Chosen

by Melanie Purser

  We go into a large tent with tables and chairs. Dad frowns when he turns to see how many people followed us. Darien dismisses them, and everyone moves to wait outside. That is, everyone but Jerek. Darien looks at him, but lets him stay. As if he could make him leave anyways. Jerek is a huge part of the reason I’m still here, so my mate wouldn’t dare send him away.

  My dad and uncles look between the three of us, but say nothing.

  “There’s still an army waiting on the other side of the border. Since both of their corrupt Alphas have been terminated, they are confused on what they should do. There is no point in unnecessary bloodshed, so I suggested a temporary truce and a meeting between Alphas.

  “That’s reasonable,” Darien remarks from deep in his thoughts, thinking of how to proceed. “We will give them a chance and see what they have to say. I’d like to be the one to do most of the talking.”

  It’s quiet for a moment. Darien didn’t ask for permission, but he doesn’t demand it either. This is why Alphas shouldn’t be in the same room together, or have conversations at all.

  “What do you plan to say?” my father finally speaks.

  “Not sure yet. I’m just going to wing it and see what happens. Unless you have come up with a better plan?” he questions my father, stunning him for a moment. I can see that he doesn’t have a plan either. No plan is unfortunately the best we have.

  “Very well then. Choose three people to take with, and I will take these two with me as well. We agreed on seven each.”

  He tried to leave me behind with the rest of the pack. I wasn’t having any of that, no matter what he threw at me. Bullshit about not wanting to upset my father, and that I shouldn’t push so much in my state. Whether I go with or stay with the pack, I could die, so I am going with, and so is Jerek. Trace fills spot number three, and we make it to our meeting place.

  Our pack isn’t far behind, and neither is theirs. We can smell the large number of foreign wolves, and I flash back to when I came across the same scent yesterday. This could all still go down as a war that would most likely wipe us all out being that we are a not even half the size of Canada’s army. We had the same odds against Flint and his men though, so who knows.

  Our meeting place is in one of the free territories on Canada’s side, that way no one feels the extra threat of an enemy on their territory.

  We arrive first to a field in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees, but there is a small cabin on the edge of the forest. Apparently, a wolf and his mate vacation here for peace and quiet, but no one is here today.

  Seven foreign wolves enter on the other side of the clearing as we wait near a picnic bench by the house.

  They move timidly, watching their surroundings. None of them have been in power before and their weakness is showing. Some look angry while others look slightly lost.

  I look to the men in my life. Even in this shit storm situation, they each have masks of ease. Showing your emotions to your enemy can get you killed. What are they teaching them over here?

  Two wolves stand in front of their group, and I assume one is James’s third, while the other was John’s fourth being that their predecessors were killed on my property. My mate and my father take the lead in our group, but I stay just behind Darien. I’m prepared to protect him just as much as he is ready to protect me, along with his child that I am carrying.

  My father speaks first, introducing himself again, and his son-in-law, Alpha Darien Shield. The two at the front stiffly introduce themselves as Patrick and Henri. They both glare openly at my husband. A couple others look disgruntled as well, but there are two in their group that appear unconcerned about their fallen Alpha’s, one of which keeps staring at me.

  “You killed our Alphas!” Patrick shouts at Darien, unable to keep his emotions in check. Darien laughs darkly at his statement.

  “Your Alphas tried to kidnap, rape, and force my wife into marriage. When they failed, they entered my territory. Attacked and killed my women and children like cowards,” only one woman was actually killed, and all the children were safe, but he knows not to rub it in their faces about how badly they failed, “and you expect them not to pay the price?”

  Patrick growls, but Henri hushes him before he speaks.

  “Even if they did, what is there to stop us from retaliating?”

  “To give you a chance, son,” my father speaks calmly, trying to divert attention away from Darien, “We don’t have to have war. We can all just live peacefully.”

  “Oh yeah, is that why you teamed up? To live peacefully beside us?” Patrick spits.

