When The Fur Flies (19 page)

***

Allison saw him move over the red and white shoulder of her enemy. His face was like granite, determination glinting in his beautiful blue eyes. He would stop the fight, saving her life, and what else? Losing this challenge would reduce her to what position? She wouldn’t be his true Alphina because she wouldn’t have won the battle, solidifying her position as his mate within the pack. He would doom her to life without him. She wondered with an intense pain if that was what he had intended the entire time. Did he want his
mistake
gone now that his pack made it clear they would not accept her as their Alphina? It would certainly make his life easier. Then he could go and make Hester his mate. As one of his own species she was built for him. He hadn’t even pushed her away when she locked lips with him. The image of that kiss would remain with her until her very last breath.

It occurred to her with a startling clarity that all she had to do was let go. Wrap her big paws around the Wolf’s shoulders and let those teeth sink deep within her neck. Death would be painful, but relatively quick. No more pain, no more struggle, and no more watching as the world turned to shit around her. She could close her eyes and let the end come. Her eyes started to close as time stilled around her.

“This is not your fate.” The soft voice in her head was familiar. “This is not your fate, Alice.” Truell’s soft voice echoed again in her mind. “You made a bargain with us, Alice. By the Goddess you will abide by it.”

Time resumed as Hester leaned closer to her bared throat. Beyond the Wolf’s massive shoulder, Allison saw Reginald moving toward them with the speed of a Wolven. He looked determined and pissed. She would not fail him, nor would she go back on her word. Her eyes narrowed, her mouth pulling back in a hiss of warning as she rolled her body over away from Hester.

Renewed by her determination to win and to survive, Allison let her cat have the control. She wasn’t aware of the crowd moving around them, the men with shields who pushed them into the circle when they came far too close to taking the battle into the people watching, nor did she see Reginald as he hurtled a shield as their struggling bodies nearly plowed into him.

She was only aware when the moment came for victory. Hester came in for the kill when she was on her side. Allison saw her intent, but instead of meeting her with her claws, she ducked her head, twisted her lithe body, and sank her fangs into Hester’s furry throat. She rolled with the big Wolf, landing on top of her with her teeth firmly holding on to the cords of her neck. All she had to do was clench her strong jaws and pull. It would be so easy, and the feline in control gloried in the taste of her enemy’s thick blood.

Hester whined, but stilled beneath her as Allison straddled her body. She listened to the silence of the crowd who were holding their breaths. She could kill Hester easily; all knew this. Some expected her to do it. Witches held the reputation for being as bloodthirsty as the Wolven when they were on the hunt. Rumors that were not true, but spread by the enemies who would see the Witch, Wolf, and Vampires alike disappear from the Earth. These were the ones who were her true enemies.

She released her hold a tiny bit, but Hester laid still, a clear sign that she had given up the battle. Allison released her completely, looked up into the crowd with a hiss before stepping away to pace around the circle. She wanted everyone to see and know that she was calm and in control of herself.

Hester whimpered before she turned back into her human form. She pushed herself up with one hand while the other held the wound on her neck. She was covered in scratches from her cheeks to her legs. Blood covered her clothes and turned her blonde hair pinkish red. She was a horrible sight. One that made Allison tremble within her cat body. Goddess, what had she done?

Allison reached for her human form, sympathy moving her as she stumbled toward Hester. The woman immediately lowered her head in submission and trembled before her. Allison knelt beside her. She was aware that Reginald and Tray were entering the circle with the shields being dropped.

“I yield to you.” Hester’s voice hitched as tears dropped into the dirt.

“Don’t.” Allison took her wet face in her hands and lifted her head until she could look into her watery green eyes. “I’m sorry it came to this,” she whispered breathlessly.

“You should let her be. You both need to be tended.” Reginald’s cold tone made her shiver with more than the intense lust that skated over her flesh. She shook her head as she concentrated on Hester’s wounds. Her hands heated, and she watched as Hester’s brown eyes widened in fear as her magic fluctuated in strong waves to wrap around the injured woman’s body.

The gash on Hester’s neck closed and most of her deeper scratches vanished as Allison healed her. She, herself, felt the pain from some of her own wounds ease as she focused on the healing energy. Her eyes only opened when Hester’s hand covered hers weakly.

