“Ethan Masterson.” The other werewolf stood, his height and broad shoulders making him easy to see even though Johann blocked her from him.
“Does Rick know you are here?”
She stepped around Johann, but his arm moved, preventing her from stepping forward. Obviously Johann knew who this werewolf was. But there couldn’t be any truth to the man’s claim. She hadn’t heard Rick mention him.
“I haven’t seen him yet.” Ethan’s relaxed mood bothered her. “But I heard how he ran that Canadian pack out of town last night. I commend your leader.”
Johann nodded, then turned, gesturing for her and Simone to head toward the booth where Samantha and Rocky sat waiting. He glanced back at the werewolf. “Well, I’m sure you are quite familiar with pack law concerning mingling with another leader’s mate.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow, glancing from her to Simone. “I haven’t had the privilege of meeting Bolton’s new mate.”
“I’m Elsa, Rick’s mate.” She stepped around Johann, knowing he tried to protect her, but too curious about who this man was. If she needed his protection, then she would ask for it. “Are you here to see him?”
“So you’re who all the talk is about.” His seductive smile brought her pause. Those intense blue eyes and glossy, black hair made him quite appealing. More than likely, his good looks and charm made it easy for him to get what he wanted.
Well, if he wanted her, she would soon find out how well he handled rejection. “I’ll let Rick know you’re here.”
She started toward the booth, ignoring him when she knew he continued to watch her. Johann moved behind them, his hand touching her elbow while he guided them toward the booth.
“I heard you were looking for Ramona Rothmeier.”
She stopped, Johann almost bumping into her from behind. Turning, she studied the man who had sat on his stool again, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her.
“Do you know where she is?” Her heart beat in her chest so hard she could barely breathe.
Ethan smiled, standing again, and then walking toward all of them. “I’ve heard some rumors, yes.”
She didn’t know what to say. Someone spoke from behind her, Rocky, or maybe it was Samantha. Johann had moved again, trying to get her to sit in the booth. But she couldn’t move. Ethan approached them, moving slowly, a relaxed expression making him easy to look at. He smiled, those blue eyes twinkling, as if he understood how desperately she needed to know where the queen bitch was.
All the emotions from everyone around her suddenly exploded like a tidal wave. Whatever barrier had held them back disappeared, maybe her fixation on this man’s intense gaze, and his tempting hint at knowledge she had to have. But suddenly she smelled fear, anger, outrage, and frustration looming from her pack mates.
Looking away from the stranger, she saw Rocky sitting at the booth, her back to the wall. Samantha sat opposite of her, both women looking very upset.
They didn’t like this man. Fear rushed through her at the thought he told the truth about moving his pack to this territory. Rick hadn’t mentioned it to her, but in the short time they’d known each other, so many things had happened. Maybe his good looks made her want to believe he was a kind person. Or maybe she so desperately wanted to find Ramona that she grasped at anything, or anyone, who could help her.
Ethan pulled a chair from a near-by table, its scraping sound on the floor making her jump. Damn. Her nerves were frazzled. He sat down, straddling the chair backwards and resting his large forearms over the back of it.
“Just out of town, about twenty miles from here, there is a bed and breakfast.” He focused on her, those dark blue eyes penetrating through her.
She held her breath, knowing she had to hear what he would say next.
“One of the pack members from the Canadian pack was spotted there with her earlier today.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“It could be a trap.” Samantha shook her head, glancing over her shoulder toward the diner exit, before returning her gaze to Elsa. “You have no idea what that werewolf’s motive is.”
Johann had escorted Ethan Masterson from the diner, and Elsa knew Samantha itched to chase after him.
“There is only one way to find out.” She had to check this bed and breakfast place out. “And if she is there, I need to hurry before she leaves.”
“Maybe we should go get Rick first.” Rocky still worried, the smell of the heavy emotion surrounding her.
Yeah. Rick would want her to tell him if she chased Ramona out of town. She didn’t doubt that for a minute.