  The crap John Flint and his son have been feeding his men is poisonous. How can we reach an agreement if they truly see us as enemies?

  “Believe what you want,” Darien chimes in again, “but our agreement is only to deter threat from outsiders. We’re only here to help you. Canada is a large area with a lot of wolves to control.”

  “Fuck you! We don’t need your help. We do have a lot of wolves. Plenty enough to eliminate both of your packs!” Patrick is asking for death, and I step in to speak, but I keep my voice calm. Dad tries to stop me, but Darien silences him.

  “You don’t think you will have a huge loss on your side? Maybe you could wipe us out, but how many of your wolves have trained for war? With the amount of wolves that you have, no one would dare try to invade your land unless everyone in the US packs joined to take you out, which you are asking for if you insist on war. My pack is trained for this. We may not win, but we are much stronger than you think.”

  “Why is there a woman here?” the one that has been staring at me finally asks at the same time Henri asks, “Why would the US packs join forces to take us out?” I choose to answer Henri, but Darien growls quietly at the other man’s comment.

  “Because by attacking us, you threaten everyone. Greediness is what killed your leaders, and by continuing this war, you are asking for the same fate.”

  “Who is she? Why did you bring a female?” the stupid man asks again. Jerek moves a little closer to me, and I can feel the annoyance in my group. No one dares to speak for me, and I love them all for it.

  “I am Arianna Shield, and I am here because I choose and deserve to be,” I say confidently. He stares at me, unsure of what to say, and they all watch me now, wondering why Darien would bring his pregnant wife along.

  “But you’re a woman and pregnant at that. Why did you bring your mate, Darien? I don’t understand,” the man asks, and Darien smiles as he tries to hide his anger. He doesn’t have to answer the fool, but he is trying to keep peace.

  “My pregnant mate is the one who killed Alpha John Flint. She is a skilled fighter, and so are the rest of the men and women in my pack. The world is changing, boys,” he remarks, and some of them look fearful and angry, but others are in a state of disbelief. They assume that I had help, and that there’s no way I could have killed an Alpha on my own. Young women like me aren’t allowed to go to war so they don’t believe we have an army of men and women waiting to fight.

  To be honest, I can hardly believe it myself. I just hope we don’t all die today.

  “Prove it,” he challenges.

  Both Darien and my father bristle at the comment, losing composure, and the other guy chuckles darkly.

  “Prove she is strong enough to take on an Alpha on her own. She can take on our strongest fighter, and winner gets to decide what happens next.”

  Something changes in his expression, and I realize that we have misjudged this group.

  “By the way, I am Simon, the current Alpha. Patrick and Henri are my seconds.”

  “No! We can make peace another way,” Darien refuses venomously.

  “What’s wrong? No faith in her? What a joke. Your lies will prevent us from ever becoming allies,” Simon growls.

  My group struggles to keep their calm. His offer is tempting, but no one wants to risk me. If we turn him down, we risk an all-out war. Darien ponders silently. He tries to hide it, but I ca
n see the internal war is breaking him.

  “Darien! You can’t seriously let this happen,” my father shouts at him.

  My mate ignores him and looks at me. His dark emerald eyes bore into mine searching for the answer. I stare right back into his, unwavering. I’ve never had so much at stake, but Simon made a mistake by seeing me as the weakest one here, and he made an offer we can’t refuse. Darien’s eyes shift to my belly. My mate wants to refuse more than he wants to give in, but letting me fight may save us all.

  Finally, he nods, and I smile at him with all the love I have.

  “No!” my father shouts again, but he knows he can’t stop me. He has never been able to before. I look around me at everyone else. Charlie and Niko smile and give me a thumbs-up, Trace smirks with arms crossed over his chest, and Jerek looks as confident as he always does, but I can see the tightness of his jaw. Jerek wants to take my place, but knows he can’t.

  “We accept the offer. Whoever wins gets to decide on who gets what territory. Agreed?” Darien looks at each wolf’s face, waiting for each to nod. They reluctantly do. None of them believe I can win, except one who looks a little unsure.

