Alphas Divided - Part 1 of 3 (6 page)

From her expression, and the surprised mutterings around her about Thomas, the Alpha, Emma figured that Ziva wasn't happy that Thomas was joining the crowd.

Thomas's wolf form was large, with deep brown fur that reminded Emma of a Chow dog, and as the wolf aimed for one of the large picnic tables, and shifted into his human form, Emma heard Elam's voice just beside her ear. Damn he was quiet when he walked.

"Our wolf forms are stronger than our human forms, especially as we age and come closer to death. The wolf is the easiest form for Thomas to inhabit right now."

She nodded her understanding, and watched as Elam and Galen's father shed his wolf form, and became human.

It was beautiful to watch, the shifting. Now that it didn't come as a complete surprise, she watched his shift with less scared, more appreciative eyes.

He stood tall, bracing one thigh against the table, just in case, but not sitting on one of its benches.

He looked old but still strong, his deep brown wolf fur shifting into grey hair, as he gathered his strength to address the crowd.

"We have had an exciting couple of days," he started, his voice gaining strength as a spoke.

"I'm sorry I couldn't join you all last night, I'm feeling a bit stronger today. I wanted to welcome both Emma and Kate. Emma, it is good to have you here. Your mother has been gone a long time, but she was often in my mind. Kate, I hear congratulations are in order. I welcome you as part of our pack, as Galen's mate. I was starting to wonder about that boy."

Mutters of laughter broke out around them at Thomas's teasing, and continued as Thomas added, "Now, if we could only get Elam to see the light, as well."

Emma's eyes shot to Elam, and she found his gaze already on her.

"Before I cross over from this world and into the next, I want to know who will carry this pack onward."

Ziva started to interrupt, to speak to Thomas, and he mumbled something quiet, but stern in her direction, and then turned back to his pack.

"I have two sons. Therefore, nothing is assured. Of course there will be a challenge. That is how it is done. And I wish it to be soon, so I may pass on with that knowledge. Now, if you will excuse me, my strength in this form is fading, and I wish to save it for the challenge. I know either of my sons will lead this pack well, and of course, if anyone else wants to challenge, that is your choice. It will be as it is supposed to be."

And with that, Thomas shifted back into his wolf form, and with Ziva's help, headed back up the hill.

Chapter 9

"What does that mean?" Emma addressed the question to Elam, standing beside her.

"It means there will be a challenge for Alpha after all. I was hoping there wouldn't be. Everyone knows Galen will be Alpha. The official pack rules say the spot is open to anyone, and any discontented wolf can challenge for the spot at any time. Traditionally, though, our pack has been happy to pass the Alpha position down along the blood line.

Even though we are both Thomas's sons, Galen is Thomas's blood. I'm an adopted son, my bloodline is unknown since I was found alone in the woods.

Galen has been groomed for Alpha since he was born. I personally have no interest in being Alpha, so I hoped that when Thomas passed on, Galen would take up the reins. Unless another wolf wanted to challenge him for it, the position would be his.

But Thomas has spoken. There will be a challenge. Galen and I will fight for the title, along with any other wolf who wants to take part.

Have you never shifted, Emma?"

Emma was surprised by his sudden change in topic, and it took her a second to address his question.

"Me? Shifted? What do you mean? Turned into a wolf? No. Why do you ask me that?"

"Your mother was Alpha, for a while. Humans, and non-shifting half-breeds can not challenge, but if you could shift, you could also challenge for Alpha."

"I didn't even know about my mother until yesterday. I'm grateful I've never shifted, it would have scared the shit out of me. Turning into a werewolf all of a sudden, out of nowhere? No, I've never... Is that even possible?"

"You are a little old, but yes. It is usually known by the end of the second decade. With a wolf mother and a human father, you could go either way. Some shift early and often, as a kid. Others are triggered by the hormone changes of puberty. But if you haven't shifted by say twenty, it probably won't ever happen. Being raised human, with no knowledge of us, could definitely put you behind. You have heard about females in a group eventually being on their periods at the same time?"

"Oh yes, periods syncing up is pretty common, especially in the dorms."