Something inside her wanted to return to Rick with the task already done, though. She wanted to present herself to him as his queen bitch. And if she went to him now, she would never see that fantasy out.
Showing him she could handle this matter, without his help in tracking Ramona, or arranging the challenge for her, meant more to her than upsetting Rick. After all, if she couldn’t manage the challenge, how would she handle the role of queen bitch?
Simone snorted. “Don’t worry, Rocky. Johann won’t let her run on her own anyway. Why do you think he followed her all this way?”
Samantha gave her an odd look, but Elsa didn’t have time to dispute Simone’s comment. The woman had a point. There was a chance that Johann would try to stop her from pursuing Ramona.
“I’ll be right back.” She didn’t wait for any of them to ask her where she was going, but headed toward the bathroom.
One of them would follow her at least. She didn’t doubt that. But she wouldn’t let Johann detain her, or any of them. Now was her chance to find Ramona, and she needed to move quickly.
Darting out the back exit, next to the bathroom, she paused only minutes to undress. She fastened her bundled clothes with her belt, and hung them around her neck as she hurried across the dark parking lot. Johann or Simone would be able to keep up with her. She couldn’t hesitate. Any of the others wouldn’t stand a chance against the speed of her breed.
There had been a sign for a bed and breakfast that she remembered when she drove into town. Running along the edge of the highway, it took her no time to get there. And she hadn’t arrived too late. Parked outside the rambling old home were several cars, one of them with Canadian tags. Ramona had a lot of money now. It made sense that her pack wouldn’t leave her alone.
Now what to do. She stalked the surroundings of the home, remaining in her fur. It would be pointless to change into her human form and knock on the door. This was hardly a social call.
I will sit and wait for you all night. But what if Ramona wasn’t in there? They weren’t so far from the Canadian border for it to be uncommon for Canadians to be here. This car did have British Columbia tags, but she didn’t recognize it.
Anticipation and worry swarmed through her while she sat among the trees, watching the house. Rick and the others would figure out where she was before long. Although she doubted Rick would stop her, she didn’t want to see him until she had her title.
Knowing how upset he would be that she ran off alone sent chills through her. She shivered, picturing those intense eyes, his hard muscular body poised with anger. A quickening deep in her womb fluttered through her. Her pussy swelled, moisture dampening her fur. Shifting, thoughts of him finding her, stalking her, had her anxious to see him.
Slow deep breaths didn’t calm her while she envisioned solid chest muscles, his body large and capable of so much damage. If she waited much longer and Ramona didn’t surface, he would arrive to find her sitting here, alone out in the middle of nowhere.
He would take her home, arrange for others to locate Ramona. That wouldn’t do at all. Just thinking about how he looked when she left him naked on his bed earlier had her so hot she couldn’t sit still. Pacing didn’t help either, walking built the pressure between her legs.
Just when she thought she would go crazy sitting here dreaming about fucking Rick, someone walked out of the house. She froze, unable to breathe, unwillin
g to blink, while Ramona and George Ricard appeared on the front porch.
The change rippled through her almost without instruction. Not once did she let Ramona out of her line of sight while her vision changed from the heightened night view of a werewolf, to the limited sight of a human. Standing, grabbing her clothes, she hopped into her jeans while Ramona and George walked to the car with the Canadian tags.
Moisture she hadn’t noticed while in her fur, soaked through her shoes while she walked through the grass toward the parking lot.
“Ramona.” She enjoyed the look of surprise that appeared on Ramona’s face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ramona glanced around them, squinting at the darkness.
“I’m here to challenge you.” She stopped at the edge of the car, the floodlight over the parking lot seeming to narrow the world to include just them.
The look of concern seemed only to last for a moment, then a slow malicious grin appeared. Ramona let her gaze travel slowly down Elsa. She placed her suitcase on the ground by the car, and took a step toward her. Elsa held her ground.
“You and what army?” She laughed, more like a high pitched cackle. Looking over her shoulder, she ran her fingernails down George’s arm. “And does he get to watch?”