  Simon strips out of his clothes to shift. Darien covers me even though my men divert their eyes. Some of the other men stare openly at me as I strip behind the cover of my mate and shift.

  When I am fully in wolf form, my mate pinches my tail. I turn to find him smiling at me. He doesn’t say anything. This is not the end. He believes I will come out the victor, or at least that’s what he is showing me, and hides how he really feels.

  Simon’s wolf is light gray with a white chest and white paws. His eyes are pale blue like James’s, and I wonder if they are related at all. He sizes me up as everyone gives us space.

  A sudden wave of nausea comes over me from shifting multiple times today and being pregnant of course. Unable to hold back, I puke in front of everyone. I should have eaten before we came out here. My pregnant body needs more food to keep up with this new lifestyle.

  I can feel the worry in my men nearby, and I see Simon’s wolf’s lips rise into an evil smile. He takes the opportunity to charge as I move away from my own vomit.

  His wolf leaps into the air as I dart away and get a quick shot from behind with my sharp claws.

  Growling menacingly, he quickly turns his body to snap at me, narrowly missing my face. His agility, even when off balance, reminds me of my own fighting style.

  We tumble, but both recover quickly. I try to get away, but he catches me by the leg. He pulls me towards him, and I let him, surprising his wolf with my front paw across his face. It causes him to release me, but I’m fine right where I am.

  Using our close proximity, I swipe and snap at him, releasing my anger and frustrations upon him, fighting more like a lioness than a wolf.

  He becomes a bloody mess, but catches my upper front leg with his teeth. I howl with pain and he throws me, making me land awkwardly on my injured front leg. I’m able to stand when he charges me with fury, and I should leap away, but with my injury, staying low is my best option until I know exactly how bad I’m hurt.

  I take a pull from Darien’s power to heal quicker.

  Simon smiles when I charge him, and just like the first time I fought with Jerek, I slide under his legs, and use my shoulders to send him sailing. When I did the same thing to Jerek, he had recovered quickly, but Simon is disoriented.

  Before I can charge, he stands and turns to me. His eyes glow with anger, but he looks wary now. He finally realizes this isn’t as easy a task as he thought. Did he not understand that when my own mate allowed me to fight?

  Frustrated, he finally comes for me again. I expect him to come in low so that I don’t pull the same trick again, but he stays level. His goal is to overpower me with his size, leaving me only one option, one shot to execute, or I could be dead.

  He is only feet away as I rise up on my haunches like a bear. The move leaves my vulnerable underside exposed, but the instant before he makes contact, I slam all my weight down on to his face, shoving him into the ground. Simon struggles against me as I slash at his throat. His claws slash at me to get me away, but this needs to end now.

  Taking a few scratches, my teeth latch on to his throat, and I shake him with every bit of strength I have, breaking his neck. As his life seeps away, the painfully familiar sound of gunshots rings out.

  No!

  My ears ring as my senses tell me to hit the ground. With nothing to hide behind, I make myself as small as possible. Werewolves hate guns. Only cowards use them. I can only hope their aim is poor.

  Time seems to slow down as I frantically search for my men.

  I’m frozen in place as a strange force takes over my body. Only a second passes when my eyes land on my father’s crumpled form. Ice runs through my veins at the sight. The ice shatters a breath later when the guns point towards Darien.

  Before I can do a thing, my amped up senses alert me to the sound of the trigger pulling. My mate goes down. Trace is sprawled out on top of him with a bullet wound in his shoulder that is bleeding profusely.

  Jerek rushes to shield me, while the rest of my little family ducks for cover, but there’s nowhere to go.

  Only two of the men hold guns, while the other two appear shocked as they start to back away.

  My furious mate slides out from under Trace’s body. His eyes find me first to make sure that I’m unharmed before redirecting his attention to the men holding the guns.

  Still locked in place by some unseen power, my heart stops as he charges the gunmen taking aim at him.

