Beta’s Challenge (9 page)

Putting aside his pity party over the reality of what was and what may never be, Mikal pushed away from the doorframe and slowly made his way to her side. Leaning over her prone form, he carefully removed the straps from her wrists and ankles. Staring down into her beautiful face, he tenderly ran his finger over the bruise covering her soft cheek, a bruise in the shape of his hand.  Allowed his gaze to roam over her a few more moments, Mikal sighed with all the weariness within his shattered soul, then turned and walked away from the one thing he loved above all else in the world.

In his office, Mikal sat in chair reviewing the DVD containing his domination of Gabriel. Mixed emotions assailed him. He knew this was something that had to be done but at the same time, he mourned the lost love and friendship he and Gabriel once had.

Vonn entered the office while Mikal was still reviewing the video. “This will ensure the pack views my mandates as ultimate law. If the pack still refuses to cooperate, things will never change and I fear the pack will die out. Why did things have to come to this?” Mikal stated to Vonn.

“Alpha, I feel this will show the pack that Gabriel was wrong in his actions and will prove that your mandates are justified,” Vonn stated.

“I truly hope so, Vonn. I would never admit this to anyone other than you, but having to do to Gabriel what was done ripped out a piece of my heart. We were friends for so long, I never would have imagined we would not be,” Mikal confessed and sighed as the door of his office was flung open with enough force to crack the plaster and become stuck in the wall. It would seem that his beautiful Sasha was finally awake, and highly pissed off.

Sasha stormed into the room with volcanic fire in her eyes, her gaze locked on Mikal. Seeing the murder in her eyes, Vonn moved to intercept her. Flashing her fangs at the Beta wolf, Sasha continued her forward charge. “Touch me a die, you pathetic lap dog,” Sasha snarled as Vonn stepped in her path and reached to halt her progression.

Speaking with venom, she asked, “I take it since I am no longer bound to the bed, I am free to go?”

Mikal motioned for Vonn to leave them. Vonn nodded slightly then turned and headed for the door. Once the door closed, Mikal, still feeling the pain deep within his soul, said, “Yes, Sasha. You are free to leave.” He sat forward in his chair, a stern look on his face. “You now carry my young. You have served your purpose. I do not wish to keep you against your will any longer. But before you go, know this. Sasha, if you so much as think of doing
anything
that will cause harm to my young or yourself while you carry them, I will kill you. You may never love me again, but you will
not
deny me my lineage.”

Sasha, still standing at the door, looked back at Mikal with the same stern look he had displayed on her. “I carry these young for the man I once knew, not the pathetic coward that sits before me right now. You think that you are a leader, Mikal? Don’t make me fucking laugh!”

Now just as angry as she, Mikal surged to his feet in a fit of rage that made his canine teeth burst forth. “I am the Alpha of this pack and
YOU WILL OBEY ME
!” he roared, leaning on to his desk. His heavily muscled chest heaved as his rage at having her so openly mock him reach as flash point.

“There is
NOTHING
within you that is a leader, Mikal! True Alphas put the good of their pack over their own selfish desires! True Alphas
don’t rape and beat women
! You are a
monster
, and I regret the day I ever laid eyes on you. Yes, these pups may have been sired by you but I will burn in hell before I ever allow you anywhere near them and
that
is my vow to you.” With that, she turned and walked out the door without a backward glance.

Sighing again, Mikal sat back in his chair. “Why can’t you love me again the way you once did, Sasha?”

Ring. Ring. Ring.

“This better be good. I was having the most erotic dream and was just about to get some,” Tomas said, mad as hell for the interruption.

“Tomas, I really need to talk. Mikal has lost his mind,” the voice said on the other end of the line.

“Sasha?” Tomas, now sitting straight up in bed, swung his legs to the side and jumped up like the hounds of hell were on his tail. “What’s happened, Sasha?”

