by Olivia Arran
Her eyes were wide and smeared with tears as she turned to me from the safety of Tarq’s broad chest.
“Thank you, you don’t have to. I can take it. I want to feel the pain, the loss…just to feel.” Her eyes flicked over to where Eric stood, ranting and raving in front of the Council. A madman painted in the blood of his father, and a savage expression tightened her delicate features. “He needs to be stopped, James. He cannot be allowed to lead the Smithrock Pack.”
“I know,” I replied, flicking my eyes to the Council, then to Kara who stood rooted to the spot, clasping her torn rags around her. Even smeared with dirt and blood, her eyes wild with fear, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She exuded a fragile strength that caused my body to tighten and thrum. I wanted to take her in my arms, away from all this violence, and protect her with my heart, soul, and body. I wanted her to grow and bloom like the Jasmine flower she reminded me of. To have the life she wanted — free to choose and laugh and love.
“I call challenge!” I shouted above the rumble of the crowd. “I challenge Eric, Alpha of the Smithrock Pack on behalf of Kara, for the right to be a lone wolf, the right to choose her pack if she so wishes.”
Eric swiveled round at my cry in a sinuous movement, cocking his head in mock thought.
“You don’t fight for her to be your mate? Hear that, Kara? He doesn’t want you anymore. Maybe what he saw despised him, sickened him—”
“Enough! That’s rubbish and you know it. Kara has the right to be free, to choose what she wants — and who she wants.”
I turned my attention back to the Council. “I also challenge on behalf of the Smithrock Pack, who lost their Alpha pair due to Eric’s underhanded and dishonest murdering tactics!” My voice rose to be heard above the shouts and cries of the crowd, shouts of affirmation and vengeance.
Meeting Kara’s eyes that were wide and luminous with despair, I felt for the tentative mating bond and poured as much love and respect as I could through it to her. Her eyes widened even further and she nodded, her face breaking into a smile.
Lisa? She mouthed to me across the clearing, concern creasing her forehead.
Eric will talk, I mouthed. A promise I hoped I could keep.
The last Council Member rose from his seat. His brown hair fell to his waist, tied back with a loop of leather. His skin was the color of roasted chestnuts, his features prominent and harsh. Standing as tall as the bear Council Member, he was an imposing figure of lean, hard lines.
He let out a loud peel of sound, pitched to hurt our acute shifter ears, and bringing half of the crowd to their knees. “You may not know me, or my kind. We horse shifters do not often run with others, and some may mistake us for prey.” He leveled his stare on Eric. “We do, however, have our own powers, that when added to our strength make us more than a match for you wolves, bears, dragons, and cats. We are re-joining the shifter population, coming out of isolation and seclusion, so you will meet more of us. I have a dual purpose here today. One is to secure a place for my kind in this world, and the other is to rule with the Council. As the newest member I have listened to this hearing in disgust,” he spat the words at Eric. “There is no honor here, no respect or trust. This pack cannot go on this way, you cannot treat your females like this—”
“I hear you horsey types have harems, that you go through different women every night. A herd a day keeps the doctor away,” Eric shouted, laughing at his own joke.
“How my kind mates, and with whom, has nothing to do with the likes of you. What I will say, is that we treat our women with respect,” the horse Council Member uttered, his words cold, before continuing as though Eric had not spoken. “This challenge will be met, now, and you will return the woman that you have taken hostage. Clear the circle. James, Eric,” —he nodded to both of us— “you will fight until either one of you concedes, or is killed. Challenge rules apply. Shifting is allowed. No one may intervene. Cheating will be punished — by me.”
His words rang in my ears as I turned to face my foe. This was for Kara, for Colin, for the Smithrock Pack. Eric had to die.
Rolling my shoulders to loosen the tense muscles, I watched as Amanda darted over to Kara and helped her out of the circle. Seeing her up close, bleeding and marked with ugly bruises, ignited the low burning embers of rage and fanned them into a roar, which I turned to focus on Eric.
