Page 2 of Forced Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #3)

Muscles aching, knuckles bleeding, and chest heaving, I stand in the center of the fighting ring, trembling so hard that I have to fight not to fall down.

Fight. All I’ve done for the last six hours is fight. Scratch that—my whole life has been a fight!

I take slow, careful steps towards the podium where the council members wait. My vision is blurry from the hits I’ve taken, and there are flickering shadows made by the torches set in the walls, but I know the elders are still there, watching me.

Judging me.

As I lurch towards them, I pass the bodies of the men I’ve killed. Some of them might not be dead, but they are certainly defeated. Thirteen bodies lay between me and the stone dais that rises above the wide, cold stone floor.

The Gryphon Eyrie pack was built on the principle of the alpha’s challenge. It was the only way to ensure that the strongest wolf would always lead the pack. The actual fight has not happened for a long time, though. After Roderick won it, there was no challenge for almost a hundred years.

And now the old wolf is dead, and they could not refuse me.

I stagger closer to the row of torches set high in the wall above where the council members sit. I can see their faces now, and they all wear expressions of shock and horror.

I must look like a nightmare, practically crawling out of the darkness, covered in blood and open wounds. Good. Let them see this and remember it, should any of them ever think to challenge me.

When Roderick died, the council intended to swiftly transfer the title of alpha to one of their first-family sons without the alpha challenge.

If they did it quickly and smoothly enough, the pack wouldn’t have time to protest, and a lot of them probably wouldn’t mind.

Gryphon Eyrie has come a long way from its bloody roots.

But I came, and they could not refuse me. By ancient law, it is my right to challenge, and all eligible candidates must fight.

I struggle closer to the dais, moving around the bodies of my enemies. I have no idea if they are alive or dead, and I don’t really care.

I make my way to the lowest stone tier and look up. The elders are glaring down at me, sitting at the long, curved table on top of the dais that overlooks the fighting ring. We’re deep underneath Roderick’s manor, in the ancient pit where the rules of our clan were made.

I look at the elders one by one. Ledra, on the far corner, glares at me with steely eyes, her mouth in a firm line.

Beside her, old Norman looks like a fat fool, a man overrun by age and too many of life’s pleasures.

On the other side of the arc, Bryce and Cora stare at me, both of them showing a healthy dose of fear.

Good. That means they won’t move against me. That’s the whole point of this challenge—a show of strength.

In the middle of the table, the alpha seat sits empty.

I slowly cast my eyes to either side of it.

On the left, Mitchell stares at me, his expression blank but his eyes full of rage.

Almost as old as Roderick and twice as ruthless, Mitchell would have fought in the challenge if he thought he had a chance of beating me.

His son was in here somewhere… everyone who was fit for the alpha position had to fight. Did I kill his boy, Scott? I don’t even remember.

Memories of the battle itself descend on me, clouding my mind with screams, yelps, and the thudding of heavy blows. I close my eyes and wait for it to pass, knowing that the echoes of this slaughter will live in me for the rest of my life.

But it was worth it.

Slowly, I open my eyes and look at the chair that sits at the alpha’s right hand.

Regina.

She glares at me, her pale, cold eyes like bitter ice raining from the highest peak in a deadly snowstorm. She sought to control the pack from the moment Roderick died, and she had a few ringers in the naming ceremony she could easily control.

What a nice little plan she had to gather the boys before the dais, have them make little speeches, then pick one to use as her puppet. Sorry, bitch. Not on my fucking watch.

As I glare at her, I see her nose crinkle slightly as she holds back an expression of pure disgust. She’s always hated me, and the feeling is more than mutual.

“You won,” she says, her voice flat. She doesn’t even sound surprised, just extremely pissed.

I wish I had a picture of her face when she saw me come down these stairs. I’ve never seen such a combination of shock and fury.

“I won,” I echo, standing up taller. I begin to walk up the low steps, painfully lifting my feet until I’m standing on the dais, the alpha seat right in front of me.

Just one more step, and it’s mine.

“Stop, Damon,” Regina hisses.

“You cannot deny me!” I roar, turning on her. “I have won the alpha challenge, defeated every rival. That seat is mine!”

“For now, it is,” Ledra mutters. Looking up at her, I bare my teeth just slightly, and she shivers and looks away.

“You have won the challenge,” Regina says, her voice calm. “But you are not alpha. Not until you have a mate.”

“Excuse me?” I answer, genuinely confused. For the first time since I entered the chamber, I don’t feel sure of myself.

“As it is written,” Regina says, pulling out a scroll and spreading it out on the table, “the winner of the alpha challenge must take himself a mate within two days of his victory, or his position is forfeit. The council may initiate another challenge, or elect a wolf of standing who already has a mate.”

“You’re lying!” I swear, slapping the table in front of Regina. She smiles at me, an absolute picture of elegance and class.

