When The Fur Flies (17 page)

Reginald had complete faith in Tray’s ability to scent danger. Neither of them liked being out in the forest without any guards to watch their backs. A low Wolf whine made him relax a bit as he scented the pack surrounding them.

“Get to the point. I’m losing patience with you, and my second in command is right. The sun will soon be down, and the Elder will come for you, but not for the reasons you’re hoping for.”

“All I know is we were supposed to take the Witch back to the Hive. Chambers has plans for her. Really bad plans.” His eyes turned to Allison as he gave her a nod. “You might want to start praying to your Goddess, Witch. The Elder wants to make you pay for what you have taken from him.”

“I’ll deal with the Elder when the time comes.” Reginald shook the man hard. “Who told the Vampires that my pack took the girl from him?”

“I don’t know—”

“He’s lying. Who was it?” Allison tried to mentally urge him to speak the truth. His face flushed with dread as he recognized that the Witch in her was about to curse him.

“Whoever it was had a personal invite from the Elder to enter the Hive. It had to be a Witch. One who gave Gary the knife and made plans with the Elder to get his revenge on you. I don’t know who the Witch was, but I do know it was a male. The Elder told Enforcer Montgomery that he had a friend in a male Witch who had the same agenda. He said he might even be generous and give whatever was left of you to the Witch when he grew tired of hearing your screams.”

“You bastard!” Reginald tossed him to the ground, moved between the Poppet and his mate as if he could protect her from the evil he represented.

“Reginald, we must get the women back to the Den.” Tray moved to haul Sam back to his feet. “What would you like me to do with this piece of—” He looked at Yasmina and cleared his throat. “Sorry, ladies. Do you want him taken to the Den?”

“No, he has friends nearby who will be more than happy to come for him.” The Alpha’s eyes narrowed with malicious intent. “I’m pretty sure they will take him right back to Wilhelm. The Elder might be a bloodthirsty bastard, but he isn’t stupid. He’ll know this pitiful excuse for a Poppet spilled his guts in order to survive. Command the pack to stick very close to him. When they don’t attack him or the others, Chambers will know he’s been stabbed in the back by one of his pets.”

“No! Please—” Sam’s panicked eyes swung toward Allison. “Have mercy on me! He’ll kill me.”

“No doubt.” Reginald shrugged big shoulders as he nodded to Tray.

“Have mercy on me!” Sam yelled as Tray hauled him away from them.

“Goddess have mercy on your soul, Poppet,” Allison whispered softly. She stepped back as Reginald swung around to glare at her with a rage she didn’t quite know how to appease.

“Reginald, take a deep breath. I know this looks bad—” Yasmina stopped as he raised a hand to silence her without breaking eye contact with Allison.

“I have Poppets wandering around the lower section of Wolven lands, Vampires and Witches conspiring to take my mate from me, and a mate who doesn’t know the meaning of obedience to her Alpha. Do you really think this only looks bad, Mother?”

“We are unhurt—” Allison bit her lip as icy blue eyes narrowed at her.

***

“Not because you weren’t trying.” He shoved a hand through his hair as he gritted his teeth at her challenging stare. The woman wasn’t about to stand down. What did she want from him? He was the Alpha; she would need to learn obedience to him, and fast, if she had any hope of surviving within the pack. “If you don’t want to take your place as my mate, then all you must do is say so.” His heart sank as she raised her stubborn chin at him. He waited for her to open her tempting pink lips and demand her freedom. When she didn’t move to speak, he nodded his head. “At the risk of offending my temporary mate, I need to get you both to the Den. The Poppets sent by Chambers will be here sooner than I like.”

“Then we must take them out for trespassing on Wolven lands.” Allison took a step back as he growled low at the threat to his lands, his pack, and his mate. Did she really think he didn’t want to do just that? He’d be hunting them down right now if she hadn’t dragged his mother out into harm’s way.

“Now you use the word ‘we’? I will handle my pack’s safety as I have done successfully for close to a century. I’ll let you know when you have earned the right to offer your opinion on the matter.” Reginald’s eyes frosted over as he looked away from her and turned on his heal. “We must move quickly. I have a challenge to prepare for. We have a couple hours before dusk when the pack meets, and unless you’ve decided to forfeit your position in the pack, I suggest you keep up.” He didn’t look back to see if she was following him as he moved past his mother to set a brisk pace through the darkening forest.

