Silence descended, both pairs of Alphas standing before the Captain. “This is a challenge to the death for position and mate. Each Alpha pair shall fight. One on two legs, the other on four.” A soft murmur went through the crowd, but the Captain ignored the sounds. “Alphas, please prepare. The challenge shall begin once the first wolf has completed his shift.”
With that, he stepped back, and the scariest moments of Scarlet’s life began.
*
Keller didn’t hesitate. He tore at his shirt, and ripped his slacks, cloth parting beneath his shifting claws. Fur pushed through his pores in a gentle wave. His bones reshaped and muscles shortened, body taking on the form of his beast. No pain assaulted him. No, it was pure pleasure at the wolf being released to defend their position, their mate.
He kept his gaze on the other shifting wolf, noting with satisfaction that it was the larger of the two mirroring him. Scarlet had been correct: the Colson Alphas were sloppy and quick to anger, and Keller would use that to his benefit. The other wolf might be larger and stronger, but Keller was faster. He’d dart in and out, scratch and claw the other beast until it lost control. Then he’d win.
Madden stood tense at his side, hands fisted and knuckles white with restrained rage. Keller felt the anger, the controlled fury bubbling beneath the skin and pumping through veins.
He prided himself on the swiftness of his change, and in less than five seconds he was on four feet. The other wolf, Garron, was still engaged in his shift, legs reshaping to his beast’s form. Tanned skin had given way to gray fur, and the man outweighed him by at least fifty pounds.
Now. Keller roared to his partner as he leapt across the space separating them.
Madden’s bellow echoed through his mind and rang through the room. From his periphery, he watched the massive man keep pace with him.
A beefy fist collided with Quentin, and that was the last sight of his two-legged partner that reached him. His world became narrowed to a view of fur and flesh.
Garron attacked quickly, a flash of fangs that snapped at him upon his approach. Keller was faster, ducking and retaliating with a bite of his own. His teeth tightened on the wolf’s foreleg and blood flowed over his tongue.
Keller the man was disgusted by the raw taste. Keller the wolf gloried in the strike and savored the other man’s honeyed, copper fluid.
First blood.
Except Garron reacted in kind, sinking his wicked teeth into his back and biting into his flesh, the wound much too close to Keller’s spine for comfort.
He released the other wolf, and it danced back only to dart forward once again. Keller jumped aside, digging his teeth into his opponent’s hindquarter as he passed. More blood. More of that goodness. His wolf salivated, aching to taste the interloper once again.
But Garron’s attack hadn’t failed completely. A throbbing pain erupted along his side, the ache pulsing with every beat of his heart. Wetness coated his ribs, and he knew his enemy had injured him.
But he couldn’t dwell on the wound. Not when Garron spun on him, rising to his hind legs. He countered, balancing and meeting the attack. The Colson Alpha snapped his teeth, fighting to bite Keller’s vulnerable throat, but only managing to gouge his muzzle.
Garron’s nails dug into his shoulders, sinking past fur and skin deep into him. More of his blood crept forth. Keller pushed back the blossoming hurt.
The enemy wouldn’t win, no matter how hard he tried.
Keller remained upright and dug his claws into the other wolf’s fur, searching for skin and flesh that lurked out of sight.
His competitor broke off from their clench, stumbling, but he didn’t let the wolf wander far. Keller pounced, mouth opening wide and then it was filled with the wolf’s protective fur. He fought to breathe, drawing in air past the blood that filled his nostrils. Fuck. Had the bastard broken his nose?
Increasing the pressure of his bite, he was rewarded with a rush Garron’s of blood filling his mouth. Applying further force gave him the crack of bone.
Garron pulled and yanked against his hold, snarling barks interspersed with whimpers. Keller had managed to slow the larger wolf, his attack breaking a leg.
He released and danced back, moving out of reach and he watched the other wolf limp back and forth. Garron’s gaze absorbed everything, and Keller did the same. His enemy’s hobble was easily noticeable. Blood flowed freely from the wound, and a bone poked through the skin. The other wolf’s muzzle bled sluggishly, but the hindquarter released more and more viscous fluid with each beat of his heart.