“Why?” Surprise and suspicion filled the other woman’s green eyes as she looked up at her.

“You fight bravely. You’re strong and lethal, a true warrior. The pack needs strong members. And...I would rather have you for a friend than an enemy.” Allison heard gasps and then the low rumble of the crowd talking. She didn’t look away from Hester, but she felt the pack listening to her with bated breaths.

“You should kill me.” Hester looked confused. She winced as she shook her head. “I would have killed you—”

“I will kill you if you so much as look at my mate wrong.” Allison’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Understood.” Hester looked down at the hand Allison offered her. Slowly, she put her own hand in it, and together they stood. Hester didn’t argue when Tray wrapped an arm around her to support her. “I will be proud to call you my Alphina.” Hester dropped her head, her eyes focusing on Allison’s bare feet. A small, ironic smile touched her lips as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m pledging my allegiance to a barefooted Witch,” she commented drily.

“That’s all right. I can’t believe I just beat a Wolven Warrior.” Allison smiled back. She jumped as the crowd around them erupted in cheers and howls. The noise was deafening. She flinched as Reginald placed a hand on her shoulder. “It is time for the hunt. Run in pairs and stay in a group. No one goes off on their own. A pair of Poppets were found in our woods earlier today. Tray is in charge, follow his commands. Have fun and be safe.”

“Alpha, you aren’t joining us in the hunt?” Tray asked as they passed him. Reginald shook his head as he took Allison’s hand.

“Keep them safe, Tray. I need to be alone with my mate for a bit. Watch for the Vampires. You know what to do if I’m needed.”

“Yes. Be careful, Alpha.” Tray nodded.

Allison stumbled after Reginald as he took off through the trees. His long legs set a pace she had a hard time keeping up with. Danger loomed ahead as she realized they were heading back toward the area where he’d found her and Yasmina earlier.

Chapter Fourteen

“Where are we going? Reginald?” He didn’t as much as look back at her. Her legs hurt as he didn’t even slow his steps to accommodate her shorter stride. When they were far from the sounds of the pack readying themselves for the hunt, he stopped to turn toward her. Allison bit her lip nervously as he continued to stare at her. His thoughts were weirdly guarded from her, but she could feel the waves of anger and frustration coming off his body.

“I won’t apologize for what I did.” She knew it was the wrong thing to say the instant his eyes dilated and he moved. The hard bark of the tree bit into her back and shoulders as he shoved her up against it with a violence that was barely controlled.

“Do you even know what you did, Allison?” The way his white teeth flashed and his voice growled at her should have scared her, but it was the use of her name that terrified her. A shiver ran up her spine as she looked up into the face of rage. “I could change right now. My Wolf wants out. He wants to dominate you so hard you won’t ever question me again.”

She flinched as his fist hit the tree beside her head. Bark flew off the tree at the impact, telling her exactly how much anger he was holding back. It should have made her want to run as far from his animal as she could get, but instead her body was humming and hot, leaning toward his hardness like it was drawn to him. And it was because the mating heat was returning in full force, stronger than before in the urge to be one with her mate. She needed him, but not like this. Not with his anger standing between them.

“Change, then.” She stared up at him defiantly. “Let him have me, because this is who I am, Reginald. I’m strong headed and willful. I won’t be a weak little bitch who follows your every word. I make my own choices for my life.”

“You are my mate! I can’t lose you.”

“You don’t own me!” she screamed back at him. She clenched her teeth, fighting the need to release the build-up of energy within her. Thunder cracked across the dark sky above them.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Allison. You are mine!” His mouth came down on hers with a bruising force. He sank his fingers into her hair, holding her head immovable as he ravaged her mouth.

She was burning alive and loving every minute of it. Allison made short work of the buttons on the white shirt he’d pulled on after his fight. One hard pull and they popped off in all directions to land in the scattered clumps of grass and dirt on the forest floor. His head snapped back as her nails dug into his biceps.

“That’s right, Alpha. You’re not the only one who likes to leave your mark on your property.” She dropped her hands to the button on his pants, but he quickly captured her wrists, pulling them up next to her head on the tree.

