Chapter 9

SAMANTHA

“Why are these people challenging me?” I asked. “They’ve never even met me. Or is that why? Do they not want a stranger leading them? That’s fair, I’ll just hand power over to them.”

~Perhaps this is my way out?~

“I’m so sorry, Sa…” Emerick bit his tongue. “Alpha Paulson. It doesn’t work that way. An alpha can step aside when the call to the next alpha is obvious, like a father to a son.

“But if someone wants to take that power from you, they have to defeat you in battle.”

Panic was rising in my chest, making it hard to breathe and painful to speak. “But why? I haven’t hurt anyone.”

As terrified as I felt, I could see Luke was close to tears. I could only imagine what was going through his mind. He had already lost one parent. I swallowed down my fear and put an arm around him.

“Who would do this, Mom?” Luke asked quietly.

Emerick and Dad shot each other a quick glance, and I realized at once.

“It’s Emilia,” I said flatly. “Isn’t it?”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “She’s one of the group, yes, but how did you—?”

“She didn’t exactly roll out the welcome carpet for me yesterday.” I turned to Luke, anticipating his question. “Pops’s father had an affair. Emilia is the woman he cheated on.

“She’s taking my being the new alpha personally. This is her way of getting revenge.”

I turned to Emerick. “Will she be the one I have to fight?”

He shook his head. “Doubtful. Emilia is cunning and intelligent, but she’s never been much of a warrior. I suspect she’s enlisted help.”

“You need to stop this,” Dad told the three men standing before me. “Sam’s never even trained, let alone sparred with another wolf. She doesn’t stand a chance.”

Luke took a sharp breath next to me.

Jonathan shook his head. “It’s not right and it’s cruel, but werewolf law dictates a challenger has every right to come forward. There’s nothing any of us can do.”

I looked at Emerick, whose eyes were filled with sympathy, while his body was rigid.

I wanted to ask him for his advice. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and tell me it would be okay.

~“Stay strong,”~ Ayisha said to me. ~“You are the alpha. Show them your strength. Show everyone.”~

And so, I stood my ground and held my head high. “I’ll accept the challenge,” I declared over my family’s protests.

“Dad”—his eyes met mine—“I need you right now. Take Mom and Luke somewhere safe until you hear from me. If I lose, I can’t imagine they will be welcomed with open arms.”

For the first time in my life, I saw genuine terror on my father’s face.

“W-where should we go?”

“Drive to Kate’s.” I turned to Luke. “Your aunt is human. She won’t suspect anything, and Chicago is far enough away that I doubt any wolves will come looking for you. Not right away, anyway.”

I turned around to face the burly men. “Jonathan and Jackson, you’ll take a vehicle to scout out the pack house. Get in touch to let me know what I’m walking into.

“Emerick, you’re with me.”

~“You certainly sound like an alpha to me,”~ Ayisha beamed in my mind.

I stifled a smile. ~Maybe I ~am~ destined for this after all~.

I moved to grab the duffel bag I had packed the day before with some necessities, but Emerick beat me to it and slung it over his shoulder. He stalked out the front door without a backward glance.

I turned, and Luke enveloped me in a hug.

“You have to win,” he told me, his voice thick with sadness.

“I will, honey,” I assured him.

I gave him one last squeeze before both my parents wrapped me in a hug and held on tight. I paused, soaking in their warm embrace.

I leaned into Dad’s ear and whispered, “I’m trusting you to protect him. Don’t let me down.”

For a brief moment, he met my gaze with misty eyes and nodded. When he turned away, his face was like stone.

“All right, let’s call your school so they don’t get on my ass about you being absent,” I heard Dad tell Luke.

I smiled and rolled my eyes as I left the house, even as I felt a lump form in my throat.

Emerick held the door open for me and shut it when I climbed into the black SUV. The energy in the air was practically popping around him as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“Are you going to say anything?” I asked as he sped down the road.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “We need to discuss your strategy for the fight.”

I frowned. “Is that all you want to talk about?”

He finally met my gaze, and I could see barely contained rage below the surface. His eyes softened slightly as he took in what I could only imagine was pure anxiety on my face.

“I just thought… after last night… I thought there might be something between us.” I looked away as a single tear rolled down my cheek. “I wanted to ride with you for support.”

He suddenly locked the brakes and turned down a dirt road. I’d barely registered what was happening when he pulled the car to a stop.

Emerick got out and came around the car, ripped open my door, unbuckled my seat belt, and pulled me out. He pushed me against the truck and wrapped my legs around his waist.

The next instant, his lips were on mine as he kissed me hungrily. I threw my arms around his neck and gave in to him.

He growled and deepened the kiss further. His tongue brushed my lips, and I opened them for him as I pushed my fingers through his hair.

I felt his length thrust against my core, and I moaned. He kissed me once more before pulling back and searching my face. He still had me pinned between him and the car door as he cupped my cheek.

“Sam, there’s a million things I want to say. All of them start with please don’t do this,” he murmured. “But I know you have to.

“And I know I don’t have any right to tell you I care for you too much to watch you get hurt, but that’s how I feel.”

I gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry to put you in this position.”

He grinned and looked down at where our bodies were touching. “Actually, I quite like this position.”

I gave his chest a light slap before nuzzling into his neck and wrapping my arms around him. “I’m scared,” I admitted quietly.

“Me too.”

“Ayisha seems confident, though.”

