How have I lived so long without her? I want everything this girl has to offer. I love everything about her. There’s a part of me that’s completely focused on tomorrow, on conquering the Alpha during this battle. There’s another part of me, a better part, that just wants her.

  It feels too soon to be thinking about a future, but what happens after tomorrow?

  Would she stay with me?

  Would she be by my side?

  Would Scarlett run the Silent Canines with me?

  Would she be willing to help me with the pack?

  It’s going to be a huge responsibility, but oh, it would feel so much sweeter with her by my side. Things would be so much better if she would just stay with me. I picture her being part of pack meetings, of helping with the cubs, of raising our own.

  Holy dragons, we could have our own little cubs. I’m holding Scarlett, and it’s all I can do to keep from rubbing her belly as I imagine it big and swollen with my baby inside. Would she want to?

  Would she want to stay with me?

  I kiss her deeply, holding her close to me. I need to feel her. I need this moment with her. If everything goes wrong tomorrow, this is going to be our last night, and I want to make it count.

  I slide into the cave with Scarlett.

  “What about them?” She motions to the boys.

  “They’re on guard duty first,” I tell her.

  “Are we next?”

  “Not you,” I tell her. “We patrol in wolf form. Sorry, darling,” I add when I see how disappointed she looks. Her cute little pout is something I’ve grown to adore.

  We slide onto the thin blankets that cover the floor of the cave and I roll us so I’m on my back and she’s on top of me. The moment is intimate, it’s perfect.

  She kisses me softly and I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to me.

  “I’m scared,” she whispers.

  “You don’t have to be,” I tell her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  It’s a promise I’m more than willing to keep. No matter what happens, no matter how long the battle is, no matter how hard the fight is, I will keep her safe.

  **

  We wake at dawn and spend the day preparing, running over our plan for the evening. We’ve done everything possible to prepare, but still, I’m all nerves as we approach the pack’s cave.

  Jeffrey has the pack outside and a crowd has formed around him as he speaks at the entrance to the cave. I had hope to arrive as soon as he started speaking, but it looks like he moved a bit early tonight.

  He’s standing tall in his human form and I feel Scarlett start to tense next to me. I squeeze her hand, silently offering her courage and strength. It’s all I have to give right now.

  Everything is going to change in just a few minutes and I have to be strong for her.

  “Thank you for gathering,” Jeffrey is saying, and I know we missed his preamble where he does a fake round of “thank-yous” to the people closest to him. Even when I was an active pack member, we all knew his acknowledgements were fake and simple. He never even tried to make them seem realistic.

  What did Elise ever see in him?

  Part of me hates the fact that I resent her for choosing Jeffrey. She chose a guy who was powerful and made her feel good. She didn’t choose a guy who would love or respect her. She didn’t choose someone who would cherish her. What about Ryder? What about Thorn? What about any of the guys at the Silent Canines who would do anything for her?

  Why not them?

  I’ll never know why Elise made the choices she did, but I can make sure Jeffrey doesn’t have the chance to hurt anyone else. Had I challenged him before tonight, he would have had me killed. One of his henchmen would have seen to it. Now, here, in a public, open gathering, I have the perfect chance to take him down.

  I have the chance to beat the Alpha.

  But as I step down to the crowd and make my way to the front, he stops speaking and turns to me. He spots me, picks me out of the crowd, and sneers.

  “Why, hello, Nash.” His voice is venom. “So glad you decided to join us. I trust my sister is with you, as well?”

  My jaw drops and I turn around to where Scarlett was standing at the forest’s edge. She’s no longer standing at a distance, safely watching. No, she’s being dragged by a shifter up to the front of the crowd. Kyle’s hands dig into her arms as she flails about silently, and I want to scream.

  I can see Thorn and Ryder now, also being brought to the front.

  This isn’t going to be pretty.

  “How did you know we were coming?” I grit out. There’s no way, in my mind, he could have known.

  “I have eyes and ears everywhere,” he waves his hand simply, as if it’s no matter to him. The pack is watching us both now, and I know this is my only chance.

