“You’re not the only alpha female in this pack, Gia.” Her voice had a low growling quality as it crawled out of her half formed throat. “You think Byron losing is some big victory for you, but it means nothing. This is what I’ve wanted from the beginning—what I’ve always wanted. I’ll beat you in this circle—our pack won’t be saddled with a pseudo-alpha anymore.”
Gia was only slightly surprised by Rhianne’s new form. She’d sensed from the beginning that the other woman had more power then she let on. At first she assumed that Rhianne hid it out of fear that Gia would bar her from the pack and many alpha females would have. Now she suspected Rhianne had just been biding her time. She took a deep breath, knowing that the next few minutes would likely determine whether she got her life back—or lost it entirely.
“You’ve gotten to this point through deceit and manipulation,” Gia said quietly. “You seduced my mate and used Byron’s emotions to force him to your side.” She snorted. “Those are not the actions of a true lupa.”
“I couldn’t challenge you one on one before because you had a mate. For some reason, I was the only one in this pack who saw you for the pathetic excuse for a lupa you were and no one would be my second.” Rhianne gritted her teeth. “I did what I had to do for the good of the pack. They deserve a strong lupa.”
“You really believe I was such a bad lupa?”
Rhianne darted to the side. Gia turned, too slow, and Rhianne sprang off the ground at an angle, diving straight into Gia’s side. Pain exploded in her ribs as Rhianne’s jaws closed on her side, worrying her flesh as if she’d tear it from her bones and swallow it whole.
Gia flung out her arm in pain, her claw tearing up the side of Rhianne’s face into her eyeball. The other woman screamed in pain and reared back, clutching her eye.
“A pack is only as strong as its alphas,” she hissed. “You took a mate you knew wasn’t strong enough to protect us. You cared more about control than you did about us—what kind of a lupa does that make you?”
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Gia forced herself to straighten up, ignoring the burn as her muscles knitted themselves back together.
“I am strong enough to protect you, I didn’t need a lyc—”
“You arrogant bitch!”
The cry from the other woman’s throat didn’t even sound human. Gia staggered back as Rhianne dove into her body, carrying them both to the ground. The pain in her eye seemed all but forgotten as the younger female loomed over her, her clawed hands reaching for her throat. Gia put an arm in front of her face, trying to keep the drops of Rhianne’s blood from dripping into her eyes and blinding her as she struggled to buck the woman off of her.
“How dare you hinge our survival on you alone! You think you’re so invulnerable that you can’t be killed? You’re willing to bet all our lives that no one and nothing will ever get the better of you, ever leave us with no one to protect us?” She wrapped her hands around Gia’s throat.
Gia’s hands flew to Rhianne’s fingers, trying to pry them from her windpipe so she could breath. Wetness covered her bared face and the scent of saltwater tickled her nose. Shock rang through her as she realized the drops streaming from Rhianne’s eyes weren’t just blood—she was crying.
“There is no wolf strong enough to protect an entire pack alone,” Rhianne sobbed. “Everyone can be killed. As our alpha, it’s up to you to make sure there’s someone standing behind you to take over if you fail us—and you left us with no one!”
Her voice rang with fury, pain, and hatred. Gia’s throat ached from the bruising pressure of Rhianne’s hands as they continued to throttle her, closing off her air supply until black spots danced in her vision. She was vaguely aware of her pack mates surrounding them, the tension rolling off them in waves of skin crackling energy.
The world seemed to slow down, time moving at the barest crawl. Her heart thundered in her ears as Rhianne’s pain battered her defenses. She’d never pressed Rhianne for details about how her last pack had been killed. She’d respected her pain too much to make it worse with questions. Now she didn’t have to ask. The agony and betrayal in Rhianne’s voice spoke volumes.
Gia closed her eyes. She had failed them. Rhianne was right, it had been beyond cocky to assume that one wolf, however strong, could be enough for a pack. If she’d died, the pack would have erupted into chaos. Claudiu would have been exiled, or worse. Fights would have broken out over who was the next leader, who knew how much blood would have been shed? Rhianne was right—she’d been selfish.
If she died now, she would never be able to make amends. Sorin’s face flashed in her mind as her body thrashed against Rhianne’s hold. She’d found a strong mate, she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. They had to see that. She had to live to show them.
A thunderclap of panic rolled up from her toes, curling through her body and gathering strength. When it reached her constricted throat, it bounced off and rolled back down her body to her hips. The world exploded into real time again. With every last ounce of energy, she bucked Rhianne up into the air, letting her body follow until she rolled backwards over her head and landed with their positions reversed.
The abrupt shift in balance made Rhianne loosen her grip enough for Gia to tear her hands from her throat. She gasped in a huge lungful of air before darting her muzzle down toward Rhianne’s neck.
Rhianne’s body went deathly still as Gia’s jaws closed on her throat, working her teeth into the flesh until there was no way for Rhianne to struggle without tearing her own neck to shreds.
The fight didn’t have to end in death. Most alphas killed their challengers because it was prudent to do so, but not all. Guilt welled up inside Gia as she thought of her own behavior and the part it had played in Rhianne’s decisions. Rhianne had been right. She didn’t deserve to die.
She shook her head, just enough to get Rhianne’s full attention. Her claws trailed over Rhianne’s stomach, curving over the soft fur of her belly, a not so subtle reminder of how easy it would be to gut her. Ever so slowly, she lifted Rhianne’s hip, turning the other woman’s body onto its side. Then she moved her hand and waited.