Elsa wasn’t sure, but she thought George looked repulsed by her touch.
She smiled. “It should be you that is watching him. You know he’s with you because you have my money.”
“Your money?” Ramona found that quite humorous. Elsa wanted to scratch her eyes out. The woman cared about nothing. “George is with me because I’m a damned good fuck. But you were supposed to be his mate. Maybe he will want to fuck you before I kick your ass.”
Elsa had never considered the option that she might not win the challenge. Glancing from Ramona to George, it dawned on her that she couldn’t take both of them on. Why hadn’t she considered the fact that they might not play by the rules?
George opened the car door and tossed the suitcases in the back seat. “She probably has her pack surrounding us.” He glanced around nervously. “Take her over to the field across the highway, and I’ll meet you over there.”
He hopped into the driver’s seat. The engine barely started before he gunned the accelerator and took off. Elsa prayed he’d left Ramona and had no intention of meeting them anywhere. One glance told her Ramona was considering the same possibility.
“Change, Ramona.” Elsa pulled her sweatshirt over her head, adrenaline pumping through her.
Elsa turned and watched Ramona disappear in the shadows at the edge of the parking lot. Within seconds, she’d stripped out of her shoes and jeans and then took off running after her. Although dark, she could follow Ramona’s scent.
Elsa hesitated, then slowed her pace. When Ramona quit running and turned to face her, long white teeth glowed in the dark, and she appeared to be laughing at Elsa. Ramona sauntered toward her like the confident slut that she was. Her silver and gray fur moved over her muscular body, and in wolf form she stood several inches taller than Elsa.
Elsa slowed down as well but didn’t stop. She entered the open area and decided speed would be her best asset. She lunged at Ramona.
Elsa knew that Ramona was bigger than she was, but she filled her thoughts with the many ways the bitch had dishonored her pack. She thought about how Ramona prevented Marty from pursuing Rocky. She thought about how she’d disgraced the title of queen bitch. She thought about how Ramona had contacted Grandmother Rousseau and told her where she was. She thought about how the bitch took the inheritance Elsa’s parents had left for her. Elsa let her fury flow with her thoughts as she flew through the air.
Ramona had size to her advantage, but Elsa had speed. She felt the length of her teeth as she opened her mouth wider than she ever could in her skin. She stretched the digits on her paws and felt her dagger-like claws spread across the coarse, thick hair on Ramona’s back. She dug in with her claws and filled her mouth with fur as she scraped her teeth against Ramona’s thick hide.
Ramona’s scream echoed across the field, alerting all wildlife of the horrendous fight about to occur. Birds took to flight. Rabbits and squirrels scurried for safe haven. Furious growls filled the air and patches of earth flew in clumps around them. Nothing else mattered. This fight was to the death. There would be no mercy offered by either bitch. Neither would beg to live if her injuries grew unbearable. These rules were understood—they didn’t need to be spoken. Both of them knew what they fought for—a freedom and way of life neither of them could have if the other lived. It had been this way always—the way of the werewolf.
Ramona managed to move from under Elsa. She threw Elsa off of her and then charged into her side. Elsa rolled across the ground and struggled to stand before Ramona could dig her teeth deep into her belly. Many of their injuries would heal within a day, but there were injuries that could drain the blood and cause death. Elsa howled when Ramona scraped her long, deadly claws down her side.
Elsa’s gift of speed allowed her to dart several yards away to prevent Ramona from latching her jaws into Elsa’s hide. Ramona’s jaw made a loud clacking noise as she bit the air instead of Elsa’s flesh. Elsa turned to face Ramona and shook her head to clear the pain from her fresh injuries.
Ramona growled fiercely, showing her teeth.
I’m sure you say that to all your challengers. Elsa leapt through the air, remotely aware of other werewolves approaching, as she landed half-on, half-off, Ramona. The bitch had attempted to sidestep the lunge, but didn’t quite make it. I’m faster than you are, my dear.
Once again, Elsa tasted fur. But this time, blood also trickled past her teeth. The taste was sweet, the texture warm and thick.
