by Unknown
Rightly interpreting the pack’s silence, Sasha barked out a laugh. “Do you really think they will believe your lies? This pack is mine, pup, not yours, never yours.”
The reminder of his inadequacy in the eyes of the pack did nothing to calm Viktor’s temper. Sasha spoke true this time. The pack was his, not Viktor’s. However, that needed to change, not only for Viktor, but for all those pups that would be born to the pack. They deserved a real Alpha as a role model, not someone rotten to the core, a liar and a coward like Sasha. They needed a real werewolf. Viktor didn’t truly want to lead, but anyone would be better than Sasha.
“I should have never allowed you to lead this pack for so long. You don’t deserve it,” Viktor noted coldly. “You know, the pack aside, this is not only about them, not anymore. You crossed a line when you sent assassins against me, Sasha, and you know it.”
At these words, a murmur started to pass through the crowd, as if the knowledge just now penetrated the pack’s common consciousness. It was considered shameful for a werewolf to resort to using outsiders in order to settle domestic disputes. The idea that the Alpha could have resorted to treachery and backstabbing shook the very foundations of the pack, and Viktor knew it.
However, it wasn’t Sasha who responded to Viktor’s accusations. “Do you have any evidence to support these claims?” Jessica stepped forward to Sasha’s side and gave Viktor a disdainful look. “It is a very serious accusation, and you can’t just come here to our pack and accuse our leader of such vile things, without even having a solid base to prove what you are saying.”
Viktor arched a brow at Jessica’s speech. She gave the pack what they wanted to hear, finding them an enemy other than their leader. Jessica had long ago taken on the role of the Alpha female, and her word was as precious as gold to their pack. Viktor wouldn’t stand for it. Jessica had done enough damage already. He suspected she’d been sleeping with his father, even if she only recently mated to Flame. “Oh?” he asked, struggling to keep himself in check. “And tell me, where were you all going when we met just now?”
Jessica hesitated, glancing swiftly at her supposed mate, who still stood proudly at Viktor’s side, only to look away once more, the movement a silent admission of guilt. “Flame was injured in an altercation with an unknown creature,” she answered smoothly. “We were concerned for him.”
A bitter laugh escaped Flame’s lips. “Unknown creature? Concerned? Don’t make me laugh. Is it because you were concerned that you were hunting me like I was some kind of rabid animal?”
“The creature seemed feral, Flame,” Sasha explained voice tinged with fake concern. “You could be affected by its bite.”
“Oh, this is too much,” Kai said sarcastically. “Now Flame is suffering from rabies? Please!”
Kai didn’t know Flame all that well. As a matter of fact, Viktor’s mate had only met his friend minutes ago. Despite the fact that Kai didn’t really know Flame, Viktor knew that even Kai could see the lie in that excuse. Flame’s sanity simply couldn’t be doubted, especially by people who actually knew him.
Viktor shook his head, aggrieved by the absurdity of the situation. “Father, this is ludicrous. For once, take responsibility for your actions! Stop this charade and admit to what you’ve done.”
“I have done nothing,” Sasha snapped. “Your accusations are just poisonous lies, and you offend me and the pack through your presence, falseness, and perversion.”
Flame smirked at the Alpha’s reply. “You would think that by now, the Alpha would feel entitled to discipline the member of the pack that dared to offend him in such a way.”
Sasha visibly tensed at Flame’s words. Flame had a point. An insult towards an Alpha represented an insult towards the whole pack, and according to pack law, the Alpha needed to punish the wrong-doer. He was stuck.
“Fine!” Sasha barked. “Enough of this foolishness! I will give you a lesson you will never forget.”
In the blink of an eye, the Alpha shifted, Sasha Petrovic’s human form replaced by that of a white arctic wolf. The moment he fully shifted, the wolf launched itself at Viktor, not even giving him a warning or a moment to prepare. Fortunately, Viktor expected this sneaky attack. His father’s jaws clamped around air, since Viktor had moved from his previous position.
