* * *
The snick of my door opening rouses me from sleep. Sitting up, I tense, waiting to see if it’s friend or foe. Selena’s scent hits me and the tension in my body instantly floats away.
“Cain, are you awake?” she whispers, her voice barely audible.
“Yes. I’m awake.” The shock of her arrival suddenly fades and is replaced with worry as I wonder why she’s coming to my room. “Are you okay?”
“Yes… no. Not really. Will you hold me? I feel so alone in there.” Her voice breaks and I worry at my lip while considering her request. I’d love to hold her, but can I do it without taking it further? Without further murkying the water between us.
Taking a deep breath, I pat the bed beside me in invitation, forgetting that she can’t see in the dark as well as I can. “Sure. Come and get in,” I offer.
The door closes and I listen to her footsteps in the plush carpet as she makes her way towards me.
The bed dips and I hold the covers back as she slides in beside me. The T-shirt she’s wearing goes down to her knees, and I know it must be Theo’s. His scent wrapped around her helps me hold my wolf back. Yet another reminder that she isn’t ours. She’s Theo’s.
Taking her into my arms, I pull her against me and settle down into the soft bed. Her breath becomes slow and steady, telling me she’s drifted off to sleep.
I lie here, enjoying the feel of her body in my arms as the hours pass. I can’t completely relax because I know if I do, my wolf may very well try to make the most of my unconscious state, and I can’t allow that.
There’s a loud crash on the stairs, and I gently release Selena, leaving her curled up in my bed as I head out of my room to see what’s causing the noise. A glance at my watch tells me it’s way too early to be Theo. It’s only two in the morning.
I open the door and come face-to-face with my father. I see his nostrils flare as he takes in my half-dressed state. I’d gone to bed in just a pair of boxers and being a werewolf, you get used to being naked or half-naked around people. I’d not even considered pulling anything on when Selena had come in or just now when I’d gotten up.
“You fucker!” His fist flies at me, but I stop it in mine before it connects, his inebriated state having slowed his movements down. Some mean feat considering werewolves can’t get drunk with alcohol. He’s clearly had something. He’s been known to get his hands on all kinds of drugs, ones that vets use on elephants. Even mixing the drugs together. He’s always been a fucking dickhead, but since he lost his mate six months ago, he’s been uncontrollable.
“It’s not what you think, Dad.” I shove him away from me as I pull the door behind me closed, not wanting him to disturb Selena. “You’ve got the wrong end of the fucking stick.”
“She’s been playing with your stick all right.” His crude remark has him smirking. “It’s okay, I won’t tell Theo… as long as she gives my stick some attention too.” He grabs at his crotch, emphasising his meaning
My fist flies at his vulgar display. The crunch as it connects with his jaw tells me something’s broken. Pain surges through my hand, and I wonder if the crunch came from me or my father.
I glance at him on the floor as he shoves at his jaw, pushing it back into place with a grunt, unable to hide the pain. He gets to his feet slowly and steadily. The high he’d been riding will have been pushed away with the adrenaline now surging through him. My father glares at me in silence, his face turning red with anger as his energy pulses painfully against my skin.
My clenched fists shake at my sides. As much as I know I should never have attacked my father—my alpha—I can’t help but feel I was in the right to do it. He’s been a mess since Margie died, nothing but a burden on the pack. He shouldn’t have said what he had about Selena, though. His own son’s mate, or as good as. As these thoughts run through my mind, my back straightens and I lift my head, my eyes meeting his in a challenge.
“You better think long and hard for a second, Cain.” His eyes bore into mine. “Back down now, because if you don’t, I’ll be forced to kill you and being my son won’t save you from that. And that piece of skirt in there.” He points to the door behind me. “She’ll be fucking under me regardless of whether your brother takes her as a mate. I’m the alpha here.” His lip turns up in a snarl. “Not him, and certainly not you.”
