Chapter 12 - Grayson

Preparing for the second trial was apparently out of the question because the entirety of the Williams Pack had determined that they were done dragging this out. They demanded just one more challenge, and then it would be decided.

Great, wonderful. Nothing wrong with that idea, right? Boy, was I wrong.

"You want to what?" I asked Aspen; my brows shot up to my hairline, and my entire body tensed.

"It is not I that want to do anything. This was voted on by the remaining members of the Williams Pack. They wish to have their Alpha, and the pack members feel uncomfortable waiting much longer."

"So, what? That's it. Because they say all of a sudden, we're having a fight to the death? That can't be part of the rules."

Choal glared at me. His wounds had healed, and clearly, he had forgotten all about how I'd saved his ass right along with the fading injuries. I clenched my jaw to keep myself from screaming obscenities at the man, and then Kaiden was at my side, putting a hand on my arm to keep me from flying off the handle.

"Aspen, we understand that the Williams want their Alpha. Of course, they do. But what happened to the traditional demands of the trials? We've been observant this entire time, and a change like this so suddenly goes against their own standing dictations."

The older man, who had the unfortunate job of being the Williams mouthpiece, nodded solemnly, bowing his head to Kaiden. My old buddy was actually an Alpha right now, and I could sense him sending out waves of concern along with a subtle calming energy.

He'd gotten the hang of his new tricks quickly, and I only hoped that if I were going to follow in the guy's footsteps, I'd do the same.

"I apologize, Alpha. I'm not entirely clear on what was discussed during the meeting of the pack because, as a neutral party, I was expected to abstain. From my understanding, the people of the pack are divided. Still, the majority lies with those who want a final trial."

Kaiden sighed, wiping a hand down his face. Before I could say anything, he pulled me to the side of the room, whispering once we had a decent amount of space between us and the others.

"It's Choal. He's convinced the others in the pack to do this. He knows he wouldn't be able to beat me in a fair fight," I offered.

With a look in Choal's direction, Kaiden nodded ever so slightly. "I'm sure you're right. But there's little we can do about it now. They voted, and without an Alpha to provide the final word, it's just a majority ruling. I'm not sure there's much we can say at this point. Are you well enough to fight?"

I shrugged Kaiden's hand off my arm, eyeing him with a scowl. "I'm fine, Alpha . Kenzie took care of cleaning the injuries, and I'm all healed up."

He swallowed hard, ducking his head momentarily.

We hadn't really been given much chance to talk about the fact that his sister was my mate—something that was getting harder and harder to ignore—and I knew the subject was still… odd for him.

"How is she? I haven't seen her, and Kit said she was pretty quiet during the car ride and the first trial."

Well, what the hell was I supposed to say to that? Kaiden didn't know that I'd originally rejected the mate claim. No one knew. And I wasn't about to tell him now.

No, thank you. I've had enough shots to the balls to last a lifetime.

"She's okay as far as I can tell. We haven't had much time to talk."

I had to assume that Kaiden knew that Kenzie and I had been seeing each other, and then it stopped, but it was entirely possible that we had not realized that we were mates back then. Still, I also knew that the guy had been suspicious about the abrupt end to Kenzie and me a few months back.

We'd also not talked about that. Because fuck no, that's why .

Kaiden quirked a brow at me. "Isn't Kenzie staying with you?"

Nodding, I sucked in a deep breath, doing my best to keep my expression neutral. "Umm, yeah. But I was healing and all, not really up for idle conversation when my skin was knitting itself back together."

With a nod, Kaiden shook himself, like he was very ready to be done with this little chat as well.

"Right, okay. Well, I'll see Kenzie soon. I just…yeah. It's weird to think of her with someone, but I'm not a caveman, so I'm not going to get all ‘that's my sister' on you."

That actually surprised me. "You're not? Well, shit. I guess mated life really has settled you down."

Kaiden laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. "Ah, you'll see soon enough. But anyway, you sure you're good to go? I have a feeling Choal is going to play dirty."

I nodded, thrilled to be refocusing on the fight.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Umm…" I looked around me, noticing the distinct lack of Kenzie in the room. "You think they're going to want to get started right now?"

