Ahsen’s claws were buried in the ground where her chest had been a moment ago. Her glare knifed Kele’s. Ahsen meant to kill her. This realization quickened her pulse.
Kele flipped onto her feet, claws ready, and swiped under Ahsen’s arm where the tender flesh tore easily. The scent of blood filled her nose so thick she could almost taste Ahsen. A soft chant rose from the surrounding crowd but she was too focused on her prey to hear.
Ahsen ignored her wound and circled Kele, herding her toward the center. Her mate did the same to Peder until their backs touched.
Shivering, she crouched low to the ground to protect her underbelly. She’d seen Ahsen gut too many prey and challengers alike.
Peder remained standing, blood dripping from his claws. “Listen to them, Kele.”
She stared at their challengers. “They’re not saying anything.”
“The crowd. They’re chanting our names.”
She focused past the hammering of her heart and heard her pack.
Her pack, her people, her family. They chanted her name with Peder’s. She was born and raised to be alpha.
Seh charged, but he didn’t aim for Peder. She was his target. His claws raked down her leg.
The sharp sudden pain surprised her enough to make her yelp. She leaped to the left where Ahsen was waiting for her with jaws wide open, teeth snapping at her limbs.
Peder slammed his body against Ahsen’s, sending her spinning out of the challenge circle.
The crowd stopped chanting and cheered.
One down.
She turned and her heart skipped over the calm waters of her shock.
Seh had jumped on Peder’s back, all four sets of claws digging in his flesh. Somehow her mate remained upright, evading the gnash of teeth. He bent forward with a jerk and flipped Seh onto the ground hard, then sank his own teeth into Seh’s neck.
“Halt!” Kele shouted over the crowd’s noise.
Peder raised his eyes to meet hers. Alpha challenges were to the death when they got to the top couples. Ahsen and Seh were one of the strongest. Peder’s feral nature sensed this and so did hers.
Kele knelt next to them, panting. “It makes no sense killing our strongest hunters.” She glanced outside the ring where Ahsen clutched her muzzle, yet her worried whine still reached Kele’s ears. “Will you submit?” she asked her.
Ahsen lay on her stomach without hesitation, her hands upturned in a sign of defeat.
Kele turned her attention to Seh, who had gone limp in Peder’s hold. “Let him go.”
Peder released his bite and jumped clear, ready to attack again if Seh didn’t comply.
The male hunter rolled off his back and crept out of the ring on his belly until he lay next to Ahsen.
Peder stood in the center of the challenge ring and stared at the pack around them. Their cheers quietly returned to the chant, repeating their names and growing louder. He spun a lazy circle and soaked in the adoration he heard in their voices.
Lifting his arms up in the air sent the volume even louder. He gazed at Kele at his side, who grinned. Blood matted her fur and trickled along her leg. He scooped her into his arms and swung her around.
She laughed and rubbed her muzzle against his.
He shifted to civil form and she followed suit.
The hunter couple they’d fought crawled forward and set their hands to his and Kele’s ankles, submitting officially before the pack.
He clasped Kele’s hand again and raised them above their heads. They’d won. “Will the couples get stronger?”
She shook her head. “Ahsen and Seh are one of the strongest we have.”
The elders had gathered away from the ring. From their jabbing fingers and waving arms, he guessed they were arguing. Had they broken a rule? Were they discussing forfeiting the challenge?
Kele leaned into him and snaked her arms around his waist. They weren’t the only ones who noticed the elders. The pack grew quiet.
The elders turned as a group to face everyone and a spokesperson stepped forward. “We will have a pack meeting in the gathering room. Not all alphas have to be chosen by trial of challenges. Peder and Kele have suffered much in the last few days, as have others in the pack. We will listen to their testimonies and discuss our future.” He bowed toward Peder and Kele. “Someone will be sent to get you when we are ready.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Kele remained speechless next to Peder as they watched the challenge area empty. Her chest ached for the lack of air and she panted to cool off. Many stopped to bow and a few even touched their feet. Her pack had gone from cheering to this eerie quiet so quickly her head spun.