I can see in his eyes he expects me to back down, but I can’t. “You better go call in the pack. They all need to be here for an Alpha Duel.” I stare him down until my eyes are stinging with the need to blink.
“So be it,” he says, smirking as he pulls out his phone and walks away.
I head back into the bedroom and pace the room as my mind wanders. I have no fear for what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow may be the end of my life, but I won’t go out easily. I won’t go out at all if I can help it.
It’s been a long time since I last trained with Dad, just before he gave up training. When you have a pack of werewolves to fight for you, what’s the point in fighting for yourself? He may even go into our duel tomorrow expecting one of his stronger wolves to stand in for him. Unfortunately, he’s been a crap alpha lately, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be sadly mistaken.
The only chance Dad has of beating me is if he draws on the power of the pack. Although he only has the ability to do that if the pack allows him to. I don’t know if they would right now, so I could very well beat the old man tomorrow.
My wolf sits back, not caring about the fight ahead. It’s going to happen and we can only deal with it at the time. There’s no point worrying about it now. Liking this logic, I walk over to the bed and lay down beside Selena once again. I breathe in her scent knowing this will most likely be the last time I’ll have her this close to me again.
* * *
The door clicks open and I jump up, alert, and ready to protect Selena from any advances my father may make. Unless he’s here to kill me in my sleep having come to the conclusion he may actually have a tough fight on his hands when the duel comes.
The intruder’s scent hits me and the tension leaves my body instantly. Theo.
“Hey. How’s she doing?” He acknowledges Selena with a nod in her direction.
“She’s…” I glance in her direction, memorising the sight of her on my bed. “She’ll be glad you’re back.” I grab a pair of sweats off the chair by the wall and pull them on. “Go hug your girl. I’m done sleeping.”
I consider telling him about Dad and the duel, but I can see his worry for Selena etched in the crease of his frown as he stares at her. I don’t want to add to his stress or take away his attention from her. She needs him. Besides, there’s nothing he can do to stop the duel.
Five
ALPHA DUEL
Cain - Still Seven Years Ago
Theo catches me in the kitchen after lunch, finally having exited my bedroom and leaving Selena to shower. He claps a hand on my shoulder. “What have you done?” I start at the pressure of his hand, before he releases me. “Hey, I know it’s something serious. I can feel it. The pack’s energy through the bonds is beyond crazy, and yours isn’t much better.” He rubs at his forearms, no doubt rubbing my excess energy away as it brushes against his skin.
I hand him a coffee and pour another for myself. “I challenged Dad. He’s calling in the pack and we’ll be having an Alpha Duel tonight.” I risk a look, flicking my eyes to his and see nothing but anger in his eyes.
“It should be me,” he snaps, as he drives his fist into the countertop.
“You don’t even know why I did it,” I argue.
He takes a moment to sip his coffee, and I watch his eyes flicking from wolf to human as he pushes his wolf down. “It doesn’t matter why. I should have done it a long time ago. He’s been nothing but be a burden since Margie died.”
Hearing his admission causes something deep inside me to settle. I know I’m doing the right thing, but hearing it from my big brother cements it inside me that little bit more.
“I can st
and in for you. Challenge him myself,” Theo offers.
“No! Don’t you dare.” I take a mouthful of coffee while I think carefully about my next words. “You take Selena away from here for a couple of hours. If I don’t walk away from this, I don’t want her to have to deal with the extra death on top of her family. Tell her… I’ve gone away.” The thought of not making it causes my voice to break.
Theo pulls me into his arms, and I feel stupid hugging my brother. We’re both fucking adults and we’re hugging like babies. “I’m your big brother. I shouldn’t let you do this.”
I pull back and lock onto his eyes. “I need to do this for myself. I can’t have you stand in for me. Promise me, Theo, look after that beautiful girl of yours.”
He lets out a sigh, and after a moment’s hesitation, he nods. “Fine. But you better beat the miserable old bastard.” We break away, going back to our coffees.
