The Alpha's Mate

by Jacqueline Rhoades

  “Yes it is,” she agreed, “Awful hard. But the Alpha’s right. He wants you to do the best you can for yourself and for the pack.” She gave his shoulders a squeeze. “I tell you what. If you need any help with your school work, you come see me. We’ll work it out together.”

  “You mean it?” Bobby’s shoulders straightened as he glanced back.

  “Indeed I do,” she laughed, “But there’s a quid pro quo here. That’s Latin. It means something for something, an exchange,” she explained. “You know a lot more about these woods than I do. In exchange for my help, I need yours.”

  “You got it, Miz Elizabeth.”

  They rode for a few minutes in silence before Bobby spoke again.

  “Miz Elizabeth?” he said shyly. “Don’t you be worried about this full moon. Me and the Alpha, we’ll keep you safe.”

  “I know,” she told him. “With you and the Rabbit Creek Pack looking out for me, how could it be otherwise?” And for the first time since Henry broke the news, she believed it.

  Her conversation with Bobby made her look to the future, a future she wasn’t about to give up. In the end, she enjoyed the ride. And after her third trip up the mountain, she was grateful for it.

  She swallowed the last sip of wine and stared at her empty glass. One more wouldn’t hurt. She was feeling relaxed and unaccountably happy. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the rocker.

  “I thought you might be asleep. Max ran you pretty hard.” Marshall held the open wine bottle in one hand, a glass in the other.

  “So you decided to sneak in and steal my wine?”

  She wanted him to smile, but it didn’t work. He filled their glasses and leaned against the rail.

  “The Challenge was issued about a half hour ago. The bastard probably thought he was being generous giving us twenty six hours instead of the minimum twenty four.”

  She hadn’t realized there were time limits. “So you still have time to counter his Challenge?” When he raised his eyes in question, she went on. “Maggie told me the Challenged Alpha has the right to counter with a Challenge of his own.”

  “That’s right, but in this case, it isn’t necessary. He’s willing to negotiate. I’ve decided to offer the top of the mountain in exchange for the safety of the pack. That way, it’ll come down to the Chase; winner takes both you and the mountaintop.” He took a sip of wine and gazed off into the trees. “You were right. The people are more important than the mountain.”

  Elizabeth rose from her rocker to stand beside him, covering the hand that rested on the rail with her own. “I was wrong, Marshall. The pack is the mountain. They won’t survive without it. Like me without you; they’ll walk and talk and eat and sleep, but they won’t be alive. There’s magic on this mountain. You’ve known that all along. It’s why you’ve worked so hard to preserve their way of life. Without the mountain, there is no pack. Ask them, Marshall. Ask them what’s more important to them; the mountain or their safety.”

  “They aren’t trained to fight the way Everest’s wolvers are.” He shook his head sadly. “It’s my decision to make. It’s my duty to protect them.” He looked down at her and his eyes begged her to understand.

  But it was Marshall who had to understand. “It’s your duty to lead them. They don’t want you fighting for them. They want you fighting beside them. And they’ll have an advantage over Everest’s wolvers. They’ll know what they’re fighting for.” She turned him fully to her and held his face in her hands. “Henry is wiser than either of us. He saw it right away. A wolver like Calvin Everest won’t be satisfied with me or the mountaintop. He’ll keep coming back, willing to negotiate, nibbling away at this side of the mountain until he’s eaten the heart right out of it.”

  “He’ll do that anyway. I can only delay it with as little bloodshed as possible.”

  “Not if you counter his Challenge.”

  “Calvin Everest has nothing we want.”

  “Oh yes he does. He has the other side of the mountain.”

  “Lizzie.”

  “Don’t you Lizzie me, Marshall Goodman. Neither one of us has the time. You have to decide what the future of this pack will be. Do you want room to grow and live in peace or do you want to live out your life looking over your shoulder? It won’t be any different than what you said before. Winner takes all.” She smiled and kissed him quickly. “Only this time, you won’t be fighting alone and when you win, Creepy Eyes and his Double W won’t have a reason to come back.”