Except for that look in her eye that says, ‘Eat shit.’

“Here.” She turns the scroll around so I can read it. My eyes travel over the words, worn into the fragile paper by old-fashioned ink. The text is genuine, and the rule is right there, along with the specifics of the alpha challenge.

I didn’t know!

My Uncle Leroy told me about the challenge. He said if I was quick enough, I could move the second Roderick died and take his place. Leroy trained me to fight, relentlessly shaped me into an instrument for this moment. He never mentioned that I had to have a mate to keep the position.

“I…” My voice croaks deep in my throat as I try to process the information. Throbbing pain from my wounds only clouds my thoughts further.

“You have been accepted into the challenge because of the royal blood of your mother, Sara Mackay,” Regina says, her voice clear and firm. She stumbles a little over the word “royal” as if she’d like to use a different one.

Something nasty and derogatory, I expect.

“Your… unsavory connections have been overlooked, and we enabled the challenge,” she continues.

“But the alpha strong enough to lead must also be strong enough to obtain—and keep—a mate. He cannot rule without a luna by his side and a certainty of succession. Do you understand these terms, by writ of our ancient law?”

I look away from Regina to the alpha’s chair. It’s right there in front of me, so close. I feel like all I have to do is sit in it, then everything will be okay.

If I do that, I’ll lose the honor I’ve gained here in the challenge. I’d have to hold the pack by martial law, and we would tear each other apart.

I turn back to Regina, my fists clenched as I fight for control.

I should call you out, you old bitch. We all know you want the position, and you’d take it if you could!

Gryphon Eyrie has never had a female alpha. It’s a tradition that has persisted, even as times have become more progressive. That fact would be enough to keep Regina from trying to take it for herself, as well as her age.

Even though all these wolves are strong and wily, they’ll avoid a fight if they can. Much better to skillfully position herself to rule the pack rather than take it by force.

A grin spreads across my face as I feel victory singing in my veins.

That’s exactly what I did, and I’ll be damned to fucking hell if I let you take it from me now!

“Two days hence,” I answer calmly. “I shall have a luna by my side within this time, or you may strip my title and appoint another.”

I see a look flicker deep in Regina’s eyes, but all she does is tilt her head and smile. “As you like, alpha. We await your order.”

You fucking bitch!

“Gratitude, Elder Glass,” I answer, smiling back. “I call an end to the meeting, so I may leave to attend this serious business. See that the other challengers are attended to. Dismissed.”

Mitchell immediately leaps from his seat and down onto the killing floor. I pay him no mind as he disappears into the shadows, looking for his son. I walk slowly up the stone stairs, making my way to the basement level.

Down below, I hear a lot of movement as the elders attend to the challengers. Any minute now, they’ll call for healers, and that scheming bitch Regina will already be planning to pair one up with an eligible female to depose me.

By the time I make it to the basement level, my body is aching so much, I can barely move. As I take the last set of stairs, I see my best friend Flint waiting for me at the top.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “You won.”

“Don’t sound so shocked,” I retort, dragging myself up the last few steps.

“Bro, I have the greatest confidence in you. You know that. But you went up against all thirteen of the pack’s strongest and most deadly killers. I really thought I’d never see you again.”

“Well, I’m here,” I gasp, finally making it to the top. Flint throws an arm around my waist, and I lean on him gratefully.

“So, what’s next?” he asks. “Should we throw a party, or do you have official edicts you want passed immediately?”

“I need to lie down,” I groan, holding in my cracked ribs. “And food. These wounds are taking their time healing.”

“Okay. After that, then?”

“I have to find a girl,” I say, sighing as I shake my head.

“Uh… okay. Not what I expected your first law to be, but if that’s what you want—”

“No, you fool!” I snap, leaning on Flint as he helps me through the back door. “I have to. It’s a law I didn’t know about. If the winner of the alpha’s challenge is not married within two days of his victory, he loses the position.”

“What the fuck? How come we didn’t know about this?”

“It’s not like Uncle Leroy carried the ancient scrolls around in his back pocket,” I mutter.

I stay quiet as Flint helps me over to his beaten-up old car, where I collapse into the passenger seat. I pull out my phone and stare at it, starting to feel truly nervous for the first time.

“What are you looking at your phone for?” Flint asks, chuckling. “You don’t know any girls.”

“I know one,” I reply, tapping the screen.

I’ve never had much time for girls. A few one-night stands here and there don’t count as dating, and I knew not a single girl in town would step up to be my luna, no matter what I offered her.

Even if there was someone who would marry me, the elders would forbid it. They’ve fixed the rules against me.

There’s only one option left, and I don’t even know if it’s going to work. I’ve heard the whispered rumors and seen the banners popping up in my apps. I wouldn’t consider this if I had any other choice.

Feeling like an absolute fool, I take a deep breath for courage and tap on the bright pink link for Porter’s brides for hire.