by R. E. Butler
They crossed over the freshly plowed street and entered the woods, following a wide path that had been cut through the trees.
“What are the ceremonial grounds used for?” she asked.
“Changes in leadership, of course,” he said. “And ceremonies like matings and new members. We also have general pride meetings once a month, so pride members can air grievances or discuss concerns.”
“Do you hunt on the full moon?” she asked. She’d grown up with wolves who took the full moon very seriously. The entire day of the full moon was spent preparing for it. It started with a pack breakfast, then they cleaned the area set aside for gathering during the full moon. The day ended with a huge bonfire and a pack-wide hunt once the moon appeared.
“We don’t hunt as a pride, normally, except on special occasions like Christmas Eve. Whenever pride members feel like hunting, they just alert the pride and head out into the woods.”
“I’m used to hunting once a month.”
“Then that’s what you and I will do.”
“And True and Rai.”
He hummed in agreement.
They reached the clearing – a wide, circular area bordered with trees. The pride was waiting. Some wore expressions of curiosity, some of boredom. No one looked angry or upset to see her, so she counted that as a win. Scanning the crowd, she found Drylan and Phoebe, who smiled at her.
Three older males moved from the crowd and joined Maddox and Sugar. Maddox said with a low voice, “Sugar, these are the pride elders – Harlan, Anson, and Chayton.”
The elders greeted her. Anson scratched his fingers through his gray beard and said, “What would you have us do, Alpha?”
“The laws are clear,” Maddox said. “I’m not planning to fight stepping down.”
Chayton nodded. “You’ll be missed as alpha.”
Maddox turned his attention to the pride. The elders stood on his right, and Sugar held Maddox’s left hand tightly. “Thank you all for meeting tonight. I know it’s late, and a holiday, but this couldn’t wait. As many of you realized at the wedding earlier today, I found my true mate. Sugar Pierce is a snow leopard. She and I are completely mated, and, therefore, I am stepping down as alpha.”
He paused for a moment as the murmurings of the pride grew louder. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the general tone seemed to be unhappy.
He raised his hand for silence. “As is our custom when an alpha chooses to step down without a battle, the elders will assume temporary leadership of the pride for the next seven days. On the seventh day, those interested in fighting for the position of alpha can do so. The winner will assume alpha rank immediately.”
There was a commotion behind the pride members. Three females pushed their way through the crowd and stepped out in front. Sugar vaguely remembered seeing them at the wedding, but she didn’t know who they were, and she hadn’t seen them at the reception.
Maddox growled. “What are you three doing here? You should have left with my uncle.”
The three women looked similar as if they were siblings or relatives. Tall, leggy, blonde – and they each wore an expression of haughtiness that made Sugar want to punch them square in their perfect noses.
“You asked Alpha Clay to bring unmated lionesses for you to choose from,” one said.
“I’ve found my true mate,” Maddox said.
“Promises were made,” another female said. “We’ve come to collect.”
“I made no promises. There is nothing here for you,” Maddox said, his voice growing louder and angrier.
“You should choose one of us to be alpha female so you can stay in power. Stepping down from a position of high rank and tainting your family line with an inferior cat species is deplorable,” the third female said.
Sugar’s cat rose to the surface, furious at the females and their behavior. She was not inferior.
Maddox’s mom moved from the crowd and came to stand by Sugar. “There is nothing inferior about my new daughter.”
One by one, the other female pride members followed suit and joined Phoebe by Sugar’s side. She was nearly moved to tears by the gesture.
Jamie, who had been an usher at the wedding, said, “Why are we even thinking about letting Maddox step down as alpha?”
Anton cleared his throat. “It’s our law.”
“Well, it’s a shitty law,” Paul said. “Maddox is a great alpha. And besides that, Sugar and Maddox were basically born for each other. It’s impressive as hell, and we shouldn’t be trying to exclude her from being alpha female because she’s a snow leopard.”
Maddox shook his head. “I can’t change the law.”
