Bride of the Alpha (14 page)

“He hated me so much,” she whispered.

“Bess, he had me fooled, he had everyone fooled,” I said. “He was obviously just as crazy as his father.

I’m really, really sorry that happened. The important thing is you’re still alive, and you will heal, and some day you’ll find someone who isn’t….ahhh…”

“A psycho who wants to kill me so he can kidnap my best friend?” Her voice was hoarse.

“Yeah. That,” I agreed. “That’s definitely what you’re looking for next time.”

She managed a smile through puffy, split lips. I hated Corwin so much at that moment that I wished I

could bring him back to life just so I could kill him again, myself.

When we got to the clinic, I was surprised to see a dozen women and another dozen children, crowded

into the waiting room. Many of them bore visible bruises. Some of the women had marks on their wrists as if they’d been exchanged. And several of them bore a strong family resemblance to Camille. Shifters in

scrubs were hovering over them, taking vital signs, cleaning cuts.

“What is going on here?” I asked, astonished, as a nurse led Bess away to an examination room.

“They’re from Kray’s pack. Lucille, the woman that you saw me with, helped create a distraction so

they’d be able to escape, and they came here seeking sanctuary.”

“But that means he’s going to…”

“Issue a death challenge. Yes. He already has. He’s called for the Council of Elders to bear witness. It’ll

be the day after tomorrow.”

Chapter Fifteen

The thought of Max entering the Death Arena sent a wave of fear rushing through me. Still, I reminded

myself, this was Kray. I’d seen Kray back down from two Challenges.

“You’ll win, won’t you? From what I’ve seen of him so far, he’s not that tough when he comes up

against a real Alpha,” I said.

Max guided me over to a chair, and I collapsed into it. I was starting to feel better, although my legs still felt shaky.

“No, most of the time he isn’t. That’s why he always backs down when an Alpha challenges him, but

then he’ll come back and issue a challenge later. That gives him enough time to take magic enhancing

drugs, and enter the Death Arena when the drugs are at their peak,” Max said. “He has to time it perfectly, because the drugs only last for a few hours.”

“What?” I gasped. “No! You’ve got to be kidding me!” How could that be? Whenever there was a

formal Death Challenge match, both Alphas were tested by a specially designated shaman. To cheat would

be a death penalty offense.

Max’s expression was grim. “Think about it, Josephine. He was a nobody before. He wasn’t even an

Alpha in his pack. Then there’s a convenient disaster that wipes out not just the Alpha, but the Beta, the Alpha’s oldest son who was also an Alpha and expected to inherit, and everybody who’d oppose him-”

“Wait. There was a landslide that buried the house,” I protested.

He shrugged. “That’s the story that was put out, anyway. From what I’m hearing there was a rather large explosion on the hillside above the house, and also in the house itself, on the night of the disaster. With Kray taking over as Alpha, nobody dared challenge his account.”

“My God.”

“Then he starts issuing death challenges to smaller packs, and he never loses. He’s in his late forties.

When have you ever heard of an Alpha rising to prominence at that late age?”

“Well, there was…no, he was in his late twenties. But then there was…okay, never,” I mused.

“He started out challenging the Alphas from smaller packs because he didn’t want to arouse suspicion,”

Max continued. “He knew he’d be tested before the matches, but he blackmailed their shaman, Felix, into faking the tests. He worked his way up, taking on more and more powerful Alphas each time. Now he’s

after the Timber Valley pack. He wants our land and everything that we own.”

“How did you find out about all this?”

“From Lucille. She snuck off the compound to tell me what was happening. She was desperate, because

Kray was becoming more and more abusive, killing pack members merely because he disliked them or

because he wanted their women, and she’d just overheard him saying he wanted to claim Camille as a third bride. One of his brides had already disappeared, and it’s pretty likely he beat her to death and hid her body on their property. That’s why I approached Kray and proposed to marry Camille immediately, in exchange

for an alliance.”

“Would you really have married her?”

