by J. L. Wilder
Haley followed.
They were standing in a small yard, walled in on three sides. The fourth side faced the rear wall of a large house.
There were windows on that wall.
If Shane was inside, he might have seen them already. They didn’t have long to make their move.
She looked over at Ryker. She felt as if her heart was beating right out of her chest. In just moments, the battle would begin. If all went well, they would be face to face with Shane, and Ryker would finally be positioned to make the move he had been pointing toward for so long.
In a matter of minutes, he could take over as the true alpha of this clan again.
Or things might go the other way.
He could also be dead in minutes. And she could be there right along with him.
She couldn’t think about Danny now. It was an unfamiliar impulse, and it was difficult to do it, but she knew she had to push all thoughts of her son out of her head. If she allowed herself to think about him, she wouldn’t have the focus she needed to pull off what they were trying to do here. She would fail, and they would likely both get hurt.
Keep your head in the game. That’s what you have to do.
Ryker strode toward the wall, lifted one clawed foot, and kicked a hole in it.
Someone let out an angry cry inside, but Haley had no time to think. She plunged ahead, following her alpha’s lead.
Chapter Fifty-Five
HALEY
Footsteps were thundering down the stairs. More than one set of footsteps.
Haley didn’t have time to worry about it. She didn’t have time to try to figure out what was going on, or how big the threat was. A split second later, Shane came darting into view.
He froze when he saw them and threw out a hand behind him, signaling whoever had been with him to stop.
Haley was half tempted to lash out at him right then and there and end the fight early.
But she couldn’t, of course. Ryker was the one challenging him for the alpha role. Ryker had to be the one to beat him. And Ryker showed no indication of wanting to start the fight early.
Haley remembered what he had said. He would give Shane a chance to submit to him.
Oh, fuck. Please don’t let that be a mistake.
Who else is in here? Who’s on the stairs?
She listened carefully. Whoever it was, they might decide to go for help. If the steps started moving in the opposite direction, she would back off and try to confront whoever it was as they left the house. She wouldn’t let them bring back any more reinforcements.
“You came back,” Shane said quietly. His attention was focused on Ryker.
Ryker huffed out a breath.
“Didn’t bring the kid with you this time, did you?” Shane grinned. “Smart. If we’re going to do this, it’s better that he doesn’t see it. Better that a boy not see his father brought low. I always thought it was for the best that you never saw what happened to your father.”
Haley actually felt Ryker freeze beside her.
What is Shane talking about?
No one had ever known what had killed Ryker’s father. It had been completely unexpected. His heart had simply stopped one day...not too long after he had appointed Shane as the next alpha.
Suddenly, Haley felt a sense of cold foreboding.
What is he about to tell us?
“You never figured it out, did you?” Shane asked with a sneer. “Jesus. I knew you were stupid, Ryker. I knew you were weak, letting me lead all these years. But I never imagined you were this pathetic. You really never even guessed that I was the one who poisoned your father.”
Haley tensed, ready to spring in front of Ryker if she needed to stop him, but he still wasn’t moving.
“How do you think I got the alpha role in the first place?” Shane asked. “I told him I would kill you if he didn’t give it to me. Well, obviously, he did the right thing. You’d had plenty of time to try to produce an heir. The whole clan had been obsessed with your impotence for years. It was way beyond time to move on. So your father gave me the role. But once he did, I knew I needed him out of the way, so no one could ever say there was a higher authority than me. I needed to be sure that you wouldn’t appeal to him to change his mind, and that I would be able to hold on to my newly won position.”
He looked from Ryker to Haley and back again.
“And you never guessed,” he said quietly. “You really just believed that your own father chose me over you for no reason other than knowing I’d be better for the job.” He shook his head. “I knew you were pathetic, Ryker. But I never realized that you knew it too.”
Haley felt like fire was coursing through her veins. She wanted to launch herself at Shane, to rip him limb from limb.
But her alpha was still holding back, and she would follow his lead. She would wait for him to make the first move.
“What’s the matter?” Shane asked, leering. “You came all this way—aren’t you going to attack me? Don’t you want a fight? I thought you came to test your strength against mine. Are you giving up already?”
No. He knows. He knows there’s someone on the stairs. He wants them to show themselves before the fight begins.
That was it, Haley realized. That was why Ryker hadn’t made his move yet. Shane was still holding something back, and Ryker was too smart to attack before all the cards were on the table.
And that’s why Shane’s trying to get him to attack early. He wants to keep something in reserve.
At that moment, she knew what she needed to do.
She couldn’t attack Shane directly. Ryker had to be the one to defeat him, and he had to do that on his own if he was to take the alpha position away from Shane.
But whoever else was here—Haley could certainly fight them.
She launched herself across the room toward the stairs.
“Quinn!” Shane cried, taken completely aback by her sudden movement.
And Haley just had time to catch sight of a blond woman, her hair loose and whipping around her head, before she had shifted and there were three dragons in the room.
She’s the only other person here.
