Page 7

Chapter Seven

I n the backseat, I looked out the window, trying not to notice the way the other men were staring at me. Mostly I sensed sympathy, which made me more nervous than if I’d sensed interest or aggression. I’d be taken somewhere filled with old-fashioned werewolves who believed that females needed protection and males needed power. They’d take one look at my adorable wolf and then they’d start the teasing. My beast would come out, and then the problems would escalate.

“So, why don’t you tell me about last night?” Max said after a few minutes of silence. “How’d Ridley get you in that alley? Did you see the monster? How did you get away? You fought. Good girl.”

Good girl? I wanted to snarl at him, and that wasn’t even bad. “I was walking, and I ran into him.”

He raised a brow. “He was hunting you, then. Did you see the other beast?”

I shook my head. “No. I got away because he didn’t take me seriously. I’m very fast in my wolf form.”

“I’m sure you are, but still, it’s unlikely…”

I shifted, and then had to climb out of my clothes so I could sit there, fluffy and adorable. Actually, it would be much more comfortable on the drive in this shape. I lay down with my face and paws on Max’s legs and gazed up at him adorably.

He stared at me, face impassive. “Never mind. You’re fast?”

I nodded and then stretched out so my back legs were on the guy next to the door. He put a hand on my back, stroking my silky fur automatically. It felt very nice. Werewolves didn’t have a lot of physical boundaries and piled up to sleep more often than not. That is, other wolves did that. I stayed alone.

Max frowned down at me. “Delphi, now I’m really worried. What’s a wolf like you doing on your own? I could gobble you up in two bites.”

“One and a half,” the guy petting me said.

I raised my head and growled at him, ears pulled back.

“Sorry,” he said with a smile, but it was soft, like his eyes, because I was adorable.

I huffed and put my head back on Max’s leg, and closed my eyes.

Max scratched behind my ears, exactly where it felt best. “Yeah, you’re worn out. And you tried to fight him? You look good, though. No blood in your fur, just a few fresh scars.” He leaned down and sniffed me deeply, then pulled away with a sour look on his face.

“You stink of elf.”

“But she’s part elf,” the other guy said.

“Sure, Brick, but now she smells like a night elf, not a woods elf. It’s a different stink.”

Brick leaned over to sniff me, so I turned my head to snap at him.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “You’re just so…”

I growled, and he raised his hands in surrender, then kept petting me, so I relaxed and drowsed off, my head once more on my alpha’s leg.

“You sure you don’t want to shift back? This form is even more vulnerable looking than the other,” Max said.

Brick answered. “But she’ll heal better in this form, and they’ll make her shift, anyway. It’s custom.”

Max rumbled his disapproval, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. Why didn’t he defy the Alta? He was powerful in his own right, maybe the most influential alpha on the continent, because Singsong had so many werewolves. He kept a tight leash on them, too. More wolves, fewer crimes by werewolves, and all because of Max. He knew werewolf politics like my mom knew gnomish, how it was when you were born into a pack instead of turned unwillingly later in life, or on the outskirts because you were part elf. If he thought he needed to take me in, he had a reason. That made me nervous. Not nervous enough to stay awake, though.

I slept until the car slowed down, bumping over an unpaved road. When I raised my head, Max murmured. “Sorry about that, Delphi. Not much further, just around the lake, and to the cabins. We’ll park there, then take the trail to the amphitheater. You’ll enjoy the run.” He smoothed my fur and gave me a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was my alpha, but he couldn’t protect me from this.

I wagged my tail and sat up to look out the window. We were in the mountains, the pines standing tall, strong, with drifts of snow in the shadow of the largest ones. Spring hadn’t gotten a strong grasp yet. It was beautiful though, the untouched woods with one single road winding through it, off the beaten path, free from anything that might interfere with pack law.

I whined before I could stop myself.

“It’s okay,” Brick said, trying to sound encouraging, but it didn’t reach his concerned eyes. “They’ll make you a good match or our Alpha won’t stand for it.”

Max grunted.

We curved around the small lake, the water lapping in gentle swirls from the tugging wind. I wanted to jump into that lake and swim away, but then I’d only smell like wet dog. I should have made my cookies this morning. If I was going to be mated or executed, I shouldn’t smell this bad.

