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Authors: Cree Walker

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BOOK: Willing Sacrifice
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Lynn walked in and waved a friendly hello. "I'm off to bed so I can rest up for our fight tonight. It was really nice meeting you, Sugar."

I waited ’til she was out of the room before turning to Sarah. "Is she any good?"

Sarah nodded. "If everyone has a good side and a bad side and those two sides are polar opposites, she's as mean as she is nice."

"So why are there girls above her?"

"She doesn't want the Alpha; she took a knee just below me in the line."

"Does everyone know this but me?"

Sarah shrugged, "Does it matter?"

"It must be so hard for her, you know? She's refusing to continue a species on the brink of extinction as one of its few remaining females, and on top of that she's so strong."

"I think that's the reason she's able to handle it. If she were weaker... things might have ended differently for her." Sarah said with certainty.

"That must be kind of a kick in the teeth for the Alpha though. He finds the perfect female, his perfect mate, and she'll have nothing to do with him."

Sarah didn't say anything right away but stood up slowly. "I'm sure it broke his heart, but I don't think Lynn was ever that girl."

I paused a moment to let that fun little fact sink in. "Then why did he fight for her? Why did he fight for any of them?" I said angrily, getting her obvious injective and feeling the insult bone deep.

"You were gone, no one knew where you were or if you were even alive. We may be stronger than the humans; we may be faster, and age more slowly. I can jump out of a moving car going sixty-five miles per hour on a busy highway and get up and walk away, but if Kyle and I were separated for longer than a few months we would die. When it comes down to it we are very fragile as a species. Mother Nature gives a little and takes a lot." Sarah shrugged. "Maybe we're just done, you know?"

She left me sitting on the couch feeling as if I held the balance of their entire species in the palm of my hand – as delicate as the wings of a butterfly. If I was a mother, I couldn't imagine knowing my child was probably going to be the last generation before the flame just flickered and died and then werewolves would be nothing but a myth... for real this time. Just imaging the very possibility of Brian never finding love and just withering and dying – that should have been enough; it had to be enough.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Two

Supper came and went and I didn't taste a bite of it. Lynn continued to be friendly but I didn't forget the warning Sarah had given me about her capabilities in the Circle.

She met me on the porch before the others had gathered. "Sugar, I know you might think I'm being selfish by not agreeing to take a mate, but I'm not. And if the only way to prove that to myself is to prevent an unworthy opponent from rising to the top, then I will fight."

"Do you think I'm unworthy?"

"That's not up to me to decide, but it is up to you to prove to everyone that you are." She hugged me quickly then hopped off the porch.

We met in the Circle and everything went silent. It was almost as quiet as it got just before Jack paid me a visit. Donna smiled smugly from its perimeter as if to say that my rise to the top was about to come to an abrupt end.

The fight started quickly with both of us desperate to prove something to ourselves. It was more than pride; it was more than reputation; it was survival of a great race of people.

Just like in life, our fighting styles were on opposite ends of the spectrum. She moved almost like Jack did, as if every move was choreographed perfection, while I was unpracticed but vicious. But when you practice certain moves, a pattern of repetition develops in your style; this makes you predictable and if I've endured the brunt of your repertoire I've also learned your go to moves... of course I have to stay conscious the whole time you're beating the living shit out of me.

She countered one of my punches and grabbed my fist before I could pull it out of her reach, twisting it behind my back at a painful angle, and I shifted knowing my shoulder was going to tear out of its socket but her openings were too few for me to await another opportunity. I threw back my entire weight slamming into her with my whole body and we both smashed into the ground on our backs. When we hit I pressed my feet to the ground to force the majority of my weight into her upper body and I repeatedly beat the back of my head into her exposed face as incentive for her to release her iron grip. Finally she let go and I rolled onto my good side, my injured arm dangling like a pendulum. She tried sitting up, her perfect face, now a mask of blood and open gashes, She gave one last resigned sigh before flopping back onto the ground and succumbing to painless unconsciousness. I sat up fully and shrieked, as if I were finally getting the total effect of my injured arm. Then I started throwing up because crying wasn't enough. It was probably a good thing I hadn't known how much it would truly hurt, because I might not have done it.