The enemy wolf was close to the end. Its chest heaved with every breath, expanding and contracting in an ever-increasing rhythm.
He distantly heard grunts and groans from Madden’s fight, the collision of flesh against flesh coming with regularity. But few of the sounds came from his partner.
Keller flashed his fangs, curling his upper lip until the gleaming lengths were visible.
A bellow of rage reached him, and he stretched his mind to Madden. Easy. Don’t fall into his trap, Madden.
He didn’t have time to say much more. Not when Garron rushed forward and pounced on him, shoving him until he lay beneath the larger wolf.
A shout reached him, the single word from Scarlet’s mouth working to bolster his strength. “No!”
Keller worked his back legs, clawing the vulnerable underbelly of his attacker while he used his forelegs to keep the man’s life-ending teeth from his neck. A mixture of his and Garron’s blood surrounded him. His enemy didn’t simply snapped at him with deadly teeth. No, claws scraped and shredded him as he lay supine on the ground.
Enough.
He gathered his strength, dug into the part of him he often suppressed, and let his true beast free. He shed the mantle of calm knowledge and peace to reveal a monster.
With a great heave, he shoved Garron from his prone body, rolling them until he stood over the larger wolf.
Part of him, the portion that always worked toward a diplomatic end to any conflict, detested what he was about to do. His other half reveled in the bloodshed. It rejoiced in securing their place at Scarlet’s side. They couldn’t care less about ruling the North American packs. But nothing would keep them from their mate. Nothing.
That single thought in mind, he lowered his head, opened his mouth wide and then tightened his jaws. He relished the resounding snap of bone as he killed the wolf beneath him.
Fresh, tasty blood flowed freely, and he only allowed the wolf to swallow one mouthful. It fought against his control, aching to finish its meal, but he wrestled the beast into submission. The encounter wasn’t about the hunt, but the kill. They’d search out dinner. Later. After they’d secured Scarlet as theirs.
He released the dead wolf and moved away from the body until he was able to sit and catch his breath. Wounds made themselves known, other cuts and bites he’d not noticed, now throbbed in time with his heart. They’d heal soon enough. For now, his attention remained riveted on Quentin and Madden.
Both men were covered in their fair share of blood, the battle made more difficult when fighting without the benefit of sharp teeth and claws.
Madden struck again and again, fists colliding with Quentin’s cheek, chin then stomach. It was a constantly shifting dance of pain, the two men hunting for the opportunity to end the fight. Permanently.
Quentin noticed his dead partner and darted away from Madden, heading straight for Keller. The man’s eyes had changed to a glowing yellow, showing the wolf was in charge of the human body.
“Nooo...” Quentin’s scream was barely recognizable.
The enemy wolf ran toward him, gaze on the dead body at his side. Keller danced away from the corpse, moving with growing stiffness, not wanting to be caught up in the man’s madness. It happened sometimes, one partner going insane when they lost half of their pair.
Only...only he’d thought the man was heading for the dead wolf, fighting to get to his deceased partner.
He was
wrong.
Quentin shifted with each step, face reforming, fur bursting through skin and hands transforming into claws. Shifting broke the rules and technically ended the fight, but he doubted that’d mean much to the approaching madman.
Keller backed away, working to put distance between him and the looming man. Five feet... Then three... Then...
Madden caught the shifting Alpha mid-pounce, snatched the back of his shirt and yanked the wolf against his chest. In a lightning-fast move, his arms encircled Quentin’s neck.
Crack.
Another death complete.
Keller stared at his partner, his brother Alpha, and would have smiled in triumph if he hadn’t been in so much pain. Silence surrounded them, and he heard nothing more than their breathing. Adrenaline slipped away, sliding from his blood and leaving him simply a battered, yet victorious, wolf.
Chapter Six
Scarlet sensed her mates’ need vibrating through her, strumming her body like the cords of a guitar, and she was drawn to answer their call.