"It can be kind of like that. If you are the only female, your schedule is your own. But get two or more together, over time, and they eventually get on the same schedule. It can be like that with shifting as well. If you have the ability, but no knowledge of who you are, or no other wolf hormones in the air, you could stay as you are. Here, with not only the bloodline, but the knowledge, and the proximity of other wolves, their hormones..."

"Are you saying I could still shift?"

"It is possible. A few cycles of the moon should tell."

"I'm still adjusting to all of this. Learning that my mother was a werewolf is a huge adjustment. I'm surprised I didn't run off screaming into the woods when I saw Galen shift. Then to learn that mom held the highest honor of Alpha, and then abandoned her pack for some unknown reason is also huge. Then I learn that some are happy I am here, and some, like Ziva, are not. You add Kate mating with Galen on the first damn night, and now you are telling me I could still shift, and if so, could find myself challenging for Alpha of a pack I didn't know existed until yesterday? I think I need a drink."

"You're not old enough to drink." Elam said it with a teasing grin.

"I'm old enough to tie myself to a wolf pack forever, by having sex, like Kate just did. I'm old enough to run the damn place if I shifted and won a challenge, but I'm not old enough for a drink?"

His laughter warmed some hidden place in her heart, and she elbowed him hard in his side when she realized he was only teasing her.

And she immediately regretted the touch.

Flashes like the ones she saw last night flipped through her mind again. And again, she saw herself entwined with Elam in varying private and passionate positions.

Her breathing quickened, her skin flushed pink, almost as if she was really there with him. Really wrapping her legs around his waist and tugging his mouth down to meld with hers. Really tilting her head back and welcoming his bite as he impaled her with both his hard cock and his sharp, pointed teeth at the same time, marking her as his the same way Kate had been marked.

The pictures faded and she found herself staring into Elam's eyes instead.

He was watching her again, his brow furrowed in concentration. His nostrils flared as if he could smell the heated change in her body, the warmth now flooding her thighs.

"Your mother could do that, as well." Elam's words got her complete attention.

"Do what?"

"See the future. Know what was to come."

"How do you know that I saw anything?"

"I wasn't here yet when your mother was Alpha. Galen had just been born, when she left. It was right after Reine conceived you, and they hadn't found me yet, taken me in, but I have heard the whispered stories. How she looked when the possible paths were playing out in her mind. We have free will, nothing is set in stone, but some things are more probable than other things. I've heard that Reine had the gift of sight, and it seems that you do as well."

Emma just stared at him, trying to file away yet another tidbit of information about her mother.

"Does that happen to you often? Seeing?" Elam asked.

"No. Only twice ever."

"What possible paths did you see?"

"I saw only one thing, the same thing both times. And I highly doubt it was the future. Just my, I don't know, my stressed mind from everything here happening so fast."

"You saw only one path? Not the playing out of two?"

"I don't know what I saw. I mean, I know what I saw, I just don't know that it means anything."

"The way you looked at me...The way your scent changed...I can guess. You saw what I know to be true, didn't you? You and I? I didn't want to scare you off, but now I don't think that matters. You are to be my mate. My wolf told me it was to be when I first saw you trudging up here with Henry and Kate. You and I are to be one."

"No. You can't be my destiny, I don't believe in destiny. And I'm only here for a year."

"You said you've only 'seen' twice. When was the first time?"

Emma didn't want to answer him, but she knew from the look on his face that he already knew the answer to that question.

"Last night."

"The only two times you have ever 'seen' were the only two times we've ever touched?"

Her jaw stiffened with resolve, not answering him.

"Well then, let's see what happens when I do this."

With that, Elam leaned in and kissed her.

Emma had been kissed before, but never like this.

Elam's hands gripped her face between them, aiming her mouth just right before pressing his lips against hers.

She felt her lips part, inviting him in before her mind could rebel, but he didn't slide his tongue deep just yet.

He ignored her open mouth, concentrating instead on her plump lips. He teased them with the tip of his tongue. He bit her lower lip, causing a shock of electric heat to flow from the bite, shooting need from her lips to the very core of her.