  Even though everything is going wrong, I still have to challenge him. I have to face him like a man. I have to reclaim the pack for good.

  I have to conquer Jeffrey.

  “Did you send those men after Red?” I ask. I won’t call her Scarlett in front of him. Her real name is special. He knows it, of course, but I won’t let it cross my lips where he might taint it. He can call her “Red” or nothing at all, but he’s going to find out really soon what happens when someone threatens my girl.

  He laughs.

  The fucker actually laughs.

  “Oh, to be young and naïve again,” Jeffrey says with a smile. His grin morphs into a sneer and he keeps talking, obviously sure he’s won. He probably thinks he’s going to pull me aside and kill me, but that won’t happen. Not today. “Of course I did. She killed our grandmother. She had to go.”

  Red gasps, but I don’t react. It doesn’t surprise me that this is how he wants to play things. He’s always been harsh, but realistic. If he can’t convince the pack that I’m evil, he won’t be able to convince them to let him kill me. By slandering Red’s character, he’ll be able to show them how bad and evil she is in a simple way.

  He’ll be able to convince the entire pack that she’s the murderer he’s been searching for: not the other way around.

  Red opens her mouth to protest, but I shake my head at her, just slightly. It’s enough to quiet her. Good girl. Anything she says will be used against her, so right now, it’s best if she just stays quiet.

  I can hear hushed whispers and words floating through the crowd, rumors and people talking. A few of the younger wolves are pushing and shoving each other already. Soon this is going to escalate and it’s going to be bad.

  Jeffrey just smirks.

  Doesn’t he care about his wolves? Doesn’t he care about his pack?

  “I can’t thank you enough for bringing me my darling sister,” Jeffrey says. “And I can assure you that she will be handed in to police custody as soon as possible.”

  “You won’t get away with this!” Ryder shouts, and I cringe. Dammit, man. Get it together. I hear him grunt as one of Jeffrey’s minions punches him in the gut, and I know it’s time.

  I clear my throat, lift my head, and meet his eyes.

  “To be honest,” he says again, before I can speak. “I’m a bit surprised to see you here, Nash. When you disappeared after Elise’s death, we all thought you were responsible.” Fake grief flaunts across his face, and I see one wolf roll their eyes. So not everyone believed him that I was responsible. That’s good. “Perhaps we should also turn you into the authorities.” He pauses and his eyes flash, fiery with anger. “For questioning.”

  “I didn’t kill Elise.” I grit out. “I love her.” I take a deep breath, and then I say what I came here to say. “I challenge you.” Suddenly, the crowd goes silent. The grip on my arms loosens, and I step forward.

  “What did you say?” Someone in the front row says, and I repeat myself.

  “I challenge you for pack Alpha,” I say.

  Jeffrey looks like he wants his guards to take me away, but he can’t get away now. Too many people have heard the challenge. Already the crowd is parting, forming a large circle, and I’m in the center.

  This is happening.

  The last time the pack saw a challenge was six months ago when little Tony Miller decided he was the big bad and could take on the Alpha. Jeffrey destroyed him before the kid had even taken his first leap. Now, I haven’t been around for a few months, but from the looks of things, everyone’s gotten a bit antsy.

  Murmurs and whispers are turning into calls and shouts. Red looks confused, but Ryder and Thorn look hopeful for the first time since Jeffrey’s guys grabbed us.

  Maybe we have a shot.

  Jeffrey is still standing in front of the cave entrance, but a few shifters are starting to egg him on.

  “I won’t tolerate this,” he says, but I just glare.

  “A challenge is a challenge,” I say. “You gonna break tradition? Or maybe you’re too scared. Maybe you want to just step aside and let someone else have a go at leading the pack. I’d be happy with you excommunicated. We don’t have to fight to the death, you know.”

  That gets him moving and he steps forward. One step, and then another. My skin is tingly and on fire. I’m ready for this fight. I’m ready to take him. His guys the other day? They were just a warm-up for the real thing. He’s going down hard and I’m going to save the day for my girl.