Maddox’s dad said, “Why not? If the pride votes unanimously to change the law, then that should make it an option.”
“I won’t vote yes,” a male voice said from the back of the crowd.
Maddox growled as a male moved through the crowd and stepped out into the center of the clearing. Sugar recognized him as Josef, one of the pride males. He was tall and lanky, with dark eyes and a scar that bisected one eyebrow.
“I’ll take over the pride and mate one of the lionesses,” Josef said. “It’s not our way to change a law simply because it’s convenient.”
The three females looked from Maddox to Josef.
“He’s mated, females,” Josef said, his voice filled with annoyance. “He’s wearing her marks, and she’s wearing his, so there’s no going back for him. There is still a chance to be alpha female. With me.”
“What the hell?” Phoebe said under her breath.
Harlan stepped forward. “This is not how an alpha is chosen, Josef. You cannot simply elect yourself into the position. The battles will be held in seven days. Until then, the elders are in charge.”
A smile – filled with such malevolence that it made Sugar’s skin crawl – spread across Josef’s face. “Maddox hasn’t officially abdicated his position. I know the laws. He’s still alpha until the elders perform the abdication ceremony, which hasn’t happened. According to our laws, I can challenge for the position of alpha as long as there’s a current alpha and the pride is in attendance. I’ve come to win.”
Maddox roared loudly, and all the people in the clearing fell to their knees except for Josef and the elders. Sugar stayed on her feet next to him, her ears ringing with the sound of his roar.
Anson said, “You don’t have to acknowledge him, Maddox. We can still perform the abdication ceremony.”
Maddox shook his head slowly. “If we follow the letter of the law, Josef is right. I haven’t abdicated my position yet, so I’m still alpha.”
“What’s happening?” Sugar asked, looking up at Maddox.
“The last good deed I can do for my pride is to take Josef out.”
“But your dad suggested –” she said, but Maddox cut her off.
“If the pride were willing to vote on a change to the laws, we’d need total agreement. Right now, Josef will vote against the change, and that means it can’t happen. I have no choice but to put him down, sweetheart.”
One of the females said, “I’m not sticking around for this. Maddox is hot, but this guy is all kinds of creepy. I’m out.”
As she rose to her feet, the second female stood and followed suit. The two left the clearing, leaving one female staring at Josef.
“I’ll make you my alpha female if you’ll stay,” Josef said.
The female looked at Sugar smugly. “I’ll stay.”
Maddox shrugged out of his coat. “Enough talk. You challenged me, and I accept. When I win, I’ll banish you from the pride so you’ll never be alpha here.”
“Bring it on,” Josef said, pulling off his coat and handing it to the female.
Sugar pulled Maddox’s coat over her shoulders. Wolves were rough and tumble creatures. They solved a lot of differences with fighting. But she knew in her heart that this wasn’t just a solve-our-differences kind of fight…it was very real.
Phoebe put her arm around S
ugar and said, “He’s a great fighter. He’ll be victorious.”
She hoped to hell that Phoebe was right.
Chapter 7
Maddox toed off his shoes and tossed his shirt aside. He undid his jeans and looked at his mate. They hadn’t even spent an entire night together. It seemed wildly unfair that they were pulled from the mating bed to deal with pride business, but it was the way life could sometimes be with the pride. Sugar held the edges of his jacket around herself and returned his gaze. She mouthed kick his ass, and he winked at her. He was proud that his female wasn’t worried he would fail in the fight.
The pride moved to the outer edges of the clearing to give the combatants room. His dad, Jamie, and Paul moved to stand by Maddox’s mom and Sugar. He appreciated their gesture of solidarity. Josef was stripping, a growl rumbling in his chest, as he glared at Maddox.
Chayton said, “This is an alpha dominance battle. Fighting in shift only. When one rival shows submission to the other, the battle is over. Death is off the table.”
Josef snorted in derision, and Maddox actually agreed. It would be easier if he could just kill Josef.
“The battle begins…now!” Anton said.