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, the drawing and sucking on her lip forcing her eyes to close and her tongue to slide out, seeking his.

She heard him gasp as her tongue found his, and he pulled her tighter, one hand sliding behind her head, pressing her mouth more firmly against his, as his other hand dropped to her back, pressing her body against him.

She relished the differences, her soft curves against his hard plains. His demanding to her exploring.

She loved that he stood above her by inches. She usually had to aim her lips an inch or two lower, being taller or at most, equal to her boyfriends. Not so with Elam.

Elam stood taller than her, folding her into his arms, forcing her to aim her mouth upward to meet his skillful kisses.

She'd never known that feeling before, that feeling of being warmly enveloped by a taller, stronger male. She never would have guessed at the primal needs this kind of kiss would release.

She gave herself up to the feelings, glad to give up control, to let someone stronger take over for once.

He broke the kiss, nibbling once again on her lips as they broke apart.

Her mind hadn't fully recovered, she was still lost in the feelings Elam triggered when she heard words laughingly muttered nearby.

"It seems Father may get his wish to see us both mated before his passing, after all."

The voice was Galen's and he gave his brother a hearty slap on the back as he walked by them, aiming himself toward his own mate, who'd gone back to dancing around the fire with the other females after their father's announcement.

"I wish you two the same happiness I know I've found with Kate." He grinned as he walked by them, stepping between them and the still raging bonfire.

"See you at the challenge, my brother."

Chapter 10

Emma was unsure of what to expect at tonight's challenge, but her heart was racing as she settled into a spot beside Kate to watch.

The entire pack was all gathered in a clearing deep in the woods, just days after Thomas announced the challenge. The typography made for a perfect, natural coliseum, where the two men stood together below, in the empty space, and all of the observers stood and sat in the higher ground. Wolves and humans alike found friends to sit with and settled in for the challenge that would tell them who their next leader would be.

Emma watched the brothers, standing together below the crowd. They looked at ease, comfortable, not like brothers about to fight for position.

Emma and Kate sat together, just below Thomas and Ziva on the rise. Thomas had made the trek in his wolf form, only shifting as the time got near to conserve his energy.

Emma could tell from the look Ziva had given her when she sat down beside Kate, that Ziva was not thrilled by her presence, but Kate had called her over here, and insisted her best friend sit here, with them, on the highest rise.

Emma could feel Ziva's resentment burying into her back as she leaned in and spoke with Kate. She tried to ignore the eyes between her shoulder blades as she asked Kate for information.

"So, what all is involved in a challenge for Alpha?"

Kate said, "I'm not completely sure. Galen was pretty tight lipped about the whole thing."

"Can't they just vote? Like humans do, for President and such?"

Ziva's snort was heard behind Emma as her question reached the Alpha mate's ears.

Emma turned behind her to address Ziva, but Thomas patted Ziva's hand, calming her down as he faced Emma to respond.

"They will fight. First in human form, and then as wolves, until there is a winner. No one else wanted to challenge, so it will just be Galen against Elam."

"What if one of them doesn't want to fight? Is there a forfeit or something?"

Emma knew Elam wasn't interested in becoming Alpha, so surely there was a way to bow out? She figured Thomas was well aware of the situation, but he had called for a challenge all the same, so she didn't really want to ask straight out, 'what if the challenge is thrown?'

"No. No one steps up to a challenge and then does not give their best. To be beaten rightfully has honor. To not try one's best does not."

"To be beaten rightfully? How is that determined, exactly? Is there a point system? Or a knockout, like in boxing?"

"Every challenge is different. No two have ever ended the same. But there has always been a clear winner."

"It's not a last-one-standing situation, right? I mean going as far as a fight-to-the-death, or anything?"

"No, not usually. Sometimes though. But that usually comes to play when the challenger comes out of nowhere. Any wolf can challenge for Alpha at any time. The deadly challenges have usually been when a young, unhappy wolf decides he wants to take over. Even then it is the upstart who pushes things too far. He can't imagine getting beaten, or decides he will not give up, even after a winner is decided. Those challengers sometimes push it too far. Those usually don't end well. But a bloodline challenge like today? There should be no to-the-death grandstands."