Viktor shifted as well, his wolf form eerily similar to that of his father. He attacked his opponent, and they collided in a flurry of white fur, fangs, and claws, snapping and angrily tearing at each other’s throats. Sasha fought with the cunning and tactics years of experience gave him. Even so, Viktor had the advantage of the strength and agility of youth, something that Sasha lacked. Furthermore, Viktor fought knowing that he had no other option but to win.
He needed to protect his mate and yearned to exact revenge for his best friend’s pain. His wolf knew that the pack belonged to him by right, that he needed to prove to his mate that he would be worthy of their bond. Above all, the need to punish the betrayal of his own flesh and blood drove him forward.
All these reasons slipped from his mind, and the wolf knew nothing more but the excitement of fighting, the satisfaction of tearing into his opponent’s skin and the taste of blood in his mouth.
* * * *
As Kai expected, Viktor’s father didn’t go down easily. If Sasha Petrovic hated his son enough to hire snake shifters, he would give everything he had to win the challenge. Intellectually, Kai knew Viktor could handle the fight, but he still wished they could have done things differently. If only Viktor could have avoided the challenge of fighting his father himself, Kai could have taken care of Sasha Petrovic. The pack would never manage to find him, and Viktor wouldn’t have to be hurt now.
Kai mentally sighed. As much as he wished to take his mate’s pain away, his purpose here wasn’t to win Viktor’s battle in his stead, but to watch Viktor’s back while he fought. Kai let his snake eyes roam around the gathering crowd. He nodded towards Flame and Flame nodded back, a signal that he would watch over the rest of the pack as well. Normally, werewolves weren’t treacherous, but Viktor’s pack seemed to have decayed under the leadership of Sasha Petrovic.
As if to confirm Kai’s suspicions, a small group of werewolves slowly and stealthily tried to move away from the crowd. Kai watched as they talked in hushed whispers with the woman from before, the one who claimed being concerned about Flame. Kai instinctively knew she was involved in everything that made this pack not right. For Viktor to have a safe future, she would have to disappear.
Adding the woman’s demise to his increasingly horrid to-do list, Kai turned his attention yet again to the treacherous werewolves. They slipped from the grove and vanished into the dark forest. Kai realized that if he wanted to help his mate, he would have to follow them. As much as he resented having to leave Viktor’s side, he served his mate better from a distance, just like it would always be.
Shaking himself, Kai snuck away from the scene of the battle and hastily followed the tracks of the departing werewolves. As he slipped through the shadows, he carefully stayed downwind so the werewolves would not smell him. He allowed his human-shaped tongue to shift back into his snake one and stuck it out to detect the direction his enemies had taken. His heightened snake senses instantly processed the required information and indicated the right path. Half of Kai wanted to go back to the grove, since Viktor’s scent attracted him like a magnet. But he knew that he could not. He had to focus and complete his mission. He needed to protect his mate.
Not even bothering to shift into his animal form, Kai followed the trace the werewolves left. His senses led him to yet another meadow, where the group seemed to have stopped to discuss the issue. His snake eyes could see in the dark, taking in the heat of their bodies and registering their position with ease.
“Jessica said we needed to take out the snake as well,” a tall, well-muscled blond who resembled Jessica said. Two others stood behind him, silently offering support.
“Won’t that draw the wrath of the Gui
ld upon us?” another protested. “Surely there has to be another way.”
Kai mentally marked the latter as the smart one who would probably survive the entire thing.
“Maybe the Alpha will just defeat Viktor, and we’re discussing this for naught,” an older werewolf suggested. He gave the rest of the group a pleading look, apparently not very happy with the plan.
The first werewolf snorted. “Yeah, right. Either way, it doesn’t matter. There are only three of them. Viktor, Flame, and the snake. Flame’s family isn’t here, and they’d be too young to help. We can easily take them.”
“I don’t know,” the smart one intervened. “I think maybe we should just let things follow their course. After all, what have Jessica and Sasha ever helped us with?”
Silence followed the rhetorical question as the men seemed to debate if defending their Alpha was worth the trouble.
“Come on. We have to get ready,” the first man finally said. “You’re not going to be cowards and back out on me now.”
