Bitterroot, Part 2

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “We appreciate that,” I said, with a pointed look at Charlie. But she ignored me.

  Dad went on, “Sheridan insists bright girls like yourselves don’t need time. That what you need is resolution. She insists you’re ready and after reviewing the case she’s presented here, I think she’s right. You’re ready, both of you,” he said, turning to Charlie again.

  Her head snapped to his, eyes wide. I looked back and forth between them, a thick layer of dread coating my tongue. “Ready for what?” I asked.

  “The council has been a little … impatient to begin the competition,” he said, his words slow and deliberate—and I knew exactly where this was headed. “I’ve dragged my feet because of my grief over your mother, but it’s time.”

  I shook my head, fighting panic. “No, Dad. It’s too soon. She’s—we’re not ready,” I said, throwing myself under the bus in an attempt to stall the inevitable.

  Dad shook his head, clearly his mind already made up. “Charlie is more prepared than you think.” He gestured to the file in front of him, as if all the answers were there. And if Sheridan cooked this up, I bet all the answers were. I wondered when she’d gone from protesting our arranged marriage to hurrying it along.

  I refocused on Dad’s argument, hoping to find a weak spot. “She took down a doe nearly the size of your buck,” he said to me. “Both are easily the largest kills made in months,” he said. “And she runs every day without being told. She’s in impeccable physical shape. You both are. There’s no reason to keep putting this off.”

  I stared at him, too stunned and panicked to appreciate that he’d been putting them off at all. “We can’t…” I began, but I had no idea how to finish it. What could I say that would make any difference now?

  “Your father is right,” Sheridan said, turning to me and I recoiled from her manicured nails as they reached out to pat my hand. “Pack law dictates this must happen before a new alpha can be selected and we need a leader.” Her eyes flicked to my dad’s, full of secrets that sent a ripple down my spine. “There are things to be dealt with … that only an alpha can do,” she murmured.

  Charlie made a noise of protest and Dad turned to her.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her, and to his credit, he sounded like he meant it. “But we’ve already delayed it in order to let you acclimate to Paradise. To the pack. The law says time is of the essence. Alpha competitions are held within the moon cycle of the previous alpha’s…” He trailed off and cleared his throat and his grief was suddenly the elephant in the room rather than the impending battle between Charlie and me.

  No one spoke. Beside me, Sheridan sipped her tea, unaffected. I wanted to stab her with her own nails. She’d never shed a single tear for my mother. I wondered how they’d ever been friends in the first place.

  “When?” I asked finally, hearing the anguish in my own voice.

  “Three days,” Dad said quietly, unable to meet my eyes.

  “What?” My eyes widened. “That’s crazy. Charlie isn’t—”

  “It’s settled. There’s nothing more to discuss,” Dad said roughly. He pushed back from his chair and loomed over me across the table. “Whoever wins, you’re a Vuk, Regan. Act like it,” he hissed and then he stalked out.

  A beat of silence passed. I blinked furiously at the burning in my eyes, staring into my coffee until my vision cleared. Across from me, Charlie didn’t move.

  “Can I go now?” she asked quietly.

  “Just a couple more things to go over,” Sheridan said, her tone evilly chipper. “You are entitled to know the name of each test as it comes. This first one will be the test of strength. If you’ve read the history books, this isn’t new information, but it is all I can tell you. There will be three tests in all. The one with the highest scores at the end will be the champion.” She smiled and it looked plastic and cutting on her painted face.

  Sheridan stood and pushed back from her chair, heels clicking as she headed for the door. At the threshold, she turned back, still smiling as she regarded Charlie and me a final time. “May the best Vuk win,” she said as she slipped out.

  Her words echoed in the silence. Even old Thill shifted uncomfortably at being left in the midst of this moment. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Charlie. Mostly because I was afraid she’d see what I was thinking. That Sheridan’s parting words had hit their mark. In a few days, one of us would stand victorious over the other. There would be no going easy or backing down. No losing, not for an alpha like me.