Emma nodded, relieved, and thanked Thomas.

"Hopefully this time there will be no surprises."

Ziva's muttered words made Emma turn back toward them again.

"What does that mean?"

Ziva pointedly ignored her question, looking past her and down at the challengers.

Thomas opened his mouth to answer her, after a chastising glance at his mate, but he would only say, with a quiet laugh, "The last time there was a challenge, it didn't go the way the pack had assumed it would. That is all. Shall we begin? I'm already tiring."

"Yes, of course. Whenever you..." Emma trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

He smiled at her discomfort, taking the time to soothe her by saying, "Don't worry child. It will be over soon. These things have a way of working themselves out, no fear. Our world balances itself, eventually. You are home. Here, where you should have always been."

Ziva snorted again, but he ignored her.

"Thomas has claimed his mate. I don't know how Thomas would have found Kate if she hadn't come here with you, so things balance out. Maybe Reine was meant to leave for that reason. Or maybe for another. I don't pretend to know the why's of our world. But you are here, now. As is Kate. This challenge will also go however it goes. Relax, watch. There isn't anything you can do, right? So just wait, and see what is."

And with a signal from Thomas, the challenge began.

The men squared off against each other, circling.

Punches were thrown, and blocked. Their deep laughter occasionally drifted up as the brothers seemed to spar like they were training instead of challenging, insulting each other and bantering as they warmed their muscles for battle.

Emma relaxed some, watching what seemed more playful than threatening.

Slowly, though, things got more serious.

The laughter turned to grunts. The punches and blocks were thrown with more intent and less teasing. The urges to fight, and to defend, got more personal.

Emma could tell that something had shifted, now that they were warmed up, and into the groove of the fight. Both men planned to give it their all.

The crowd must have sensed it as well, that the brotherly play fighting had ended, because the mutters of voices had stopped, and everyone's attention was now focused on the two men as they each now tried to outdo the other.

Emma heard Thomas's soft laughter.

"They are evenly matched. I had a feeling this part would be more like dancing, and less like fighting. It won't be until they shift that things will get serious. Their wolves will come out soon, and the human aspects of their brotherhood will recede. This isn't fighting, it's ballet. But their wolves...that will be a different story, I'm afraid."

Emma didn't turn around this time, her focus was on the brothers. She nodded her understanding instead, afraid to look away in case she missed something.

He was right though, they were evenly matched.

And that fact seemed to be starting to irritate Galen.

Galen's body language changed subtly, he was ready to assert his dominance. Emma guessed partially because his new mate was watching, and partly because Elam didn't seem to be just going through the motions, but instead was starting to get into it.

Kate leaned in, whispering to Emma.

"Damn, it's kind of hot, you know? Two gorgeous, almost naked men fighting like that. Is that why girls like those MMA fighters so much? And hockey players? All that testosterone filled fighting?"

Emma laughed.

"When will they shift, then?" Kate asked the question louder, aiming it behind her at Thomas.

"When, how do you humans say it? When things start to get real." Thomas answered.

It started looking more like a bar fight down there. Desperation seemed to be climbing. The two were locked together more often than apart, fists and elbows flying, feet bracing.

With a primal yell, Galen pushed Elam away from him, hard.

And in the space that bought him, he started to shift.

Elam saw it and countered, shifting less than a second after Galen.

Emma barely had time to register the fact that she hadn't yet seen Elam's wolf, and to look him over, before the two were charging each other's throats.

She'd seen Galen's pitch black wolf on the day they first arrived, and quite a few times since. But Elam had never shifted. At least that she'd seen.

She was surprised when Elam's wolf turned out to be an auburn red. She guessed she expected him to match his hair color, a dirty blonde, not to be closer to her own hair color.

She found herself wondering what her wolf would look like, if she was to shift as well. She made a mental note to ask Thomas what her mother's wolf looked like, once this was all over.