I settle my arse against the countertop behind me. “I’ll give it my all,” I say, knowing I can’t promise anything more.
“That’s all I can ask.” He weighs me up for minute, obviously thinking something over before nodding. “You’ll make a good alpha if you do win.”
I flinch, taken aback by his words. I wouldn’t be alpha. I’d never take the pack. “No, Theo.” I shake my head. “You would be a far better alpha than me, so I’d be handing the pack over to you.” Winning an Alpha Duel would mean I’m entitled to the role of alpha, but Theo’s older than me and far more deserving of the position. Not to mention he would be able to handle the stress of running a pack much easier than I would.
Theo’s eyes widen, evidently surprised at my admission. “You mean that. I….” He releases a breath and gives me a heart-warming smile. “Thank you. It means a lot knowing you have so much faith in me.”
Selena’s scent fills the air a few seconds before she walks into sight behind Theo, effectively ending our conversation. She wraps her arms around his waist, slipping by his side as Theo lifts his arm for her.
“Morning.” She gives me a shy smile. “Thanks for last night.”
“It was noth—”
She looks at me with a raised brow. “It wasn’t nothing. Not to me,” she snaps, cutting me off.
“Okay. Well… you’re welcome then.” I give Theo a pleading look and he quickly places a kiss on her temple.
“Dad’s having a little get together later with some unsavoury characters.” Theo throws me a wink she can’t see. “I don’t want them around you. So I was thinking, is there somewhere you’d like to go?”
“Actually, I’d like to go home. I don’t know if I can stay there, but I will definitely need to pick some things up.” She looks up at him with a solemn stare.
“Of course. Home it is.” It’s not like he’d deny her anything, let alone when she’s looking at him like that. “I’ve just got to track Dad down to let him know our plans. He won’t be happy we’re leaving, but I honestly don’t care what he thinks.” He gives me one last look before walking out the room. Not knowing what the look was about, I grab a mug down and offer Selena a coffee.
“Yes, please. About last night… I….”
I shake my head. I really don’t want to think about last night. I don’t need thoughts of our kiss running through my mind. Not when I’m about to fight for my life. “Don’t worry about last ni—”
She raises her voice over mine. “I heard you fighting with your dad. I didn’t hear everything or even understand half of what I did hear, but I did hear what he said about me. Thank you for having my back. I know it must have caused trouble for you.”
My face breaks into a smile. This beautiful woman always surprises me. “I’ll always have your back. You’re as good as my sister-in-law now.” I throw her a wink and then almost bolt out of the room as I fight my wolf against releasing a growl. He did not like that statement one bit. I channel my anger, pushing it into my centre and hoping to hold onto it for later.
* * *
I glance at my watch for the fiftieth time—Nine fifteen. The pack started to arrive at seven in the evening, and they’re still trickling in now.
My wolf has been pacing since my parting words to Selena at lunchtime. He isn’t a patient soul, especially having to sit back and watch Theo with Selena most days.
Having her so close to me last night may have been a big mistake.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to worry about that. I need to focus on the fight before me. An Alpha Duel.
Once my watch reads quarter to ten, I make my way to the clearing in the middle of the bush that surrounds the house. The fight is set for ten o’clock. Being tardy wouldn’t really be an issue; it’s not like there’s any punishment he can give me. After all, he’s going to try and kill me anyway.
As I walk through the last line of trees, all eyes fall upon me. It’s hard to gauge in the bonds how everyone is feeling about our duel, but going by the occasional flat smile and nodding of heads I get as I pass, some of my pack mates must be happy with it. Let’s just hope they’ll get the outcome they want. I head to the centre and take off my shirt, throwing it to the ground as I wait for my opponent.
Chloe strides out of the crowd and stops before me. “Good luck, Cain.” She lowers her voice to a whisper, obviously in the hope I’m the only one who can hear her next words. “The pack has needed a shake-up like this for a while.”