  “You got this, Nash,” Marybeth calls out, and I know I have at least one person on my side. I nod at her, but don’t smile. Now isn’t the time to show affection. If I win – and I know that I desperately need to win – I’ll make sure to thank her later.

  If I don’t, well, maybe she was dumb for believing in me.

  Maybe they all were.

  I shoot one last glance at Red. She’s no longer being held, instead standing strong and bright. She nods slowly at me, silently encouraging me.

  There’s just one last person I need to see before this fight goes down. Aunt Germaine. I find her in the crowd and she stares at me with tears in her eyes, but she nods encouragingly. I know this is what she wants, what she hoped for. My aunt has always believed in me. Even when she didn’t think the Alpha was as bad as I said, she believed in me to make the right choices. Now I’m making a choice that’s going to save a lot of lives and save a lot of trouble.

  I’ll be a good leader.

  I just need the chance to show my pack I can be that man for them.

  Jeffrey is moving towards the center of the circle slowly, biding his time. I know he’s trying to come up with a plan for beating me. We’ve sparred a few times, but not in a long time, and I know he’s trying to remember how I fight.

  Do I fight dirty?

  Am I straightforward?

  He’s trying to remember so he knows how to take me down, but I don’t have time to worry about that. I look around the crowd, seeing the different faces. There must be nearly 60 wolves out tonight, including a few little kids, and I hope their mothers make them leave before the fighting really starts.

  “So it’s come to this,” Jeffrey finally snarls as he nears me.

  I nod, slightly. I’m not about to let him distract me with a lengthy dialogue. That’s how battles are lost.

  20.

  Red

  I can’t see.

  Nash and Jeffrey are about to fight and I can’t see.

  I pull away from the man who was holding me and stick out my tongue. Very mature, I know, but I’m pissed. Who does he think he is that he can hold me against my will?

  Now the battle is about to begin and I’m scared. I’m trying so hard to hold it together for Nash, but I can’t help but be a little bit worried.

  This is my man we’re talking about.

  Yeah, he’s mine.

  As much as he likes to think he claimed me as his own, the truth was that he’ll always be the one who saved me after my grandma died. He’ll always be Wolfy, the one who stayed with me when things got tough. He’ll always be the one who took care of me, fed me, clothed me.

  He’ll always me my protector.

  And now he’s about to battle my brother and I sure as hell know he doesn’t fight fair. What’s he going to do? I have a feeling he’ll try to have one of his buddies grab me and use me as a distraction so he can kill Nash, but I don’t plan to give him a chance.

  I move slowly, pushing through the crowd. I need to see what’s happening. The entire pack is here for this event. They may have come out for Jeffrey’s announcement about Nightfall, but they stayed for this fight. They won’t be slaughtering their fellow wolves tonight, but that doesn’t mean these guys don’t want to see a little bloodshed.

  I just have to wonder: who is it they’re rooting for? Nash or Jeffrey?

  I’m almost to the edge of the crowd when I feel a hand grip my arm and I turn, ready to break free, but my eyes connect with a pair of gentle ones.

  “Aunt Germaine,” I say. I just know it’s her. This is the woman who raised Nash, who took care of him for all those years. This is his mother figure, the woman who loved him before I showed up.

  The female wolf shifter looks like she’s in her mid-50s. Her short, grey hair is curly and wild, just like her eyes. Wolf eyes.

  “Yes, child,” she says, and yanks me through the crowd. She pulls me to the front row and lets me stand there. Somehow, I know that no one is going to be able to touch me with her by my side.

  “Why did you help me?” I ask.

  “He needs to see what he’s fighting for.” She stands with her arm around my waist, grounding me. It’s good because without it, I feel like I might float away. Suddenly, the whole world seems a bit too big and a bit too scary. “Take a deep breath,” Aunt Germaine urges. “You’re going to faint if you don’t.”