Somewhere far away, Elsa heard Ramona scream. Her mind didn’t focus on that. She remembered powerful arms around her, and wanted to be in those arms right now. Elsa felt her paws leave the ground as Ramona tried to shake her free, but she closed her eyes and focused on the den that would be hers, if she could complete her challenge. She worked her teeth further into Ramona’s thick hide, and gagged as fur and blood choked her.
Ramona shook violently, in a desperate attempt to free herself of the attacker on her back. She ran forward and stopped quickly, catapulting Elsa over her. Elsa ripped flesh and fur with her teeth. She shook her head and gagged, working her long red tongue until hair and hide fell from her mouth. Elsa licked her jowls and swallowed blood, refocusing on her opponent.
Ramona staggered as she attempted to walk toward Elsa. Her coat clung to her, soaked in blood. Elsa needed to go for the neck—break it, or rip out the jugular—that would end this. She bared her bloody teeth and growled her warning that the end was near as Ramona struggled to remain standing.
I will end this quickly for you. I’m not evil and manipulative like you are.
Elsa aimed low, running with her belly close to the ground. Ramona tried to bat her away and Elsa felt dagger-like claws scrape her face. Her own blood blinded her, but her teeth met flesh. She clenched her jaw and felt the pop, as she tore through Ramona’s neck. The scream that filled the air let her know victory was hers. She could taste it as she drank the blood that rushed over her tongue and saturated her throat. Thick and sweet—it empowered her to do what needed to be done. She gave one violent shake and then shoved Ramona away from her.
Elsa staggered as she fell sideways. Dirt and blood made a thick paste in her mouth and she rubbed her paws over her face so she could see. Ramona fell backwards and struggled to get up. Her neck was torn open and clumps of red flesh hung down to her chest. The struggle lasted only for a few moments and then Ramona fell to her side, her head the last part of her to hit the ground. Her body grew still and slowly changed to skin, until a naked woman, torn and bloody, lay in the meadow with a dozen or so werewolves staring at her.
Elsa stared at the dead woman, feeling and thinking nothing for a minute or two. She’d never killed anyone before, and she waited patiently for whatever emotion
s would plague her. She didn’t look away until movement from her peripheral vision caught her attention.
Turning her head slowly, her vision blurred. Was it Rocky? Who was the other werewolf? There were a couple of others. She didn’t know them in their fur. She could smell admiration, a tangy scent, and looked at the handful of bitches curiously.
Rocky smiled and licked Elsa’s face. Elsa closed her eyes and allowed the friendly gesture. It felt so soothing. She opened her eyes slowly when Rocky pulled away, then stood quickly when Rocky lay in front of her and then rolled over and showed her belly. The other bitches followed suit. She was queen bitch, and they were showing respect. Elsa let out a quiet yelp, letting them know that was enough, and they stood quickly and gathered around her, wagging their tails. Miranda and Rocky were on either side of her, and she realized she was leaning against Rocky for support.
Through blurred vision, she saw a handful of the male werewolves standing close by. A couple of them began dragging Ramona away. Her body would be burned, a proper burial ceremony for a werewolf. She struggled to stand on her own and exerted a fair amount of effort to stagger over to them. Rick stood in the middle of them and watched her with his dark almond-shaped eyes. She smiled up at him and realized she must look quite the sight. She didn’t lie down as much as fell before him, offering her belly.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Elsa turned off the shower, wringing the water from her hair. Standing in front of the door length mirror, she studied herself. A small hairline scratch traveled down her waist under her arm, but it would be gone before the day was out. Otherwise, she had a few extra bruises. Turning around, taking in the narrow curve of her waist, the roundness of her rear end, and her full, perky breasts, she smiled.
Now if Rick would only come home.
Sunshine peaked through the windows in the bedroom. Grabbing her hairbrush, her stomach settled into knots while she began brushing the tangles from her damp hair. She hadn’t seen Rick since he’d appeared in the field after the challenge.
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