What would Peder think of her pack?
Ahote hurried to their side. “I’ll attend the meeting and do what I can.”
She nodded, still somewhat dumbfounded.
Peder grabbed the hunter’s upper arm and leaned close. “Did we do something wrong? Should we have killed them instead?” He tossed her a nervous glance. She’d been the one to stop him, but for a good reason. No matter what her father had said, as alphas, it was their duty to protect their people and that began now in the ring. They shouldn’t be killing pack members if it wasn’t necessary. Ahsen and Seh hadn’t broken a law—they’d wanted to rule the pack as he and Kele did.
Her stomach didn’t feel right, like when she’d eaten the wrong berries a few years ago. Everything seemed watery inside of her. Their challengers were allowed in the meeting and they weren’t.
“I didn’t see you break any rules.” Ahote clapped Peder on the shoulder in reassurance and chucked her under the chin.
When everyone had left, Peder let out a low whistle. “Well, that could have gone better.”
“We should wait in our room.” Our. That slipped off her tongue so smoothly.
Peder watched her with a predator’s gaze as she picked up her robe. With rolling steps, he circled her. “Ours.” He’d noticed. The scent of his arousal wove around her body. He pulled the robe from her hand and let it flutter to the ground.
She quivered and retreated from his seductive spell. “Here? Now?” She searched the area but no stragglers could be spotted. A few torches still remained but they produced more shadows than light. “This isn’t the right time. I think we’re in a lot of trouble.” Sweat slicked Peder’s skin and mixed in with blood. She took a shuddering breath. She’d never wanted him more.
“Yes, now.” He followed her retreat, herding her toward the wall. His gaze roved over her body with a possessive nature as if he was deciding where to take the first bite. A growl rolled in his chest, but it was more a noise of appreciation than threat.
A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “Is this a game?” She was so new to this. She’d heard stories, mostly from the omega females as they gossiped, unaware she was overhearing every detail.
“No.” He moved so fast she squeaked when his hands trapped her hips. She could move fast as well, but why would she run? She wanted him and whatever he was doing. Her longing for Peder grew with each glance, smile and touch. She’d never met a male she would fight for, but if any female thought to even rub against her mate, she’d skin her alive.
She grabbed handfuls of Peder’s hair and snarled, pulling him to her mouth. Their lips collided in a crack of canines and flashes of tongue. Her back hit the cool stone of the den wall and she gasped at the hard impact.
He guided her legs around his hips and thrust his hard, thick cock inside her in one savage motion.
She cried out, clinging to his shoulders, and knocking her head as she tossed it back.
He bit her where her neck met her shoulder, breaking skin.
The pinch of his teeth shot straight to her pussy, where her muscles clenched even tighter. She’d dreamed of being claimed but it never seemed so untamed in her head. This was much better.
He pumped inside her, desperate and needy, grunting with each powerful thrust.
She couldn’t catch her breath. She tried to find someth
ing to cling to but his skin was so slick she ended up scratching at his back, digging her nails into his flesh to pull him even closer. Noises fell from her lips, she couldn’t tell if they made sense or if they were even words until only her cries of ecstasy filled the small canyon that housed the challenge ring.
Peder released his bite and arched back, his throat exposed. He panted for air.
She stretched and bit him in return in the same place he had marked her.
He belonged to her and had her mark to show it.
Shouting out his climax, he held her hips as he drove himself in her like a wild beast.
She clung to his body, marking him deeper.
He collapsed to his knees, resting her weight on his lap. Out of breath, he hugged her close. They stayed like this, in each other’s arms, until her sweat had dried on her skin.
She closed her eyes and inhaled their mingled scents. Soon they’d be permanently mated and it would be near impossible to get his scent off her. And vice versa. She stroked his back until he relaxed against her.