  Chapter Ten

  Charlie

  Regan found me sitting outside on Tuesday evening watching the sunset. The entire neighborhood had been quiet all day, almost mournful. Nobody was wandering through the streets enjoying the warm evening air like they always did. A pack of werewolves cooped up inside their houses was a powerful sign of the tension that had fallen over us all.

  “I can't see you tomorrow morning,” Regan said by way of greeting.

  She slid onto the top stop beside me, and I stared over at her without really seeing. My mind was filled with images of what they might throw at us in the Test of Strength tomorrow. Giant bears? Tigers? Or worse ... maybe they would make us fight each other.

  “Huh?”

  “The test is at noon,” Regan said patiently. “This is the last time I can see you until then.”

  “Oh.” I tried not to shiver. It was a warm, beautiful evening, so it wasn't like I was cold.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  I frowned. "Like what?"

  “I don't know. Anything to help you prepare.”

  I couldn't even find it within me to get mad. “Why? Because you're such a shoo-in to win, you want to take pity on me and help me out?”

  “God, Charlie, I'm just trying to help.”

  “I don't need your help.” There was no venom in my tone. I was too scared to get really angry. Not even when I realized this was the first and only time she’d even offered. I knew she’d been training with Carter behind my back—same as I’d been doing with Owen. Although, I was willing to bet none of them knew I’d been training. If they did, I wouldn’t be sitting idly by on the porch watching the sunset.

  Owen Rossi was the enemy. Since he’d somehow slipped his way past my usual walls and become my best friend, I wasn’t sure what that made me.

  Regan shifted and then pushed to her feet slowly, like she was hoping I’d stop her from going. I didn’t.

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” I said. “High noon.”

  She gave a stiff nod and turned to go inside the house.

  I watched her retreating back. Regan's spine was straight, her stride long and purposeful. Everything about her screamed “alpha.” Maybe that’s why I wasn’t angry. Maybe even I believed Regan was destined to win.

  Standing up, I took one last, sweeping look at the houses sprawled in front of me on the hill. From here, I could see a smattering of log cabin-style houses carved into small clearings between trees. Between us and them, I saw the cul-de-sac that housed the rest of the pack elders. Win or lose, they were my pack now too. Except I was sure they didn’t want anything to do with me.

  With a final scowl, I turned my back on the view and went inside.

  I found Dad in his office working by the light of a lone lamp. There were papers all over his desk and an open filing cabinet with a manila folder wedged half-in, half-out. His wide forehead was creased with lines, but he smiled when I came in and set his pen down.

  “Charlie,” he greeted and I brightened when he used my nickname. So far, he’d insisted on calling me by my full name, Charlotte, more often than not. I wondered if he knew the only time Mom had ever called me that was when I’d been in trouble. I wondered if he cared.

  “How are you holding up?" he asked. Another surprise. Even in the short time we’d known each other, I’d come to know Dad wasn’t one to discuss feelings.

  I forced a smile. "Great. I'm fine. What's all that?"

  “The job of an alpha i
sn't just one of leadership. It's like being a CEO of a business.” He shook his head at all the papers. “There's always something to do. But don't you worry yourself about any of this. It's not your problem.”

  “Not yet,” I said. For some reason, his responding smile didn't instill confidence in me. I took the chair opposite his desk, folding my hands in my lap. "Can I ask you a question?"

  “Of course.”

  “What does the Test of Strength entail?” I asked.

  Dad gave me a look that was simultaneously unsympathetic and pitying. “I can't tell you anything about it. It's against the rules.”

  “But that's not fair. Regan has lived with the pack her whole life. She probably knows what's coming.”

  “Nothing can be done about her natural advantage. You have your own advantages, too.”

  “Like what?” I slumped in my seat and stared down at my hands. “The ability to scream and run away?”