***

Hurt like she’d never felt before made every step a painful experience. She tried not to show it. She even shook her head to discourage his mother from walking with her. She trailed behind him, her leg muscles screaming out almost as bad as the cramps in her stomach and her still-sore feet. Tears of frustration, anger, and pain burned in her eyes, but she held the tears back as she stubbornly kept a couple yards between her and the others. Tray caught up with them just as the big house came into sight. He gave her a polite nod as he moved to join Reginald, easily keeping pace with his Alpha so they could talk.

Allison hesitated when they came to the iron fence surrounding the house. This gate looked normal without the intricate symbols of the front gate. Even so she hung back cautiously, remembering the last Wolven gate she’d tried to cross just that morning. This one, however, was guarded by two big Wolves, both pure black with brown eyes. “Alpha Leclair, you are well met.” The one Wolf turned into a man as he spoke in a respectful tone. A big man with black hair and brown eyes moved to open the gate for them. His head tipped down as a sign of respect, but a low growl sounded as Allison stepped up to him.

“Leon, that is no way to show your affection for the Alphina.” It was Yasmina who admonished the guard who would have liked to slam the gate in her face. She met his unfriendly stare with a raised chin. Behind him, the Alpha didn’t even break stride to make sure she followed him. Her gut twisted painfully, but she held the pain in. One thing she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that Wolves attacked when they saw a weakness.

“You won’t be Alphina for long. Not after Hester has her way with you.” He sneered at her as the Wolf beside him growled, showing her his teeth.

“What is your name?” She saw his eyes narrow suspiciously.

“Leon Dewave, not at your service,
Witch.”
He wanted to snap her neck. She felt the hatred coming off his tense body in waves.

“You better pray Hester kills me. Because if she doesn’t, your hide is mine.” She waved her hand, and the gate slammed back out of her way, dragging his large body with it as she moved past him. She stared at the man who was slamming his way into the huge house that covered the Den. His mother walked beside her as Tray took up the rear after snapping something to the guards who took their positions at the gate, again.

“That was the move of a true Alphina, Allison. Well done.” Yasmina took her arm, her blue eyes full of concern as a moan escaped Allison’s tight lips. “You’re in pain?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Nothing anyone but the man who didn’t want her could do about it. He was beyond mad. She sensed his desertion, and it throbbed within her like a knife wound.

“Don’t deny it. You need him. Let me get Reginald.”

“No!” Allison grabbed her arm quickly. “He’s mad. Let him stay mad. It will help him defeat his challengers.” If it helped him, she would suffer the silence of his thoughts forever. Hell, she’d give her life for his. Damn, she loved the stubborn brute.

“You can’t fight feeling like this. Hester is a formidable opponent. You must be at your best to win your own challenge. He must take care of you—”

“Please, Mother.” Allison hooked her arm in the other woman’s arm. “Do not worry for me. As Truell pointed out, my place is with my mate. Whether he likes it or not.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Right now, I need to know everything you can tell me about Wolven challenges. I have to kick Hester’s ass for even thinking about taking my mate.”

“All right, but you won’t like it.” Yasmina sighed.

Chapter Thirteen

Damn, Yasmina was right, she didn’t like it. Downright hated it in fact. Allison was dressed in a tight black leotard with her hair pulled back in a thick French braid. Yasmina braided it for her after telling her that there were no rules to the challenge. Hair was a big disadvantage if the fight went from Wolf forms to human. Allison doubted hair pulling would be her worse challenge while facing the muscular Hester. The woman was built like a female boxer, for crying out loud!

Allison shook off her alarm as she pulled her gaze away from her opponent to study the crowd of Wolven surrounding her. Every member of the pack, at least a hundred strong, stood in a circle around the meadow. All were still in their human forms, talking and socializing like this challenge was no more important than a weekend flea market. How they could be so unconcerned was a puzzle to her mind. People could be hurt this night, killed even, if Hester had her way. Yet, they seemed to be having fun.