Slowly, he sat up and brushed her hair away from her neck. He gazed at his bite.
The instinct had been strong, like nothing Peder had ever experienced before. To possess Kele, to own her and make her his forever. Omegas didn’t mark. He traced the bite gently. It didn’t bleed anymore and should scar nicely. He pressed a small kiss on the spot.
Kele was strong and completely unaware of her power of presence. When she strode into the den, he witnessed how her pack insistently drew toward her. He could relate. He felt the same way. She’d pulled at his heart from the day he laid eyes on her. The sadness that once plagued her scent was finally gone, and in its place was Peder’s mark.
He lifted her from his lap and set her on her dainty feet, then led her to a barrel of rainwater by the ring. He offered her a drink from the dipper first.
She drank as if she’d been caught in a desert for days then returned the dipper to him with a refreshed sigh. She gave him a feral grin. “I’m starved.”
After drinking his fill, he lifted the barrel.
“What are you doing?” She raised her hands up in defense.
“Stand still so I can wash off the blood.” He poured the cold water over her head.
She squealed. “There are baths for this.” She rubbed her skin anyway.
He did the same for himself. They could take a leisurely bath later. Right now, he had to wash any lingering scent of Seh off her.
She shook her head free of excess water. “That was…refreshing.” Her teeth chattered.
He retrieved her robe and helped her dress. “Let’s go back to our room now.” He ran his hands over her curves and rested them on her ass. He’d leave a mark there next time.
Her eyes went wide. “Again?”
He let his eyelids veil his gaze. “Yes, but I want to take my time so we need more privacy.”
She visibly swallowed. “All right.” She led him from the challenge area, but before they reached their destination, an older pup ran to greet them.
“They’re ready for you.” He jumped in place in his excitement.
“We’ll dress first.” He liked the way the robe clung to Kele’s wet body but didn’t care to share the view with the whole pack. “Go tell them,” he ordered.
Kele hurried her pace to their rooms where she pulled her dress over her head. “What if they don’t let us challenge?”
He kissed her, short and sweet. “Then we return to the Apisi where I will climb the hunters’ hierarchy and you can be their healer.”
She paused and searched his face. “Would Sorin take you in again?”
He shrugged. “He’d challenge me first to establish dominance.”
“I’m shocked he didn’t do that when we camped at the Temple.”
“His mind was on Susan and her pregnancy. I’m sure the next time we meet, he will insist on beating me to pulp.”
She laughed. “What if you pulped him?”
He gave her a slow smile. “What if?”
Arm in arm, they joined the pack in the gathering room. Every chair and floor space was taken by shifters young and old. The elders stood in the center of the room and gestured to the crowd. The pack moved as one to face him and Kele.
He startled, thinking for a moment they would attack as a group, and shoved Kele toward the exit.
She stumbled but returned to his side, soothing him with her hands. “It’s okay.” Kele slipped her hand into his.
The elder representative moved forward. “Kele, daughter of the alphas Inali and Chaska. Peder, hunter of the Apisi pack. You agree you are a mated pair?”
“Yes.” They spoke in unison and without hesitation.
“We have met in discussion of the challenges. You have fought and defeated our strongest couple already. The other fighters have forfeited. We have heard of your trials beyond the forest and how you triumphed over the vampire slavers, protecting all the packs in this forest. Many have admitted to submitting to you as alpha already, and among them are some of our strongest hunters.” He paused and looked at the crowd, some of them bore visible injuries from the chaos of the last few days. “As you can see, we have already been too long without alphas. The elders have decided to place a vote before the pack. All those who accept Kele and Peder as their alphas, submit and those who do not, stand. We will decide our pack’s fate tonight.”
The pack shuffled and moved around as shifters began to lie on their stomachs.
Peder squeezed Kele’s hand. “Why would they accept me so quickly?” he whispered in her ear.