  “This is what you want?”

  “No. What I want is to drag you back to my bed and have my wicked way with you, but according to Maggie, that can’t happen once the Challenge has been issued.”

  Marshall laughed and her heart almost burst with relief because she knew she’d won.

  “Then why’re you all decked out in your fancy night gown and smellin’ like heaven itself,” he asked. He held her hand over her head and twirled her under his arm.

  “I wanted you to suffer as much as I will.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. “Will you counter the Challenge, Alpha?”

  “I will,” he said, “But if you don’t let me go, I’ll be too late.”

  Elizabeth stepped back, turned him around and pushed him toward the steps.

  “His holdings,” she called as she watched him make his way across the yard. “Challenge him for his holdings on the other side of the mountain. It’s important to use that word. His holdings.”

  “I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, Lizzie, but I’m sure it will be good.”

  She crossed her fingers and hoped that it would. “You just do as I ask.”

  “I never pegged you for a pushy woman,” he called back, laughing. “I thought you’d be easy.”

  “I am easy. You could have had me the first night we met!” There were others out there listening, but she no longer cared. She loved this man and she didn’t care who knew it.

  “You thought I was gay,” he shouted through the trees.

  He knew! And now, so would everyone else. She wondered what story they’d tell and surprised herself. She was actually eager to hear it.

  “If you’ve changed your mind, you can always lose the Chase,” she shouted.

  His answer echoed through the trees. “Like hell I will, Lizzie Reynolds. Like hell I will.”

  Chapter 38

  It looked like they were getting ready for a circus rather than a war. A huge dining tent had been erected along the fence at the edge of the horse’s field. It looked like the type the country club used for its outdoor weddings except instead of pristine white, this one was a faded red and blue stripe. People arrived with tables and chairs, some folding, others straight from the kitchen. Sawhorses with planks laid between them and covered with an assortment of cloths rounded out the display.

  Other canopies popped up around the yard; blue plastic, white nylon and a few heavy canvas army surplus contraptions. Bluegrass poured from a dozen radios all tuned to the same staticky station.

  Behind the house was a different atmosphere. Old army tents, with bare ground beneath, were set up like a field barracks.

  “Enemy accommodations,” Max explained with a snicker. “Normally, when a crowd visits from another pack, like for a wedding or something, anyone who has a spare room and even some who don’t, takes someone in. We would have let these guys sleep in the mud, but Marshall said it wouldn’t be hospitable. The Alpha and the Witnesses will sleep in the house. It’s only for one night. Tomorrow night, they’ll all be running down the mountain with they’re tails between their legs.”

  “Them that can still run.” Vickie walked beside them with a pile of sheets in her arms. “You seen Junior?”

  “He’s got a group of kids up the mountain trampling the undergrowth. By the time they’re done, you won’t be able to tell one track from another,” Max told her. “And you,” she pointed her finger at Elizabeth, “Before you come to the frolic tomor
row, you shower and shampoo with Ma Gruver’s fixin’s and rub yourself all over with her salve. None of that fancy smelling stuff. We don’t want you standing out once the Chase is on.”

  “I thought wolvers hunted by sight.” Not that she would mind using the salve. Her aching muscles could use all the help they could get.

  “That don’t mean they don’t have noses. They smell better than humans, but not as good as their canine cousins. So no fancy soap, no powder, no perfume.”

  “Gotcha.” Elizabeth gave her a thumbs up. “Can I use some now? I’m going home to shower and change.” And her legs were screaming for comfort. She’d run that mountain three times again today. She could run it in her sleep and if she didn’t get some sleep tonight, she might have to.

  “No!” Both women looked horrified. “Today you make sure you smell like the perfume department.”

  Without the healing salve, Elizabeth was forced to resort to a long, hot bath laced with lavender bath oil. After polishing her nails in a soft, creamy pink, she put her hair up on top of her head, applied more makeup than she’d worn since she arrived in Rabbit Creek and donned a knee length linen dress with hose and low heeled pumps. Tasteful gold earrings, a single strand of pearls and a diamond accented gold watch completed her ensemble. This was almost a uniform in her mother’s world. She’d worn it in various subdued colors in wool, cotton, linen or silk since she’d graduated college and took her place in society. She felt ridiculous wearing it now. Maggie had insisted.