“I need to get away from here,” Sasha began, every other word coming out a gasping hiccup. “Things have gotten so bad since you three left. Gabriel did have some sway over Mikal but since Gabriel is no longer here, the other males of the pack are too afraid of Mikal to even speak up. The females are being beaten and raped on a daily basis.” Sasha paused for a moment.  “I carry Mikal’s young and it’s only because he tied me to his bed and took me over and over until I became pregnant. It‘s so bad, the males will take the females in human or wolf form.”

“STOP!” Tomas roared. “What the fuck do you mean he tied you to the bed? Where the hell are you? I’m coming to get you. Mikal be damned.” Tomas had begun dressing as he spoke. He was so mad, he ended up putting on his jeans before his underwear. It wasn’t until he sat on the side of the bed to put on his shoes and socks that he realized his error, stood back up and took the underwear off. He could go commando for one day.

“No, Tomas, you cannot. He will kill you on sight,” Sasha implored. “Please do not try to come get me. I am at the stream. I had to sneak away and find a cell phone I could use to call you. We need your help, Tomas. Gabriel has got to come back.” 

Tomas, now completely dressed, grabbed his keys off the nightstand and headed for the door. “Do you think you can get away? We aren’t far and can meet you somewhere.”

“I can try, Tomas, but Mikal has his men watching me like hawks. He is afraid I will try to hurt myself or the cubs. I have to hurry. I’ve been out of eyesight longer than Mikal allows. Someone will be coming for me soon,” Sasha said, her voice tense.  She hurried on to say, “Tomas, Mikal showed the pack the video of what he did to Gabriel. We know something must have been done to Gabriel for Mikal to have been able to accomplish that feat. We still feel Gabriel is a strong wolf and harbor no ill will toward him because of this.”

“Thanks for that, Sasha. It means a lot to me and I know it will to Adrian and Gabriel, as well.” Tomas started the engine of his Land Cruiser and backed out the driveway, heading to Tara’s house. He had to get to Gabriel and let him know what was happening. “Try to stay under the radar as much as possible. If you happen to find a way to slip out, call one of us and we will come get you. I love you, sister. I will be there for you throughout your pregnancy and I will be there for your cubs as well.”

“I love you, too, brother. If there is any way I can leave, believe me, I will.”

Tomas had just pulled up to the curb in front of Tara’s when he noticed a female ringing the doorbell like she was trying to knock it off its base. Pushing his worry for Sasha aside, he silently walked up behind her.

“I don’t think beating the doorbell to death is going to get anyone to open the door any faster,” he said with a smirk on his face.

“Who asked you for your fucking opin—” She swiveled around to look at him.  “Dayum! Who are you?”

Grinning at her wit, Tomas said, “I am Tomas. And you are?”

“In love or lust. Either way, you’re the man I wouldn’t mind sharing either with.” She moved slightly closer to him as though momentarily forgetting where she was and why she was there.

Tomas was about to comment that she still hadn’t given her name when the door was suddenly yanked open and a very pissed off Tara stood there ready to rip someone a new asshole.

“It’s about damn time,” the woman said, forgetting about him as she shoved her way into the house past Tara. “I’ve been ringing this damn doorbell for the last thirty minutes. What were you doing that you couldn’t even get up to answer the door, Tara?” She stood in the living room with her hands on her hips.

Tara, after having invited Tomas inside, followed into the living room, looking at the woman like she wanted to choke all semblance of life out of her. She mimicked the woman’s stance and said, “Tia, what the hell do you want? It is,” Tara looked at the clock on the microwave, “seven-thirty in the damn morning. What can be so fucking important that you are beating up my damn doorbell up this early?”

“Toya didn’t make it home last night. She is not answering her phone. Have you seen her?” Tia said exasperated.

“I’m right here, Tia.” Toya descended the stairs looking every bit as pissed off as Tara. “What in the world is everyone doing up so damn early?” Toya asked as she took the final step into the living room.