Haley felt a surge of relief. They were evenly matched. They were two against two. And if she could just keep Quinn occupied long enough, Ryker would have the time he needed to take Shane down.
We can do this. It’s going to work.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shane shift and knew the fight was beginning in earnest now, but she had to keep her attention on Quinn. She had to keep Shane’s mate occupied, because if the two of them were allowed to team up on Ryker, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
I’ll take her out or die trying, she thought fiercely, and clamped her jaws hard around Quinn’s neck, determined to hold the other woman in place for as long as she possibly could.
God, I just hope it’s enough. I hope Ryker can manage to get the best of Shane.
Chapter Fifty-Six
HE KILLED MY FATHER.
The thought surged through Ryker like lava as he threw himself at Shane. It had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to start the fight early, but now that Haley had drawn Quinn out—such quick thinking on her part, he would have to remember to thank her for that later—he was free to attack.
They circled each other, and Ryker advanced, driving Shane back through the wall. Shane stumbled as he hit it, his broad, thick tail knocking even more of the wall out of the way, and Ryker felt a surge of satisfaction at the knowledge that something of Shane’s was being broken.
I want to tear down every good thing he’s ever had!
He had always intended to give Shane the opportunity to surrender to him and to go on living within the clan. He would have found a place for Shane as a warrior. He had hoped that Shane could find a way to be happy under his rule.
But now—
He killed my father. He can’t have anything from me. He’ll never be a part of my clan!
He wanted to tie
Shane up and rip his scales from his body one by one.
But the two of them were evenly matched. Every time he advanced on Shane, even slightly, Shane was effectively able to drive him back. They held each other off, circling, getting the measure of one another’s strength.
Ryker realized that he had been counting on the idea that Shane had never had to fight on his own before, that he had always been backed up by his cronies. And maybe that was true—certainly Ryker hadn’t ever seen him fight alone before—but in this particular fight, Shane was holding his own, proving that Ryker had been wrong to underestimate him.
But I was always wrong to underestimate him, wasn’t I? I never thought he would be able to ruin my life the way he did. It’s his fault my father died. It’s his fault I wasn’t able to win the alpha rank!
Ryker had spent the past ten years believing that his father had found him unworthy of the alpha rank. But it hadn’t been that at all.
He promoted Shane because he was trying to protect me.
Had his father known that he, too, was in danger? Had he known that Shane would kill him?
He wanted to break the other man’s neck and leave him for dead. He had never been so angry in all his life.
Unfortunately, Shane wasn’t letting him get near enough to cause any damage at all. Every time Ryker made a move, Shane slashed at him with a claw or whipped his tail around. They were in the yard now, which gave both of them more freedom to move around, but Ryker wished they were still in the house. At least while they were inside, he would have been able to get close to Shane. Out here, Shane had plenty of space to put between them.
Ryker lunged at him.
Shane skittered back a few steps.
He’s nervous. Ryker felt a flare of satisfaction. Shane might be holding his own in this fight, but he wasn’t confident. He was afraid of Ryker.
He’s always been afraid of me.
That was why he had been so controlling throughout his time as alpha. That was why he was upset every time Ryker left the clan, and why he had been so cruel to Haley and Danny. He knew Ryker was the rightful alpha. He was afraid that, one way or another, Ryker would take over.
And he’s right to be afraid, because I will.
He lunged again, and this time managed to clamp his jaws around Shane’s neck.
Shane shook violently, trying to free himself, but Ryker bit down harder, feeling scales crack between his teeth.
A spark kindled at the back of his throat. The urge to breathe fire had never been stronger.
I’ll bet Shane can’t do it. I’m the only one who’s an alpha by birthright. I bet Shane doesn’t have a flame. If I breathed fire at him right now, the fight would be over.
A dragon’s scales could withstand some heat. But at this close range, with the scales on Shane’s neck already cracking under Ryker’s assault, there was no way he would survive the flames.
And Ryker wanted to do it. Shane deserved it, after everything he had done. To Ryker, to his father, to the clan as a whole...
Shane must have known he was in mortal peril, because he scrambled against Ryker’s hold harder than ever. He clawed up giant pieces of dirt, trying to break Ryker’s hold, and more of the scales on his neck broke as he tried to pull free. The shards of them cut Ryker’s tongue.
Ryker didn’t care. He wasn’t letting go. Not for anything.
He had the upper hand in this fight. Against all odds, things were going his way. He was going to win. He was going to take back the alpha position that should have been his all along—
Shane dropped to the ground and rolled slightly so that Ryker was positioned on top of him.
At first, Ryker didn’t understand the move. Was Shane submitting? Was that what this was? By letting Ryker pin him down, was he ceding the fight to him?
Then, in his peripheral vision, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
Haley was pinned flat on her back, and Quinn stood over her, teeth bared, huffing in triumph. She had one foot on Haley’s chest and was putting all her weight down. Ryker heard the cracking of what might have been scales or ribs.
Haley!
