The Mating Game

by Melissa Snark

  “I would like to ask that Carl be granted the mercy he begs for,” Theresa said in a quiet voice. She dared to look up. She sensed the pack’s surprise, and a small handful of members who reacted with disapproval. However, the support and approval she received far outweighed those negative feelings. More than that, respect emanated from certain individuals—Zach, Robert, Charlaine, and even Isabel’s aunt, Ambra—and spread with quiet persistence.

  Adam’s narrow-eyed gaze signaled his displeasure, placing him with the vengeful minority within the pack. “What punishment do you suggest then?”

  “Exile him from the Iron Stone pack. I ask not for his sake but for the pack. The death of another member would hurt everyone.” Theresa answered without hesitation. She had thought about what she should say prior to the meeting. Even though Zach had argued in favor of Carl’s death, he remained silent, supporting her decision before the pack. She traded a glance with him, silently thanking him, and he offered a grim smile in return. He might not like her decision, but he respected her right to make it.

  “That’s a magnanimous gesture,” Adam said in a way that implied it was not. He made a show of considering both her and the cowering Carl in turn.

  A chill ran down Theresa’s spine, because she doubted that she would be granted the same clemency when her turn came to be judged. If not for Zach’s steadfast presence, she would not have had the courage to stand up and speak on her assailant’s behalf.

  “All right,” Adam said in an adamant tone that brooked no discussion or disagreement. “It’s an admirable thing to show mercy, but the presence of a wolf known to have attacked the pack’s most valuable breeding female is also intolerable.”

  Outrage at being labeled a brood mare caused her spine to stiffen, but she swiftly hid her anger. She winced and bit her tongue. Adam had acceded to her request, but also felt it necessary to put her in her place in front of the others. She hated it, but for the time being, she recognized the necessity of keeping her mouth shut.

  “Carl will be branded and exiled to live out the remainder of his life as an outcast.” Adam gestured for the man on his knees to be removed.

  At the pronouncement, Carl cried out in a mixture of relief and agony. While his life had been spared, he had been condemned to an existence that many wolves regarded as worse than death. Outcast. A wolf without a pack.

  The pack’s four enforcers closed on Carl with lightning speed, seizing his limbs and holding him down. He screamed and bucked, but their combined strength far outstripped his terrified struggles.

  Becky stepped forward, holding a black bag. She removed a tool the size of a fireplace poker, which had a steel grip but a pointed end made of pure silver. The branding iron. With great care, she offered her husband the handle and he took it from her grasp.

  The sight of the wicked implement caused Theresa to shudder. It had been more than three years since she had seen the branding iron used. Adam might be a despotic ruler, but he had never been excessively cruel or unfair about dealing with minor transgressions.

  The enforcers tore open Carl’s shirt, baring his chest, and Adam moved to stand over the prisoner. Holding the branding iron aloft, he pressed the silver tip to naked skin and the air filled with the sickening scent of burned flesh.

  From the moment that silver touched him, Carl writhed in agony, thrashing with all of his might so that it took all four enforcers to hold him down. Terrible screams tore from the man’s throat as Adam carved the word OSTRAKON, Greek for outcast, across Carl’s torso.

  Stomach churning, Theresa turned from the sight and closed her eyes. Zach’s arms closed about her shoulders, and she pressed her face against the crook of his arm. He offered steady support, even though she knew that he watched the entire branding without flinching or looking away.

  After a couple minutes, Carl’s screams faded to blubbering, and the branding was finished. “He is outcast—without name or honor,” Adam announced in a harsh tone. “Remove this worthless scum from my sight.”

  Two of the Alpha’s enforcers bent to seize his elbows and lifted Carl from the ground, and then carried him from the meadow. Theresa watched them go with a queasy roiling in her stomach, and tried to content herself with the knowledge that she had done everything in her power to help him. Ultimately, he had gotten less than he deserved.

  “Donna Turnkill.” Still wielding the branding iron, Adam swung on the skulking woman. “Step forward and hear my judgment.”

