
“I have to,” Greta said. “To refuse would be to dishonor everything my brother stood for.”
Kay nodded. She embraced her aunt, then moved away, her heart aching because she knew Victor was right. There was no way Greta could win.
As Kay walked away, she felt Gideon’s presence. Looking up, she saw a familiar black wolf standing beneath a tree about a hundred yards away. Just knowing he was nearby made her spirits rise. Maybe there was still hope after all.
Silence descended over the pack as Victor and Greta shifted.
Kay felt her heart sink when she glanced from one to the other. Victor was larger, more muscular, easily the stronger of the two.
The wolves faced each other, ears twitching back and forth, nostrils flared. Victor snarled, then lunged forward, his teeth snapping but biting only empty air as Greta spun gracefully out of the way.
Kay watched breathlessly as the two wolves circled and snapped at each other. For a time, neither one did any damage. To Kay’s surprise, her aunt drew first blood. Victor howled with rage as Greta sank her fangs into his shoulder, but he shook her off with ease, then sprang forward, his jaws closing on her left foreleg.
Kay flinched when she heard the bone snap.
Victor let Greta go and took a step away, his lips peeled back in a wolfish grin of triumph as she struggled to her feet. Blood dripped from her injured leg.
Kay watched in horror when Victor closed in on her aunt again. Greta tried to defend herself, but it was no use. On three legs, she couldn’t outmaneuver Victor; running away was not an option even if she could manage it. Once begun, it was a fight to the death.
Kay’s horror turned to fury as she watched Victor viciously attack her aunt again and again. Instead of granting his opponent a swift, clean death, it was obvious Victor intended to torment her, to inflict as much pain and damage as he could before delivering the final, killing blow. What was worse, he was enjoying it.
With a cry of rage, Brett darted forward, only to be pulled back by three other pack members. He struggled against them, but they refused to let go. In his human form, he had no chance against Victor.
Kay’s anger grew stronger, harder to control, as Victor sank his fangs into her aunt’s shoulder and gave it a sharp twist. If only she could put a stop to it. But there was nothing she could do… .
Suddenly, it was too much to bear. She had lost her mother. She had lost her father. She couldn’t stand by and let Victor take her aunt from her, as well.
Anger surged up from the very depths of Kay’s being and with it a rush of preternatural power that put fear and caution to flight.
Her clothing shredded as, with a feral cry, Kay shifted.
She stood there for a moment, stunned by the realization that she had changed when the moon was no longer full. But there was no time to think of what that might mean, not now, when her aunt’s life was in danger.
Not when she was violating pack law.
She growled a challenge low in her throat, sank back on her haunches, then launched herself at Victor’s back, her teeth sinking deep into his neck.
Rearing back in surprise, he shook her off, but only for a moment. Regaining her feet, Kay attacked him again and again, her teeth sinking into his side, his shoulder. He was bigger, but she was faster. And as the fight progressed, she proved she was stronger as she drew blood again and again.
A part of her was repulsed by what she was doing, but another part reveled in her newfound strength. Was this how her father had felt? High on the power thrumming through her, she was impervious to the bites Victor managed to inflict on her.
She attacked him again, her teeth tearing a chunk of flesh from his side.
Howling with pain, Victor broke and ran through a break in the circle, only to come to an abrupt halt when a large black wolf bounded into his path.
Victor tried to dart past the strange wolf, but the creature blocked him at every turn, herding him back toward the circle.
Kay met Victor before he reached the pack. Snarling, she flung herself at him, her teeth clamping down on his jugular. She tore his throat out with one savage shake of her head.
Stepping away from the body, she stared at it, exhilaration and horror warring within her as she watched Victor’s body morph from wolf to human.
Panting, her sides heaving, she lifted her head and stared at Gideon, who remained in the shadows, watching her. What would he think of her now? Would he ever look at her the same?
But there was no time to worry about it. The members of the pack were cheering, shouting her name, proclaiming her as their new Alpha.
She glanced over her shoulder to see them running toward her. When she looked back at the place where Gideon had been standing, he was gone.
And then she heard his voice in her mind. Good job, Wolfie. Go enjoy your victory. I’ll see you soon.
Before she could reply, the members of the pack had surrounded her. Needing to make sure her aunt was going to be all right, she shifted, then stood there, shivering a little as the wind picked up.
Tyler Red Elk broke away from the pack. Removing his shirt, he wrapped it around her shoulders. “You’re bleeding.”