She cupped his face. “You’ve no idea?”
He gave her a slow blink.
“The alpha in you calls to them. It’s only natural they are drawn to you. Look what happened with Ahote of all shifters.”
He stared over the sea of submitting shifters, to the dark hunter standing among his class. He reminded him of Nahuel.
The last to submit were the group of hunters. They moved across the room, stepping over bodies of omegas and crafters. Ahote knelt, bowing his head and touched his feet, then repeated the process with Kele.
One by one each hunter accepted them. With each submission, it grew harder to breathe. He never wanted to belong as much as he did now. These generous people had given him their daughter as his mate, opened their home to him, and now their hearts. He would not shoulder this responsibility lightly.
When the last hunter submitted, the elder clapped his hands together sharply. “It is done!”
Many rose to their knees with a loud cheer.
The knot in his chest loosened, and he pulled Kele into his arms. Bending her back against him, he took his leisure at a kiss.
The cheers grew louder.
Over the noise, he heard Ahote shouting orders. “Break out the wine and bring the music. We have some celebrating to do.”
Chapter Forty-Three
The small snores of the female shifter Benic had taken to bed gave him no comfort. Inacio had left a larger hole in his life than he’d considered possible. He would have laughed if someone had told him so a few weeks ago. He hoped the incubus was safe since his kind was hunted almost to extinction in this part of the world, though they still thrived in the humid jungles of South Amerigo.
Maybe that was where he was heading.
Benic stared at the old maps he’d collected over his decades of traveling. His most recent edition of the West lay unrolled in front of him. He poked at a tear in the middle. There was a trail of sorts that began there. It spanned across the country to the West and could only be traveled by foot or horse. Fur trappers and slavers used it. They called it the Trail of Tears.
If he sent Ewald along this route, he’d have to cross at least five shifter territories. The ones closest to east were familiar with vampires and would do trade for passage. It was the great expanse of mountains where things would become deadly.
The Tseena tribe claimed most of those lands and made wild shifters in the east s
eem like tame house cats. Many a vampire fang hung off their jewelry. They were the reason expeditions west didn’t return. That tribe consisted of twelve huge packs.
He could sneak across that territory alone but not with a pack of untrained shifters from Europa. He might as well hire a marching band and let them lead Ewald’s group of settlers. Benic took another long draw on the bottle of hard cider next to the map. He didn’t bother with a glass anymore and his fucking cellars were still empty of wine.
Ewald’s expedition stirred a lot of old memories. At the time, Benic had thought his life terrible. He’d been penniless, landless, and everything wanted to eat him. How naïve he’d been. He was free then. No responsibilities—he could follow any whim that drew his attention, and the adventure had sent his blood pumping. Not the easiest feat for a vampire. He chuckled and drank some more.
What did he have now? A castle with no wife to bear him any children, a forest filled with shifters who hated him, and a Grand Lord who would eventually figure out he had assisted in killing a slave compound owner and stolen his slaves. He foresaw a guillotine in his future.
How poetic.
If he was executed, the people of this castle would barely notice. The way he organized his staff the castle ran itself. He’d been too efficient. No one needed him, no one would miss him, and he hadn’t anyone to blame but himself.
He stared at the map some more. That wasn’t completely true though. Someone did need him…
He rose to his feet and grabbed the edge of the table to steady his stance. The cider bottle tipped and rolled to the floor to join the others. On unstable legs, he crossed the room and slowly made his way to the south tower.
Even this late in the evening, people still carried out their chores. The staff seemed accustomed to seeing him in this state since they just moved out of his way. He climbed to Ewald’s rooms and opened the door without knocking. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Ewald lay on top of Pemma in bed. It still swayed from their fucking. “Benic.” The young lord’s face pinked. “Get out.” He pulled the blanket to cover Pemma, who peeked at him and winked. The little minx.
Scent of Valor (Chronicles of Eorthe #2) Page 30
