by M. L. Briers
“Nice catch,” Isla said, and her lips brushed against his ear and sent a shiver of hunger through his body the likes of which he’d never known before, but he wasn’t hungry for food.
“Damn, you’re as drunk as a skunk,” Percival noted as he stopped in front of the beta and grinned at the man’s mate.
“Tell me about it,” Lucas grumbled.
“And you’ll be a total gentleman, of course,” Percival pointed out to the beta, and Lucas frowned hard at the thought.
“Anyone know how to sober someone up… like… real fast?” He asked the crowd.
“Vampire blood,” Percival said with a teasing smile.
Lucas growled like Percival had just asked the beta to open his mate’s vein for him to feed on.
“Walk away,” Lucas growled.
“Hmm, good luck with that then.” The vampire said before he flounced off.
“Could you get this cap off for me?” Isla asked, shoving the bottle right under Lucas’ nose, and the beta groaned again.
“How about some coffee? Say, a gallon or so?” He asked.
The beta turned his mate towards the house, and his eyes took in the sight of Angus stalking across the grounds towards the party… the man didn’t look very festive.
‘Griffin, trouble – Angus is here,’ Lucas said, giving his brother the heads up.
It looked like the party might have been coming to a dead stop – with dead the operative word.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
~
Griffin rose up from his chair to meet the man head on. He didn’t want Angus getting closer to his mate than was necessary.
“Percival, do me a favor and guard my mate,” Griffin bit out, and he didn’t care who heard him.
“With pleasure,” Percival said, and he was at Keri’s side by the time that the witch had pushed up out of her chair and got to her feet.
“Back off. I can take care of myself,” Keri warned the vampire.
“Good. Less work for me,” Percival assured her. “That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to stand right here,” he said, practically bumping hips with the witch.
“Do we look like Siamese twins?” She scowled at him.
“I’m too pretty,” Percival offered back with a smug grin.
“Sure you are, Percy,” Keri narrowed her eyes on the man before a deep, hard, angry growl snatched her attention right back towards the alpha and his predicament.
“Get rid of the witches and take your chances going rogue,” Angus growled as if he had every right to dictate to the mates and the alpha what to do.
“State your damn challenge, Angus, if that’s what you’re here for,” Griffin growled back.
Chatter went up around the pack, and Keri was more than aware of a few glances that were aimed in her direction.
“Don’t worry; I’ve got your back,” Percival whispered.
“Do I look worried?” Keri scowled, but she couldn’t take her eyes from Griffin.
“A little, yes,” Percival shot back.
“Butthole,” Keri bit out.
“The alpha can take him,” Percival assured her. I think.
“At what cost?” Keri shot back, and the vampire didn’t seem so ready with the answer to that question.
“It’ll be…”
“If you say fine – there’s gonna be zapping,” Keri shot back.
~
~
~
Neal stood at the end of the hallway with his shoulder propping up the wall, his solid arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were firmly fixed upon the bathroom door.
He listened with half an ear to the sounds in the bathroom. He waited, and waited, and had to wonder how long it took for his mate to do what came naturally.
~
~
~
Penny sniggered to herself as she backed out of the bathroom window. She was going to show her mate what for when she doubled back around the side of the house and came at him from the other direction.
She knew the sound of the tap that she’d left running should be the distraction that she needed to pull off her great escape, but she hadn’t counted on the brick wall that she ran into the moment that her feet hit the ground, and she’d turned to find the shifter blocking her way.
Penny craned her head back on her neck and stared up into the jet black eyes of a man that didn’t look best pleased to see her. She lifted her hand and went to silence him with a finger against her lips, but the look that he gave her sent her blood running cold within her veins.
His top lip twitched in anger, and he held contempt for her within his eyes, and every fine hair on her body stood to attention as a stone weighed heavy inside of her.
It was one of those times where she just knew that she’d made a dreadful mistake and she wished that she could take those five minutes back again and do things differently.
Shame that she didn’t know a magic spell that could make that wish come true.
~
~
~
“Your disregard for the good of our pack shows your contempt for your position as alpha…” Angus growled with so much hate within his voice that those gathered knew what came next before the man had even offered up the challenge.
‘Neal… Angus is going to challenge the alpha, get the hell out here!’ Lucas growled into the pack’s link.
‘On my way,’ Neal’s voice came back at the beta.
Lucas eyed the crowd for any signs of solidarity with Angus from those that were gathered.
“Get on with it, Angus,” Griffin growled.
“I challenge you for alpha of the pack,” Angus bit out.
The man growled long and hard, showing his disrespect for Griffin, and making his point loud and clear to all those around him.
“To the death then,” Griffin growled back.
His wolf was ready and eager to be done with the man. Angus had always been a trouble maker looking for a reason to whip up the pack against the current leadership, but Griffin didn’t think that there would be too many that joined with Angus on his side of the argument.