Only then did Kay become aware of the numerous bites and scratches on her arms and legs
, feel the pain from the deep gouge in her right side where Victor’s teeth had savaged her. But it was a small price to pay for her aunt’s life.
She felt a rush of relief when she saw Brett gently lift Greta into his arms and start toward the compound. Calling, “Wait,” she hurried after them.
“Is something wrong?” Brett asked, frowning.
“No.” Kay covered her aunt’s hand with her own. “I didn’t side with Victor because I wanted to. You know that, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter, Kiya,” Greta said. “He’s … he was your husband.”
“That had nothing to do with it. I never would have chosen him over you, but he threatened to kill you if I didn’t put his name up as Alpha. And I believed him.” Kay squeezed her aunt’s hand. “There’s something else you need to know. My father’s death wasn’t an accident. Victor hired someone to kill him. Gideon saw it all.”
“I don’t believe it!” Brett exclaimed. “He wouldn’t—”
“He did.”
“Kiya, I’m so sorry,” Greta said.
“You’re our Alpha now,” Brett said. “We’re behind you all the way.” He glanced at his wife, worry lining his brow. “We’ll see you back at the house.”
Kay nodded. “I’ll be along soon.”
Bobby One Horse came up beside her. “You need to get up to the house, too,” he said. “Those bites need tending.”
Kay nodded. Bobby was the pack doctor. “I’ll be all right.”
“Victor was an Alpha. Those bites won’t heal as quickly. I’ll feel better once I clean them up.”
“All right, but go and take care of Greta first. And have someone dispose of the body.”
Bobby smiled at her. “As you wish, Alpha.”
Lying on her bed upstairs while the doctor tended her wounds, Kay overheard snatches of conversation from downstairs as the members of the pack rehashed Victor’s battle with Greta, and then Victor’s battle with Kay. One and all, they agreed that both she and Greta had upheld the honor of the Shadow Pack.
With her wounds tended to, Kay donned a long-sleeved, red silk dress that covered the half-healed wounds on her arms and legs, took a deep breath, and went downstairs where she accepted the congratulations of those present. Then, calling for silence, she stood before all the members of the pack and demanded their fealty.
One by one, each pack member over the age of eighteen came forward and swore allegiance to her, promising to defend her and the Shadow Pack to the death.
It was the most moving night of her life. What would her father think if he could see her now?
Feeling a sudden need to be alone, she slipped out the back door and made her way to the cemetery.
She hadn’t gone far when she sensed Gideon’s presence. Moments later, he materialized beside her. “Do you want me here?” he asked. “Or would you rather be alone?”
“Stay.” She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying when he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
Side by side, they made their way to the meadow.
Gideon leaned against one of the cottonwood trees outside the fence while Kay went inside and knelt at her mother’s grave.
Kay bowed her head in prayer, silent tears tracking her cheeks.
She deserved a good cry, Gideon thought, watching her. She had lost her parents. She had almost lost her aunt. She had killed the man who was her husband. She had taken over the position of Alpha, and all that it entailed.
Looking at her, his heart swelled with sympathy and pride. His wife was a hell of a woman.
His head snapped up as he caught the scent of wolf.
Alpha wolf.
A second breath and he identified the intruder as Victor’s father. Before he had time to consider the man’s presence in the vicinity, the wolf vaulted over the fence and knocked Kay to the ground.
Gideon was on the wolf in an instant. His hands locked around the animal’s throat. With one quick twist, he broke the wolf ’s neck, then tossed the carcass aside and reached for Kay.
“Are you all right?” he asked, helping her to her feet.
She nodded, too stunned to speak.
“Are you sure?”
Nodding again, she glanced at the dead wolf, who even now was reverting to his human form. And then she swore softly. “Do you know what this means?” she exclaimed. “I’ve only been Alpha for a few hours, and we’re already on the verge of war.”
Gideon opened his preternatural senses, his gaze sweeping the darkness. “You’d better get back to the house,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anyone else out here, but there’s no sense taking chances.”
“Come with me?”
“You’ll have to invite me in again.”
“As Alpha, you will always be welcome in my home,” she said, kissing his cheek. “This invitation is irrevocable.”
“So,” Kay said, after explaining what had occurred at the cemetery. “What are our options?”
Sitting in the easy chair beside the hearth, she glanced from her aunt to Brett and back again. Greta sat on the sofa in the living room, her broken leg propped up on a footstool. It would be healed by morning.