We both looked over at Choal and the wolves standing behind him. They all wore a lovely collection of scowls and snarls.

"Yeah," Kaiden dragged out and then turned back to me with a distinct "sucks to be you" expression.

"Right."

All I could do was nod. Most of Kaiden's pack and Jet's were here. We had a quorum for the next trial, and I wasn't about to tell them all to wait so that I could go get MacKenzie. I was sure she had better things to do than watch two wolves beat the piss out of each other anyway.

"Let's go then." I raised my brows at Kaiden, gesturing for him to lead on.

We walked back over to Aspen, who looked between us with that solemn expression on his face still, and I just nodded at him.

"All right. I guess you have a fight."

***

Choal and I were shuffled off into a makeshift ring. It looked like the wolves in Kaiden's pack who'd been helping to arrange everything were working triple duty to get the thing ready enough for two Alpha wannabes to have a brawl inside it.

Logs and crates from supplies that had been delivered had been pieced together and nailed down to form the outer ring, which was far less circular than a typical pit. We'd also been set up where the floors were cement.

The expansive space was large enough for all of us to fit in, but the floor was going to hurt like a bitch if I happened to land on it.

It wouldn't feel particularly great to run into the logs or wooden boxes, either. Nails were poking through some of the sections, and I tested the sharp tip with the pad of my finger as I stood inside them.

The rough scrape was enough to tell me that they'd easily pierce through the skin, and I made a mental note to avoid the walls as much as possible. Choal snuffled through his nose as we waited for the wolves assembled to take their places around the ring. The Alphas and their families had been given places to sit, but the rest of the crowd was standing-room only.

"Attention!"

Aspen called out, and I refocused on the center of the ring. As the room quieted, I flexed my hands in the wraps I'd been given. Thankfully, both Choal and I had been provided with a few of the comforts enjoyed by someone who was about to do a lot of punching, and protecting my knuckles was a big part of that.

That was about it, however.

There were no rules; we could shift if we wanted, and we hadn't been provided with any protective gear. Of course.

"Thank you," Aspen called out once everyone was either seated or standing still. "This will be the final trial for the position of Williams Alpha. By a majority vote from the pack in question, our two candidates will face off in the ring. Hand-to-hand combat will determine the Alpha. There will be no winner until one wolf is either incapacitated…"

The air hung heavy around me, and my eyes flicked to the empty seat to the left of Jet.

It had been provided for my mate, but she was still absent. There hadn't been enough time to track her down before the fight was ready to begin, and admitting that I wanted her here wasn't something I was ready to do.

"Or dead."

Aspen looked between Choal and me. As I settled into my bones, testing out the feedback I was getting from my wolf—who'd been curiously quiet—I focused on the feeling of the cool air rushing over my skin.

The room was particularly cool; the basement-like area set down a long stone hall from the main room in Kaiden's home. We didn't have shoes or shirts. Only my pants were keeping me from being completely naked at this point. A fact I couldn't help but be tickled by despite everything.

Yup, going commando to a fight to the death is quite the choice, Gray.

"The Williams Pack is honor bound to accept whichever wolf is declared the winner, and any subsequent trials to remove the Alpha must wait for a period of six months. Gentlemen, are you ready?"

Choal grumbled low, nodding and snarling as his "yeah."

I looked over my shoulder at the empty chair one more time and then returned my attention to Aspen.

"Yes."

"Then I will have you both face each other." Choal and I faced off. "Very good. Wolves, you are permitted to use whatever means you can to beat your opponent. However, any use of altering substances or V?lva magic is prohibited."

My spine tingled at the mention of the new magic the wolves had been introduced to. Clearly, the traditionalists weren't fans of the stuff. But as far as I could tell, neither Choal nor I were going to be using the stuff.

We could both shift, which meant we were magic-free.

"May the most capable wolf win." Aspen stepped back, some of the other wolves helping him to get out of the ring before everything really got started.

"Fight!"

As soon as the word left Aspen's mouth, I flicked my attention to Choal, who came barreling at me like a lunatic. He snarled loudly, dropping his head and shoulders and looking to ram them into my gut.