Shane had moved them this way to let Ryker see what was happening to his mate.
Quinn had gained the advantage. She was about to kill Haley.
And Ryker couldn’t let that happen. Not even to defeat Shane.
He released his rival’s neck and turned toward the women.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
RYKER
Shane hurled himself at Ryker, attempting to slam him bodily to the ground.
Ryker just barely managed to evade the attack. He moved toward Haley again—
Slam! This time Shane did manage to collide with him, throwing him against the outer wall of the house. Head ringing, Ryker got his feet back under him and staggered away from Shane. He had to get close enough to the women to interfere in their fight—
But Shane pursued him. His tail was straight and high, and Ryker recognized the confidence in his posture. He knew that seeing Haley in such danger had shaken Ryker. Ryker had lost his advantage.
He looked over at Haley. She was staring at him too, even as she tried to fight Quinn off of her. She was too much at a disadvantage now, Ryker could see. Her weak struggles gave her no chance at breaking free.
Oh, fuck—
Pain shot through him like fire. Shane had raked his torso with his claws, taking advantage of Ryker’s distraction. He hadn’t been guarding his exposed underbelly, where he wasn’t covered with scales.
Did he dare to breathe fire?
He couldn’t send flames at Quinn. She was too close to Haley. They would both be burned.
If he tried to burn Shane...would it even work right now? He’d lost the advantage he’d had when he’d been holding Shane’s throat. And if he wasted his spark, he wouldn’t have it again for the rest of this fight.
Don’t do it. Wait. Wait until you’re sure it’ll be worthwhile.
But now Shane had turned his back on Ryker and was stalking toward Quinn and Haley, and with a shock of horror, Ryker realized that the two of them were going to team up against his mate. They were going to kill her together, and then they would deal with him—
And then Haley shifted.
One moment, the two women were in their dragon forms, tangled together, as Ryker approached. The next moment, Quinn was pitching forward, tripping, overbalancing, and Haley had rolled to the side, out from beneath her claws and was running at a dead sprint toward the house.
Haley vaulted over the remains of the wall. With a roar of outrage, Shane raised a claw to slash at her, his wings fanning out angrily behind him—
Ryker dug his claws into the delicate skin of Shane’s wings and ripped, feeling the bones crunch in his grip as he did so.
Shane howled with pain and crumpled to the ground, seeming to shrink into himself as he did so. By the time he hit the ground, he was human again, still howling, blood pouring from the wounds in his back.
“You bastard!” he yelled. “You bastard!”
Ryker positioned himself between Haley and Quinn—but it wasn’t necessary. She was shifting back as well now, running to Shane’s side to help him.
“What have you done?” she screamed, looking up at Ryker with fire in her eyes.
He was the only dragon left in the yard now. And if he was going to breathe fire, now would be the time. They were human again. They were completely vulnerable. Haley was out of the way.
He killed my father. He deserves it.
But he couldn’t do it.
He had killed the leader of the grizzlies that way, and he knew that act would stay with him for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t kill again. Not if there was any other choice.
He looked down at Shane, crumpled and bleeding on the ground before him, and waited to see if he would get up.
Shane didn’t move.
He glanced over his shoulder. Haley was standing several feet behind him, one arm wrapped around
her torso, grimacing with pain.
He looked at the stairs. She seemed to understand and backed toward them.
Feeling that she was as safe as she could be, Ryker took a breath and allowed his human self to rise to the surface again.
“You’ve been defeated in fair combat,” he told Shane.
“There was nothing fair about it!” Quinn shrieked.
Ryker ignored her. He kept his attention on Shane, who was staring at the ground and panting for breath, his face twisted in agony.
“As a defeated alpha, you forfeit your claim to power,” he said quietly. “I now lay claim to the alpha position in this clan. If you dispute my claim, speak now.”
He held his breath, wondering what Shane would do.
But Shane was doubled over, gasping with pain, unable to string words together.
“You’re awful,” Quinn sobbed, staring at him. “You ambushed him. This wasn’t a fair fight at all.”
“I could have killed him,” Ryker said quietly. “I didn’t. I’m letting him live. I’m letting you both live. But don’t push your luck with me.”
Quinn rose to her feet. “You’re a fucking monster.”
“Stay where you are,” Ryker ordered.
She jerked to a stop as if she had been stilled by invisible hands.
She’s obeying my orders. She can’t help but do it. I really am her alpha.
Angry tears streamed down Quinn’s cheeks, but she said nothing. Ryker knew that she, too, was realizing that he had power over her now. The alpha position really had changed hands.
“Haley!” Ryker called.
Haley appeared at his right-hand side. “Ryker? Are—are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Are you all right? How badly are you hurt?”
“I’ll be all right.” Her eyes were on Shane.
“I want you to go and alert the council,” he said. “Tell them to come here. We need to meet.”
“Where will I find them? The council building is burned down.”
“Someone will be able to point you in the right direction,” Ryker said. “When you find someone, tell them to get as many people over here as possible. We need a quorum.”
