Of their own accord, my fingers stroked the light dusting of hair on his forearms, and I shuddered at the sensation. I struggled to get my breathing under control. I didn’t want to respond to him like this, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. My body refused to heed the directives from my brain.
“You shouldn’t be out here by yourself with rogue coyotes on the loose,” he grumbled, a muscle in his jaw twitching angrily.
“I know.” I blew out a sigh and shook my head. “I had to get the hell away from Brandon...from everything.”
Charlie’s expression softened. “I understand.”
I started to turn around and head back toward the house, but paused when he cleared his throat.
“You’re not doing as badly as you think you are, Lucy.”
I got so hot and nasty on my twilight walk with my hoodie on that I needed another shower, this time cool and refreshing. I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. My pupils were so dilated that almost no iris was visible. My heart pounded and my breath came in short, shallow gasps. I turned the cold tap wide open and splashed the water on my face. Grabbing a hand towel off the rack, I pressed my face into it. I really wished I could put this off. Or stop time. If only to give myself a few more hours before I had to face this. I groaned into the softness of the cloth as someone rapped on the bathroom door.
“You just about ready?” Charlie called through the door.
My heart skipped a few beats and I pulled my post-shower towel a little tighter around me. “I will be in just a few. I just need a couple minutes to myself.”
An incoherent grumble filtered through the door, but I recognized it as Brandon’s voice, and I silently flipped him the bird.
I heard two sets of feet retreating downstairs with a nerve-wracking asynchronous clatter.
I took my time getting ready, focusing on the details to block out the overwhelming feeling of the situation I knew lay before me. I pulled on black leggings, along with a matching sports bra and tank top. I wanted to look well-put-together, but also have full range of movement in case I was challenged.
As I made my way downstairs, every tap of my feet against the treads might as well have been a hammer slamming a nail into my coffin. That’s how it felt anyway.
Charlie was waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase, hands in his pockets. His stance was relaxed, his face neutral.
“You look way more calm than I feel,” I muttered.
He reached out and rested his hands on my shoulders. We locked gazes and a steady warmth flowed through me. I realized he was using the pack bond to offer me reassurance and I shivered. He was the last person I’d expected anything like that from. But I was glad it was him and not Brandon. I don’t think I could have accepted it from Brandon. Not right now. Not with the way I was still feeling about him. From Charlie, however, I couldn’t deny that I appreciated it. My inner wolf stretched with pleasure and I leaned into his touch.
“Can I offer you some advice for tonight?” He was standing so close that his breath stirred the locks of hair that wouldn’t stay in my ponytail holder, tickling my face.
“Please.” I shook my hands at my sides, trying to get rid of the excess nervous energy boiling through me, and held my breath as I waited to hear what he had to say.
“You were born for this, Lucy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to earn it.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a second, and I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off his mouth. “Remember what your father taught you and trust your gut instincts. If you do those two things, you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you.” I took a deep breath and nodded.
I felt disoriented when he took his hands off my shoulders and stepped back. I felt the loss of his touch much more strongly than I ever would have expected.
I looked around the foyer and frowned. “Where’s Brandon?”
“He was in a mood and I wasn’t really feeling it. So, I sent him to bring the truck around.”
“Probably a good idea,” I muttered. “Things just haven’t been the same since Dad was killed.” That was mostly my fault, but I couldn’t just turn off my emotions, couldn’t make myself stop the anger I felt directed toward him, no matter how hard I tried. Which left me at odds with the person who had been my best friend for more than half my life. “I don’t think Brandon likes it much.”
“And he’s the reason we’re in this position.” Charlie’s soft baritone voiced what I’d been thinking for days.
“Not the only reason,” I forced myself to admit as I pulled the front door open and stepped out onto the porch. “It was my fault, too.”
“No. You didn’t break ranks. He did. Your only thought, like everyone except Brandon, was to protect your father. Your head was in the right place. Brandon put your safety above the Alpha’s, not to mention the rest of the pack. That’s on him, not you.”