I rolled out of the way just in time, skidding to a stop right at the edge of the ring. I planted a hand between a collection of protruding nails and braced to push myself off the wood with a hard shove.

Unfortunately, Choal was faster today than he had been against the bear, and he turned on his heel, coming straight for me before I could stand back up. Abandoning my plan to launch myself off the wall, I reached up just in time to stop Choal's knee from colliding with my face, gripping his ankle with both hands.

It took effort to toss him back, heavy fucker that he was, and as I stood, there was a chorus of boos and cheers that rang out around the room.

Fuck, do I shift?

The decision wasn't an easy one right now. I was bigger and maybe a bit stronger in wolf form, but it would be more difficult to keep myself from hitting the nails if I didn't have dexterous hands to keep me safe.

Before I could think much more about it, though, Choal barreled toward me again. I didn't roll this time, looking to keep myself up off the floor. Instead, I shifted directly to his side and used the opportunity to punch the asshole in the ribs.

Choal grunted low, but the blow didn't appear to faze him much. I wouldn't get a chance to land another because the guy was already spinning in my direction. I had to duck beneath a wild haymaker, and the sweeping arch of Choal's arm was a hint at how good the guy's range of motion was.

He's got a hell of a reach.

Having a few inches on me, the hulking other wolf had longer arms. And while those few inches didn't seem like much when you were just standing next to the guy, they meant all the difference when you were faced off against him.

I needed to step back and be careful how I approached him. A punch or kick would risk being in the guy's melee range, and I wasn't too keen on feeling the blunt end of Choal's attached.

Better to be quick in this case.

"Just back down now, Edwards. You won't win this."

The threat was growled through a voice that was hardly human anymore, and that actually gave me the best idea I'd had yet. If I could manage to hold myself in a partial shift, I could have the edge here.

Work with me, buddy. Okay? If we win this, it's over. Kenzie won't be at risk.

My wolf stalked beneath my skin, slipping forward slightly as I mentioned our mate. I knew that the situation was dependent on Kenzie, and that was putting it mildly. But my wolf seemed to consent to my request enough so that I could at least call forward my claws and fangs.

There you go. Now, just hold still, Choal.

I wasn't interested in having a conversation with the man, and I hoped that his distraction for the moment would be enough to land a good slice.

"What cat got your tongue?" He snarled, and I sunk low into my thighs, pulling up all the tension and then rushing forward at him with my claws leveled at his stomach.

Hitting him, I didn't manage to take him down to the floor. I'd only managed to scoot him back a foot or two, but my claws were also submerged in the guy's belly fat. Before I could be too excited about it, though, Choal gripped me by the shoulders and flung me across the ring into the wooden crates.

Pain lanced through my head as it made abrupt contact with the wood, and a few of the randomly placed nails drove into the back of my arm and shoulder.

I tumbled to the ground, my vision hazy. I was only just able to roll out of the way as Choal charged at me again. He was leaking a fair bit of the red stuff, but unfortunately, now so was I.

That attack had clearly not been worth the effort.

"Bastard!"

Choal's cries echoed in the through, and his supporters on the Williams side howled along with him. From the other side of the room, I could hear Jet and Kaiden holler out, and I risked a glance in their direction. They were standing near their seats now, and there was still no sign of MacKenzie.

It's good, Gray. She doesn't want to see you get the shit kicked out of you. She doesn't want to see you at all.

My wolf whimpered in his invisible space, and the flair of hurt that darted through me was enough to keep me from seeing Choal rushing across the ring. This time, when he launched himself at me, it was too late to duck out of the way.

His fist collided with my jaw, and my head snapped back so hard that I worried the thing would pop clean off. Thankfully, my skull stayed attached. Unfortunately, the pain roaring through it went coursing through my entire upper body, and I sagged down to one knee.

Williams wolves cheered loudly, and the ring spun as I tried to clear my vision with a futile headshake.

"Get up, Grayson! Come on!"

