The sun fell behind the mountains far too quickly. I knew we had to get this over with, but I wished I would have gotten a bit more time with Kaden before he had to go fight Tanner. When he'd come back from speaking with some of the pack members he seemed frustrated, and he'd asked for some time alone to gather his thoughts. To give him some space, I'd gone out to the lake and smiled at a few shifters there, but they all avoided me. No one wanted to even talk to me until they saw what happened tonight.
Now it was time, and together Kaden and I walked out of the cabin. Most of the pack was already gathered in a circle in front of the lodge, leaving room for Tanner and Kaden. I felt every single eye in the crowd on us as we walked over, and my heart raced faster. Tanner stood on one end of the crowd with a group of shifters gathered around him, while Clayton stood across from him with many other pack members at his side, including our friends. A pack divided—all because of me.
Nerves sparked along my skin as I watched Tanner’s face, which was dead serious, like he was willing to take this to the bitter end. I’d seen my share of alpha challenges before, and I knew how brutal and bloody they could get. Kaden was an exceptional fighter, but I couldn’t help but worry. All of the worst-case scenarios began playing in my head, an endless loop of Kaden’s throat getting ripped out in new and horrifying ways. Each one was worse than the last, and it made me realize something.
Even without the mate bond, I loved Kaden. Everything that had brought my life meaning, the feeling of having a family, of being home, most of that came from him. More than that, Kaden believed in me when no one else had, and he gave me a chance to become a better person. I couldn’t stand it if I lost him.
I looked at Kaden, finding it suddenly hard to swallow. He stared back at me, and heavy emotions flickered across his eyes too. The rest of the crowd seemed to fade away until it was just the two of us.
“Come here, little wolf” Kaden murmured, as he pulled me into his arms. He leaned down and kissed me, not as long or deep as I would have liked, but I closed my eyes and savored the press of his lips against mine.
“A kiss for luck,” I said, as he drew back. “Maybe you’d better have one more, just to be sure.”
"Good idea." He pulled me tighter and kissed me longer, making my cheeks flush.
I took his face in my hands. “Stay alive, or I’ll kill you myself."
Kaden’s smile turned cocky. “No need to worry. I have no plans of dying tonight.”
He turned away to face Tanner, and stripped off his shirt in one smooth motion, making the tan muscles of his body ripple and flex. Tanner did the same and tossed his own shirt to the ground.
Clayton reached up and clasped Kaden on the shoulder, and the two of them shared a few words between beta to alpha. They spoke for several moments, heads bent toward each other to keep their conversation private among the crowd. With the hum of voices all around us, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
As they spoke, Stella walked up to me. She hadn’t been back to the cabin all day, and she looked just as exhausted as she had last night. “I think I managed to talk some sense into them,” she said wearily, running her fingers through her long, dark hair.
“I’m sure you did great. People listen to you.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. For years, Stella had been playing the role of alpha female, even though she'd never asked for such a role.
“He’ll be fine,” Stella said as she watched Kaden, almost like she was convincing herself instead of me. “He’s the best fighter we have.”
“I’ve never seen him lose a fight,” I added. “Back when we were looking for the Cancer pack, we took down several Taurus wolves. Most of them were his kills.”
Stella nodded and clenched her jaw while Clayton, who was officiating the challenge, stepped forward and called for silence. It fell immediately, and it was startling how quickly things went from lively to quiet.
“State your intentions,” Clayton said and stepped back.
Tanner moved to the center of the circle. "I challenge Kaden for the right to be the alpha of the Ophiuchus pack."
“I accept your challenge,” Kaden said as he stepped into position, facing Tanner down. He sounded unbothered, and he stood with his hands loose at his sides.
Tanner, however, looked like he was on edge. His eyes darted around the clearing. The feeling of unease crept back up and my fingers tightened around Stella's.
“Do you both agree to fight without weapons until the death, or until one concedes?” Clayton asked, and both Tanner and Kaden gave their verbal consent.
“And none of your moon magic either,” Tanner said.
Kaden bowed his head. "Fair enough."
Clayton nodded. “Begin.”
At first, the two male shifters just circled each other, not daring to look away. Tanner was the one to throw the first punch, with a loud roar of defiance. Kaden sidestepped it calmly, and I realized Tanner was angry as hell. That alone would give Kaden an edge.
Kaden threw the next punch, but Tanner managed to sidestep it as well, and I watched Kaden correct for the momentum. The next punch from Tanner connected with Kaden’s side, and I sucked in a breath as Kaden turned away. His teeth were bared, and I knew that it had hurt. Kaden followed up with a series of brutal, quick punches.
He wasn’t playing around any longer. I saw the shift go from wary to deadly serious. Tanner huffed out a breath as one of Kaden’s hits connected, and then he followed up with another one, not letting Tanner recover.
Tanner stepped back, lips drawn back in a snarl of his own, and then he shifted into a large gray wolf. He lunged at Kaden and I flinched, but I’d forgotten Kaden could shift in the blink of an eye. His large black wolf appeared instantly, and he met Tanner, blow for blow.
They rolled around in the dirt, a flurry of teeth and claws and fur. The crowd was completely silent as they watched, as if all of us were holding our breaths, waiting to see what would happen next.
There was a yelp, and when the two males parted, Kaden’s muzzle was bloody, and it was Tanner who was limping backward. The tang of blood hit the air, and I scrunched up my nose. It was almost too much, grating on my already over-exposed nerves.
The two shifters attacked each other again, and it was clear as time went on that Kaden had the upper hand. He was a better fighter, and their wolves were equal in size, but Kaden was faster. Kaden had Tanner pinned, and another yelp emanated from the two fighting shifters.
A sudden movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. A pretty brunette female broke free of the crowd, looking at the fight with obvious malice in her gaze. She paced back and forth a few times along the edge of the circle, obviously agitated.
“That’s Lindsey,” Stella said quietly. “Tanner’s mate.”