I opened my mouth, instinctively about to argue on Brandon’s behalf, but found I couldn’t defend what he did. Not when I agreed with everything Charlie had said.
He stepped outside and closed the front door. “It doesn’t matter if you guys are a couple, the pack should always come first.”
“We’re not a couple,” I denied.
His expression showed his surprise. “Sorry. You guys spend so much time together that I just kind of assumed you were.”
“Nah. We used to be best friends. Now...now I don’t know what we are anymore.”
Chapter 11
Brandon pulled Charlie’s well-worn gold SUV to a stop beside the front walk and got out to switch sides to sit in the passenger seat. I climbed in the back as Charlie slid behind the wheel. I had to fight back a wave of nervous nausea. I hoped the ceremony would go as planned, that I’d get through it without incident, but with the possibility of a challenge hanging over me, I couldn’t relax.
We made the two-mile drive from Dad's house to his hunting land further south on Old Pensacola Road in silence. Every quiet second wound my nerves a little tighter. I secretly wished one or the other of the guys would say something...say anything, if only to get my mind off thoughts of what I’d soon face.
Instead, we swung onto the red clay road leading into the woods on the hunting land without anyone breathing a word since we left the house. The silence grew heavier as we got out of the truck and they flanked me on either side and led me to the circle of waiting shifters gathered around a bonfire in the clearing where we held pack meetings.
I was the blood heir, the expected successor to my father, but what if there were several wolves here who didn’t think I was fit to be Alpha? What if no one thought I was fit to lead? I couldn’t lie to myself. I had doubts about my own abilities. So how could I expect others to have faith in me?
Yet somehow, surprisingly, Charlie seemed to, if his support a few minutes ago back at the house was anything to judge by. Just remembering the warmth of his hands on my skin helped to calm some of my anxiety. I resolved to prove that his belief in me was not misplaced
The Blackburn tribe's council of elders stood in a regal half-circle at the center of the larger ring of shifters. I knew each of their weathered faces well. They'd offered Dad so much guidance and wisdom over the years. They were always coming and going from the house, and we often ran into them in different places around town. As the new but woefully inexperienced Alpha, I’d need to rely heavily on their advice, especially at the beginning. But would they be willing to offer it to me as freely as they had to my father?
Charlie and Brandon stood on either side of me. I stepped forward, leaving them standing a pace behind me, as I faced the elders across the dancing flames of the fire.
Eli Edwards, the highest-ranked among them, took a half-step toward me, looking me over from head to toe with a steely-eyed gaze. "Lucille Belle Blackburn, are you prepared to submit yourself to the Great Ceremony, in which the Alpha legacy is bestowed upon a worthy wolf?"
I wasn’t certain whether I was worthy, but I refused to let my resolve waver at the firs
t hurdle. "I gladly submit myself in servitude to my tribe, that the pack might judge my fitness as Alpha."
I shivered as Charlie and Brandon started to move away, leaving me alone in the center of the circle.
Eli cleared his throat. "Just a moment, Charlie."
I looked over my shoulder and saw the befuddled expression on Charlie's face as he paused. "Sir?"
"You've expressed reservations before about Lucy's ability to perform as this pack's Alpha."
Charlie's face reddened and he stared down at the ground. "I have, sir."
"Do you still have those reservations? As the Beta of this pack, we value your insight."
Charlie lifted his head, his eyes meeting the other wolf’s gaze squarely. "No, I do not have those reservations anymore, Mr. Edwards."
Eli’s expression remained impassive, showing no visible reaction to Charlie’s words. "Please enlightenment me. What cleared up those reservations?"
"I’m sure all of us have found that hard-bought lessons are the best teachers." Charlie’s gaze shifted to focus on me for a moment before returning to the pack elder. "Lucy experienced a tragedy when she lost her father, but I’ve seen that she hasn't forgotten how that tragedy affects every single one of us. The pack comes first for her, before anything else. She's ready to step up."
Eli nodded in response then turned his attention back to me.
