Chapter 43: 44: A Duel of Alphas

ALEX

~That son of a bitch!~

~Xavier kissed her!~

~He kissed Ariel!~

~He touched her with his hands. And his lips. And his tongue. And Goddess knows what else.~

~And now he’s gonna die.~

Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but I’m pretty sure I should just fucking kill him.

I stumble through halls and out the front entrance, running furiously toward the Royal Pack Inn.

I should have trusted my instinct.

I knew better than to let him go off with her alone.

I should have been there. Then this would never have happened.

~But it did.~

And now he’s going to fucking pay.

He’s going to feel some of the pain that I’m feeling right now.

I hear Ariel calling after me, but I don’t slow down. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

When I see the Royal Pack Inn, I start screaming at the top of my lungs. “XAVIER!”

It’s a small Bed and Breakfast, so I’m sure he’ll hear me. That is, if he’s not already anticipating my arrival.

Sure enough, after a moment, the front door to the Inn opens, and Xavier emerges.

I can tell by the smug look on his face that he’s glad I’m here. He’s proud of what he did.

My vision blurs as I try to stare him down. “What the fuck is your problem?” I spit at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t waste my time, Xavier.”

His wicked smile grows wider. “What do you want to do?” he asks. “Punch me?”

“Something like that,” I say, motioning for him to join me in the pebbled courtyard.

“Wow. Didn’t know our king was such a tough guy.”

“You know nothing about me. But you’re about to find out,” I say, moving into a fighting stance.

“ALEX!” That’s Ariel. Her voice is getting closer now.

I turn my head, and she’s a few paces away. She stops short behind me, trying to catch her breath. “Alex, wait. Let’s go talk somewhere.”

“So,” Xavier says, “guess you told your boyfriend about our fling.”

“It wasn’t a fling!” Ariel says. “It was one kiss.”

I can feel her tugging on my arm. “Come on, Alex. I need to talk to you.”

But I don’t want to talk. I want to rip the shit-eating grin off of Xavier’s face.

“Ariel, step back. This is between me and Xavier now.”

And with that, I tense my body and allow my wolf to explode to the surface.

“NO!” I hear her call out. But it’s too late.

I lunge forward, knocking Xavier onto his smug ass. He hits the ground with a thud.

I hover over him in full wolf form. I growl, urging Xavier to shift too and wait for his wolf to emerge. I want this to be a fair fight.

I feel Ariel pulling at the fur on my back, but I yank myself away from her, and a moment later, Xavier shifts and wriggles out from beneath my paws.

When he’s in his full, hulking form, I lunge at him again, sending him crashing back into the door.

He swipes his paw at me, but I dodge it, throwing my weight onto his front leg and pinning it to the wall behind him.

~Ow!~

I feel his fangs gnawing at my left shoulder. I pull away, releasing his hold on me.

Xavier takes advantage of my retreat, pushing me back even further.

I lose my balance.

~Shit.~

For a moment, I nearly eat it.

But then I regain my footing and face him again.

We circle each other, both clearly strategizing. Our wolves are evenly matched, both in size and in combat training.

But I’ve been drinking, and I’m clumsy.

Ariel steps in between us. “Please Alex. Xavier. Stop. This isn’t worth it.”

I hear the desperation in her voice, but my wolf stays in position, ready to attack again.

Xavier’s wolf snarls at Ariel. She moves out of the way as we continue to dance around each other.

My footwork is sloppier than it should be. If I were sober, I’m pretty sure I could take him down, no problem.

But right now, it’s a toss-up.

I shrink back as Xavier lunges at me.

I sidestep his approach and bound off of my hind legs with surprisingly perfect precision for my compromised state.

I land on top of him, pinning him to the ground, my sharp canines inching close to his jugular.

By the look in his eyes, he knows that I have him trapped. He’s doomed.

~That’s right, motherfucker.~

“Alex…” Ariel’s voice cracks as she looks on in horror. When I turn around, I can see the tears streaming down her face. “This isn’t you, Alex,” she says. “Please.”