A show of submission would signal surrender. All Rhianne had to do was turn her body back—bare her belly to Gia in an offering. Gia’s heart pounded like a death drum in her chest. What if Rhianne didn’t do it? What if Gia had to spend the rest of her life knowing another woman died because her lupa had let fear build inside her until the only option she’d seen was to take over the job herself?
She nearly fainted in relief as Rhianne shuddered and turned her belly upwards. Gia released her neck, springing backwards just in case any lingering anger made Rhianne do something foolish.
The other woman coughed, raising a hand to her injured eye. She wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t meet Gia’s gaze. Gia stepped back and shuddered back into human form. She turned to meet the eyes of her pack.
“I won’t make the same mistakes again,” she said, her voice still strained from the lingering damage her shift hadn’t healed. “You’ll have a strong lupa and a strong lycaeon. None of you will have to fear for your safety, or mine, again.”
Something brushed her hand and she turned her head to see Sorin take her hand in his, smiling down at her. He looked a thousand times better, though the faint hunch of his shoulders gave away his pain. She squeezed his hand and turned back to her pack. A lump formed in her throat as she realized Byron was gone.
The oracle stepped forward, her soft lavender dress swirling around her ankles. She came to stand in front of Gia and Sorin before turning to the pack.
“Welcome your new lupa and lycaeon!”
One by one, the pack tilted their heads back and howled, the comforting tones echoing with eerie beauty in the night air. The sound soothed the wounds in Gia’s heart, but a few of her brethren didn’t join in.
“Marco, you’re silent. Please talk to me.”
“Are you really going to avoid making the same mistakes?” he demanded.
She nodded. “I will try, but I will need your help. What bothers you Marco?”
He raised an accusing finger at Sorin.
“Rhianne told us you hid in his mansion. I’m willing to believe that it started as an attempt to make the Hunt harder for us—though I have my doubts—but the fact remains that he did not have to search for you as the rest of us did. He didn’t win the Hunt, not fairly.”
“But he won the challenge fight, so the Hunt is moot,” Gia reminded him.
Marco scowled. “He won because Byron gave in to his need for revenge and broke the rules. He didn’t earn it.”
Gia’s stomach rolled and she fought not to be sick. For the second time, her choice of mate was being questioned. Did she dare stay true to her word? Would not making the same mistake twice mean giving up Sorin, the man she truly loved?
Despair wrapped its fingers around her bruised throat. Then inspiration brightened her world. She smiled at Marco.
“I think I have a solution.”
Gia’s blood pounded in her ears like an ancient drum sounding an upcoming battle. Her legs muscles burned as they propelled her faster through the trees, leaping over fallen trunks and crashing through piles of leaves. She smiled and concentrated on her breathing as she heard a howl in the distance.
He’s getting closer.
The eerie cry echoed in the night, reverberating through her body until it hummed with pleasure. Desire curled in her belly, swirling down her limbs until she had to bite her lip to keep from turning around and meeting her fate without a fight. She clenched her hands into fists, her feet slamming into the ground harder as she increased her speed. She wouldn’t be easy prey. He had to work for it.
Another howl sounded beside her and her steps faltered. With a grunt of surprise, she hit the ground, turning so her shoulder took the brunt of the fall. In seconds she’d recovered her senses and shoved herself off the ground. Panic colored her arousal as her eyes furtively darted among the trees around her. Someone else was catching up.
A weight crashed into her back and she cried out as her continuing momentum carried her forward a few feet before her body hit the ground for the second time. She twisted her body, preparing for whatever had hit her to leap in for the attack. A shadow flashed over her and she kicked out with her legs.
The man grunted as her feet connected with his chest and she hefted him into the air. Desire burned between her legs as the rustling of leaves filled her ears and a low growl trickled from the dark form. She rolled over and stayed crouched down, prepared to fight the intruder.
Moonlight revealed soft brown hair and green eyes. Marco stared at her from his position on the ground, a look of determination pinching his features even as his arousal perfumed the air around them. His muscles tensed, but before he could leap for her, another shadow ploughed into him. The two figures rolled in the brush out of her line of sight, the sound of their fight fueling the passion building inside her. She didn’t fight the rush of pleasure, didn’t try to think about it. Her human self meant to keep the promise she’d made to her pack. Tonight her beast ruled her body.
Relief so strong it weakened her legs washed over her as the moonlight revealed the victor stepping from the bushes. Sorin’s soft brown hair fell in wild disarray around his shoulders and his eyes nearly glowed in the silver light. Despite her love for him, a tiny flame of fear flickered in the face of his hooded gaze.
“You found me first,” she whispered, fighting not to back away.
Sorin smiled, a slow rising of the lips that wound her nerves a little tighter. He took a step forward. She took a step back.
“Is Marco all right?” she asked, her muscles tensing in preparation for flight.
He nodded once. His gaze fell down her body, running over her thin t-shirt clinging to her breasts and the soft cotton shorts hanging haphazardly from the swell of her hips. Everywhere his stare traveled, a trail of heat burned behind. When his eyes finally returned to her face, she thought she’d spontaneously combust.
“Run,” he whispered.
Her body exploded into motion. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, ran until the forest became a blur to either side. The wind chilled her flesh even as she burned from the inside out, her heart racing with joy, desire, and just a tiny touch of fear.
When his hands finally closed on her waist, her body screamed for more. He jerked her into the air, letting them fall until he landed on his back in the leaves, with her body held on top of him. He didn’t make a sound as his back hit the earth, didn’t show that it had hurt at all. When she braced her hands on his chest and pulled back to see his face, he smiled at her, flashing fangs.