Once we were around the lake, we passed through the last stretch of woods, the branches reaching over the narrow road, protective, dark, cool, and then we came out in a clearing, cabins on one side in the trees, a large meadow stretching out on the other. It was beautiful, timeless, and completely removed from civilization or modern expectations.

We parked on the edge of the woods, then Max got out and held the door open for me. I hesitated only a moment before I leapt lightly after him. Max closed the door while I looked around, breathing deep to catch the scents of wolf, human, ashes and the fresh breeze that rippled over everything.

“What is that? A puppy?” a teenager said, coming out from behind a cabin, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. He was cleaner than I expected a kid to be in the wild.

Brick came up on my other side and growled at the kid.

He backed up a few steps. “I meant no disrespect. I’ve just never seen such a small wolf.”

“She’s my pack,” Max said, not looking at the kid, but looking over his head at the trees. “Well, shall we get going? Let’s see how fast you can be.” He broke into a run for the trees and I leapt after him instinctively. Brick fell in behind me, and we ran down narrow trails, up and down hills, leaping over streams. I sank my paws into the mud as I leapt and enjoyed myself without worrying about silly human troubles. We ran until it was shadowy blue dusk, and the air grew chill.

Max slowed down, and I followed suit, happy with our run, happy to follow my alpha, backed up by Brick. I didn’t let the future bother me. Max put a hand on my neck and I stopped, straining my senses to pick up whatever he’d heard.

A torch came to life, a bright flickering fire held above a bare-chested man with a very scruffy blond beard. He had blue and red paint smeared across his forehead and under his cheeks, like one of the crazy baseball fans.

He looked at me, and for a second there was a hint of surprise in his blue eyes, reflecting the flickering golden flames, but then he turned and strode off, leading us into the rocks, onto a path separate from the one we’d been on, leading up rough-hewn stone steps. Some of the steps were high enough that I had to leap to get to the next one, but I could jump very high, so it was fun, almost as enjoyable as our run on the trail.

My tail was wagging when we came out into the amphitheater. Sheer cliffs were broken up by ledges where men and wolves perched, looking down at us. It was almost a perfect circle, with more of those jagged steps leading up to each ledge.

Max stood next to the guy with the torch, my alpha’s body language casual, relaxed, but I was close enough to smell his unease. He shouldn’t be nervous about this. I licked his hand, trying to help him relax.

He glanced down and smiled wryly as he rubbed behind my ears for a moment. I sat at attention and looked around at the crowd, looking adorable. Should I try to look fierce? This form was what it was. No sense fighting the inevitable.

“This is the female you’ve allowed to run unprotected in Singsong City for over a decade?” A man dropped down from the ledge, his long dark beard tangled with silver. He was old, and werewolves didn’t show their age for a very long time.

Max grunted. “That’s right, Alta. She’s very fast.”

“You’re saying that she can protect herself because of her speed?” Old Blackbeard gave Max a squinty look.

“No, Alta. I’m saying that she kept running away from me when I mentioned that she needed protection. It’s taken fifteen years to catch up to her.”

The Alta snorted. “Is she any larger in her human form?”

“About twice that size.”

“So still very small. Well,” he said, coming to stand directly in front of me.

I wagged my tail and looked up at him adorably.

“Are you ready to be mated to a strong protector?”

I stopped wagging my tail and couldn’t help backing up into Brick, who was rather similar to a brick wall, come to think of it.

“No? Then you’re here to challenge me as Alta?”

I crouched down, because that’s not what I wanted.

Old Black beard leaned over to study me with concerned eyes. They reminded me of Max’s. Were they related? He came from a prestigious family, so it was very likely. “These are dangerous days in Singsong. Monsters roaming the night, sorcerers plucking souls from the air, even the angels coming down to burn everything to the ground.”

“What about Ridley?” a woman said, dropping off the ledge and coming to stalk towards us.

Old Blackbeard got a pained look. “Alpha Golden. Your nephew pushed his limits further than could guarantee his safety.”