  “You need to look like a country club lady. Someone who has no business running in the woods.”

  “That’s true enough,” Elizabeth said to her reflection as she checked her hem. It wouldn’t do to have the lace edge of her slip showing.

  “Stop it,” she scolded herself, “You have every right to run through those woods and you’re going to run that old man’s ass right into the ground.”

  She couldn’t tell Marshall where she was running, but he would know. Where else would she be heading if she was running up the mountain. He would know and he would take a shorter route to cut between her and the pursuing Everest. Her job was to stay ahead of Creepy Eyes until Marshall found her. He would take care of the rest.

  Elizabeth heard GW’s pickup pull up to the house and she shook her head at the irony of it. She’d have to hike her ladylike dress up to her butt before she could lift her leg high enough to climb in. Max must have seen the problem, too. Through the windshield, Elizabeth saw her slap GW’s shoulder, saw GW laugh and raise his eyes in what was clearly a leer and then kiss Max on the nose. Still laughing, he hopped out and came around to open the door and lift her up onto the seat.

  They all had a good laugh at her expense, but the laughter stopped when they pulled up to Marshall’s house. All the morning’s hustle and bustle had stopped. Now, in the fading light of the day, people stood in small clusters, talking quietly or staring at the five SUV’s parked neatly in a row. Two of Everest’s thugs stood on the porch to either side of the door.

  Harmony ran over as GW helped Elizabeth from the truck. She held a white cardboard envelope out in front of her.

  “This came just a bit ago,” Harmony said, “And Arthur Douglas brought this in just as the delivery man left.” She held out another envelope, this one manila, with wide clear tape sealing the flap. “He said I was to deliver them to you myself. They’re important legal documents.” Her chest puffed out with pride.

  “Thanks, Harmony. I had them delivered to you because I knew you’d take care of it and get them to me as quickly as possible.” And if Creepy Eyes had spies out there, they’d see nothing suspicious in a Fed Ex truck or a lawyer at the court house.

  “You can always count on me, Miz Elizabeth.” Harmony agreed.

  Elizabeth tore the sealing strips from the first envelope. It was exactly what she’d asked for. Thank you, Charles.

  “The Alpha will want to see these.” She started for the house.

  “But you can’t go in there. No pack allowed. Only the Alphas and their seconds.” Harmony looked to the crowd for support. No one stepped forward, though there were a few nods.

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m not pack yet,” Elizabeth said with a lot more confidence than she felt. She brushed a speck of dust from the skirt of her dress, squared her shoulders and walked to the door, every bit the grande dame who expected to be obeyed. “Showtime,” she said to herself.

  The guard to the left eyed her warily and she looked him up and down, then rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently.

  “Are you going to pretend to be a gentleman and open the door or stand there like the puppet you’ve been trained to be?” she asked haughtily. This wasn’t her mother speaking, but the trusty ghost of Cassandra. Who knew Elizabeth would be using her again. Elizabeth could almost see the words forming in the wolver’s mind.

  “I’m no one’s puppet.”

  “Then don’t just stand there, open the door.” The door opened and she paused long enough to pat the other guard on the cheek. “You should ask him to give you lessons.” She winked and almost laughed at the startled look on the guard’s face.

  The four men sitting at the dining room table looked up when she entered. She recognized the one to Everest’s right from the restaurant. All but Marshall frowned.

  “You don’t belong here,” Calvin Everest intoned. “You need to leave.”

  Elizabeth’s stomach churned at the sight of him, but she laughed lightly. “I could say the same of you.” She turned her back on him. “Have you two come to an agreement?” she asked Marshall.

  “We have,” he answered. “Five Witnesses and both Challenges stand as issued. Winner takes all holdings specified.” He handed her two papers and pointed to the map. ““The red outlines Rabbit Creek land. The blue is Calvin’s. We were just about to shake on it.”