“Certainly, and I would have honored that marriage. As I said, an Alpha expects to marry for duty, not

love. I just got lucky when I married you.”

“But I…” I was stunned. “You said you didn’t love me.”

“I never said that. I said that an Alpha can’t count on love when getting married. That doesn’t mean that it never happens. My father and mother married for political reason, but as time went on, they came to love each other. As for you, I wanted you from the minute I first laid eyes on you, and I’ve been falling in love with you ever since. My instincts are good, Josephine. I knew you were the one for me the minute we met.”

“I don’t bring anything to the table,” I protested.

“Yes, you do, you just can’t see it. It’s simply that you’re a genuinely good person, and you’re fun, and

people want to be around you, and you speak up for what’s right no matter what the risk. What more could an Alpha ask for in a wife? I mean, other than a great sex life, and we’re good there, obviously.”

I felt my eyes welling up with tears. He really meant it. He’d never lied to me. He really wanted to be married to me, forever.

“Go on,” I choked out. “Tell me the important part. Tell me how you’re going to go up against him

without being killed.”

He squeezed my hand. “Kray got his magic formula from a scientist that he’s kidnapped, and is holding

prisoner on the Iron Claw compound. Lucille managed to steal some of the formula and smuggle it out to

me, and Cody studied it, and developed a counter-agent. I met her in town to give her the counter agent, and she went back and swapped it out. So for the past couple of days, Kray’s been taking the counter-agent instead of the real formula, and when he goes up against me in the arena, he’ll be fighting without the magic enhancement.”

“What scientist? Where did he come from?”

“That’s the sixty four million dollar question, isn’t it? We don’t know, and even worse – he’s human.

Once I defeat Kray, we can grab the scientist and make him talk.”

“A human scientist who has magic enhancing drugs that work on shifters.” I shivered. “That’s a threat to our entire race.”

He nodded. “I know. We will make the Elders aware of it as soon as we defeat Kray. I can’t tell them

yet, because there is a rumor that Kray has one of them on his payroll, and he would tip Kray off..”

“What if Kray discovers the switch, and starts taking the real magic formula?” I asked.

“We’ve anticipated that possibility. When I go in the arena, I’ll be able to tell whether or not he’s

currently magic-enhanced, because Cody gave me this.” He held out the charm that dangled from his leather necklace. “When I’m wearing this, I can see through magic spells. That is how I knew you weren’t Camille.

That’s also how, when I go in the arena against Kray, I’ll be able to tell at a glance whether his strength is enhanced by magic or not.”

“But what if the charm isn’t working? It’s too dangerous,” I protested. “Just report Felix and Kray. Tell the Council of Elders.”

He shook his head. “They won’t want to believe it, and they may charge me with treason. I have no

proof at this point, other than Lucille’s word. Ever since Lucille came to me for help, I’ve been studying the rules of the Covenant very closely. I believe that what I have planned out will work, and I have no

alternative.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me this earlier? You let me think you were having an affair!” I protested.

“I hated having to do that, but I promised Lucille I wouldn’t say anything, and when I give my word,

that is sacred,” he said. “She made me promise because her family’s lives depended on it. If Kray caught word of what she was up to, he’d have taken it out on not just her, but on everybody close to her.”

“What does your father say about all this?” Surely Vince could stop all this madness.

“I am about to start my own pack, to take on the role of Alpha and leader,” Maxwell said. “As Alpha,

this will be just the first of many challenges I face over the years. You know that. He can’t sweep in and try to save me, and I wouldn’t let him even if he offered.”

The thought sickened me, but I knew that I had to live with it. I loved this man, I was married to him, and I would stay by his side forever. That meant that I’d have to accept the risks that he faced because of his position, just as the wife of a firefighter or cop or soldier had to face those risks.

I buried my head in his shoulder. “I love you, Maxwell. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“I love you too. No matter what happens with Kray, always remember that,” he said.

Chapter Sixteen

“Eat something,” Jade urged me, holding out a muffin. I shook my head.