Sarah helped me up as I cradled my throbbing arm, getting the pain under control, I locked eyes with Donna and smirked, revealing bloody teeth. "See you on Thursday."

She wasn't smiling anymore.

The next morning Sarah ordered total bed rest for the whole day. She brought me a stack of books and magazines. She stood at the foot of my bed and pointed her finger, telling me that I was not move for anything other than the bathroom. Holding still wasn't something I was exactly good at but she explained the healing process nearly doubles while we sleep and the thought of my pain stopping sounded really good. The sounds of the house slowed and stopped by mid morning. Some of the pack worked for the “family business,” – a general contracting business Jack and Kyle had started while others were busy keeping the pack taken care of. The new Alpha didn't work away from home. Sarah explained that if he left every day for work, other Alpha’s saw that as an opening, and kidnapping was becoming something of a real problem with so few women. So he stayed home and occupied his time with working out and managing his stock portfolio.

I did fall asleep for a short while but by noon I was crawling in my skin to get out of bed. My arm was still sore, but it felt more like a pulled muscle than a dislocated shoulder. I wandered downstairs looking for something to eat when I heard Sarah’s voice coming through the Alpha’s bedroom door. My hearing was acute enough that I didn’t have to press my ear against the wood to hear their conversation but I did have to stand a little closer.

“I hear what you’re saying Sarah, but Sugar has to fight every single pack member in order to get to the top. If either you or your husband takes a knee, the rest of the pack will see it as her weakness.”

“She can’t beat Kyle, Robert. You know this, and you keep saying this is for her own good, but she belongs at the top and she won’t get there if she has to fight a fair fight with a male werewolf.”

“As long as you’re in this pack, Sugar has to fight you both.” He sighed heavily.

“Then we’re gone. Today we’re leaving the house. We’ve got nothing to fight for here, we have each other.”

“She’ll blame me.”

“She’ll forgive you, but I won’t be the one to stop her from getting to the top.”

It was obvious that their conversation had run its course so I tip toed to the fridge and stuck my head in pretending to look for food.

Sarah and Robert both walked out of his room and when I faced them, they both took on a look of guilt. I just smiled. “Anyone hungry? I was just about to make myself a sandwich.”

Neither spoke for a moment until Sarah burst into tears and ran up the stairs.

“What was that all about?” I asked faking a shocked expression.

“I’ve ordered them to leave before Brian hits puberty. They can’t stay in this house any longer. It might be different if Brian was my son, but he’s not.”

I considered my options before answering. “How will Brian get his training without being in the pack?”

“I plan on having my own successor; there is no need to keep pretending that Brian will ever be this pack’s future Alpha.” He looked angry but I could tell it was to deflect the fact that he was lying to me.

I held his gaze and gave him a shadow of a smile. “So that’s the story you’re going with then?”

He looked as though he might argue, but decided against it.

“How did Jersey and Donna beat Kyle then?” I asked when he didn’t answer me.

“I didn’t plan on sleeping with Kyle or Sarah; it was assumed that after they beat Sarah, they would be the top ranking females in the house.”

“But you were never truly interested in Jersey either so why is it different for me?”

“You’ve done well; there is no need to pit you against a man to prove my point.”

I felt my face flush with anger and I pinned him in place with a deadly glare. “Really, your point huh, and what point would that be exactly?”

“You don’t think you deserve to be an Alpha. Now that you’ve worked your way to the top you’ve proven it to yourself as well as your pack.”

“To you?” I asked.

“You’ve never had anything to prove to me Sugar.” He turned and started walking towards the door.

“I still haven’t beaten Jersey or Donna. Don’t count your pups before they’re Born.” He paused with my statement but didn’t respond before leaving me alone in the kitchen to think about the turn of events.

I found Sarah packing a bag while she talked with Kyle on a cell phone. She looked up at me while stuffing the duffle to maximum capacity and told her husband she would call him back. “You aren’t going to talk me out of this.”

I slumped down on the bed feeling beaten. “I need you guys. You’re my only friends in this house. You’re my family.”

She paused but only briefly. “It’s fine; there is a pack out west a little ways that’s in need of an Alpha. Brian can train with them until it’s time.”