She gasped as the two wolves rolled and tried to pin each other down. They moved so fast. Except for the obvious fur color differences, she almost couldn't tell them apart. The black and the red coat colors blurred as the wolves came together, broke apart, and crashed together again.

They never barked or howled. Emma guessed that made sense, since dogs used barks and howls more for communication and warnings. She'd seen domestic dogs fight before, and by the time they had gotten to the actual fighting, all the barking had stopped.

She did hear deep growls rumbling up from the arena floor though, usually when the two were separated for a few seconds, analyzing their next moves before launching towards the other wolf's throat once again.

Each wolf was soon bleeding, both of them landing well placed bites and tearing gashes from the other.

Kate reached over and took Emma's hand, squeezing it tight as she watched her mate fight.

"I didn't realize it would be this..."

"Animalistic? Scary?" Emma fed her the words she had been thinking.

"Bloody." Kate whispered to Emma, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear, and awe.

Galen pinned Elam then. Emma closed her eyes tight, not wanting to watch, but her eyes forced themselves back open, almost against her will. She couldn't help but stare, even though it was making her sick to her stomach to see it all.

Elam's body started and jerked, trying to wrench himself from Galen's weight.

"It
will
be Galen, then. As everyone said." Kate's words were low, mumbled.

Emma barely heard them as she watched Elam try to get up.

"I
will
be the Alpha's mate!" There was pride in Kate's tone, in her words, but there was something else in them as well. They were muttered fervently, almost desperately.

And then Elam was loose, and flying at Galen.

Elam's full weight hit Galen before he was fully prepared, and the two bodies collided with a solid thud. A grunt hit Emma's ears, but she wasn't sure who'd uttered it.

The wolves' momentum drove them against the trunk of a large tree, and then they slid to the ground, rolling together.

Soon Elam had Galen pinned, reversing their positions of just a moment ago.

"No!" Kate's cry reached Emma's ear just before Elam's teeth seemed to sink into Galen's throat.

But the wolves rolled again, another blur of fur and teeth. She couldn't keep track of who was winning.

"Are you sure they won't kill each other?" Emma's worried question was fired over her shoulder at Thomas, looking for reassurance.

He took a few moments to answer, during which the brothers continued to vie for dominance, each one seeming to come out ahead, just a heartbeat before being knocked back onto his ass once again.

"They are quite well matched, even more so than I thought. But no, I doubt either will kill the other. It looks worse than it really is, with all the blood. Werewolves heal very quickly. I'm sure some of their initial wounds are already almost healed. It looks bad, I know. Even more so to your eyes. But I don't foretell any fatal strikes, my dear."

"Then how will it be decided? They just wear each other down like this until only one has the energy to stand?"

"Possibly."

Emma could feel both Kate and Ziva pulling hard for Galen. She knew Elam wasn't interested in being Alpha, so she was confused as to why he was fighting so hard. They'd put on a great show. Both brothers were obviously equals in battle. But she knew one wanted it, and the other didn't.

It seemed like any moment now would be a good time for Galen to take it, and for Elam to still come out of this looking like a warrior.

The two stilled suddenly.

Elam was crouched on his stomach, with Galen above him, pinning him down. Galen looked to have Elam's throat in his teeth.

For a second Emma almost giggled. She was sure it was the stress of watching this that turned her mind to silly, inappropriate thoughts, but it almost looked to her like the two were mating instead of fighting.

With Elam underneath Galen like that, Galen above him, his weight pinning Elam down, and Galen's teeth at the nape of Elam's neck, it looked to her like two dogs she always saw mating in the front yard next door when she was growing up.

She covered her mouth to silence the giggles she was afraid were about to escape at the thought of this whole challenge turning on a dime into something wholly unexpected.

Her giggles turned to confusion quickly though, as it seemed Elam was suddenly growing.

She heard her confusion echoed by those around her, as Elam started to rise. He almost looked like he was shifting, but his color stayed the same, he just grew bigger.

Things changed, but with Galen blocking the view, still griping Elam's neck and straddling his back, she couldn't see very well.

Elam kept getting bigger. Soon Galen was lifted, still holding on, but his paw's no longer on the ground.