I nod in agreement, and thank her for the luck she’d offered. After giving me a quick peck on the cheek, she walks back to the crowd as Billy and Wes take her place beside me.
Wes claps a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know what provoked you to do this, but it’s the right thing for the pack. You’ll be a young alpha, but you have it in you to be a great one.”
I let out a laugh. “I have to beat him first, Wes.”
Billy looks at me with a raised brow. “You’re a lot fitter than he is. You train every spare minute you get. I haven’t seen your father train in years.”
Pack members around us stir and we turn to see Dad strut through the parted crowd. A couple of the older wolves pat him on the back as he passes, offering him good wishes. It surprises me not more members follow with the action. I guess that in itself tells me just how much of the pack are wanting me to win today. He stops before us.
Billy and Wes both make a move to join the spectators, but Dad calls out. “Wes, we need a referee. I would’ve liked Theo to have the job but unfortunately, he’s otherwise engaged.” He looks at Wes with a raised brow. “Are you up for it?”
Wes’s back stiffens at the request. “Of course. Are we ready?” he asks, looking between the two of us.
I grunt in answer.
“Let’s get this over with,” Dad says. There’s no empathy in his voice. If he wins, he’ll be killing his youngest son, and he doesn’t seem to give a toss. Bastard.
Wes takes a moment to clear his throat before acknowledging the crowd. “Thank you for your patience tonight. We’ve been called here to play witness to an Alpha Duel. Cain Wilson has challenged the current alpha, his father, Marcus Wilson.” He turns his attention to me. “Does the challenge still stand?”
“Yes.” My words come out confident and clear. No one would know I’m worried about not making it through this fight. I’ve had duels before, but there’s something in the air tonight. Some underlying current that makes me feel that this isn’t anything like those regular duels.
The crowd stirs at my words and Wes turns his attention back to them. “Does anyone contest this duel?” Usually this line gives someone else the opportunity to fight me first. Either in hopes to weaken me for the fight with my real opponent or if not, kill me before I even get to fight my intended opponent. Most duels are to the death, but one can submit anytime during the fight if they wish to. That isn’t the case in an Alpha Duel. This is to the death.
Everyone stands stock still. Even those that had wished Dad luck on his way in.
Dad stands taller than he had been before Wes’s questio
n, not showing any disappointment. Maybe he’s happy to be fighting for himself.
“Marcus, will you be fighting as human or wolf?” Wes asks his voice bellows.
I tense as I wait for my dad’s answer. It’s well known that fighting in human form is more technical, and the winner would usually be more worthy of the win. Fighting in wolf form is dangerous, a stray claw caught in the wrong place could mean a quick death. It could go either way, and that seems too risky for my liking. I’d much rather a longer fight knowing I have the stamina to outlast my dad as well as the fighting skills to outmanoeuvre him.
“Wolf.” That one word causes the crowd to go wild, because that means it will most likely be a bloody fight, and we are bloodthirsty creatures after all.
Wes gives me a worried glance. I guess we’d both been hoping Dad’s answer would’ve been different.
I channel my wolf, allowing him to come to the forefront as I strip out of my remaining clothes. I can see my father already in his wolf form as I crouch down to all fours and feel my wolf take over my body completely.
Dad will have pulled on the powers of the pack to make his change instant, not even bothering to remove his clothes first.
I clench my teeth through the pain, not wanting to whimper and allow my father to consider it a weakness. After shaking off the last tingles of the change paw by paw, I look across to Wes.
“Ready?” he asks, turning from me to my father, trying to gauge how we may be feeling. He wouldn’t be able to feel through the pack as clearly as an alpha would—it’s usually the alpha who referees a duel for that reason.
We both snarl and turn to face each other.
“May the best man win,” Wes announces as he steps back to the line of the crowd.
Dad pounces as soon as the words leave Wes’s mouth, not giving me a chance to think about my movements.
Mount Roxby Box Set Page 42