Purposely letting down my inner walls, I let my wolf roar to the surface, letting him stretch my skin and harness his power. I dimly felt the prick of claws pushing through my fingertips, and the bunching of muscle that signaled a half-shift, as I watched Eric struggle to do the same — growing in height and bulk to try and match my own. Holding the shift half completed was something only a powerful shifter could do, it was painful and tiring, but the advantages of being half-human and half-wolf in battle far outweighed the costs.
Throwing back my head, a howl ripped from my throat.
“Where is Lisa, Eric? Tell me and I’ll be quick killing you.”
We circled each other, keeping to the outside of the clearing, feinting and testing reflexes.
Eric laughed, a hollow, manic sound. “You won’t find her, and if I don’t return…then my lieutenants will do what they want with her, everything they want…”
Moving fast, I swiped a clawed hand at him, darting under his defenses, and scoring his chest in deep ragged lines.
Eric spun, swinging his hands and growling furiously.
Circling and spinning, we swiped and punched at each other. Grunts filled the air as fists connected with flesh.
On and on it went, like a choreographed dance, wearing each other down, lurching at each other and feinting. Eric’s hands were starting to tremble as he struggled to maintain his half-shift.
Sweat dripped off me, stinging and mixing with bloody gashes, as I threw myself forward, my fist connecting with Eric’s stomach. Grappling, I threw him to the ground, punching and hitting until spittle flew from his mouth.
Blood and spit covered the man, his body a torn mess of claw marks and bruises. Holding him down I shook him. “Where is she? Where is she!”
Grinning from lips split and oozing blood, he coughed, a rattling sound indicating broken ribs, maybe a punctured lung. “You’ll never find her,” he whispered, grinning evilly.
“I concede!” He cried, throwing his hands to the ground.
The Council nodded at me and, shaking, I let go of the half-shift, slowly pulling myself off him. Lurching, I clutched my side and was surprised to see my hand come away covered in blood. I had not felt any of the blows Eric had landed. Swiping at my bleary eyes, I peered over at my pack, searching for Kara. She was free now. I had not found Lisa. The thoughts swirled in my head, knocking into each other as I stumbled toward them.
“James!” Kara’s scream reached me, a warning alarm.
I spun around to see a giant wolf charging at me, his powerful body stretched out as he leapt through the air, claws extended, jaws open and fangs exposed.
Eric, the cheating bastard!
Pulling on the last of my strength, I threw myself to the side, shifting as I rolled. The change washed over me in seconds, bones snapping and realigning, hair sprouting. Rolling onto four paws I crouched, lips pulled back in a snarl, hackles raised and claws ready to tear.
Eric had rolled and flipped over, looking for me. Shifting my weight, I pushed from my powerful back legs and leapt at Eric, meeting him mid-air in a battle of snapping jaws and rending teeth.
Biting down on his ear I tasted blood, and ripping, I shredded the delicate skin. My human side had retreated and my wolf reveled in the bloodthirstiness of battle.
Moving with predator instinct, I twisted and turned, evading claws and teeth, while waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for an opening.
Now! In agreement, human and wolf, I bit down with my powerful jaws into Eric’s exposed, soft throat.
Eric struggled, his hind legs kicking and scoring my body, his claws digging dee
p into my chest. Then, he went still.
Holding on, not about to be tricked for a second time, I looked over at Kara, then the Council.
“Finish it,” Kara whispered, her voice echoing the chant of the crowd. The Council nodded, with matching expressions of revulsion and disgust.
Clamping my jaws down hard, I ripped and pulled. There was no chance Eric would heal from this.
I rolled away from the body, collapsing on the blood soaked ground, my strength depleted. The shift washed over me, leaving me naked and shivering, as I stared at the clear, moonlit sky.
Kara
Watching James fight Eric was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. My nails dug half-moons shapes into my palms as I watched the battle, heart pounding in my chest. They were both big men, though James had the advantage, especially when half-shifted. But Eric was evil. He fought dirty and dishonorably, while James expected everyone to follow the rules. I knew what Eric was like. There was no way he was going to play fair.