“Her blood was mixed with his in that alley. There was no other. Ridley would have drawn the blood of any other creature there.” Unless he was already unconscious.

“How do you suppose this female,” the old man said, gesturing at me. “Killed your son?”

“You haven’t seen her beast form. My son will challenge her. It will be good for her to show her strength so the males may know if she is a worthy mate.” Her curled lip showed what she really wanted, and it was my death and pain, not a happy match for me.

I whined and looked up at Max.

He put a hand on my head, but didn’t look at me. “She needs a protector. That’s why we’re here. If a male isn’t strong enough to make up for her weaknesses, then he need not apply. Asking her to fight Silas is an exercise in brutality.”

The woman hissed as she stormed across the clearing, her eyes burning gold from her rage. “Her blood mixed with his. It is pack law. She has been challenged. She will accept or die.”

Pack law was so stupidly archaic. It really did need to be entirely rewritten.

Max growled at her, but old Blackbeard stepped between the two, arms raised in a placating gesture. “She’ll receive no permanent damage, just a spar. Silas will be gentle with her.” He shot a warning look at the shirtless guy who had his long hair pulled back in a topknot, the sides shaved.

He was staring at me intently, like he wanted to taste my steaming entrails. “I will test the female.”

The female? Why didn’t that alpha chick slap them all? Oh, right. Because she was completely insane.

Max turned to me. “Are you okay sparring with him? He can’t do any permanent damage, but that’s not saying much, considering how much we can heal from.”

I wagged my tail and licked his hand. I could handle pain. I was a werewolf. It would be fine.

At first, it really was fine. Silas shifted into his large, fierce, golden wolf and I had no trouble evading him. I was fast, agile, and he was big and slow. But we were pinned in a circle, and he ran me around, saving his energy while I got more and more exhausted from running and twisting away from him. I was fast, but my energy wouldn’t last forever.

After fifteen minutes of running, I twisted away from the swipe of his claws a second too late, and those claws raked across my ribs, sending me flying, stunned, pinned by him in the next second.

He put his jaws over my throat and squeezed. Not enough to break the skin, just enough to slowly suffocate me, like his weight on my lungs wasn’t enough. I kicked and twisted, trying to get him off me, but he was too heavy.

“If she’d been in the woods, he never would have caught her,” Max rumbled.

“It’s essential to be capable of holding your own, no matter the terrain,” the old man said.

I lay there on the stones, while that wolf choked the life out of me. No matter how I kicked or whined or struggled, there was no way out.

Until my beast took over.

She rippled under my skin with a shudder and then rolled through me, tossing the golden wolf off as I shifted into the monster that drew several gasps of surprise.

“She killed my nephew! There’s your proof!” the golden alpha cackled.

Silas crouched away from me, his eyes gleaming and then his skin rippled, and I was facing a beast that was much more intimidating than Ridley’s had been.

“This is much better,” he growled, looking me up and down.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You must not like to breathe.” I leapt on him, but he rolled with me. For a moment I struggled against him, but at the last second, I twisted so I was on top. My jaws were around his throat, and it was my turn to squeeze. I tasted his blood and wanted more. My jaws ached to close down and rip out, but I wasn’t here to prove that I was a murderer. I hadn’t killed Ridley. I didn’t lose control of my beast. Not then, and not now.

I squeezed, ignoring his clawing until finally, he was still. I released him and backed away, wiping my mouth from the blood and excessive drool with the back of my monster paw.

The old Alta nodded at me. “Do you challenge the Golden pack?”

I growled and shook my head. “No. I defend myself. I protect myself. I need no wolf mate.” The thought of Senator Silverton passed through my beast brain for some reason that was going to make me nauseous later.

“Did you kill Ridley? I assume it was a fair fight.” He spoke to me as more of an equal. Finally.

“I didn’t kill him. I left him alive. He should have healed. Something else killed him.”

The Alta rubbed his beard as he considered. “You defeated Silas. But surely there is a wolf here who can defeat you. Who would like to win her beast?” he asked the surrounding wolves.