Children under the age of sixteen were absent from the gathering, thankfully. She didn’t think her fragile respect for these people could handle it if they were to subject their children to the blood and gore. She stared at several men holding big metal shields with Wolf heads painted on them in blue against a white background. Yasmina had informed her that was the Wolven’s crest going back to the Dark Ages and beyond. She also knew that the hard shields clicked together if held just right. They were to be used as a moving wall to keep the fighters within the circle. Barbaric rules for a people who claimed to be moving into a peaceful future.

She searched the boisterous crowd for a broad-shouldered male with jet-black hair, a shadowed jaw, and piercing blue eyes. He hadn’t returned to his quarters as she thought he might. He’d avoided her like the plague, and by the looks of it, he still was. She wiped a hand down her neck, feeling the sweat from her rising fever. She winced as her fingertips ran across the marks his teeth left in her flesh. The wound didn’t seem to be healing at all, yet it didn’t hurt as much as feel sensitive to the touch. She wasn’t well. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she might not be standing on her own two feet for very long.

“There he is.” Beside her Yasmina nodded toward where the crowd was parting across from them. His chest was naked, and all he wore was a pair of black jeans that rode low on his lean hips. He looked all male, tough and lethal, as he stood across from her. His presence alone quieted the crowd as all waited for him to speak. Beside him stood his second in command, Tray. He gave her a slow nod as he turned to whisper something to his Alpha.

Reginald’s blue gaze immediately rose to look straight at her. Her heart beat hard as he stared at her for a long moment. She held his gaze and raised her chin proudly as he looked away just as quickly. Pain assaulted her, causing her to clutch her stomach with a shaking arm.

“He’ll get over it, Allison. My son can’t stay mad for long. He’ll win his challenges and command Hester to step down. He won’t risk your life. I know he won’t.” Yasmina sounded sure, but Allison thought differently. She’d disobeyed him, not just as her mate, but as her Alpha. He wouldn’t easily forgive her. She tried to reach out to catch even a whisper of his thoughts, his feelings, but there was nothing. Had he already thrown her away?

***

The sun was sinking below the earth’s line as Reginald stepped into the middle of the crowd. He forced himself to look everywhere but in the direction of his mate. He couldn’t look upon her without feeling like breaking something. Anger burned within him like a hungry flame as he motioned for his three challengers to join him in the middle of the circle.

“A challenge was made against my leadership by these Wolven.” He felt all eyes on him as he surveyed his opponents. They were young, eager Wolves with ravenous eyes, waiting for their chance to step into his shoes. How he wished he could easily give them his position. He was tired of politics with the Council, tired of fighting to keep his pack safe and thriving, and exhausted by the constant worrying over the future for their young.

His gaze landed on Allison as she stood next to his mother. Her face was pale, her strange eyes seemed wider as she nervously looked over the circle as if she were trying to find an escape route. She rubbed a hand over her forehead and wiped the moisture on her pant leg. Concern for her rose as he realized her heat was probably making her ill, again. He had been too pissed off to consider her condition. He’d only wanted to keep a safe distance between her and his offended Wolf, who only wanted to tear into her for her disobedience.

Reginald was determined to use his anger with her to defeat these Wolves who dared question his authority. He glared at each of them in turn. “There will be no rules in this challenge. You may begin as soon as all have taken Wolf form.” He waited until the three males had changed before he nodded and let his Wolf go.

***

Allison took in every inch of his massive Wolf. He was at least four feet tall on all four feet. His fur was thick and pitch black over hard muscles. There wasn’t an inch of flab on him. Her mouth watered as those blue eyes met hers over the heads of his opponents. It was his Wolf who spoke to her in silence.
You will bend to me, mate
. She shivered, losing her ability to hold the intense stare of the wild beast.

When she was able to lift her eyes back up she found him moving toward the others. The big, massive head shook aggressively as he turned his anger on those readying themselves to attack their leader. No one moved as he dared them with the arrogance of one who knew what he was capable of. His ears flattened to his head as he showed sharp teeth with a growl of warning.

They attacked as one. Allison hated it. She clenched her teeth and held her hands tightly beneath her chin as she watched the fight as best as she could with the people shoving and pushing around her to get a better look. Luckily, most stepped aside when they realized they were rubbing elbows with a Witch, enemy of the Wolven. The noise was horrible, both inside the circle where the Wolves were snarling, yipping, and growling as they bit and knocked each other to the ground, and outside where the pack members were cheering and booing the fighters.