At that, the rest of the werewolves suppressed whatever protest may have occurred to them. They obviously didn’t want to be seen as cowards. In Kai’s opinion, agreeing with the idiot was the best proof of cowardice in existence. Then again, given that the idiot already had the support of the rest of the group, he couldn’t really blame them for their choice.
Kai watched as the werewolves opened a hidden hatch in the ground revealing a secret stash. They retrieved a large shotgun, two crossbows, and several guns. Kai instantly knew the bullets and the arrows used would be silver. The treachery of Viktor’s pack had gone too far.
They clearly meant to prevent Viktor from wining the challenge. Even the thought was unusual. Other werewolves were forbidden from interfering in challenges for Alpha positions. It would be against pack law and would shame them all.
Kai stepped out of the greenery, allowing his footsteps to rustle the leaves on the ground. “How interesting that you would agree your Alpha is a weakling.”
The five werewolves immediately turned to him. Some hid their shock under a mask of anger. Others actually seemed shamed at having been caught. The leader of the group snarled at Kai. “What the hell are you doing here, you little freak?”
“Finding out valuable information about my mate’s pack.” Kai grinned, wondering if he could get them to return to the grove with no bloodshed. Perhaps their treachery could even be useful for Viktor.
“Your mate? Your supposed mate is a traitor and an abomination, just like you,” the other man spat.
“Maybe. But he will soon be your Alpha. I will not allow you to stop the challenge.”
The two werewolves Kai labeled as possibly useful stepped back and dropped their weapons. “I don’t want to do this,” the older one said. “I just want a safe, happy pack for my pups.”
The other one nodded, directing a slightly pleading look towards Kai. The blond werewolf turned to sneer at them. “Fucking pansies! I’ll deal with the snake and then you’ll see what I do to traitors.”
Kai answered in their stead. “Oh? You think you can defeat me so easily? Bring it on!”
The werewolf charged towards Kai, shifting as he ran. Kai jumped and dodged the wolf’s attack. Using his poison to kill his opponent would be difficult because the fur prevented him from sinking his fangs in. Still, the fur didn’t protect everything, and he already had a plan.
As the wolf turned to attack again, Kai shifted as well, easily freeing himself from his loose clothing as he did so. The wolf’s jaws closed against thin air where Kai’s neck had been just seconds before. Kai took advantage of the wolf’s confusion and snapped up from the grass, striking swiftly and expertly. He dug his fangs into the wolf’s snout, retreating to safety after only a few moments. Even if he didn’t hold on to the bite very long, his venom would be potent enough to incapacitate, if not kill, the werewolf. Actually, Kai wasn’t aiming to kill. He wanted the werewolves to live because their deaths would cause trouble for Viktor.
The wolf actually howled in pain, but it sounded strangled and Kai knew the rest of the pack would not hear his cry. The wolf’s body had already started to shake as the effect of the venom kicked in. Several of the other wolves came running, sniffing to find Kai in the grass. Kai wondered if, in their anger, they didn’t see they exposed themselves to the same fate as their companion.
Mercilessly, Kai attacked once more, this time aiming for another wolf’s vulnerable belly. The venom worked even faster for Kai’s second victim. The second wolf’s body collapsed to the ground and started seizing.
Still in human form, the older werewolf approached cautiously, having obviously chosen to stay out of the search and the fight. “Please, stop this,” he said. “We’ll go back and confess to Viktor. We’ll let everyone know. Just stop this.”
Satisfied, Kai shifted back. He picked up the clothes Viktor had given him back at his house and pulled them back on, keeping a close eye on the werewolves. “It’s the right thing to do. You won’t regret it.”
Kai retrieved his fallen knife from the grass as the uninjured wolf changed forms as well. Kai gestured to the remaining three werewolves to grab the bodies of their fallen companions. He briefly looked his two victims over to make sure they would survive his venom. Once he made sure he would not have any deaths to deal with, he nodded to the old werewolf. “All right. Let’s go.”
Smirking, Kai indicated that the werewolves should walk ahead. “After you.” They gave him an ugly look, but silently obeyed. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they left behind the secret stash of weapons and headed back to the grove, sneaking back into the crowd to watch the ongoing fight.