I snap my jaw shut.

She’s right.

Of course she is.

This isn’t me.

I’m supposed to make Ariel feel better, not make her cry.

Not to mention, I’m going against the exact advice that my father gave me. He warned me that this wouldn’t be easy. And hurting Xavier any more now would be taking the easy way out.

Still holding Xavier to the ground, I shift back into my human form.

“Pack your things and go,” I whisper in his ear. “You’re not welcome on Royal Pack territory anymore.”

I release my grasp on him and move to the side, clearing his path back to the door of the Inn.

He gets up from the ground and brushes himself off. “I knew you couldn’t go through with it,” he sneers. “You can’t even protect your woman. What does that say about the fate of the kingdom?”

I’m ready to shift again, but Ariel has taken hold of my arm.

I take a deep breath as I watch Xavier saunter back into the Inn.

“Thank you,” Ariel says, trying to hug me, but I pull away.

I still need some time to calm down. To process my outburst before I can discuss this any further.

“Not now,” I say, turning my back and walking away.

“When?” she asks me.

“I don’t know.”

~I don’t know…~

ANGEL

One foot in front of the other, I sprint through the palace grounds.

Sweat pours down my face, clouding my vision as I weave through the trees.

I’m not sure what happened on top of the water tower…why such an innocuous conversation triggered such a visceral memory.

Maybe it really ~was~ the alcohol…

But regardless of the trigger, I need to stay in control. That’s why I’m sweating out my toxins now. I want to keep a clear head.

My running meditation is interrupted when I hear someone calling my name.

I turn and see Amy.

“You know where Ariel is?” she asks. “I thought she might be patrolling the grounds but haven’t seen her.”

“Last I saw Ariel, she was locking lips with the king.”

“Okay then,” Amy smiles. “Maybe they don’t want to be found right now.”

The sweat is still dripping down from my forehead.

I lift the hem of my shirt and wipe my face dry.

When I look back at Amy, I catch her staring at my stomach.

~Is she looking at my tattoos? Or my abs?~

~The latter, I hope.~

I flash her a smile.

“Show off,” she snickers.

“What? These old things?” I ask, rubbing my six-pack.

“You’re full of it,” she says, swatting at my arm with the tips of her slender fingers. “Looks like you’ve worked up an appetite. Wanna grab a bite with me while I wait for Ariel to turn up?”

“Sure,” I say, and she starts leading the way back to the palace.

“Maybe take a shower first though.” Again, she reaches out and touches my arm.

And I think she lingers a little longer this time.

ARIEL

I rush back into Steve and Louisa’s house.

By the looks of it, Louisa has been waiting for me in the living room. She stands when I enter. “So?” she asks, looking at me expectantly.

“That did ~not~ go well,” I say as I walk past her toward the stairs. “I’m sorry, Louisa. I think I just need to be alone for a while.”

She nods. “I’m here when you’re ready to talk,” she says.

Tears threaten to fall onto my cheeks again when I reach my bedroom and close the door behind me.

I don’t even bother turning on the lights.

There’s just one thing I can think to do in this moment of complete and utter solitude.

I collapse onto my bed and look up toward the ceiling.

“Selene!” I cry out. “Selene! Please! Where are you!? Speak to me! I need your help! Tell me what I should do!”

I listen for a response. A sign. Something. Anything. But I get nothing, yet again.

The last time she spoke to me, all she told me was that I couldn’t heal George.

~Is she choosing to stay silent now because of something I did?~

~Am I being punished?~

“Where are you, Selene? Why won’t you answer?”

Selene saved me from my captors.

I have seen her face. I have heard her voice.

If she’s giving me the cold shoulder, just like Alex, it must be because I’ve disappointed her. I’ve done something that she doesn’t approve of.

But if I’ve pleased her before, I can do it again.

It is up to me to figure out what my transgression is—to be worthy of the Moon Goddess’ help.

I have to restore my connection with Selene. It is the most important thing I can do.

Because without her on my side…

~Oh Goddess~…we’re all doomed.