Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Anders

T he North American Pack has a female alpha. The news is going to spread like wildfire. Not just a female alpha…

A smoking hot female wolf who took down Aimes like it was no problem. If he hadn’t played dirty, she would’ve made it out of the challenge with little more than scratches.

We need to ensure his body is prepared for the ceremony.

Ember is going to wake up to a mess on her hands. My monstrous side doesn’t like the thought of that at all. No challengers will touch Ember, because we’ll be sure of it.

“Hey,” Cohen says, letting himself in the front door. My best friend knows he doesn’t need to knock to be invited in. “I heard what happened. Is she all right?”

I nod, glancing down at the snoring wolf.

Her side is still ripped to hell, but she’ll be okay.

Sofia is skilled at healing.

My heart beats erratically as I study Ember’s pale cheeks.

She’s suffering from blood loss, there’s no doubt about that. Her long, blondish-brown hair falls around her shoulders as she slumbers. She’s undeniably beautiful, but more than that, female shifters are rare.

It’s difficult to comprehend that she’s not bonded.

I exhale loudly, recalling how she went up against Derrick Aimes. The new alpha rained down hell on the pack since he took it by force seven months ago. The low ache that forms in my gut anytime I think of it comes back in full force.

Aimes felt no compassion. Not a single shred of it was to be found the day he killed Burke. Not that I saw it firsthand, but I’ve heard about it in detail from those who witnessed it.

My sister is stronger than most, but it’s clear Sofia is still suffering the loss of her mate. There hasn’t been a true chance for her to grieve her former alpha.

Burke was an honorable wolf and a damn good father to my nephew. Having her other two mates and Kent is all that’s been keeping her going.

Aimes wanted to force her to be his. It’s disturbing on a level that’s difficult to comprehend. She’d been in that cage for four days, and I knew I had to act before one of her two remaining mates did. If she lost either of them, I’m pretty sure it would have been game over for my sister.

Losing one bond is unbearable, but two is something I don’t think she could have survived.

“Anders?” Cohen asks softly.

“She’ll be okay,” I whisper in an equally low tone.

“Where the hell did she even come from?”

My head shakes. “I have no idea, but she said she drove here. She also wanted to call her family.”

Which might be a good thing. She mentioned having brothers.

If they’re also shifters, it will give her some protection. She can stack her enforcers with family. Or maybe I can talk one of them into challenging her. He wouldn’t need to kill her to take the pack, and if they’re anywhere close to as powerful as she is?—

I would quiet your treasonous thoughts , my lion says, his low tone echoing around my mind. Her wolf would never forgive you if she knew you didn’t think she was strong enough to defend her claim.

Well, shit. He’s probably right about that. I saw her fighting skills. She’s more than capable, and it still scares me. I had an up-close-and-personal view of how dirty the last alpha played. He has supporters that won’t hesitate to do the same.

“Sofia is mobilizing what’s left of Burke’s enforcers,” Cohen says. “They’re sealing off the pack lands and running patrols to keep anyone from coming in or going out. It won’t keep the news from spreading forever.”

“No, but it’s the best we can hope for, under the circumstances.” I nod, wiping a hand over my face. My former brother-in-law ensured his enforcers were trustworthy wolves. Many of them are still loyal to Sofia and her other two mates. “Is Aimes’s body?—”

“I guess he’s still out there. I heard she told everyone to go home and get back to their lives.” Cohen takes a seat.

There’s still an entire cushion between him and Ember, but it’s hard not to rip his throat out.

My jaw clenches, but I turn to face him. He’s staring at my lap, and I frown when I spot my fingers running through her hair.

Apparently, I’m a total creep with boundary issues, but I can’t force myself to stop. She’s entirely too vulnerable for me to be away from her right now.

No one with that much raw power should ever be as incapacitated as she is now.

“I need someone we trust to retrieve the body and prepare it for the ceremony,” I tell him.