My heart caught in my throat and I screamed a warning to James, clutching Amanda’s arm as I watched in terror as James threw himself to the side, and shifted mid-roll to avoid Eric’s sneaky attack.
Rising to a crouch, James’s wolf was a huge snowy-white beast, a startling contrast to his human hair, with glowing silver eyes. My wolf purred (actually purred!) her approval at her mate, and sat back confident he would win.
When James locked his powerful jaws around Eric’s throat and looked at me, a question in his eyes, my chest tightened and threatened to explode. Lisa! My poor friend. I looked at Amanda for help, whose arm I was threatening to dislocate with my grip. A friendly Amanda, who would have thought it?
“He’ll find her. He said he would. So you have to decide — do you trust him?” she murmured, for my ears only.
Meeting James’s glowing silver gaze, I nodded. Finish it, I mouthed. I trust you, I added silently.
Closing my eyes against the violence, sounds of tearing filled my ears. Then Amanda whispered, “It’s finished.”
Blinking, I looked over at James, now human and covered in gashes and bruises. His gorgeous hair was matted to his head, and his nose looked broken, twisted, and bleeding. Shaking wracked his body, his muscles twitching with involuntary spasms.
At a run, I rushed over to his side, my hands shaking as they hovered over his beaten frame, not wanting to inflict any more pain.
Blinking his eyes open, he stared up at me, pain filling his gaze.
“Shhhh, don’t move if it hurts,” I whispered, brushing his hair off his forehead.
“I’m sorry…about Lisa.”
“I know.” I looked into his eyes, the color of rich melted chocolate, and felt myself falling in love with this man — the man who would risk everything just to give me my freedom, to save my friend, and to make me happy. “I trust you.”
Leaning forward I brushed my lips gently over his, a whisper of a kiss, a thank you.
With a surge, James deepened the kiss and, cradling my neck, molded his lips firmly to mine. Tugging at me, he pulled me down onto him, fitting my body to his. His cock, thick and hard, pressed into my stomach, bare through the rags of my blanket, and I squirmed against him, suddenly needing him inside me, filling me.
A loud and pointed cough sounded behind us. “Ahem…”
James levered himself to sitting and, with me still in his lap, turned with a cheeky smile to face the Council. The Council! Talk about an audience! My face flushed, the blood rushing to my cheeks.
The wolf Council Member winked at us cheekily. “Yes, sorry to interrupt…as you’ve probably figured out, James, you are the winner which means that Kara can choose…ahem…where she would like to live, and who she would like to be with,” he said, a smirk on his handsome face as he pointedly looked at our compromising position. “This also means that you, James, are now the new Alpha of the Smithrock Pack—”
“I don’t want to be the Alpha of another pack,” James said, interrupting in a rush.
“I understand, and thought as much. However, it is not often that two Alpha’s fight to the end, but it has happened before.” He shrugged. “It is just very…unusual. The precedent that has been set before is that the Alpha decides on a proxy to lead in his stead, until he can organize trials to pick a new Alpha. Unless he is challenged of course?” The wolf Council Member looked around at the surrounding packs. One by one everyone shook their heads or looked away. “I see that you have some supporters, Alpha of the Colstone and Smithrock Packs. That’s good, there is a lot of work to be done at the Smithrock Pack. Corruption to unearth. Sickness to be weeded out. You will need to choose a good proxy, someone who is willing to put in the work, someone you can trust.”
James stared into the distance for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought. His mouth quirked up at the corners, as a grin spread over his face.
“Amanda,” he declared.
“Wha—what?” Amanda stuttered from the audience.
“You will be my proxy. You have shown loyalty, trustworthiness, and kindness. You have the capabilities to be an Alpha, therefore I know you can lead the pack. You’re strong and tough.” James rose to his feet, pulling me with him. “Most of all, you have a connection to the Smithrock Pack. You want it to get better. You want it to thrive. I will organize the trials, if need be, once the pack is good and whole again. What do you say, Amanda?”