  “Screaming and running is not behavior befitting an alpha,” he said, his voice turning sharp. It was like getting slapped. I sat up straight and sucked in a hard breath. His gaze softened. “I'm sorry.” He ran a hand over his beard, the scruff scratching against his weathered hand. “You should rest and meditate on the nature of strength. You’ll find your answers within, if anywhere. That's all I can tell you.”

  I nodded mutely, trying to quash the sickening flutters that had risen in my stomach. I couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

  Behavior unbefitting an alpha. Why was I not surprised?

  “I'm going to bed,” I said in a tiny voice, hardly above a whisper.

  “Sleep well.”

  I headed upstairs. “Yeah. Right,” I muttered.

  I didn't sleep at all.

  Instead, I paced back and forth in my room, wearing a path on the hardwood with my bare feet. I chewed my fingernails all the way to the quick, and when they started bleeding, spent a few minutes running my hands under cold water. The stinging was a welcome distraction, but it didn't last long. And then I was back to pacing.

  Despite all my training with Owen, I felt completely unprepared for what was going to happen. I hadn't learned enough from him. I wasn't a real alpha. I wasn't even a real werewolf—I hadn't killed anything on my own. The one hunting lesson we’d had, Regan took down a doe and given me the credit. But I hadn’t done a thing except guard her already-dead kill while she was gone.

  I stopped pacing and pressed my palms to my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be horrible.

  I thought about calling my mom. I’d only spoken to her twice since I’d been here, and it hadn’t gone well either time. Since then, I hadn’t even turned it on to see if she’d tried calling me back. I was still holding on to my anger. It felt stubborn and more pointless as time went on, but I didn’t know what to say if I did talk to her. A lot of this was her fault. Maybe if she’d told me about my family here I could have been more prepared for this contest for alpha I was being forced into.

  Instead of making the call, I found myself sneaking down the stairs and out the back into the moonlight. I didn't really have any destination in mind. My feet carried me across the yard and into the forest with my mind totally disengaged. I could think of nothing but the arena I had seen under construction.

  It didn't surprise me when I finally looked up and found that I had walked in a big circle and ended up in front of the exact place of my fear. The arena was complete and empty. Lanterns hung over the path, turned off, leaving the narrow path lit by nothing but moonlight. It was huge, able to seat the hundreds of werewolves and vampires who would be watching, and I felt tiny in comparison to it. All around me, crickets sang their night song, but I barely noticed.

  What if the Test of Strength was a physical fight? What if I died? I’d read of that happening in the book Regan had lent me.

  “Brooding?”

  I turned at the voice, and somehow wasn't startled to see Owen emerging from the trees, despite the fact that my distracted senses hadn’t even noticed his arrival. His jawline was sharp and shadowed in the darkness but his eyes were piercing even from here. He made his black T-shirt and jeans look royal somehow.

  In all of the busy blur of the last two days, I hadn’t had time to see him again, but my cheeks immediately grew hot with the memory of our kiss.

  He had said that he thought he was falling in love with me. I wanted to ask if he still meant it, as if something might have changed in the days I hadn’t seen him. My courage was totally absent that night. All I’d managed to do was shoot him a shaky smile.

  “Are you following me?” I asked. I meant for it to sound teasing, but I couldn't seem to locate my sense of humor. It had gone missing somewhere among the paralyzing terror and my dad’s admonition.

  “You say that like following you would be a bad thing, kitten.” Owen hadn’t lost any of his usual attitude. He slunk around me, graceful and serpentine, and I hugged my arms around my body to stave off the chills.

  “It could be bad, if people catch us spending time together. Don't you have a bodyguard? Won't he report back to your parents?”

  “He probably would if he knew where I was,” Owen agreed. “But I'm very ... elusive.” He darted toward me, faster than I could see, and hooked an arm around my waist. I gasped. He bent down to trace a kiss along the side of my neck. It was a familiar, comfortable gesture, so much more intimate than our one kiss deserved. But it felt amazing. “Haven't I trained you enough? Yet my speed still surprises you.”