Maddox reached for his beast that had been riding close to the surface from the moment that he’d left the house with Sugar. It hadn’t felt right to be giving up being alpha. The law was stupid, because Sugar would make a wonderful alpha female. She was strong and sweet, and the females all clearly liked her. But pride laws were important, and no matter how ridiculous he thought the alpha law was, he couldn’t change it. He could, however, ensure that his pride had a good alpha in his place, not a smarmy, rank-chasing male like Josef.
Maddox had trained from a youth to be able to shift fast. It had been a skill that his dad had ensured he would appreciate having if the need arose, and he was grateful for the training. His shift took over swiftly and the lion, out for blood, leaped through the air and landed on a still-shifting Josef. Maddox’s six-hundred-pound body would have crushed him if Josef hadn’t been able to roll away and finish shifting.
Josef wasn’t as large as Maddox in his shift, but he was quick, dodging Maddox’s paw. Josef turned and attacked, and Maddox met him, rising onto his hind legs and sinking his claws into the male’s shoulders, attempting to drive Josef to the ground. Josef twisted out of Maddox’s hold, rolling to the ground and striking at him with his hind legs.
Maddox twisted to avoid the sharp claws and raked his own claws across Josef’s front paws. The claws ripped through the fur on the top of Josef’s paws, gripping deep into the flesh and tugging. Bones popped and cracked as Maddox used his weight to push Josef to the ground. Josef whined and went limp in a posture of defeat. Maddox tugged his claws free and snapped his jaws at the male, daring him to move again. Josef looked pissed but remained on his back.
Taking his eyes off the male for a moment, Maddox looked at Sugar. Her cheeks were wet with tears, but she was smiling. He felt the air move behind him as her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but Maddox already knew that Josef had gotten up and was going to attack. His heightened senses allowed him to jerk away just as Josef landed next to him, claws sinking into the snow. Josef swiped at Maddox, catching him near his eye and nearly blinding him. The pain was sharp, but Maddox ignored it and rushed at the male, barreling into him head-on. Maddox knocked Josef downward with his paw, causing the male’s head to hit the ground with a loud thud. Maddox grasped the male around the throat, pressing his fangs into Josef’s flesh until he broke through the skin enough to taste blood. Josef went still. Maddox’s lion wanted to kill Josef, but this was an alpha dominance battle, and according to their laws, these battles were not to the death.
When Josef’s growl ceased to rumble in his chest, and his body went limp, Maddox released his hold on his neck and lifted his head, roaring his victory. Now the pride could move forward in choosing another alpha, and they would not suffer under Josef’s reign.
Josef stayed on his back for a long moment and then rolled to his belly.
Chayton said, “Josef, you are hereby banished from this pride for the whole of your life. You have one hour to pack your belongings and leave the pride’s territory. If you return at any time, you forfeit your life.”
Josef let out a disgruntled sound of agreement with his eyes down and his head tipped to the side to show his neck in submission. Maddox sniffed in derision. Josef was a fool. If he’d followed protocol and waited seven days, he might have won the alpha rank during the battles. Instead, his ego had bested him and now he was banished. In the span of a few minutes, he’d lost everything but his life.
Two pride males stepped forward to accompany Josef to his home and to collect his belongings for him since he would be stuck in his shifted form for a few hours. They walked beside the beaten male as he slunk through the pride members and into the woods. Maddox looked at Sugar. She gave him a thumbs-up, and he opened his mouth in what he hoped she recognized as a smile. Leaving his parents, she moved across the clearing to him.
“You’re amazing,” she murmured. She touched the uninjured side of his face. “I’m sorry you’re hurt, but you’re such a fierce fighter. I knew you’d win.”
He licked her wrist and she giggled.
“I have a gorgeous lion mate,” she said, kissing him on the snout. His whiskers twitched in pleasure. His lion was so happy she found his shifted form pleasing that it was all he could do to not prance around like a show horse.