I shook my head. “Thank you, but I can’t. I’m too worried to eat,” I said.

She nodded. “Me too,” she sighed, and tucked the muffin back into a small lunch sack she’d brought

with her.

The Death Match would start in a few minutes. It was taking place in a large, flat clearing hemmed in by ponderosa pines and juniper trees, on Kray’s property; the location had been decided with the toss of a coin, with a choice between the Iron Claw property and the Timber Valley property.

Bleacher seats had been arranged so that the action could easily be observed by everyone. There was an

unusually big crowd, even for a death match. The Timber Valley pack was very popular and well liked, and the Iron Claw pack had been once been very well liked, and now they were the object dislike and

suspicion.

Looking around, I realized that close to a thousand shifters from all over the Rocky mountain states

were gathered to watch. There were Alphas, their families, and their pack members. Members of Kray’s

family and pack, and their allies, sat on one side of the clearing, and members of the Timber Valley pack sat on the other side. I sat with Jade, Vince, and Virginia, Max’s brothers, Cody, and Sheriff Battle. There were also half a dozen packs that were allied with our pack sitting on our side.

There were about two dozen members of the Renker family all grouped together and sitting near the

front, glaring at us with hatred and contempt.

Bess had gone home to be with her family, but she’d called me that morning to wish me the best of

luck.

On each side there were a couple of dozen Wardens, there to ensure that no one tried to interfere with

the match, and that it didn’t turn into an all out pack war. Although technically they served the Elders, they were their own entity, with a paramilitary structure, a chief, lieutenants, and officers.

Chief Loren Redthorne was there, as he would be at all such challenges.

The thirteen Elders sat in the front row, where they could observe and monitor the action. Felix sat with them; he’d already tested both wolves and pronounced that there was no magic enhancement being used.

According to Max, the compound that Kray had been taking did, indeed, have magic in it. Cody had

designed it that way. The magic, however, was useless in a fight; it did nothing more than enhance his sense of smell.

The Renkers were getting restless, jostling in their seats and trash talking. One of them, a bleached

blonde in her twenties, caught my eye and made a throat cutting motion with her hand. I restrained myself from responding with a similar hand gesture. I had to set a good example, even if I wanted to run across the field and punch her in the face.

“Hey, bitch! I can’t wait to move in to your house!” Louise Renker, Krey’s older sister, shouted across the field at Jade. “You’ll be sleeping in the barn with the pigs, where you belong!” Jade tightened her jaw and looked away.

“We have nothing to worry about,” Vince told his wife, his voice low and angry.

“I’m going to enjoy fucking your sister!” one of the males screamed at Lance, who had to be physically

restrained in his seat.

One of the Wardens leaned in and said something to the Renker family, who shouted abuse at him. Half

a dozen Wardens quickly gathered around them, and the Renkers settled back in their seats, making obscene gestures at us and muttering angrily amongst themselves.

“Listen, don’t let it get to you. They’re playing right into our hands,” I said to Vince and Jade. “All this power has gone to their heads. They think they’re showing strength, but they’re just exposing themselves as bullies. Their behavior, the disrespect they’re showing to the Wardens – it will cost them any future allies

they could have hoped to gain.”

Vince nodded. “She’s right, dear,” he said to his wife. “Don’t worry, they won’t be smirking for much

longer.”

Ragnar, the oldest Elder, stood up and began reading from a proclamation, his voice booming through

the crowd.

It was the same proclamation that was read at every Challenge, about how the matches helped make the

race stronger, how each Alpha would fight with honor to represent his pack, how once the Challenge was

issued it could not be revoked, and they would fight to the death.

This was a Challenge for the territory of the pack, Ragnar continued; whichever Alpha won would now

rule both packs and would take possession of all of the property of the losing pack.

If any members of the losing pack wanted to leave, they would leave without their homes or

possessions, and they would have to find a new pack to accept them. The Alpha of the new pack could face a Death Challenge from the Alpha of their old pack.