Chapter 16

Bastian

Grey and I watch Wes and Cole talk to their parents, reassuring them that they can go up to see Nik in a minute, trying to get them to eat something first.

"Is Theo still sleeping?" Grey asks.

"He was when I left him about an hour ago. If he did wake up, I know he"ll be heading straight to Nik. The enforcers have been checking in regularly, so I know he won"t be alone there for long.

"Maybe you should have someone check to see, just in case."

I give him a confused look. "What aren"t you telling me?"

"Just a feeling, Bastian. I don"t like Theo not having someone with him, even on pride lands. My leopard is telling me there"s something going on, and I always listen."

I trust Grey"s gut more than my own at this point. I get ready to shout for Wes to get his ass to his charge, but I"m cut off by a group of shifters crossing into our territory uninvited. I vaguely remember meeting one of them a while ago, from the Bloodstone Pack, I think it was.

"What is your business here?" Grey demands, bristling.

"We are here to formally challenge Sebastian Westwood for control of the Westwood Pride. He has taken a human for a mate, showing how weak he is. Westwood needs a firm hand and strong leadership to reach its full potential." The brown-haired man who spoke isn"t huge, but I can feel his strength as a shifter and know he would have been a contender for an alpha position in a weaker pack. Too bad for him that Westwood is not weak, and neither am I.

I step forward, addressing the speaker of the group. "And you believe that's you? You believe you are a better fit for this pride and its members?" I scoff. "I assume you are the stand-in for your pack, not who will actually be leading. I cannot see Alpha Bloodstone letting one of his people go off to be an alpha of a pride this large. That's also assuming you win, which we both know won't happen, cub. Who sent you on this suicide mission?"

The desperation in his eyes shows he isn"t unaware that he may lose his life today, and as he gets closer, I see the resemblance to the alpha of the Bloodstone Pack. I know he"s not their heir, so I"m guessing this is Logan, the second "spare" who has been told to prove that he has what it takes.

"You decline my challenge? Does that mean you concede, Westwood?" His tone doesn"t quite match his eyes, but I understand the need to not be seen as weak.

"No, cub. You"ll get your challenge. I propose it not be to the death, since you have so much of your life ahead of you, and you should learn from this loss that life does indeed go on," I cajole him.

Pain flashes across his face, but he stands firm. "I cannot. It must be a true challenge for alpha, a fight to the death." He shucks his clothing, not waiting any longer. I simply shift, letting my clothes tear. I will not give him a time advantage in case he isn"t honorable and tries to attack before I"m fully shifted.

My lion is enraged, roaring out the acceptance to the man"s challenge. While I watch, Logan shifts into a large grizzly. Fuck, I hate fighting bears. I roar again, and he joins, opening his giant maw and adding his deeper sound.

Grizzlies are incredibly fast for their size, so I cannot just use speed to combat his strength. I circle around a few times to watch how he moves and must admit that he has obviously trained, but has little battle experience because of his age. He"s telegraphing every move he wants to make.

I wait for the next shuffle of his feet, lunging at the opening he leaves in his left side. I ram my body into his exposed ribcage, clawing and biting to get through his thick fur. He swings wildly, almost knocking me off. Realizing his current flailing technique isn"t working, he slams his body onto the ground ribcage first, crushing me in the process. It takes me entirely too long to catch my breath and wiggle my way out from under him, narrowly avoiding his claws as I rise.

My body aches from the slam, but it"s nothing compared to the carnage that is his left side. His movements falter, but he doesn"t fall. A flash of grey near the bystanders catches my attention. Ryker is flagging down a group of enforcers in his wolf form, motioning with his snout toward the house. I shake my head and hope whatever that is can be handled by the group, because I need to stay focused.

The bear didn"t use my distraction to get the upper hand, which surprises me. I would think someone out to kill me would stop at nothing to follow through. I circle him again, taking in his body language. He"s primed and ready but doesn"t look eager to fight me. Like his pride won"t let him back down, but his heart isn"t in it.

We continue to circle one another, taking quick jabs and swipes when the opportunity presents itself, but there is no heart in it from either side. I become more suspicious the longer the bear simply watches me.

We must be taking too long, because gasps echo around us, drawing both of our attention once again. My Theo is being held at knifepoint, leading a stranger around the perimeter of the crowd. I wouldn"t see that as the biggest threat since we could immobilize the man before he stabs my mate, but the red dot on his chest right above his heart that moves with him means a sniper has sights on Theo in case the man with the knife fails.

They come to a stop close enough for me to hear them but far enough that their sniper still has a clear shot. "Tsk, tsk, Logan. I thought you might have actually had a chance, but you prove once again that you are nothing." I swing my gaze to Logan, who is now standing there as a man, naked and bleeding, his face a mix of shock and horror.

He shakes his head fervently. "No, Murphy. I was going to challenge him just like Father said. He didn"t say anything about Bastian"s mate! That"s low, even for you." Disgust colors his tone.

I let my eyes sweep the crowd, looking for Grey and Wes and find only my second standing off to the side. Cole is further down, trying very hard not to stare at the path to the woods we always use for pride runs. Wes must be tracking the sniper. I also notice Solomon and Jasper are missing.

"You were always such a weak boy. What did you think you were going to do, sacrifice yourself to "save" these people? We knew you wouldn"t win, so I came up with a contingency plan. If the human dies, it stands to reason his mate will follow, right? I"m sure the remaining members here would thank us for culling a weak Alpha. If not"—he shrugs—"they"re welcome to join him in death."

The way he"s talking, it sounds like he brought a hell of a lot more people than we can see here. If it were only the twelve, we"d be fine, as they are no match for our enforcers. There would be plenty of adults who could fight with us, too, if another few were scattered around our pride lands, but he is implying way more than just a few.

I need to stall until the red dot disappears from Theo"s chest. Unless? Oh, shit. "How did you know where my mate and his guards would be today?"

The man cackles. "We just needed an in, and we have to thank your generous pride member for seeing you for what you are and just handing us any piece of information we could possibly need!"