  Donna’s eyes grew huge and wild and, for a moment, it seemed like she might bolt and run from the clearing. The muscles of her throat appeared to tighten as she swallowed, and finally she took a shaky step toward the Alpha.

  Taking long strides, Adam closed the distance between himself and the trembling she-wolf. He towered over her, more than a head and shoulder taller, and she shrank visibly, adopting a posture that made her appear even smaller. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground in submission.

  “Donna, after you lost the challenge and your rank to Theresa, I declared the matter settled.” Adam said with a sneer. His contempt for her rivaled what he had shown for Carl. “However, in defiance of my command, you have conspired against Theresa and resorted to duplicitous manipulation.”

  “I’m sorry, Alpha,” Donna said, voice and body quaking with fear.

  “You shall share your lover’s fate,” Adam said. “You are to be branded and cast out of this pack, to live out the remainder of your miserable life in isolation. Since you are female, the branding shall be conducted in private to spare the pack the trauma of witnessing your suffering.”

  A shriek tore from Donna’s throat, and then a litany of incoherent curses and pleas. Theresa winced in sympathy. She averted her gaze as another of the Alpha’s enforcers removed the sobbing she-wolf from the clearing.

  Adam passed the branding iron to Becky and gave his mate a pointed nod following the direction Donna had been taken. Becky accepted the implement and dipped her head in a gesture of acquiescence. The Alpha’s mate would administer Donna’s brand.

  Becky departed and Theresa gulped nervously.

  She knew her turn had come.

  Once Donna’s voice faded away, Theresa looked up and squared her shoulders, facing Adam with quiet pride. She mustered her courage and met the Alpha’s gaze, refusing to cower before him. Even if he condemned her to be branded and exiled, she resolved to keep her dignity. She would not beg or show weakness.

  Through the pack bond, she sensed Zach’s tension and the pack’s confusion.

  “Theresa, you’ve broken our laws and endangered this pack by using your strength in front of humans,” Adam said.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Theresa said, and her voice remained steady.

  Adam stared at her, his features set into a hard mask. Then, without warning, he smiled and an admiring gleam entered his eyes. “You’re a fine female, Theresa. Too valuable to this pack as our future Alpha’s mate and our Heart to be exiled or severely punished.”

  Despite her resolve, a wave of relief swept through her, because the prospect of being exiled frightened her to death. Any other punishment, no matter how draconian, was preferable to being separated from her child.

  “Why did you break our rules and beat up those men?” Adam asked. “I’ve heard Sheriff Mahoney’s explanation but I’d like to hear your side.”

  Theresa swallowed and quelled the impulse to fidget. She took a second to compose her thoughts, and then said, “Those men treated me with disrespect and it made me angry.”

  Adam rolled his head in a nod. “You wanted to show them that they were inferior to you in every way.”

  Not exactly the way she would have put it.

  Theresa kept her mouth shut and tipped her head to indicate her agreement. She appeared to have Adam’s sympathy. She could not risk alienating him for the sake of quibbling over words. She had too much at stake.

  “I understand that you drew power from Zach and managed a partial transformation on your own,” Adam said,
continuing his one-sided conversation.

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  “Have you and Zach sealed the mate bond yet?”

  She flushed so that her skin grew hot. The man’s gall was unbelievable. He did not even pretend to respect her right to choose or substantiate Robert’s worth. It took an act of willpower not to betray her anger. “No, Alpha,” she said, struggling for an even tone. “Not yet.”

  Her answer did not please Adam. He grunted and frowned. “Don’t take too long choosing or you might find your options reduced.”

  The implied threat caused her to shudder. “I won’t, Alpha.”

  Adam growled, a rumble that cleared his throat and communicated his dominance to all within hearing range. Excitement surged through the pack, a combination of the full moon and the Alpha’s aggression, speaking to their inner beasts. More than one wolf tilted back his or her head to release a haunting howl.