Jet's voice hit me hard—the man who had acted as a father when my own had passed away. I forced everything I had into standing again, and the world went wobbly as I reached my feet. Steadying myself against the wall, I looked up just in time to see Choal pulling back his fist to clock me again.

It was a damn miracle that I had the ability to jerk my head out of the way, and Choal's hand went soaring past my face right into the wooden ring around us.

He howled as his knuckles made contact, whipping his hand back and cradling it briefly before glaring at me. His eyes were bloodshot from the fury, and a nail stuck out from between his pointer and middle fingers.

Eesh. That's disgusting.

Choal gripped the nail and pulled it free, throwing it down to the floor, where it landed with a clinking sound. I was still having a damn hard time focusing. Then Choal was gripping me by the shirt and tossing me across the ring again.

I slammed to the ground, the cement just as painful to land as I'd imagined. My wolf was furious, rushing closer to the surface.

Get him, buddy. I can't say what'll happen to Kenzie if he becomes Alpha.

It was true, even if it was also very vague. But I wouldn't put it past Choal to immediately have his pack attack the Edwards if he was promoted to Alpha. Kenzie was an Edwards right now—and my mate. A vindictive bastard could get creative with that information.

A tinge of muted colors settled over my vision as I relinquished more control to my wolf. My claws stretched longer, my fangs descended further into my mouth, and my skin erupted with fur. I also stood a good four or five inches taller, my arms lengthening.

It was fucking weird, like something out of those horror movies Kit had made us all watch, and it was not typical for a true wolf shifter. We had human or wolf forms. Sure, we could call on our claws and fangs, but this was totally new.

This could come in handy.

My spine tingled as my body sensed movement coming from the other side of the ring. I swiveled my head to face Choal, an odd detachment from the fight clouding over me. I couldn't see color the same way anymore, my wolf's sight taking over, but I could pick out movement so much quicker.

And the slight squeak against the floor as Choal's foot shifted over the cement was even more noticeable.

My muscles tensed, and I stood poised for the guy to launch himself at me again. Sure enough, he did, and just as Choal was soaring through the air, both feet off the ground, I jutted both arms up over my head and slashed across the broad width of Choal's chest and stomach.

I could reach him now. My elongated arms and objectively terrifying claws gave me all the distance I needed to deal a crushing blow to my opponent.

"Ahh!" Choal cried out, hitting the ground hard as he gripped his stomach.

Blood oozed from beneath his hands, and I growled at him. My fangs dripped, a hunger to tear him limb from limb expanding through my chest like a wildfire. The Williams, it seemed, was too shocked to make a noise, but I could hear the calls of my pack mates howling in approval.

Stalking over toward him, I stopped just short of Choal's head, swinging my leg over him so that I could tower above him, snarling.

"P-please."

My wolf was hungry, but there were two rules given today—"anything goes" and "It ends when your opponent is incapacitated."

He's done. It's over.

But all I could do was growl at the man. The cries around me died down, and what remained in the oddly silent chamber was the sound of Choal's blubbering. He was begging for his life, and it would be all too easy to just end it.

I lowered down, hovering my fangs over Choal's jugular, ready to strike.

"I'm not a murderer, Choal. And you should remember that the next time you see me."

Gripping his shirt, I hauled him up off the floor. All he could do was dangle there.

"I know this was your idea, and as such, I expect you to get your supporters in line. I won't tolerate rogue wolves in my pack, Choal. Don't fucking test me."

I shoved him back down, leaving him there to begin his healing process in the company of his supporters. They had no reason to stay in the pack with me as Alpha, but if he did, I'd certainly be keeping an eye on him.

When I stepped away, I was suddenly greeted by Aspen, who reached for my arm as I started to shift back into human form. He held it high in the air.

"We have our winner!" Everyone cheered, even a few of the Williams P

ack, who I was sure didn't want me around. "And after a compelling act of mercy!"

The room erupted into chaos, cheers and excitement bubbling over from every angle. But everything felt distant and far away from me as Aspen stood at my side, holding my arm aloft. Every wolf there was in a glorious uproar, howling and hooting and hollering.

But all I could see was the empty chair where Kenzie should have been.