  Stop! I shout with a roar, grabbing a hold of the power filling me. It’s all I can do because I won’t be able to help him in time.

  Something freezes the gunmen. Their fingers continue to hover over the triggers, but they don’t pull it as the enraged Alpha tears toward them.

  My body trembles with the foreign power as I look around to see what the hell is going on, but find nothing out of the ordinary.

  An idea hits me.

  DROP YOUR WEAPONS! I command.

  When they do just that, I just stare in shock.

  Chapter 22

  The world is changing, Darien’s words from earlier repeat in my head. Did he see something like this happening? Those words couldn’t be more true right now if I just became an Alpha.

  Darien’s wolf sprints across my vision. In the next second the gunman, Patrick and Henri are dead. I feel the loss of them through this new strange bond. I couldn’t have stopped Darien even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. In his rage, he leaps for the other two wolves from Canada’s pack, and I can’t let innocent lives be lost.

  Darien! Stop! And he does, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the others as they cower back from his ferocity.

  Why the hell are you telling me to stop? He growls at me.

  This is going to sound crazy, but I think I’m their new Alpha. He doesn’t respond for a while.

  Are you sure?

  Hell no, but he didn’t pull the trigger again, did he? His silence is answer enough. I want to go to my father, but I can’t until I figure out what’s going on.

  Moving to join Darien, I look at each of them. Every single one of them drops their eyes.

  Holy shit, Darien speaks the words I was thinking, you are their Alpha. But how, and why don’t I feel threatened by you? That last question I can answer.

  Because we’re true mates.

  Another wolf comes into the clearing, and I recognize Mindy’s amber coat. Darien must have called her to us through the bond. She shifts, and though naked, she goes straight to checking on Trace and my father. I don’t watch. I don’t want confirmation that they’re dead.

  Jerek brings my clothes to me so that I can shift and talk to my pack. Him and Darien do their best to shield me, and I dress quickly. I’m coated in blood, Simon’s and my own, but my injuries heal quicker than they ever have before. It must be because of the pack energy flowing into me as their Alpha.
I look at the remaining four men, and get right to the big question.

  “Am I your Alpha? Is that what your wolf is telling you just as mine is telling me?”

  “Yes,” one of them steps forward, “you both actually feel like Alpha, but I feel you more than your mate right now. His presence seems to be slowly growing through the bond.” He comes forward to kneel at my feet, and he takes my hand, “I can feel something in you that I have never felt before. I sensed it before you became Alpha. I thought maybe it was just the pregnancy.”

  “Okay,” is the only thing I can form right now.

  “My name is Macen by the way, and I will be a strong and loyal second to you.”

  Jerek snorts.

  “Don’t bet on it,” he takes position next to me with a ‘don’t fuck with me’ sneer. Macen glares at him, but backs off. Poor guy has probably never been a second in his life.

  “Well, stay here,” I order them. “I’m going to go check on my people who were shot,” then I sprint back to my father.

  Mindy is covered in his blood, but at least she is wearing Niko’s shirt now. My tears start to well up, seeing my father lying there helpless as she pulls a second bullet out of his chest. I can see that he is breathing, but just barely. Charlie shifts and comes forward to lick his wounds closed. Recovering from a bullet, multiple bullets, is one thing, but all the blood loss can kill a wolf.

  Mindy, Jerek and Darien start helping Trace so that I can focus on my father.

  “Ari,” his weak voice calls to me. Taking his hand, I kneel beside him. He smiles before speaking again, “I hereby name Arianna Athena Shield the new Alpha of the Alaskan—

  “No, father, you can’t! You’re going to be fine. Don’t do this,” I beg of him.

  “Baby girl, even if I don’t die, someone will challenge me for my position in this weakened state. And I know you don’t want to put your uncle’s at risk either. Let me do this. You can give it back to me later if you want to.” He’s right. If anyone tries to take Alpha, Charlie and Niko would lay down their lives to try and protect him.