  “Then I arrived just in time. I have the papers you requested. All neat and tidy and legal.”

  “This is none of the woman’s business,” Creepy Eyes snapped. He glared at Elizabeth. “We’ll do it as it’s always been done. A gentleman’s handshake is binding.”

  “Which would be fine if you were both gentleman.” Elizabeth smiled sweetly. “But since one of you is not…”

  Creepy eyes was on his feet. He snarled and the sound wasn’t human. “Watch your mouth, woman.” He reached for her and she stepped away. He smiled at the look of revulsion she couldn’t quite hide and that smile was worse than his snarl. “When you’re mine, you’ll learn to show some respect.”

  Marshall was on his feet, too. “She’ll never be yours.”

  Elizabeth had never heard him speak with such force. The air in the room seemed to tremble with the power of these two Alphas.

  “She will,” Everest growled, “And I’ll let you live long enough to witness the taking.”

  “Ah, Henry?” Elizabeth asked loudly, “Can you ask the Witnesses to come in?”

  “No.” Everest eyes snapped from Marshall to Elizabeth. “The Witnesses are here for the Challenge and the Chase, nothing more.”

  Henry was waiting for Marshall’s permission. When he nodded, his jaws still clenched in anger, his Second said, “There’s only four. Zeb Trehune won’t be here until morning.”

  “That’ll be fine, Henry.” Elizabeth watched both Alphas carefully. It wouldn’t do for either of them to lose control now. “I only want to adhere to Pack Law,” she said reasonably.

  “You know nothing of Pack Law,” Everest’s lip curled in derision.

  “You’re right, I didn’t, but I took a crash course in it yesterday.” Arthur Douglas Esq. was not only a member of the state bar. He was a wolver with a broad knowledge of Pack Law. “A Witness’ purpose is not only to give testimony to the fairness of the contest, but to attest to the agreement between the two parties. The Law requires they sign or make their blood mark on the prepared agreement.”

  “That’s not how it’s done. This is Alpha’s business. We choose how it’s conducted. No
t some ancient Law and not some damn woman.”

  Henry came rushing back in, obviously worried about what might have happened while he was gone. He was followed by three men she didn’t know and Charles, sauntering behind with his hands in his pockets. He wore, of all things, tennis whites, complete with sweater tied around his neck. He looked ready for an afternoon on the courts.

  There were glares all around and no one introduced her or the arriving wolvers. She didn’t mind. The power in the room was palpable and she was busy fighting the urge to cower.

  “You don’t have a problem following ancient Law when it comes to the Chase, though, do you Everest. It makes me wonder if you only follow the Law when it’s to your advantage.” Marshall looked at each of witnessing Alphas, frowning when he saw Charles. “I invoke the Law. Witnesses must sign or make their blood mark on the Challenge agreement. It isn’t how it’s usually done, but it is the Law and therefore my right.”

  Marshall’s fists were still clenched and Elizabeth saw he was fighting for control. Was Max right? Was her presence as an Alpha’s Mate adding to the hostilities?

  The Alpha dressed in olive drab spoke first. “This is what we fight for; a return to the old ways. It’s why I’m here.”

  She’d expected support from Marshall’s friend, not from the Idaho militiaman. She looked up through her lashes and smiled shyly. The ‘old ways’ weren’t partial to pushy women. She could do shy and retiring.

  Apparently, she wasn’t the only one to be surprised. Everest looked like he was about to have a stroke. She felt a nudge from behind.

  “I think that’s your cue,” Charles whispered.

  “Uh, my lord Alpha’s,” she began hesitantly, unsure of how to address this many at once.

  “It’s all right, child,” Idaho assured her, “Just say your piece.”

  “Thank you, Alpha.” The Idaho Alpha looked as hard as stone and she’d assumed he was like Everest. He wasn’t. His eyes were kind. Okay, calling her child was a bit patronizing, but she could live with that. She nodded and took a deep breath.