by Chris McHart
Now Josh suddenly understood why D had loved his job so much. He was damn good at it. No matter how nervous he might’ve been on the inside, he didn’t show anything on the outside. He was a born alpha, determined, hard, strong-willed.
And this man claimed he wasn’t fit to be alpha. Either Josh had a false picture of the current alpha and D’s power was weak against his father’s, or D completely misjudged himself. He didn’t know, but he really hoped it was the latter.
Silently, they set off towards the middle of the village, the guards moving with them, but not stopping them.
Finally, they reached a huge building in the middle of the village. There was a large courtyard in front of it and no one was to be seen here either, except for two other guards flanking the entrance door.
That’s it.
He took another deep breath, closed his eyes briefly and forced himself to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help, even if every cell in his body screamed for it. They were in the middle of the village, and they’d be at the mercy of the alpha. There was no way to escape.
Wordlessly, D led them to the entrance doors. He nodded to the guards, but he didn’t speak. Apparently it didn’t take words to enter the House of the Alpha when you were his son. Silently, they stepped inside.
The entrance area was spacious, and Josh looked around as they stood in the hall. Here, too, guards waited, ready to do their job.
“Well, well.” A loud voice sounded behind them.
Josh threw his head around so fast that his neck cracked. None of his friends managed to turn around more slowly.
“I never thought I’d see you again. But I guess life’s full of surprises.” The voice of the alpha was hard, and it sounded almost mocking. He’d definitely expected them.
Josh looked at the man in front of him. He must have had his sons when he was about 30 years old. If he judged him correctly, the alpha was already over 60. Shifters usually looked younger, but he couldn’t hide traces of his age. Wrinkles covered his face, and his mouth had been pulled into a grimace. A scar stretched across his eye, probably a trace of an old battle.
Josh had always thought shifters would heal better, but apparently certain injuries still left scars.
A single drop of sweat formed in his neck and ran over his spine.
They were screwed.
Even he could feel the power radiating from the alpha.
He’d been wrong. D wasn’t an alpha, compared to this man. D couldn’t take him. Even though he held his back straight and didn’t shy away from the alpha’s gaze, he didn’t have what it took to fight him.
Whether Anthony had it remained to be seen. But for that, he needed to turn up first.
“Believe me, I didn’t expect to see you again either. I actually intended to never set foot in this village again.”
The words sounded loudly through the room and an audible gasp was the result.
A small smile spread over the alpha’s face, but it looked more like a grimace. “I see you still haven’t learned any respect. I thought I taught you that, but no, you had to run to find your happiness in a city. You’ve always been a weakling, and you running away only proved it. What else should I have expected from you? You’ll never be a man. You’re a disgrace to our family, and I have to say I’m disappointed to see you here again. I didn’t think you’d show your face here.”
Josh gasped for air. Did the alpha actually talk to his son like that?
Ash also looked shocked, but then he closed his eyes, looking like he was summoning his powers. He took a breath, but before he could say anything, D put his hand on Ash’s arm.
Ash stayed silent.
He probably wanted to come to D’s defense, face the alpha and throw some well-chosen words at him. He’d experienced what it was like when parents were interested in everything except the wellbeing of their children, and these events probably brought many memories to light.
But it was a stupid idea to mess with the alpha. Ash couldn’t challenge him either, and Josh didn’t want his best friend to try it. He didn’t want to lose him, no matter how selfish that sounded. Ash and D had built a life together, and his friend deserved all the happiness he could get. He couldn’t challenge an alpha and lose his life in battle.
But what else were they supposed to do?
Josh held his breath and watched the guards as they approached. There were a lot more than before, and they were surrounded.
Slowly but surely, the guards approached them. There was no way out. Where would they flee to? The doors were locked, and D didn’t have the power to challenge the alpha.
More sweat gathered on his back, and he bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood. What had they gotten themselves into?
The others came closer to him, forming a circle to defend themselves if necessary. But how? They were outnumbered. They couldn’t defend themselves. Even if they did, what good would it do? The alpha was stronger than them, and he probably had some kind of hold over them. Most likely, he only needed to give a command and at least the shifters were on their knees. That left him alone with Ash. And what could they do?
Like the alpha had read his thoughts, sudden silence filled the room. Every shifter present, except the guards, fell to their knees. Only Ash and Josh were left standing. Fucking hell. Could this get any worse?
The guards approached them, and although Josh heard D’s quiet curse, he didn’t get up. So the alpha had really forced him to his knees.
Josh’s heart was beating like crazy, and he rubbed his wet hands over the jeans. He stared at the alpha, refused to show him even the slightest respect. This wasn’t a man he’d look up to. This was a man he hated with all his being.
Even if they ended up in prison, the alpha would never get their respect. He was someone who ruled with intimidation, not with the best interests of the pack in his mind.
The guards approached them, arresting them. Lindsay, Jeremy, and D offered no resistance when they were handcuffed. Josh took a quick look at his friends, then stared back at the alpha. It felt wrong to look him in the eye, but looking away was even worse.
The guards dragged D, Lindsay, and Jeremy to their feet then stepped up to Ash and Josh. Josh sighed as his shoulders sagged. They hadn’t even been able to defend themselves.