Squaring her shoulders, the young woman in question looked over at the neighboring pack, the pack her grandfather’s brother had lead. “I’ll do it,” she replied, her mouth set in a determined line.
Tarq stepped up to her side. “She’ll need help,” he said in an easygoing drawl, cocking an eyebrow at Amanda’s scowl and flexing his thick biceps. “Babe, you should never pass up the opportunity to have some muscle on your side.” Winking at her outraged expression, he turned to James, waiting for his approval.
Chuckling, James whispered under his breath to me, “Didn’t see that one coming! She’ll eat him for breakfast!”
To the waiting crowd he replied, “Sure, sounds good to me. Amanda, as my Alpha-proxy and Tarq as her Beta.”
Heckles and catcalls fill the air and, surprisingly, Amanda blushed to the roots of her hair before shouting them down. “Okay, agreed.”
The bear Council Member lumbered to his feet, stretching his thick arms and cracking his knuckles. “I think our time here is nearly done. All that is left to decide is where you want to be, young Kara? Colstone Pack? Smithrock Pack? Lone wolf? Choose James as your mate? Choose yourself?” His deep, growly voice gently pushed me for a decision.
“I will find Lisa, no matter what you choose, Kara. I promise you that,” James said taking my hand. “I love you, my true mate. If you still want to be free, to find yourself, then you shall have that — I will wait for you. I would wait for you forever. I just want you to be happy.”
“It doesn’t matter to you? That I’m broken? That I’m scared half the time, scared of not knowing where I come from or who I am?”
“You’re not broken, my love, you are healing. Eric was a bad man, an evil man, one who should never have been allowed near you. You’re strong, stronger than most people I know, because you survived what he did to you. And as for not knowing who you are or where you come from? You are you, Kara. Wonderfully unique, compassionate, caring, kind, funny, intelligent and—” he ticked the list off on my fingers, lowering his next words to a growl, “—so sexy I can’t see straight. I can’t see any other woman - you’re it for me.”
Looking into his handsome, earnest face, his nose a little bloody still but starting to heal, face scraped and dirty, everything just fell into place. This man would let me be me — because he loved me for myself. He wouldn’t try to change me, or tell me what to do. He would protect me, like I would him. My blood burned for him, and my wolf howled for him. She had trusted him long before I had, and she was right - he was the other half to my soul.
“I choose you, James,” my words r
ang out, clear, over the gathering. “To be my true mate, the other half of my soul. I will run with you, live with you, share my heart with you, and be true to you.” The words flowed from deep inside, a promise of both heart and soul.
“And I choose you, Kara — I will run with you, live with you, share my heart with you, and be true to you, always,” James replied, before gathering me into his arms and kissing my upturned mouth.
“So it is done,” the Council decreed in unison.
Whooping and cheering filled the clearing, both packs mingling together in celebration.
Pulling away, James tilted my chin with his finger. “Just one more step to complete, my love. The mating hunt!” His face was split nearly in two with the breadth of his grin, then his smile faltered, uncertainty clouding his sunny expression. “We don’t have to just yet, if you don’t want to. I don’t want to bring back any bad memories for you, of Eric.” Concern colored both his voice and his actions, as he wrapped me in his arms.
Hugging him, I laid my ear against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart…my heart. I wanted to feel his heart beat inside of me, through the bond.
“I’m ready, I want this, I want you — inside me, heart and body.”
Releasing him I turned, shucked off my rags and, throwing him what I hoped was a sultry glance over my shoulder, darted off into the forest.
The cheering echoed in my ears as I ran, fast and swift. I heard James let out a joyful howl, then all I could hear were his feet thundering behind me, branches tearing and the panting of his breath — he was chasing me, on the hunt.
The mating hunt. A shiver of anticipation tickled down my spine as I sped up. The chase was on.
Chapter Twelve
Kara
Branches caught in my hair and twigs snapped loudly under my feet as I ran, twisting and turning through the forest. Coming up to the river, I slowed and waded through carefully. Cupping the water, I washed the dirt and sweat from my body, before climbing up the river bank on the other side.