“Ask Miss Doorbell Killer here.” Tara snapped and headed into the kitchen.

“Excuse me, ladies,” Tomas said as he headed toward the stairway. “I need to see the men in the house.”

Chapter Seven

“Who is that and what the hell have you two been doing,” Tia asked, a little perturbed that she seems to have been left out of the loop. “Hold up. Did he say
men
of the house? Oh now I
know
you two bitches better start talking and fast,” Tia said glaring from Tara to Toya and back.

Tara and Toya looked at each other and shook their heads. Heading to the couch, they sat down and waited for her to join them. They began explaining the evening’s events to her while she bounced up and down in the chair, squirming at the juice details.

Just as the three of them began laughing at their own corny jokes, three men came bounding down the stairs as if the house were on fire.

“What’s going on, Gabriel,” Tara asked as she jumped up and rushed to one of the men.

“Tomas received a call from one of the females of our pack. Mikal has lost his damn mind. We have to go back and straighten out this mess. Things are worse than we imagined,” Gabriel explained as he wrapped his arms around Tara and nuzzled her hair.

“Whoa, there big guy. You can’t just go busting in there like gangbusters, thinking you can change things. You have to plan your actions carefully,” Tara stated, stepping out of his embrace placing her open palm in the middle of his chest. 

“That is the human way of things. Wolves don’t have politics such as that. The only way I’ll be able to take control of the situation is by challenging Mikal outright,” Gabriel stated, running his thumb over Tara’s right cheek.

 “And if you lose?” Tara asked.

“I can’t lose,” Gabriel stated dryly.

“But if you do?” Tara argued.

“Okay, Tara. What do you suggest?” Gabriel sighed in defeat and headed to the couch, pulling Tara behind him.

As he lowered himself to the cushions of the couch, Tia yelled out, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, here. What is all this talk about wolves and humans? What the hell is going on here?” Tia began, waving her arms around excitedly. “Somebody better start talking or I am going to call the nearest asylum and have them bring a padded wagon here are round up all you crazy mothers,” she finished with an elaborate swing of her arms that ended with her hands on her hips.

“Not now, Tia.” Toya said.

“What do you mean not now?” Tia argued.

“Not fucking now, Tia,” Tara and Toya said in unison, exasperation and annoyance sounding off clearly in both their voices.

 “Fuck that. Tell me
now,
” she demanded in her best lawyerly ‘
the-bullshit-stops-here
’ voice.

The ladies were so busy going at each other they didn’t notice anything the men were doing until a beautiful reddish-brown wolf padded silently up to Tia and rubbed against her leg.

Tia looked down, saw the wolf, and jumped so high and so fast, she was over the couch and standing on the top of Tara’s kitchen island before anyone realized she had even moved.

 “
WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. THAT
?” Tia screamed.

The room erupted in laughter. Tara, Toya, Gabriel, and the other man were holding onto one another to keep from falling down, they were laughing so hard. The group looked at Tia then at each other again and burst out laughing again. This went on for at least fifteen minutes.

Finally, calming down enough to catch a breath, Tara looked at Tia and asked, “How the hell did you get over there so fast?”

“Yeah, I didn’t think you could move that fast, Tia,” Toya chimed in, still shuddering from her laughter.

“Never mind that, you crazy bitches. What is that?” Tia said as she pointed at the wolf, which now sat on his haunches looking up at her with what could only be described as a ‘doggie smile’.

 “Tia, meet Tomas’s alter ego,” Gabriel said pointing at the wolf.

By this time, Wolf Tomas was on hind legs at the kitchen island looking up at Tia with laughter in his eyes. To make matters worse, he was reaching for Tia with his front paws.

Tia dodged every swipe, relieved that the “dog” couldn’t actually reach her. That is until he jumped on the countertop with her.  “Somebody get this damn thing,” Tia screamed as she jumped down on the side closest to the front door, and ran for the front door with speed
she
didn’t even realize she possessed.