“It sounds like you’ve really thought this out.” I answered.

She stopped packing and sat down next to me on the bed. “Brian is Jack’s son.”

The air around me went still and my mouth dropped open but no words would come out.

“I’m only telling you this so you’ll realize that Brian will never be satisfied the way Kyle is with his position in the pack. He’s a bred Alpha and keeping him from becoming who he is will kill him. I am a mother looking out for her son.” She didn’t speak for a minute waiting for the questions to start, but I had nothing to ask right then. “Kyle doesn’t know and I’d like to keep it that way. I love Kyle very much and I always have, but I made a mistake with Jack I never should have. I don’t want my son to suffer because of it.”

“Jack didn’t know did he?” I whispered out.

Sarah shook her head. “He assumed but I had already chosen his brother and I always told him Brian was Kyle’s and Jack just assumed he was sterile anyway…” She sighed, “It will be good for us to leave this place.” She started to cry again and I hugged her with tears in my own eyes. I don’t know if I would have been able to hide something like that if I were her. It must have been tearing her apart inside.

“If you need anything: money, whatever just ask; okay?” I held her face up to meet mine.

She laughed and wiped at her tears. “Well the only good thing about living in someone else’s house for as long as Kyle and I have is that there is always a hell of a savings.”

I smiled with her but we couldn’t really feel it. She stood up and looked around the room. “Kyle’s meeting me downstairs and we’re picking up Brian straight from school.” She looked around her and covered her quivering lip. “You can have my stuff and the room; do whatever you want with it.” She slung the duffle strap over her shoulder and held out her hands to me.

I hugged her again with a sinking feeling in my stomach that ached. “Please call me when you all are settled.”

She nodded and forced another smile. “Kyle’s here.”

I listened but didn’t hear anything right away, and then the sound of tires turning in on gravel finally reached my ears. I must have looked confused because she laughed again, meaning it this time. “I can feel him.” She put a hand over her chest and her lip quivered again as she shook her head, almost as if she were trying to convince herself as well, as to whether she and Kyle were truly a mated pair.

I hugged her again and we walked down the stairs together then out to the porch. Kyle got out of his truck looking solemn, but didn’t question his wife as she threw the bag of belongings in and got into her vehicle.

I didn’t get off the porch and Kyle watched me for a full minute before he approached. “Ah little sister, you’ll do great.”

I felt more tears starting but I sniffed and swallowed my pain.

“This is for the best Sugar. You’ve got something important to do here and we can’t be here blocking your path.” It was obvious they had been setting up for this since I was knocked down to Omega.

I knelt down and hugged him tightly. “Take care of them Kyle.”

“Will do,” He backed a step and smiled. “We’ll call you when we’re settled in.”

“I wish I could say goodbye to Brian.”

“It’s probably better if he doesn’t know what’s happening until we cross the state line.” Kyle explained. “He’s going to make a great Alpha one day, but he’s going to be a punk of a teenager ’til then.”

Robert came out onto the porch and did that all knowing head nod thing guys do before shaking hands and saying, “Take care.”

Then they were gone.

There was nothing else for me to do but move into my new room. It didn’t take long getting my belongings but it did take some time to sift through their stuff and discard anything I didn’t need. Things like Kyle’s old clothes and some of Sarah’s clothes that I would never wear. I moved the bed around and got rid of the big armoire and the bedding, placing everything unwanted in the hall with a note attached saying, “Free for the taking.” In a house with this many people I was sure most of the stuff would find instant homes. Robert cleared his throat from the doorway before stepping inside. I continued my task, ignoring him for the most part.

“Sugar, it was the right thing to do.” He said after a long time of watching me.

I pinned him in place with a glare. “No, I just think I underestimated your intelligence and you went behind my back and found another way to force my family out of your house.” I’d obviously had too much time to think and now I was becoming paranoid.

“Whether that is true or not, you’re not an Alpha anymore.” He corrected gently.

“Give me a week.” I put my hand on his solid chest and nudged him out the door before closing it. I took a shaky breath and rubbed my hand down the length of my thigh, trying to ignore the tingle his touch brought with it. It made it almost hard to breathe.

BOOK: Willing Sacrifice
4.7Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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