Caspien)
The crowd waiting outside the packhouse was strange. I saw it in Holden’s and Griffen’s eyes too. It wasn’t just me being over-protective. They knew we were coming past being alerted by patrols.
They were ready and gathered a group.
I didn’t know what he told these witnesses, and I honestly didn’t care. They would know the truth soon enough. I had the papers to prove it.
I asked Willa to stay in the car, and that pained me. I wanted her, needed her by my side, but I had to assess the situation first.
Alpha Jasper seemed more confident than I would have thought. I wanted to take him by surprise, but even if that element was lost, the complete faith I had in beating him didn’t waver.
I fought to keep my voice even, letting some of my aurae out so I could focus on keeping the anger at bay. I knew too well letting my anger lead clouded my judgment. I needed to keep it as fuel for later. My dad came out of the car with Cali and Willa once it seemed there was no immediate danger.
Willa came to my side and grabbed my hand; it helped keep some of the anger at bay.
“You know the rules,” My dad said, his voice booming.
“Of course I do,” Alpha Jasper smiled, “I’ve done this before.”
I was expecting Alpha Jasper to fight against this, protest that we couldn’t fight outside our jurisdiction. I brought the proof, the document the other Alphas signed, but he didn’t even ask for it. A sense of unfamiliar unease flickered.
My dad nodded once, “Do you all agree to bear witness?” He asked the pack members and our warriors who came behind us.
They agreed; his pack members seemed nervous now. I scanned the group for his Beta and Gamma. They were standing in front of the other members but still didn’t come to their Alpha.
“To the death or forfeit,” My dad continued.
Willa tensed next to me, and I squeezed her hand. Alpha Jasper’s eyes grazed over my mate, and I fought a growl. I didn’t want him to know that anything he did got to me.
“Alpha Jasper,” Willa said cooly, taking a small step forward, “I don’t think we’ve met,” She tilted her head, but I felt the rage through our bond.
“No, we haven’t had the pleasure,” He said, looking her over.
“I guess it won’t matter anymore. Your pack and I will forget your name after today. You came after my son. You are not and will never be relevant,” She went on, and I swelled with pride, “Let’s end this. I’m bored already.” Willa turned her brilliant green eyes to me and smiled sweetly. Goddess, I loved this woman.
“You heard the lady,” Holden said from behind me; Griffen was surveying the crowd.
Alpha Jasper’s smile didn’t falter; it unnerved me only slightly. I didn’t think he could do anything illegal, but I wouldn’t put it past him either.
I knew better than to tell my Beta and Gamma to be on the lookout. I knew they already were.
You sure you want to do this? My dad linked me. I nodded slightly.
This is what we came for. His being prepared meant nothing; it just might make it a more interesting fight, for me at least.
I reached out my hand for Alpha Jasper to shake, and he just looked at it, turning away.
“We can do it here,” He said, motioning outside the packhouse.
It hardly seemed like the right place, but it didn’t matter. I could take him no matter where it was. I gave Willa a quick kiss.
It will be okay, I reminded her.
She nodded once, her green eyes met mine with fierce determination.
I removed my shirt and took a step forward. The crowd backed up, giving us enough room.
“A fair fight,” My dad reminded, “No one else shifts or intervenes. This is between Alpha Jasper and Alpha Dracos.”
Alpha Jasper stepped forward. I couldn’t wait to wipe the smile off his face. I nodded to him once, indicating I would start with or without his consent. His smile only widened.
He shifted into a brown wolf before I could think. Why would he shift already?
S.hit, this changed things, I wanted to wear him out in human form, but the size of his wolf was laughable. I could crush him without any thought. Let me at him
Fine, if this is how he wanted to play it.
I charged at him and shifted into Atlas, letting him take over and lead by instincts.
His wolf rolled out of the way faster than I anticipated, but we got a bite to his leg. His howl pierced the air before he wiggled free from our grip.
I let some of the anger flare inside me, only enough to make it fuel this fight.
I wanted him to suffer, feel a fraction of the pain he put me through.
I would have fun with this, and I knew Atlas was craving this too. This was the moment we were building to, and I needed to put on a damn good show.
He righted himself, and I charged again. At the last second, I ducked aiming at his side.
It threw him off, he ducked out of the way and I got what I wanted.
His tail.
I clamped down hard, biting through fur and flesh. The thin bone snapped as I shook my head biting harder.
We didn’t bite it off. Fully. But it was limp and twisted when we finally let go. I knew that would be painful and affect his balance, an added bonus.
Alpha Jaspers’s whimpers and howls of pain helped satiate the mad rage coursing me.
This was what we needed.
We snarled at him, letting the royal aura unleash completely. I had other things to focus on besides containing my aura.
Alpha Jasper cowered under us.
We took advantage of that and lunged again, he lifted a paw over his head, leaving himself prone.
It confused me, but we got a bite to his back leg. A deep one.
He slashed me against my side, the sting of the shallow wound surprised me.
Atlas let out a howl.
Alpha Jasper’s wolf was panting hard, and he raised his claws to attack again, but he was too slow. He had a few major injuries and probably wouldn’t be standing for much longer. It was a dumb move to try the same thing twice, especially when it worked the first time. We dodged him easily and nipped at his paw as it passed us, biting down but not gaining enough purchase to break it. Frustrated, I pulled back.
My side was starting to burn, making it almost hard to ignore. I hadn’t ever felt something like this; my adrenaline and sped-up healing would make any minor injury go to the back of my mind. I rarely felt an injury during a fight, never a minor one. I took a deep breath and focused on the enemy at hand, getting out of my own head.
He was snarling at us; his teeth pulled back in something that looked like a smile.
He lunged and bit us. I jerked him off with little effort. He wasn’t very strong. I had to admit that this was unlike any one-to-one combat I had been a part of. There was usually more circling, more fluidity. This stop-and-start was unfamiliar to me, I didn’t like it. I knew that I needed to make him suffer more. I felt like I was losing my advantage, but I didn’t know why.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.