I sensed Charlie and Brandon melting into the ring of spectators standing behind me, but I didn’t look around. My eyes stayed centered on Eli and the other elders.
"Kneel, blood heir," Eli's voice boomed.
He and the other elders stood on the other side of the fire. I stared into the flames, but my mind wasn’t focused on the sight in front me. Instead, my every thought was on the words being spoken over me.
"The Blackburn Legacy is part of a long, proud tradition of service. As far back as the Blackburn line can be traced, your ancestors have proudly served our pack and our kind. You must put the good of the pack before your own needs, as those accepting the Blackburn Legacy always have."
I bowed my head and closed my eyes, focusing with all due reverence, as I acknowledged the importance of what I was about to step into.
I folded my hands on my lap and opened my eyes, seeing the elders’ proud, wrinkled visages. "I’m ready and willing to place the needs of our pack above all else, my elders."
Eli inclined his head in acceptance of my declaration. "Although I'm reluctant to do so, I must ask. Does anyone present wish to challenge the blood legacy and fight for the title of Alpha of the Blackburn pack?"
No one in the circle of shifters or the half-moon of elders said a word. I took a deep breath, almost daring to breathe a sigh of relief. Though I had hoped for the pack to support me, I’d feared otherwise. I felt suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of their trust settling on my slim shoulders. But I immediately straightened my spine, determined that I would not let them down—would not ever give them cause to regret placing the fate of the pack in my hands.
I started to rise, but my breath caught in my throat when a familiar voice suddenly filtered out of the trees just beyond the ring of firelight.
"I challenge Lucille Belle Blackburn to fight for the right to be Alpha of the Blackburn pack."
Horrified murmurs, gasps, and low, growling expletives raced around the ring of wolves surrounding me as Maddox Hale appeared out of the treeline and shouldered his way through the outer circle, a smug smirk on his face.
My blood ran cold at the sight of him. He was confident. Too confident.
I stood up fully and faced Maddox, head held high. I could feel a current of anxiety pulsing through my pack as he swaggered across the space to face me.
"He's an interloper!" A voice yelled out.
"He doesn't have the right to challenge her!" Another voice called.
I held up a hand to still their shouts. No matter that I didn’t want to acknowledge the truth, I had no choice. "Actually, he does have the right. In spite of the coyote tribes not being party to any of our treaties, the documents signed by our ancestors state that any shifter can challenge an ascending Alpha for the right to rule their pack."
There were more gasps from the gathered wolves who obviously had never read the treaties in their entirety.
Maddox nodded with a self-satisfied chuckle, and I trembled with tightly leashed rage.
I’d known better than to trust this scheming coyote. Too bad I’d just been proven right.
"Do you intend to accept the challenge or concede peacefully?" Eli asked me, with a disgusted glare aimed at the coyote shifter.
"I accept the challenge," I growled. "I will never give my pack up without a fight."
Now I could finally focus my rage on the man responsible for my dad’s death. I hoped the fact that I was facing my father’s killer at last would give me the edge I needed to win.
I cleared my mind of all doubts, of everything except the enemy in front of me.
I dropped into a defensive stance, fists guarding my face. Maddox mirrored my movements. We started circling each other, assessing the other for any weakness. I was determined that he wouldn’t find any in me.
I stared at him, not bothering to try to hide the hatred reflected in my eyes. His sheer arrogance burned me from the inside out. He looked like some kind of power-hungry gym rat with his baggy shorts and v-neck t-shirt. Something about his casual appearance, at this ceremony so special to our pack, infuriated me almost as much as his challenge in the first place. His lanky body was relaxed, his stance loose as we circled again. If he thought taking my tribe from me was going to be easy, he was sorely mistaken.
He swung first, just as I expected. I dodged the long, sweeping blow, using my speed and small stature to my advantage. I ducked right under his arm and got in two fierce shots to the kidney. The shock of the punches zinged up my arm, jarring and compressing everything from my knuckles to my shoulder. But I didn’t allow any reaction to show on my face.