Brett sat next to her. Gideon stood beside the hearth. He had carried Diego Rinaldi’s body back to the compound, wrapped it in a sheet, and left it in the barn.
Greta shook her head. “If we’re careful, we should be able to avert a war. After all, you defeated Victor fair and square. And Rinaldi attacked you from behind with obvious intent to kill you. They can’t blame Gideon for defending you.”
Kay shook her head. She hoped Greta was right and that the Green Mountain Pack would realize that Victor’s father had transgressed pack law by not openly challenging Kay to a fair fight to redress his grievances, but somehow, she didn’t think the wolves of the Green Mountain Pack would see it that way.
“Who’ll take over, now that Victor and his father are both gone?” she asked.
“If no one objects, Diego’s brother, Rudolfo, is next in line to be Alpha,” Brett said. “Do you know him?”
“Not really.” She had met Rudolfo once or twice while growing up. Rudolfo was five years younger than his brother. He had been away from home during the short time Kay had lived in the Rinaldi compound. She had no doubt that he would soon return home to avenge his brother and his nephew. For all she knew, he could be there now.
Brett and Greta exchanged glances, and then Brett asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Do you think you can take him?”
“I don’t know.” Rudolfo was taller than Diego, broad-shouldered, with a neck like a bull. He would be in his early forties now. Like vampires, werewolves grew stronger with age. She was deeply afraid that Rudolfo Rinaldi would not be as easy to defeat as Victor had been.
“Well,” Brett said, “tomorrow four of our men will take Rinaldi’s body home and explain what happened… .”
“I should go with them,” Kay said.
“No. They know you’re in mourning for your parents, and supposedly grieving for Victor, even though he died at your hand. Hopefully, they’ll respect that. It might buy us some time. Maybe enough time to cool any thoughts they have of revenge.”
Gideon pushed away from the hearth, his hands clenched at his sides. “And if it doesn’t?”
“Then she’ll have to fight,” Greta said quietly.
“No.” Gideon shook his head. “She’s not risking her life again.”
“I’m Alpha,” Kay said. “I knew what I was getting into when I killed Victor.”
“Dammit, Kay …” He raked a hand through his hair. She was right. He knew it. He admired her courage and the strength of her convictions. But he for damn sure didn’t have to like it.
Brett and Greta called it a night a short time later.
With a sigh, Kay stretched her arms over her head. She was weary in mind and body. Doubts about her ability to defeat Rudolfo and to take her father’s place as Alpha weighed heavily on her mind.
She clo
sed her eyes as Gideon moved up behind her and began to massage her neck.
“That feels wonderful.” She smiled when he brushed a kiss across the top of her head.
“Tired?” he asked.
She nodded, her head lolling forward as his fingers worked their magic on the knots in her back and shoulders.
He massaged her for another twenty minutes, then scooped her into his arms and carried her swiftly up the stairs to her bedroom, where he undressed her, slipped a nightgown over her head, and tucked her into bed.
“Sleep tight, Lady Alpha,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.
She clung to his hand. “Don’t you want to stay here, with me?”
“Of course I do, but with all that’s going on, I wasn’t sure how your pack would feel about that, you know? The whole werewolf–vampire thing.”
“You’re my husband. This is where you belong, unless …”
He covered her mouth with his hand, cutting off her next words. “Don’t go there, Wolfie. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and you know it.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she murmured, “I’ve missed you.”
“No more than I’ve missed you.”
She scooted over, tugging him down beside her. “Do you think we’ll ever have a life together when someone isn’t trying to kill one of us?”
“I sure as hell hope so.”
“Gideon …”
“It’s all right. Go to sleep, darlin’. You’ve earned it.”
“You’ll stay with me?”
He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Until the sun comes up.”
“You won’t go far?”
“Not a chance.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
With a sigh, she snuggled up against him, her head pillowed on his shoulder, asleep between one breath and the next.
Gideon inhaled deeply, grateful to have a few hours to hold her close, to run his fingers through her hair, lightly stroke the softness of her skin. Lying there, he wondered what the future held for the two of them. He was a vampire, she was now the Alpha of her pack. He wasn’t entirely sure what that entailed, but one thing he did know was that her pack would expect her to live with them from now on, and he wasn’t certain how he felt about that. Since werewolves and vampires were natural enemies, there was little chance that her pack would accept him, and he couldn’t ask her to leave.
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