  “I guess I'm still relying on these pesky eyes.” I sighed.

  “When you missed our last two training sessions, I assumed that meant you’d outgrown the need for my assistance,” he said.

  His face grew serious, his penetrating eyes searching for whatever thoughts lay hidden from him. I shook my head, turning away out of guilt. I could see the question in his eyes, the doubt. He wanted to know why I’d ditched him. The truth was I’d done a lot of thinking over the past three days and I couldn’t justify … this any longer. But now, standing here looking into those deadly crimson eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I didn’t want to hurt the vampire. I was pretty sure there was some irony there.

  “I was worried about you,” he admitted.

  “I’m sorry. The contest has been scheduled and I had a lot on my mind. Don’t worry, my senses are as awful as always,” I said instead.

  Owen leaned away, wiping away his frown as his expression lightened to something easier. “I'm sure they will kick in when you need them. You have Vuk blood, for better or for worse, and there is alpha in your veins.” His lip curled slightly as he said my last name but otherwise maintained his composure.

  “Owen…” I began and then bit my lip. Hours before my first test wasn’t the right time for this.

  He dismissed my silent worries with a wave of his hand. “I have enough confidence for the both of us.” Owen pointed at a stand sheltered under an awning with a gauzy veil hanging at the sides. “If you aren't sure what to do, look to me, and I'll think comforting thoughts toward you.”

  “Is that another vampire power?”

  He laughed. “No. But it sounds good, doesn't it?”

  I groaned and shook him off. “You should really get out of here. And don't come to the test tomorrow. I don't want you to see me lose.”

  “Charlie,” he said gently, taking both of my hands, pulling me around to face him, and pressing them to his chest. “You can do this.”

  “I can't. I don't know what I'm doing. I shouldn’t even be here…”

  His fingers tightened on mine. There was no heart beating in his chest under my palms, but when his earnest gaze drilled into mine, my own pulse was more than enough to make up for his lack of one. “You’re going to do great.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because. You have me.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips across mine.

  “Did you mean it?” I asked when he leaned back again. I didn’t let him go far. He had loosened his grip on my h
ands, so I just slid them around his back, locking them on his neck. “When you said that you thought you were falling in love with me?”

  “I don't have any plans of marrying your sister,” he murmured and my eyes went wide at how well he’d just read me. “Does that answer your question?” His breath was a cool breeze on my lips, sweet and cloying. I breathed in deep, wanting to lock a part of him inside me. As if that would somehow keep him close through whatever was to come.

  His words—this entire line of conversation—should have disturbed me.

  Two months ago, I would have laughed at a guy talking marriage with me. I mean, I'd seen enough of my friends in high school get together and break up again to know that teenage relationships didn't have the best longevity. But this was something else. We were something else. Supernatural and destined for a future different than any human. And now, with this blood pact, marriage was inevitable, whether I liked it or not.

  Still, the fact that Owen wanted this. Wanted me … The words took my breath away. And suddenly, I was tired of trying to talk myself out of this. As of this moment, I was done trying to walk away from Owen. He was the one bright spot in my life and I wasn’t going to give that up. Not for anything.

  “I … I’m falling for you too,” I whispered.

  Owen’s eyes found mine and held. My breath hitched and his chest went still under my palm. Unbreathing, unblinking, he stood in front of me, the intensity of the emotion in his expression completely drawing me under. “Charlie,” he said in a low voice.

  His cold fingertips traced a line from my forehead to my jaw, his thumb lingering over my bottom lip. The small but intimate contact shot a bolt of electricity through me—straight into my heart. My eyes widened as something seemed to shift between us and then settle. And I knew that no matter what happened later, Owen was mine.

  “Why me?” I blurted. “I’m a werewolf. Your enemy. And just a silly girl.” I shook my head at how ridiculous it all sounded out loud, but I was suddenly desperately to know. Tonight.