The doors of the hall blew open, and a deafening roar filled the air. Josh and all the others present twisted their heads around and stared at the figure standing in the door.
Anthony.
This was Anthony like he’d never seen him before. His hair and beard were tousled, and the look in his eyes proclaimed unmistakably that he was not here to negotiate. He looked wild. Untamed. Invincible.
Anthony’s upper body was naked, and his muscles tightened with every movement. He looked like a soldier. Strong. Dangerous. Deadly.
Another kind of shudder ran over Josh’s back.
Damn, that was hot.
He shook his head to get rid of that totally inappropriate thought. Nothing about this situation was hot, and even if he could feel the dominance Anthony radiated, it didn’t mean they were safe.
As long as the alpha hadn’t been defeated, they weren’t safe.
He couldn’t forget that.
“Anthony. I didn’t expect to see you here again, but I’m so glad you’re here.” The scornful voice of the alpha belied the words he spoke. “Not that I missed either one of you two. The pack is strong enough as it is. But now that I have you here, I can make sure you become valuable members. This bullshit about running away has come to an end. You will take your rightful positions and finally take up the inheritance to which you are destined.” The alpha clenched his fists and slowly descended from his platform to approach Anthony.
D, Jeremy, and Lindsay began struggling, trying to escape the handcuffs, but it was useless. Josh only saw it from the corner of his eye because he couldn’t turn his eyes away from Anthony, who was staring at the alpha.
His eyes promised revenge.
“I nev
er expected to come back here, but I could no longer ignore what was going on. You’ve gone too far.” Anthony breathed deeply, and his gaze flickered to Josh for a moment. His whole upper body seemed to tense up, he bent his knees slightly, then he spoke, loudly and clearly. “I challenge you!” His voice echoed like thunder through the hall, and Josh trembled again.
Goosebumps spread to his arms and he resisted the urge to fall to his knees.
Again, the guards present gasped. Josh had known Anthony would challenge the alpha, but hearing the words was intimidating. He never would’ve guessed Anthony had a side like that.
He’d also never heard that voice before, with that much controlled anger.
The alpha seemed to hesitate for a second. Then, without further warning, he threw himself forward.
Josh held his breath.
While he was in the air, he shifted, changing into his animal form.
Mid-air, he was met by Anthony. He, too, had shifted in that split second. Entwined in a ball of teeth and claws, the two large panthers landed on the ground. They were both midnight black, making it hard to tell which one was which. Moving at breathtaking speed, they tried to rip each other’s throats out. No hesitation, no mercy. This would be a fight to the death, just like D had anticipated.
Josh lost track of who had the upper hand. One of the panthers caught the other’s flank, and with a nauseating sound, the skin gave way to the sharp teeth. Blood started pouring out, seeping over the black fur. The big cat shook its head then launched itself at its opponent like nothing had happened. It was impossible to tell which one was stronger. They both took bites and scratches that even made Josh flinch.
What if the alpha killed Anthony? He couldn’t let it happen, but he couldn’t get involved in this fight either. How could he? He was too weak. He was almost completely human, with just the tiniest traces of vampire blood in his body. It was impossible.
He didn’t dare breathe, and none of the others spoke. Besides the sound of the two fighters, you could’ve heard a pin drop. Everyone seemed to hold their breath.
One of the panthers landed on its side, and within seconds the other was above him.
This time it was lucky and managed to bring its teeth to the other’s throat.
That was it, the moment one of them would die.
But the panther who’d won the battle hesitated. It didn’t bite, didn’t finish.
That was Anthony. It had to be Anthony. Did that mean he’d won?
The losing panther shifted back, and Josh realized Anthony really had won.
Instead of looking scared, the alpha grinned. He didn’t seem to grasp that Anthony still had his razor-sharp teeth on his artery. One bite and it’d be over. Why was he laughing? He lay on the ground, a heavy predator on him, and he laughed?
“You think you beat me? You think you can be the new alpha? You missed one thing, son. You’re not mated. You can’t take over as an alpha. You may have defeated me, but you’re not the alpha of this pack.”
Damn it!
Why hadn’t they known? Why had none of them realized the alpha hadn’t recognized the new laws? What the hell were they supposed to do now?
Now it was really over.
Anthony shifted back and stared at his father, disbelief showing in his features. He was still kneeling on him, his hands pressed on his father’s shoulders.
“I don’t believe you. I defeated you.”
“Try to control the pack. You’ll see they obey me, not you. And now, my dear son, let me get up.”
Anthony breathed deeply, his chest raising and falling. Sweat glistened on his skin and a wound on his hip was bleeding.
The alpha’s gaze wandered through the hall and met Josh’s. In that moment, Josh knew they were all gonna die.
Anthony had just sealed their death sentence.
“Arrest them!” The alpha’s words rang out clearly, and the guards started moving.
Anthony’s whole body trembled and tensed. “Stay where you are!” His voice was just as powerful. The guards took one more step, then they stopped.
Anthony grinned at his father. Their facial expressions were so similar, it was almost frightening. The only difference was that Anthony’s eyes missed the crazy gleam that showed in the alpha’s eyes.