  Adam waited until the last wolf cry died away, and then addressed the pack. “It is not a normal situation for a female with a pup to be without her mate’s protection.”

  Even without stating it aloud, the pack sensed the Alpha’s implied criticism. Antonio became the recipient of condemning glances and harsh whispers. He dropped his gaze and adopted a shamed posture.

  “Theresa’s pheromones are enhanced because she is coming into heat,” Adam said. “Her wolf recognizes that she is to be our new Alpha female. That it is her duty to mate with the most dominant male and bear his offspring, thus strengthening the pack and assuring his succession.”

  Theresa’s jaw dropped and her head twisted toward Zach. She stared at him in stunned silence, mouth hanging, wondering if it were true. Was she coming into heat?

  From his stoic expression, she learned nothing. Damn the man, but he had one hell of a poker face. She wanted to shake her head and exclaim no. No way.

  But no—when she considered the matter, she knew the truth of it. She felt the changes taking place within her body, and it explained everything, from her heightened sex drive to her increased aggression.

  “The men who assaulted her are not to blame and we will not be seeking vengeance against them. It’s only natural for them to have responded to her with sexual advances, the same as it is not her fault for having attracted trouble in the first place. Let it be known that I am forbidding any member of this pack to seek out those three men and take any action against them. It is a matter I now consider settled.”

  Theresa shifted and returned her gaze to Adam. She could not believe that the Alpha intended to let the matter go without so much as a verbal warning. There had to be more coming. She refused to let her guard down.

  Zach stepped forward. “I’ll see to Theresa’s protection from this point forward.”

  Robert also raised his voice. “As will I.”

  “Good,” Adam said. “Until such time as she is properly mated and with child—meaning she will no longer be in heat—I forbid Theresa to hold any more jobs that place her in contact with human males. Once she has chosen, then her new mate will provide for her.”

  Her jaws snapped shut and her teeth gnashed together. Her anger rendered her speechless—just as well since she did not dare express her thoughts aloud. Stiff-necked, she bowed her head and allowed her long hair to slip over her face. In her outrage, a part of her even wanted to demand that Zach challenge Adam on the spot and defend her against the outrageous directive.

  Her heart thundered in her ears, and she sensed Zach through the pack bond. She felt his fury—he wanted to kill Adam also. The realization helped to cool her heated emotions so that the voice of reason could prevail. It took a valiant effort to swallow her pride, but after several deep breaths, she calmed and breathed easier.

  As she had expected, the Alpha had devised a devious punishment, one designed to hit her where it hurt the most. He had taken away her prized independence and her ability to provide financially for herself and her daughter, leaving her reliant upon a man for support. But the consequences could have been so much worse.

  “Do you understand and accept my judgment, Theresa?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Theresa said, though the words struck in her craw.

  Adam swung to face the gathered pack. “The meeting is officially adjourned. The moon will be up soon and I’m planning on having one hell of a grand hunt tonight!”

  The Alpha tilted back his head and released an ascendant howl that incited exuberance among the other members of the pack. Wolves bounded to his side, rollicking and wrestling beneath the canopy of pine trees, their anxiety and angst forgotten in the heat of the moment.

  Theresa retreated from her pack mates and made her way to where Zach waited at the edge of the clearing. Charlaine and Robert stood with him. She slowed her steps as she approached the trio until Zach opened his arms. With a strangled sound, part angry cry, part sob, she rushed into the safety of his embrace. Her slender arms wrapped about his waist, and he held her tight.

  Zach pressed his mouth to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, love. You wanted me to challenge him. I could feel it.”

  Robert stirred. “Hell, Zach, the challenge needs to come from me. You’re not even in line to challenge Adam. He’d be within his rights to demand that you fight me first before you could fight him.”

  “Seems like the bastard will get what he wants eventually, no matter how he plays it.”

  Theresa’s head jerked up and she drew back from Zach to look at both men. “No, I won’t have you two fighting. We agreed that we’d figure out some other way to handle this without anyone dying.”