  I do as she says, taking big deep breaths as I look toward the center circle. Nash and Jeffrey are both naked now and Nash looks over at me one last time before he shifts. He smiles and winks and my whole heart just swells.

  “He’s got it bad,” Aunt Germaine mutters, but she still holds onto me.

  The men both shift and begin circling each other.

  “How much do you know about wolves?” Aunt Germaine asks warily.

  “Not as much as I should, considering.”

  “It’s custom to fight as wolves. Live as wolves, die as wolves,” she says carefully. “You do know that when someone challenges the Alpha, the fight ends in death, yeah?”

  “I know.”

  I wish I didn’t. I wish there were many things about wolf life that I didn’t know. This is just one of them. While I grew up in the human world alongside my brother, he became absorbed with the world of shifters when he found out who he really was.

  Still, as I look around the pack, I can’t help but be a little shocked.

  There are so many of them.

  I always knew Jeffrey was among his own kind, but I didn’t realize just how many of “his kind” there actually were. My own ignorance embarrasses me, but I can’t dwell on that now. Right now, the only thing I need to do is make it through this fight.

  Right now, I need to see Nash conquer my brother once and for all.

  “He’s got this,” I say to Germaine, squeezing her hand. “He’s got this.”

  She nods, and we turn to watch the two males circling each other. Nash’s fur is a beautiful, luscious blue-grey. Jeffrey’s is a mange of black, matted fur. How is it possible that they’re so different? Two wolves from the same pack, yet they’re opposites.

  Nash grows as Jeffrey eyes him, walking around slowly. All eyes are on the duo. I wonder how many of these wolves have seen a battle like this before. How many of them have seen a fight that’s so raw and dirty?

  Jeffrey strikes first, leaping at Nash, and it’s all a blur from there. The crowd goes wild, and I notice an even mix of cheers for both wolves. Dammit. Even if Nash wins – and he has to win – he’s going to have a tough time getting the pack under control.

  They roll around, scratching and biting at each other. At one point, Jeffrey has Nash pinned and I think it’s all over, but Nash manages to flip them so he’s on top. He pulls his paw back and is about to scratch Jeffrey’s face with his claws, but Jeffrey suddenly shifts, catching Nash off guard.

  “What the hell?” I say, and step forward, but Germaine holds me firmly in place.

  “Patience,” she whispers. “This is normal.”

  “But he’s cheating,” I say.

  “It’s okay,” Germaine insists. “Nash has this under control.” She turns to me then, her eyes bright and shining, and she says, “He was born for this, love.”

  I know she’s right. Nash has Alpha’s blood in him. Still, hearing his shrieks and cries as he battles my brother do nothing to help the waves of nausea rolling through my body. They’re both bleeding and crying out with every slash and hit. It’s all I can do to stop myself from running between them and trying to get them to just stop.

  I take deep breaths as I watch. Nash is an incredible fighter. Even in wolf form, I can tell that he’s built for this. He’s lean and long and his eyes never leave Jeffrey.

  Not once.

  They’re both getting tired and moving a bit slowly. Their bodies are covered in so much blood I can’t tell which one is in worse shape. My heart hurts for Nash as I watch him fight.

  He takes blow after blow after blow, and then, just when he’s on the ground, just when Jeffrey is about to saunter over and get him, he leaps up unexpectedly and goes for the throat.

  Jeffrey lets out an unholy scream as Nash tears into him.

  He went for the kill.

  I wonder how long the fight lasted. It felt like hours. The entire crowd is silent as Nash stares at Jeffrey’s broken, bleeding body.

  He shifts back to human and that’s when I know it’s for real.

  He’s dead.

  And I’m finally safe.

  Nash turns and his eyes search the crowd for a moment until he locks onto mine. Germaine releases me as I go to him. I step into the center circle, ignoring the blood that covers the entire area. Nash looks weak, tired, and pained. He shifts back as I reach him and he practically falls into my arms.

  “You’re hurt,” I murmur, and he just shakes his head.