“Like it rough, do you, mate? Well, you’ve got the right Wolf for the job.” He grinned as he quickly turned her. Allison gasped as she was pushed up against the tree. “Who do you belong to? Who is responsible for you? Who will you obey from now on? Say it, Kitten.” His words were at her ear, his breath warm against her neck as he moved her hair with his chin to lick over the mark he’d given her.

“No.” She hissed over her shoulder, her nails digging into the bark of the tree. “You can’t make me want you like this. I won’t—” Her eyes closed as he slid his hands under her tank top to cup her naked breasts. Desire was a hot ball in her gut, burning her from the inside out as he caressed and then pinched her pebbled nipples, torturing her with the exquisite pain and pleasure.

“You will. You’ll be screaming for me by the time I’m through with you.” His teeth slid over the bite mark as his lower body pressed into her backside. She could easily feel his hard erection as he rubbed against her, marking her with his scent as well as with his actions. He smelled delicious, damn him.

“Reginald, please.” She hated that her voice sounded like she was begging him. She was desperate, but Goddess knew she could not be weak with the strong male behind her.

“Please, what? Please ease the heat? I’m not your lapdog to be pushed around and told what to do. I make the decisions for this pack. I have done so for half a century, and I will do so for a couple more. You are my woman, my mate, second in command. My Alphina. You answer to no one but the Alpha. No one but me.” He slid one hand down her torso, over her stomach, and dipped below the waistband of her leotards. A moan escaped before she could bite it back. Her teeth gripped her lip as he growled behind her. The rumble in his chest called to a deeper part of her that she hadn’t felt or expected. One hard pull and her pants were down around her ankles.

“I’m not a Wolf!” she cried out. “I’m not a part of your pack. I don’t belong here.”

“You belong with me. Say it!” He plunged his hand between her legs to gently cup her as he slid a long finger into the waiting heat of her. Her nails dug into the bark of the tree as she fought to hold on to her sanity enough to deny him. She took an unsteady breath and hissed it out at him. “Face it, if you didn’t want to be with me, didn’t want to be mine, then you wouldn’t hesitate to use your powers against me. But you won’t.” The arrogant confidence in his laughing tone grated against her nerves. Anger instantly flared to life as the need to deny him urged her to action.

“You are wrong!” Her hands opened, palms pushing against the tree, thrusting them both backward to the ground. She was the first one to gain her feet with the agility of the cat she was as she yanked her pants back up. “You arrogant, stinking Wolf!” Her hand flew out, and a rush of hot wind knocked him off his feet.

***

Reginald rolled and came up on his knees to face her. She was scary as hell with those completely black eyes, but still beautiful and sexy with her long brown curls flying back with the wind she was aiming his way. He dodged the next gust with a laugh only to find himself flat on his face in the next instant as a tree limb landed on him. The force of the hit knocked the air out of him, but he managed to push it off and get up in the next second. She wasn’t fooling around here. He growled as his Wolf clawed for the change.

“Kitten, don’t make me change,” he warned her with a growl as he stood before her.

“I won’t let you make me change, Wolf.” She sneered and went for him.

He ducked her left, but took her right hook on the chin. A bare foot landed hard in his gut, pushing him backward with a painful grunt. “I’m not a Wolven bitch!” A roundhouse kick barely missed his head as he ducked and grabbed her foot as she aimed for his neck. A quick pull and she landed hard on her backside. A dark eyebrow rose in surprise as she rolled backward and hissed at him as she knelt.

“You are my mate.” He grinned as she glared up at him. “You just fought for the position, love. Come tangle with me, Kitten. I love seeing this wild side of you. Makes me itch to take you harder.”

“Over my dead body, Wolf.” She hissed as he made a slow beckoning motion with his hand. He looked like an ancient, bare-chested warrior with rock hard muscles clenching as he readied himself to meet her anger head on.

“No, mate. Over your hot, very alive body, and soon.” He laughed as she attacked him with a bloodthirsty cry. They moved in a high speed blur, two bodies dancing with deadly intent in the moonlit forest. She was vaguely aware of animals, big and small, as they gathered to watch, but kept their distance as the two of them fought on. The big Wolf easily blocked her lethal hands and feet. His thoughts of male dominance spurred her on with the intent of drawing his blood. The arrogant rake was trying to steal the one thing she still possessed, her independence. Even though she secretly wanted to belong to him and knew her heart was already lost, she needed this one last battle to state her ability to protect herself.