“That’s good. She’s a powerful wolf and an alpha. Any man who challenges you is a fool. Let her take control.”

“But…I don’t know how.”

Emerick moved away from me. As he stepped back, his eyes locked on mine, he pulled his shirt over his head. His muscles gleamed in the morning sunlight spilling through the canopy.

Next, he removed his shoes, his socks, his belt.

As he shuffled around to the other side of the car, he reached for the button at the top of his jeans.

When he popped it open and I saw the exaggerated V around his waist and hips, I had to bite my lip.

“Shift,” he said. “Let Ayisha out. We need to practice.”

Emerick disappeared behind the car…

…and from the other side emerged a large Zef, his claws sharp, his fangs bared.

***

An hour later, we got the call from Jonathan and Jackson that everything was set up and secure for my arrival.

After catching a glimpse of Emerick pulling up his jeans in the car’s side mirror, I threw my own clothes back on, and we were on our way.

“Will you be there with me?” I asked. “Will you be close by?”

He shook his head. “Jonathan and Jackson think I would be a distraction. I’m not sure how Zef and I will react if you’re injured.”

I tried to hide my disappointment. “Sure, that makes sense.”

I saw him glance at me from the corner of my eye.

“If you want me there, I will be.”

“I don’t want to put you through that if it’s going to be too difficult.”

“You’re not,” he assured me. “They talked me out of it, but whatever you think will help is what I’ll do.”

“It would just be nice to have someone cheering me on,” I admitted. “I don’t know anyone else.”

“Remember this.” Emerick took one hand off the steering wheel and reached over to lace my fingers through his. “The pack is happy to have you.

“Those behind this challenge are part of a very small, sexist faction.

“It’s ironic that Emilia is the one pulling their strings. Jonathan says the main reason they’re objecting is because you’re a she-wolf. They don’t think you can possibly be strong enough to lead.

“Show them how powerful you are, how strong and courageous I know you to be, and they won’t have a choice but to admit you are the true alpha of this pack.”

“Thank you, Emerick.” I gave him one more peck on the cheek.

After a few moments of us saying nothing, I decided I couldn’t bear the quiet. “Did Jackson or Jonathan say anything else?”

“The challenger is Gregory, Emilia’s nephew,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Why didn’t she just leave him? Stephen, I mean. If she was so angry with his infidelity, why didn’t they just divorce?”

He glanced at me. “Werewolves mate for life. It’s not really as simple as just walking away. The bond we feel for our mates is powerful.

“Emilia would have felt it when Stephen was unfaithful, would’ve known immediately. He knew that and still chose to betray her.

“On top of that, fifteen years later, Stephen brought Elias into the pack, so everyone knew.

“From what I understand, theirs was an arranged mating for political reasons, not a loving match. It was common back then. In some packs, it still happens.

“Stephen resented it and chose to have an affair, knowing how it would hurt his mate, in an attempt to piss off his father.”

“But if it was arranged, if he never really loved her, how come she’s so hurt by it?”

“The love might not be as strong in an arranged mating, but the bond is still powerful. The woman must be in constant agony.”

I was silent for a moment while I absorbed this. I almost felt sorry for her. “It’s hard to fit that image of Stephen with the man I met yesterday. He seems so kind.”

“To be honest, he is. He was a great alpha, and that’s why many of his misgivings were forgiven. I choose to believe he knows he made a mistake and that people can change.”

I nodded and stared out the window.

I was no longer interested in how to win the challenge. My mind went elsewhere as I realized victory would mean I would have to make a decision about Emilia in order to protect my family.

She would never stop coming after us if what Emerick said was true, and I doubted she would sit back quietly when I let my father and mother move onto pack lands.

I let my anger simmer. It would be my driving force in the fight to come.

As we pulled up to the pack house, Jackson, Jonathan, and William stood out front.

William approached the truck when we parked. “Sam. I’m so sorry this is the welcome you are getting.”

I kept my expression impassive. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

William looked like there was a lot he wanted to say but settled with, “Just know, you have the full support of me, my mate, and my father. We stand with you. If you fall, our family goes with you.”

I thought about making a snippy remark regarding Emilia but saw that he was genuine in his promise.

~If I can pull this off, he will be a strong ally.~ “I appreciate that. I hope for a more…united pack going forward,” I told him.

He nodded and led the group inside the pack house. We wound our way through the corridors before making it to the rear of the building.

Out the other side, I could see a large field through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In its center, a wooden ring had been erected with bleachers on three sides.

The stands were overflowing with spectators as a large, muscled man strutted around the ring shirtless.

“That’s Gregory?” I asked Emerick.

He nodded while working the muscle in his jaw again. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Stay by my side?” I whispered.

“Always,” he answered.

I released him and took a deep breath before pushing through to the double doors.

The crowd erupted with a cheer as the sunlight hit my face. I stood tall and walked confidently to the center of the makeshift stadium.

As I got closer, I waved to the pack—~my~ pack—and the cheering echoed around me.

~“They’re with you, Sam,”~ Ayisha said to me. ~“They’re with us.”~

My opponent glared at me as I came to stand before him in the center of the field. I felt like a mouse being fed to a hungry lion.

I looked behind me to see the same crew that had walked me through the pack house, now joined by Stephen. Emerick gave me a short nod.

When I turned back, Ayisha was pushing into the front of my consciousness.

I took a mental step back—and she charged forward.