The alpha’s beast clawed and scratched to be set free, but Griffin was keeping a tight rein on the beast until it was time to let go of his wild side.
He’d take the man head on in a fight that only one of them would walk away from, and that time started the moment that his challenger made the first move.
“There are rules,” Maria shouted from her place in the crowd, as an elder, it was her place to remind the hot headed men of that fact.
“To hell with the rules, woman,” Angus growled, keeping his eyes locked on the alpha.
“Then if you win it won’t be legitimate, Angus,” Maria warned him, and she enjoyed doing so.
The elder’s top lip curled in disgust for the man. Not only was he unworthy to become the alpha of their pack, and she wasn’t the only one to think that the man had idea’s above his lot in life, but if he managed to win the challenge, he still wouldn’t be recognized as the true alpha.
Angus shuffled uneasily on his feet. His beast was ready for the fight. He was ready, and it angered him, even more, to have to listen to the old woman’s version of pomp and ceremony.
“Watch my mate,” Lucas growled towards the vampire.
“What am I a witch sitting service?” Percival grumbled, but if push came to shove and things went wrong – he knew that he would need to get the witches out of there as fast as possible.
He only wished that all three of them were together.
Lucas moved forward towards his brother, taking the route that led him around to the man’s side. He knew that Griffin couldn’t afford distractions as he faced Angus, and he’d sense the beta coming at the side of him to watch his back from any form of possible attack that might have from someone else within the crowd.
“You either respect our ways, Angus, or you leave now,” Maria warned, and the pack muttered in agreement.
“Maybe, i
f we’re the problem?” Isla said to Keri.
“It’s gone too far for that,” Percival offered back. “This challenge will stand no matter what, it has to now that Griffin’s wolf has taken offense, and your leaving would only kill your mates anyway.”
Keri thought on the vampire’s words. Every inch of her was primed with magic and ready to blast Angus clear across to tomorrow, but she’d held her powers within her, even if she couldn’t hold her tongue.
“Well, Griffin had better win the fight then, because the moment that he does – I’m going to bond with him,” Keri said, loud enough for most of the crowd to hear, and word spread quickly to the few that hadn’t picked up on her words.
“If that doesn’t incentivise the alpha, nothing will,” The vampire chuckled.
Percival turned his eyes down on Keri, and she could feel his gaze upon her. She lifted her chin and ignored him.
“But you knew that already,” Percival whispered aside her ear.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way, old woman,” Angus growled in out in annoyance.
He’d wanted it fast, clean, and over with. But, he’d have his way in the end, of that he was sure.
“What did I miss?” Neal growled as he rushed to stand beside the vampire and eyed his brother and Angus.
“I’m running a three for two on my babysitting witches service, where is yours?” Percival asked.
“Bathroom,” Neal shot back.
One hell of a scream went up from somewhere behind the house, drawing the attention of the crowd, and making Neal’s heart slam against his ribs as it stopped beating within his chest for the longest moment of his life to date.
“Penny…!” Keri yelled as she turned on her heels and started towards the house, following on behind Neal; who was running at break neck speed.
“Crap!” Isla bit out.
“What the…?” Percival bit down on his need to be in two places at once.
It was then that Angus attacked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
~
Keri came to a dead stop at the sound of the roar that went up from behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder. The sight of the giant wolf bursting from Angus was enough to make her want to unleash her magic on the beast – especially as Griffin was still in his human form.
She was torn between helping Penny and helping her mate.
“Don’t even think about it,” Percival said, and he was back at her side in a heartbeat.
He’d promised Griffin that he would protect his mate and he would live up to that promise, but sometimes a witch also needed protecting from herself.
Neal and Isla were going towards the sound of Penny’s problems at the back of the house, and the vampire might have wanted to intervene, but he was sure that Neal would call him if he were needed.
For now, he needed to protect the witch that itched to get in the fight that her mate was facing.
That would be bad.
While it was true that there was no legitimacy to Angus’ challenge anymore – if he killed the alpha, there was no saying that the wolf wouldn’t try to wipe out the witches.
“Oh, I’m thinking…” Keri said.
“Don’t make me restrain you… witch,” Percival said. “That’ll put the Alpha off his game.”
Keri had never felt so damn helpless in her entire life as she did at that moment right then. Penny and Griffin were both in trouble, and she couldn’t help either of them.
~
~
~
Griffin had been blindsided. There were no two ways around it – Angus had set him up.
He’d heard the witch’s scream the same as everyone else had, and he’d reacted to it. Then Angus had unleashed his wolf, and all hell had broken loose.
Now, he was in the fight of his life, and his wolf was still within him. That didn’t bode well.