“I think we have a problem. They don’t listen to you, and they don’t listen to me. I defeated you, and you’re wrong to think you’re still the alpha of this pack because I’m not mated. You think you have the power, but you can’t command them.”
Silence descended across the hall as everyone became aware of what had happened.
Neither man had the upper hand. No one could get the guards to do anything… Until Anthony was mated, or until the alpha attacked Anthony again.
Anthony needed a mate. It was their only chance of getting out of this situation unharmed.
“Josh,” Ash whispered. He stepped right behind Josh and squeezed as close to his ear as possible. “You and Anthony… You guys are getting along, aren’t you? Would you –“
Before Ash finished speaking, Josh nodded. “Of course.”
“Do you think D, Lindsay, and Jeremy can hold the alpha until we get it over with?”
“I don’t know. But we’ll find out.”
“I’ll talk to the others.”
Under the glaring eyes of the alpha, Josh hurried to Anthony, who was still standing there, staring at his father.
Josh reached him, and Anthony bent down to let him whisper in his ear. “I’ll do it. I’ll mate with you.”
“What?” Anthony’s head turned in his direction, and he stared at Josh like he’d grown a second head. “You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can. We’re gonna do this. As long as we can keep your father under control until we get the mating behind us, everything should be fine.”
“I can’t let that happen.” Anthony looked away, staring at his father. His lips were a thin line.
Josh wanted to roll his eyes, but he managed to stop himself. Why did Anthony have to be stubborn right now? Not that Josh ever wanted to mate, but hell, this was better than being killed by the old nut over there. “Believe me, I’d rather have you as my mate than die here. Much better. So we’re gonna get this over with, and then you can rule this pack. It’s the easiest and fastest solution.” He didn’t feel that confident, more like the opposite, but he tried to hide it.
Anthony didn’t react at all for a moment. “I don’t like it. It’s exactly what I never wanted. I can’t allow that.”
“Now is not the time to be noble, for heaven’s sake! Let’s get this done and save our asses.” Josh’s impatience ran out.
“I see why it’d make sense … But are you–“
“Seriously, stop it. We’ll either have to deal with your father or get mated. And no, I never wanted it, but this is the better solution,” Josh bit out.
The alpha started screaming, calling for his guards and trying to free himself.
Without turning his gaze away from the alpha, Anthony called out to D, Lindsay, and Jeremy. “Help me get him to one of the dungeons. I think it’s a good place to let him wait until we’ve done everything.” To Josh he said, “I think you’re right. I don’t want to get mated, but let’s do it.”
Josh breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was settled.
D rushed forward and held the pair of handcuffs he’d just been tied up with in his hand. How did he get rid of those? Ash winked.
Ah, well. Magic.
Together, they rolled the alpha onto his stomach and ignored the curses and the screams coming from him. They were deafening, but without his alpha powers, none of his people even lifted a finger to help him. Someone had brought two pairs of pants, and together they managed to put one of them on the alpha while Anthony slipped into the other. Then Anthony looked back at their prisoner.
Whether Anthony had managed to at least control the guards, or whether they felt no loyalty to their leader, Josh didn’t know.
&nbs
p; But it didn’t matter. They were safe, at least for now, and as soon as he’d mated with Anthony, it didn’t matter how they were controlled. Anthony would be the new alpha.
The new alpha. Josh breathed deeply and tried to calm his racing thoughts. Did he really want to do that? He’d talked Anthony into it, but now his doubts piped up again.
Did he really want to mate with Anthony? He’d spend his life with Anthony, be with him. Was that what he wanted?
On the other hand, the laws had been changed. He didn’t have to stay. He could leave if he wanted, as long as Anthony stayed alpha.
That didn’t sound so bad when he thought about it. He’d mate with Anthony, they’d beat the old alpha, then it’d be over. They both would win, and neither of them had to get along with a partner they might not have wanted. Not that Josh had anything against Anthony. Quite the contrary. He liked him, but spending his life with him? He hadn’t really thought about it. If he did, he wanted to make that decision because he wanted to, not because he was forced to.
And he’d already decided for himself that he’d never do that.
He’d seen for himself what one mate could do to the other, and he definitely didn’t wish that for himself. Of course Anthony was different, just as Ash and D’s relationship was very different from the one Ash had had with Josh’s uncle, but still. He didn’t trust the whole concept of mating, and who knew who he’d end up with? So he’d decided he wouldn’t mate.
Except now, apparently, he’d mate with Anthony and be the alpha’s mate for the rest of his life. Or at least until he could leave because Anthony changed the law forcing mates to stay at their partner’s side.
They followed Jeremy and Lindsay outside. D was with them, showing them the way while Ash walked behind them.
“Jeremy and I will stay with him and make sure no one gets into the cell. As long as he doesn’t attack us, I think we have everything under control,” Lindsay said.
“That’d be perfect. I don’t think he can cause any trouble right now, but I don’t want any of his followers to get the idea of freeing him in the meantime. The regular pack members shouldn’t be a problem for you, should one of them try something funny, but I’d be reassured if you two could keep an eye on him.” Anthony cast a quick look at his father.