There were several howls, and then another guy leapt down, shifted into this very pretty beast with gray hair and a snowy face that reminded me of Lynx’s markings, and then I had to worry about fighting this beast and not killing him. He was harder to beat than Silas and knocked me rolling, but I managed to use his momentum to throw him and knock him out against the wall, but then there was another, and another. Six beasts challenged me, and I defeated them all, but each one left their mark, more with every battle until I could barely stand after the sixth.

“Well done,” the Alta said in a kindly voice as he came towards me where I crouched in the classic werewolf pose. “You say that you didn’t kill Ridley?”

I was breathing hard, and it took time to get out the words. “I wanted him scarred, not dead. He marked my cashmere.”

His brows raised. “He marked your cashmere? You’re a knitter? How delightfully domestic. If there’s a beast out there with claws that large, then you and your yarn need protection.”

“I’ll protect myself,” I growled.

He tugged on his beard. “We shall see.” He shifted into this massive black beast that easily dwarfed mine. This wasn’t an ordinary beast. A war-beast. That’s what they were called. I instinctively backed away from him while he stayed for a moment, watching me out of gleaming eyes. Why did he want me to have a mate so badly? If I was strong, they said I needed a mate. If I was weak, I needed a mate. I didn’t need anyone, but it didn’t matter because they had an agenda that had nothing to do with what I wanted.

I snarled and lunged at him. He was faster than I imagined, and threw me over his shoulder without the slightest effort. I hit the rock wall and slid to the ground, stunned for a moment before I came up and ran back at him. He twisted away, and grabbed my wrist, broke it, and my leg before I realized what he was doing.

I collapsed in howls as he backed away from me.

“Need protection,” he rumbled in a low, deep, grave voice that I hated.

I snarled and lunged at him and managed to rake him across the chest with my claws before he had that arm as well. He snapped the elbow that time, and then returned the blow across my face, then body, sending me sprawling back, soaked in my own streaming blood.

He studied me solemnly. “Your beast is done.” And then turned and walked away, shifting as he went, back into a man.

I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see him naked. My beast struggled, but the weight of the Alta’s command was as heavy as my own exhaustion from lack of blood, from humiliation, from frustration. No, I couldn’t beat the Alta, but who could? Did everyone who couldn’t beat the Alta need a protector? That made no sense.

I coughed and gurgled, and then my beast melted away, leaving me in my human form, broken, bleeding, thoroughly defeated. The humiliation was worse than the pain, but they were both up there. What was the Alta’s game? Would he claim me as his mate? That would be ludicrous. But there was nothing I could do about it. There was nothing I could do about any of it.

“Who will be her protector?” the Alta asked, wearing a pair of pants although his chest was bare beneath his beard as he stood over me while I bled at his feet. This would make such a fine painting. The senator could hang it in his elegant hall. We’d call it, ‘the great protector,’ and laugh at the irony.

“I think you have to take that responsibility,” Max said, standing up from his crouched position. He hadn’t moved during all of those fights. “You’re the only one who can defeat her beast. Who wants a mate like that? Particularly when she’s unwilling?”

The old man gave Max a look. “You think I would be a better mate than you?”

Max’s eyes grew cold. “I never offered for her.”

“Then I’ll send her to Henredon. He could match her.”

Max laughed. “If you could find him. He’s been avoiding you and your manipulations more successfully than anyone.”

The Alta sighed heavily. “Why won’t you be reasonable, Max? How long are you going to refuse a mate? She’s a good female. She knits. And that sweet wolf, and the fierce beast, she is a perfect combination of lethal and lovable. You can’t claim that she wants you for your power.”

“Because she doesn’t want me,” Max stated flatly. “I’m not going to force anyone to be my mate.”

“Then Henredon it is,” the old Alta said with a dark scowl.

There was a thud of boots on rock and then spinning golden lights flared high above, and there, standing on the top ledge, was Senator Silverton in a tuxedo. He had a long cape draped over his shoulders, but that was definitely a tuxedo underneath. Interesting. I’d started hallucinating sooner than I expected. I must have an amazing concussion.

“I will protect her,” the prettiest elf in the world said in a voice that carried and wrapped around you and filled you with a sense of the inevitable. This was the weirdest hallucination ever, but also the best, because he was just that pretty.