Griffin had time to react, but it had only been enough time to flick out his claws and unsheathe his fangs against the might of his challenger’s beast.
He’d felt the burning pain of the wolf’s claws cut through his skin and had spun sideways away from the worst of it as he turned and brought his own claws down against the wolf’s fur, cutting deeply into the flesh.
Man versus wolf wasn’t the ideal situation, but until he got a moment’s rest from dodging the onslaught of blows that came from all directions – he couldn’t take the time to shift.
~
~
~
Penny unleashed her magic in a way that she hadn’t known was possible. She’d never had to fight to defend herself before, and in a rush of heated panic – she’d let loose with a blast to her attacker that had the man twisting in on himself as he was wrenched away from the ground and catapulted through the air.
He landed with a thud that felt as if it jarred her very soul. The man roared as he slapped two large hands down against the earth, and he pushed up onto all fours.
A heart-stopping second later, and the giant black wolf burst from within him – eyes blazing with murderous intent – the beast’s razor sharp fangs were exposed when he pulled his lips back and snarled.
“Oh, crap,” Penny muttered to herself, readying her magic for another blast as self-doubt crept in.
There was a deafening warning that was roared from somewhere unseen at the side of the house that made her heart lurch into her throat.
Another wolf, the second, a gray with a white streak down its back, shot into view. That beast was even larger than the first, and it headed straight for the attacking wolf.
“Neal…” Isla panted out to Penny with an outstretched finger that pointed at the gray wolf, as her friend came panting around the side of the building, followed by Lucas in his human form.
Penny’s mind took in the sounds of the beasts locked together with grunts, growls, and the snapping of jaws, and her eyes followed.
A wave of guilt washed over her at the danger that she’d inadvertently put her mate in with what seemed now a very stupid, and unnecessary joke on her part, and the urge to intervene bubbled and clawed inside of her as Neal fought fang and claws against his adversary…
“Kick his ass!” Penny bit out – unsure what she could do to help her mate – but knowing that staying silent wasn’t an option.
~
~
~
Griffin twisted and turned in agony as the wolf’s claws caught against his flesh and dug in down the length of his back. He’d been lucky to be turning away as the beast had attacked, or those claws might have ripped against his spine.
The alpha knew one thing. If he didn’t take the chance and shift soon, then he wouldn’t win the fight.
Griffin had better win the fight then– because the moment that he does – I’m going to bond with him… Keri’s words echoed through his mind.
His beast roared within him.
It was time to let the wolf free – to let his wild side take over the fight – and the alpha didn’t need to force the change… he just let nature take its course.
With a roar of intent; the alpha’s gray wolf burst from inside of him, catching Angus’ beast by surprise, and the wolf man’s wolf hesitated in his attack.
That was his first mistake.
CHAPTER THIRTY
~
One thing Lucas hated more than anything else in life was to stand on the sidelines when there was a perfectly good fight to be had.
Sure, it wasn’t his fight. It was Neal’s mate that had been attacked, and it was his brother’s prerogative to take that fight on, but still, both of his brothers were in pitched battles, and all he could do was to ensure that the mates were protected.
He’d rather be balls deep in the heart of the fighting, because from where he stood, protecting Isla and Penny – it didn’t much feel like he was actually doing anything.
He lived the fight blow for blow. His mind was ducking and weaving with his brother’s movements, and he knew Neal’s next move before the wolf had e
ven made it.
All three brothers had grown up training together, and they’d fought together side by side. It was how it should be – and it was why he felt so damn redundant.
~
~
~
The moment that Griffin had his beast on things changed.
His wolf was more than able to match Angus’ beast size for size, and with the added strength of the alpha wolf – the battle became more even sided than it ever could have been if he’d stayed human.
Right up to the point where Angus made his next mistake.
The wolf showed just a little too much of his underbelly to the alpha, exposing not only his chest but his throat as well.
That was when Griffin made his move, swiping his claws into the softer flesh and gouging upwards, making the beast freeze with the pain that tore through him, and Griffin went in for the kill with his jaws snapping closed around the wolf’s neck.
One hard shake of his head on his neck and Angus’ beast had been defeated.
Griffin wrenched his claws from the wolf and let the weight of the animal take him face down in the dirt.
Then the alpha stepped up to the lifeless body of his challenger, tossed his head back on his neck, and howled his victory for the pack to celebrate.
~
~
~
Angus’ brother heard the victory howl of the alpha, and his heart lurched inside of him. A single moment’s hesitation in the fierce fight against the beta left him open to attack, and he knew his time had come and gone on the planet when he felt Neal’s razor sharp claws cut through the flesh at his throat and gouge a path across his neck.
His beast dropped heavy against the dirt.
In the moment’s that it took for his life to slip away – he mourned his brother’s passing and cursed it in equal amounts. His brother’s desire to be alpha had killed them both.