Unfortunately, due to the dead assholes, she wasn’t able to give in. Not when her mates had to clean up and heal from their wounds.
Walking between them through the expansive hallways of the hotel, she kept to their sedate pace. Madden’s face was peppered with bruises, and one eye was swollen shut. His lower lip was puffed to twice its normal size with a split on the left side. He didn’t make a sound as they traveled, but he did clutch his ribs, a single arm wrapped tight around his chest.
Keller wasn’t faring much better. The wound near his hip still bled, albeit much slower than before, and the tear in his side worried her. His fur was matted, blood soaking his gray body. He favored his fore-leg, and the wolf half-hopped alongside her. His muzzle boasted scratches and scrapes, including a bone-deep furrow she imagined had been caused by Garron’s fang. More than anything, Scarlet was worried about his blood loss.
Bastard. She wanted to resurrect the dead wolf so she could kick his ass. True, they’d have to hold him down so she could get him good, but she wasn’t against breaking the rules.
Two guards led the way, the Captain being one of them, while three followed, including her personal gun-slinger and the Lieutenant. From what she could tell, they were being protected by the best of the Ruling Alpha’s soldiers.
Gah. Ruling Alphas. She still hadn't quite gotten over their position. She was a freaking administrative assistant and totally not “ruling anything” material. She’d been expecting a minor set of wolves. Guys that led a pack in Podunk and didn’t need a badass woman at their side.
Scarlet took a deep breath. That didn’t matter. Fate, or whatever, decided she was supposed to mate the men at her sides, and she would do just that.
Their entourage paused at the elevators, all of them stilling as they waited for the car to arrive. They didn’t have to wait long, and the low ding announced its arrival. Fitting into the metal box took a bit of finagling, but eventually the eight of them packed into the small space. This time, the five wolves encircled them while Scarlet, Keller, and Madden had the wall at their backs. Her men repositioned themselves with ease, telling her without words that this was a regular occurrence.
Great. Something fun to look forward to for the rest of her life.
They arrived at the top floor and one of the guards used a special key and card to gain entrance.
Lord, there she found even more guards.
“Seriously?” She’d whispered the words, but every wolf turned their attention to her. Damn furry hearing.
Madden chuckled and then let out a pained groan. It pulled her focus from the surrounding men and back to her mates.
“Okay, Misters, let's get you to bed.” Madden’s gaze paled to a light yellow, and she rolled her eyes. “To get clean and heal. I need some alcohol and gauze and—”
“Alpha Mate?” The low voice of her personal guard reached her. “They’ll be fully healed in twelve hours or so. There’s no need to worry.”
Scarlet spun on him and growled, curling her lip. Damn, her mates had rubbed off on her, making her act more wolfy than human. “And I want them clean and treated. Healing or not, I need to give them what comfort I can.” She snapped her fingers. “Hop to it.”
That got the men moving. One guard led them to a large bedroom, a massive king-sized bed occupying the center. To the left, she spotted the open door of a bathroom and guided her men in that direction.
She wondered why two Alphas, presumably straight, would share a bedroom and bed, but...
Keller’s whimper drew her attention, his wolf pausing half way between the room’s entrance and the bathroom.
Brow furrowed, she looked between their destination and her hesitant mate.
“He doesn’t want to shower as a wolf and he doesn’t have the energy to shift yet. Nobody likes the scent of wet dog.” Madden’s words were peppered with low, wheezing gasps.
Keller exposed a fang, a deep growl coming from his chest.
Scarlet growled back. “You’re getting your furry little ass in that bathroom and that’s all there is to it.” A barely audible, strangled sound came from the doorway, but she ignored it. “I am not getting anywhere near a bed until you two are clean and comfortable. Period.” Keller opened his eyes wide, giving her the sweetest puppy dog look. So much for objecting to being considered a dog. “Don’t give me that. No naked fun without being clean. I don’t know when you’ll be well enough to shift, but wouldn’t you rather already be blood-free when it happens? We can nap and then you guys may be ready for claiming.” She crossed her arms and frowned, watching her four-legged mate.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and Madden’s heat blanketed her. “Do you want to risk missing out? I’ll be making our little mate scream as she comes on my tongue and you’ll be stuck showering.” He traced her ear, and she shivered. She was a total wolf-whore. For them only, but whore-esque none the less.