  Charlaine snorted. “Once one of you replaces Adam, then you’ll be able to return to work, Theresa.”

  Zach’s blue eyes lit with laughter and he grinned all of the sudden. “Oh, I don’t know. Barefoot and pregnant has a certain appeal.”

  Theresa’s fist struck his bicep. Not lightly. “Don’t test me, mister.”

  He forced the grin from his face. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Charlaine’s lovely face pulled into a grimace. “We’d better come up with some smart idea soon or that bastard will win.”

  Abruptly, their laughter stopped.

  Robert scowled and his shoulders slumped. “It’s time for me to challenge Adam,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d have done so already, but I didn’t want to come to power through more bloodshed.”

  Theresa’s heart ached for him. “There must be some other way,” she said, grasping at empty air with her hands.

  “Robert is right,” Zach said, resting a supportive hand on his friend’s shoulder. “One or both of us has to challenge him. It’s the only way.”

  Theresa shook her head, unwilling to believe that violence was the answer. Unfortunately, the men seemed to be in agreement, and she had no other viable suggestions.

  “If either of you needs a second, then I’ll stand up for you,” Charlaine said in support of the two men.

  “Thanks, Char,” Robert said with a weary smile for his cousin.

  Feeling outnumbered, Theresa sighed. “You can’t do this tonight,” she said at last. “The night of the full moon has to be the worst possible time for a challenge.”

  The full moon brought their wolves to the fore. Brittle tension existed within the pack bond, a disharmony that left Theresa deeply troubled. The newly established connection between the wolves of the Iron Stone pack lacked both strength and endurance. She feared that internal conflict between the most dominant members might destroy the tenuous unity.

  “You’re right. I’ll make the challenge tomorrow,” Robert said.

  “Thank you,” Theresa said. More than anything else, his wisdom and patience convinced her of his worthiness to become Alpha, solidifying her determination to support him.

  “The moon’s rising.” Zach glanced heavenward and everyone followed his gaze. To the west, the sky paled as the sun’s rays faded. To the east, the moon’s silver halo glowed just above the horizon.

  “It’s so beautiful.”
Theresa reached out and caught Zach’s hand. He returned her smile in an expression of shared happiness. The lunar song beckoned their wolves, an irresistible siren’s call.

  Normally, the pack retreated to deep wilderness, far from human habitations, for the one night of the month when the full moon rose, leaving them no choice but to become wolves. The transformation brought freedom from the burdens of humanity, regarded as a time of rejoicing and celebration.

  “Let’s get moving,” Char said, heading south toward the uninhabited forest where the pack would gather.

  Robert followed swiftly on her heels, leaving Zach and Theresa to bring up the rear. Together, they walked hand in hand until the first moonbeams reached for them, the soft glow caressing bare skin.

  “Whatcha thinking?” Zach asked in a low voice.

  She forced a joking smile. “That it’s too bad I can’t just take both of you as a mate and have a male harem.”

  Zach’s head jerked to the side and he stared at her, an ah-ha expression of discovery on his face.

  Alarm bells rang in Theresa’s head. She knew that expression—it accompanied his mercurial and strange sense of humor. On the other hand, she feared he might have taken her seriously.

  “Zach,” she said. “I’m kidding. It was a joke.”

  Abruptly, he threw back his head and laughed, a joyous booming sound that carried through the forest. He seized her arms and swung her around, off of the ground and up into his arms. “It was brilliant, that’s what it was. Theresa, you’re a genius!”

  She squawked right before he planted a wet kiss on her lips. His enthusiasm proved contagious and she found herself laughing too. “Zach, stop it! Knock it off and tell me what you’re going on about.”

  Grinning, he set her back on her feet. “No time now,” he said, pulling off his shirt as the first ray of moonlight caressed his bare skin. “I’ll explain tomorrow.”

  “You’d better!”

  Hurriedly, Theresa stripped and set her clothing aside as she felt the change overtake her. A growl tore from her throat and she bent forward as the pain of the transformation ripped through her.