There was a shout of alarm, and Maddox turned toward the noise. Through the ring of pride members, Josef broke through, with his fangs bared and his hackles raised. He was coming straight for Sugar. Maddox pushed her behind him with his shoulder and leaped for Josef, crashing into the male and rolling him to the ground. Maddox knew in that moment that Josef would never give up in his quest to be alpha. Sugar’s life would always be in danger because of him, and Maddox couldn’t allow that.
Both lions snarled, locked together as they rolled into the clearing. Josef raked his claws against Maddox’s belly, but the scratches were not deep, allowing Maddox to ignore the slight sting. Drawing on all his strength, Maddox rolled Josef under him, sank his fangs into his throat, and twisted sharply. The crack of his neck sounded like a rifle.
Maddox released his hold and raised his head to the sky, letting loose a deep and powerful roar that shook the trees and made the icicles fall from their branches and shatter on the snow-packed ground. The female who had agreed to stay with Josef took one look at his twisted body and raced from the clearing. Maddox was glad he didn’t have to deal with her rank-chasing idiocy any longer.
Sugar rushed to him and fell on her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck with a soft sob. “You saved me.”
He rubbed his cheek against her head with a rumbling purr. When he shifted back to his human form, he’d tell her that he would always save her.
The elders approached, and Maddox moved to put himself between his mate and Josef’s dead body.
Anton said to the pride, “The battle is over, and Maddox is victorious.”
The pride cheered, but Maddox only cared that Sugar was safe.
“Without Maddox in his human form,” Chayton said when the noise had quieted, “he’s unable to officially abdicate his position as alpha. We’ll postpone until tomorrow evening at sunset.”
“Why don’t we just not do it?” Jamie said.
Harlan said, “It’s one of our oldest laws.”
“But it doesn’t make sense,” Paul said. “Maybe a hundred years ago it was important that the alpha and his mate were both lions, but right now we’re in the presence of a powerful, mated pair. They were born for each other. How can we say that a law is more important than what they are together?”
Maddox’s dad stepped forward. “We can vote to eradicate the law.”
“Only if every pride member agrees,” Anton said.
“So let’s vote,” Brent, Jamie’s brother, said. “Maddox just killed a usurper
and protected his mate. I’m all for him keeping his rank and for Sugar to be our new alpha female.”
Vario and Gregory, who Maddox had thought would want to fight for alpha, stepped forward and joined Brent, Jamie, Paul, and Maddox’s dad.
“Maddox is a great alpha,” Vario said.
“I’m casting my vote for yes,” Gregory said.
Anton said, “True isn’t here to cast his vote.”
Maddox’s dad said, “I’ll be his proxy. He would vote yes for his brother to remain alpha.”
Harlan called for silence, and the pride quieted. “Alpha Maddox, do you wish to remain alpha with your mate, Sugar?”
“You’re his voice right now,” Maddox’s mom said, looking at Sugar.
Sugar said, “Oh, right!” She rose to her feet and looked down at Maddox. He purred. “Maddox says yes, and so do I.”
He butted his head gently against her hip, and she scratched his head with a chuckle.
Harlan said, “Then let those who would have Maddox remain alpha show their agreement by saying ‘aye.’”
Sugar added her voice to the pride when they shouted aye.
“Those in disagreement, please say ‘nay,’ now,” Harlan said.
The clearing went entirely still, as if time itself were holding its breath to see if someone would say that Maddox and Sugar shouldn’t be alphas. After what felt like an eternity, Harlan looked at Anton and Chayton, and they all nodded.
Harlan said, “The law is so stricken from the record. Maddox remains alpha, presiding over the pride with his mate, Sugar, by his side.”
Anton said, “Long live the alphas!”
The pride cheered, roaring and shouting their excitement. Sugar hugged Maddox and kissed his snout. “Wow. Now that’s a great way to start off our mating.”
His parents joined them, and his mom hugged Sugar. “Let me introduce you to the pride while your mate is unable to talk. I’ll tell you all about his bad habits, too.”
Maddox yowled at his mom, and Sugar looked over her shoulder at him and winked. “I promise to only believe the good stuff.”