Keller growled, but limped past them, moving with determined strides.
Scarlet one, furballs zero.
She figured she wouldn’t get to win often with two dominant wolves in the house, so she’d take pleasure in the small victory.
* * *
A soft knock woke her. Or rather, a soft knock followed by surround sound rumbling growls. She smacked their chests in turn, careful of their injuries, and the noise ceased.
“Stop it.” She rolled her eyes. “If they wanted to hurt us, do you think they would have knocked?”
The men turned to her, both sets of eyes glowing in the sparse light.
“Don’t want anyone to see you.” Keller’s words were a garbled mess, but she managed to decipher them. Apparently her mate was easygoing when it came to anything but her. At least he was human once again. She had to be thankful for that fact.
“And that’s why they tapped on the door. It’ll give us a chance to get decent before we let them in. Besides, I’m in your clothes. What are they gonna see?” They’d wanted her naked, but she’d negotiated and ended up in a pair of Keller’s boxers and Madden’s t-shirt.
If they couldn’t feel her skin, she had to wear their scent, and that was final.
If she had to wear their clothes, then they were taking a two hour nap to heal, and that was final.
Sighing, she scooted to the end of the bed and frowned at them when their growls grew in volume.
“Stop it.” Hey, they listened. Well, that’d come in handy. “You feel like swinging free in front of your guards?”
Scarlet opened the door to allow a wolf to push a table laden with covered dishes into the room. He kept his gaze averted, and she noted a faint tremble going through his body.
She also realized Madden was back to being growly. “For the love of God, Madden, quit it.” The guard gasped, but she kept on going. “He’s feeding me. You should say ‘thank you.’ And if that’s too hard, the least you could do is not growl at the poor wolf.”
Thank goodness for her lessons from her mothe
r. If she let the wolves get away with anything from the get go, they’d act like that for the rest of their lives. There was no way she could deal with snarly men every day.
“Don’t like him close to you.” She heard the grumble.
“Then you should have gotten dressed and beat me to the door.” She gave the wolf a wide smile. “Thank you for bringing dinner. I’m sure they appreciate it even though they’re cranky when they just wake up.”
The guard’s Adam’s apple traveled down his throat in a slow procession and, even without a wolf’s extra senses, she could tell he was nervous. “You’re welcome, Alpha Mate.” He bowed. Well, half-bowed since Keller decided to growl then.
The guard spun then practically ran to the door and out of the room. Scarlet turned toward her mates, the men still wrapped in blankets. “What’s your problem?”
“We don’t like anyone close to you.”
“Then you should have gotten out of bed. Didn’t we just have this conversation? I know we just had this conversation.”
Madden shrugged. “We’re trying not to overwhelm you.”
She tightened her lips and turned to Keller. “Your idea?” The wolf blushed. “I want you guys as you are. You don’t get to modify each other’s reactions. That’s my job. Even then, I won’t be trying to change you, just keep you from killing anyone. With me, you can be yourselves.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Did you guys not get the Marked Handbook?”
That earned her two wolfish smiles.
“Being ourselves means dragging you to bed and making you ours.” Keller’s smile was wicked and matched Madden’s.
Scarlet took a step back, shaking her head. “Nope, no nooky until you’ve eaten and we can check your wounds. Plus, talking would be a good idea. Fun even. Like, gee Scarlet, how has this mating disrupted your world?” She answered herself. “Well, I have to give up my job as an administrative assistant as well as my life in Tampa, that’s all. Maybe my cat. Will you eat my cat? Burger is really sweet when he’s not peeing on things.”
The reality of her situation hit home and panic slithered along her veins. She’d really, truly, holy shit-ly be giving up her life for these two men. Fear and excitement fought, and she wasn’t sure which emotion was winning. At the moment, it resembled an even tie.
Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Page 21