I danced back out of his long reach. He spun around and charged at me, swinging again. If there was one thing I had him on, it was the ability to move just that tiniest bit faster than he could. We continued circling each other and he made a few more test swings. I could see in his eyes that he was scrambling to recalculate his battle plan. No doubt, he’d expected to take me out with just a few well placed punches. And he might have been able to if he’d actually landed them. So far, though, he hadn’t touched me.
He changed tactics then and rushed me. I tried to spin out of the way and let his momentum do my work for me, but he managed to clip my shoulder as he passed. I skipped back as pain throbbed outward from the point of contact and adrenaline flooded my system.
He swung around and instantly tried to rush me again. I ducked and rolled, delivering a fierce kick to the back of his knee. He went down hard on his chest with an enraged growl, skidding across the scrubby grass and dirt of the clearing. This time, I didn’t stop to celebrate. I’d learned my lesson well while fighting Charlie. I moved in, ready to wrench one of Maddox’s long, gangly arms up behind his back in a controlling hold.
Just as I crouched and laid hands on him, he rolled onto his back and hurled a fistful of dirt into my eyes. My pack booed and let out cries of outrage as I blinked hard and scrubbed at my eyes, trying to clear them so I could see.
Something hit my torso like a sledgehammer and took me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me.
I struggled to catch my breath. My eyes watered, trying to wash away the gritty dirt paining them. That didn’t stop me from wrapping my arm around the back of Maddox’s neck as he came down on top of me. I forced his face toward the ground and hooked my right leg behind his, jerking his arm backwards as I wiggled out from underneath him. I released his head just long enough to switch up my hold. I hooked my elbow under his chin, grabbed my wrist with my free hand and pushed in, reinforcing the pressure of the choke.
I could feel his hatred boiling off his body in waves as he
reached up and yanked at my arm in an attempt to break my hold. I squeezed tighter and his panic kicked in enough that he stood up with me on his back. I didn’t dare let go of him, even though I knew my advantage was waning. He threw us both backward to the ground and I released him and rolled to the side to avoid being crushed beneath his weight.
He was trying hard to turn the tables, but I didn’t plan on going down easy. For a second, I thought I’d effectively evaded his attack, but he flipped over and flung himself on top of me, both hands wrapped around my throat.
I fought harder, punching the inside of his elbow to break his hold. Just as Brandon had done to me earlier that day. Looked like that training session hadn’t been a waste of time, after all.
Maddox lost his balance and I lunged forward, head-butting him as hard as I could in the nose. Blood exploded all over both of us as an adrenaline-dulled throb bloomed in my forehead from the hit.
He wrapped a hand around my throat again while the other dipped into one of his pockets. Was he going for a handkerchief to stem his nosebleed in the middle of a fight? I tried to pry his hand away while his attention was divided, but went still at the quiet ripping sound that emanated from his shorts.
What the fuck was that?
I flailed, trying to gain purchase somewhere so I could re-establish control, when I heard a click and pain exploded in my side. I froze in shock as a hot spurt of blood coated my skin. What had that bastard done to me?
I didn’t dare move. I hardly dared to breathe, and I certainly couldn’t keep fighting with my side ripped open and blood pouring out.
Chapter 12
I gasped and struggled to breathe as Maddox pushed to his feet and bolted away with a bloody switchblade in his hand. I should have expected something like this from that conniving coyote, but he’d blindsided me. Maybe it was my own fault for thinking for even one second that he would actually fight fair. I’d watched him murder my father, and yet I’d let my guard down because it had never once crossed my mind that any shifter would so blatantly violate the accepted rules of a challenge when surrounded by nearly two dozen witnesses. My pack would never tolerate an Alpha who had gained that title through such a dishonorable act. So then, what had Maddox really hoped to achieve by knifing me? Or did he have something even worse planned to ensure the pack’s compliance?
Possessing the Alpha: A Wolf Shifter Romance (Southern Shifters Saga Book 1) Page 7