* * * *
Sasha collapsed beneath Viktor in the grass, bloody and motionless, still alive, yet evidently defeated. Viktor shifted back to human form, an effort he made to further the image of power he was trying to convey. Sasha was unable to do so, the weakness of blood loss and defeat binding him to his wolf.
“I have beaten your Alpha. The pack is mine by right.”
The werewolves exchanged glances before turning back to Sasha, lying defeated and barely breathing upon the ground. Accepting Sasha’s defeat, they then turned to face Viktor. One by one, they knelt, submitting to their new Alpha. Even his father’s former inner circle yielded to Viktor’s victory. The only people left standing were Viktor, Kai, Flame, and Jessica, who gave Viktor a hateful glare. “You’re nothing but an abomination, Viktor,” she spat. “You will lead this pack to ruin.”
“Oh?” Kai interceded. “I think you and your friends have done a pretty good job of that already. Isn’t that right?”
Behind Kai, a werewolf got to his feet. Viktor recognized him as Philip, one of the oldest members of the pack. “The snake is right,” Phillip said, voice trembling ever so slightly. “Viktor is telling the truth. Jessica and Sasha planned his death and wanted to use the Assassins’ Guild for their purposes. Gregory also wanted to lead a small group of us to try and stop the challenge now so that Sasha could conserve his leadership.”
“Where is Gregory?” Flame asked.
Kai’s eyes turned cautious, and Viktor instantly knew what had happened. “He attacked me and I just immobilized him,” Kai replied neutrally.
Viktor instantly felt the pack tense. Even if Gregory betrayed them, he remained a werewolf, whereas Kai was an outsider. A snake. An assassin.
He growled low in his throat, prepared to protect his mate, come what may. None dared to take him up on his silent challenge. They wanted to go against Kai, but feared Viktor too much to do so.
“The snake didn’t do anything wrong,” Phillip thankfully intervened, drawing dozens of werewolf eyes to him. “It was his right to protect his mate. He didn’t even kill Gregory, even when he easily could have.”
By Viktor’s side, Flame nodded. “All of you standing here, judging, wouldn’t you have done the same thing if Gregory threatened your family?”
Viktor didn’t even wait for Flame’s
question to receive an answer. “This isn’t about Kai. I have no doubt my mate’s actions were more than justified.” He glared at his pack’s members, pointing out that he would not allow anyone to voice a different opinion. “Gregory and Jessica betrayed us, as did Sasha. They must be punished.”
Viktor turned to look at Jessica, wondering how such hatred and ugliness could hide beneath such beauty. “Jessica Kyle, I hereby charge you with treason. You have brought shame onto this pack, as evidenced by the various misdeeds you have performed against it. Consequently, I sentence you to exile and to dissolve your mating with Flame Grayson, a mating which took place under false pretenses and into which the second party was coerced by threats to his family. Together with Sasha Petrovic and Gregory Kyle, you will leave the lands of this pack. Should you ever return, you will be subjected to a second trial and will be sentenced and judged according to pack law.”
Having proclaimed his first decision as an Alpha, Viktor turned his attention to his kneeling pack. “Anyone else who doubts my leadership is free to go, either with Jessica or on their own.”
Each and every member of the pack remained in his or her kneeling position, silently submitting to Viktor’s leadership. Satisfied, the new Alpha nodded. “Get up now, my friends. Lift your heads and let us escort our former brothers and sister from our midst.”
Flame took the initiative and grabbed Jessica’s hand, drawing her away from the middle of the grove. Someone else lifted Sasha’s still-unmoving body and followed behind Flame, the two removing the traitors from pack land. Viktor nodded towards Phillip, silently telling him to deal with the Gregory issue.
Having dealt with the most immediate problem, Viktor spoke again. “Tonight is the full moon. It is a night of celebration, but it is also a night of new beginnings, for all of us, and for me, specifically.” He walked to Kai’s side, taking his mate’s hand and drawing him close. “And on this note, this is my mate, Kaiden. Please welcome him to the pack as only werewolves know how.”