Ember lets out a little grunt in her sleep, and I twist to make sure she’s not on the verge of hurting herself. Her eyelids flutter, but she doesn’t wake.

“You want me to handle it?” he asks, like he already knows what’s coming.

Well, that would be convenient, since he’s a warlock and can use his magic instead of brute strength.

“Yeah,” I agree.

“I should have seen that coming,” he says, pushing himself off the couch. “Now, we just have to be prepared for when his supporters regroup and realize they don’t like what happened tonight. Technically, from what I heard, she never should have stepped in.”

“It wasn’t two-on-one, if that’s what you’re insinuating.” My eyes narrow as I try to determine if that’s what he really thinks happened.

“I wasn’t saying that, you cranky bastard,” Cohen says, tossing his middle finger up at me. “But until Aimes judged you and decided your fate, it was technically against the rules for another challenger to intercede.”

I wipe my free hand over my face. “It wasn’t a fair fight to begin with.”

“Probably not,” Cohen agrees, giving a nod and heading out.

Tonight was not my best look.

My stomach aches as I recall the way her wolf came to my rescue.

My wolf is simultaneously mortified and impressed by that. My other animal is a lion, and he’s even pickier. She’s a worthy mate, and they’ve waited hundreds of years for someone to spark their mutual interest.

Lions aren’t common in North America. Although, they are prevalent in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America, due to where the shifter colonies settled.

Because of my dual nature, none of the normal considerations were honored during my challenge.

Wolves can fight in human or animal form. However, the former alpha declared one of my animal forms unusable, which I’d already seen coming. I had no hesitation against fighting in human form, but the alpha wouldn’t allow that, either.

The spineless fucker.

My wolf form is my weakest, which we both knew going in.

The only positive thing to come out of that debacle is that the pack saw him for who he truly is. Most alphas aren’t so rigid with the rules, because setting limitations shows weakness and a lack of confidence in their own abilities.

To make matters worse, Aimes wasn’t going to spare me. He would’ve taken a killing blow to end the challenge, even though it’s not required to win. It’s not unheard of for alphas to fight to the death, but he knew going in that I didn’t want the alpha title.

All I wanted was the power to get my little sister out of his makeshift prison and guarantee her safety.

Kent knew he was supposed to stay away. He just lost one of his dads. I couldn’t imagine him having to watch me die too.

It’s mind-boggling how he ended up with Ember in the first place. I’m pretty sure my seven-year-old nephew begged her to intercede on my behalf…

Goddamn.

That’s embarrassing.

My animal forms rarely agree on anything, but they don’t like it, either.

They’re rather archaic in their thinking. The male should always protect the female at any cost, be the provider, and spoil their mate with love, affection, and more orgasms than her lush little body can handle.

I frown.

That is truly unexpected.

Not unwelcome, but it’s surprising.

Ember whimpers in her sleep, causing my skin to prickle with discomfort. Find the problem, demolish the fuck out of it, and make her feel better.

It’s all my brain can focus on.

Moving her right now might not be the best choice, but the couch doesn’t offer her much space.

My eyes fly to the front door and briefly around the room to the windows.

Aimes could have supporters ready to lash out.

I run my fingers through Ember’s soft hair one final time and gently move her until I can hop up. Carefully making my way around the house, I lock down everything as securely as I can.

My shoulders roll back as my head slides from side to side. It’s not enough, or it doesn’t feel like it.

Once the terms were set, I came to peace with the fact that I might die tonight.

I owe the little wolf my life, and I always pay my debts.

I gather her more carefully than anything I’ve done in a long time.

This house doesn’t have a downstairs bedroom, but even if it did, I’d still be compelled to bring her to mine. Not that it’s more secure than the rest of the house. It will just give me the benefit of hearing someone coming and an additional door between us and them.

Ember cuddles her pale cheek to my tattoo-covered chest. She’s vulnerable, and it sets off every protective instinct I’ve got.

The remnants of the fight didn’t magically disappear. She’s bloody and needs a shower, but then again, so do I. Although, I did scrub my arms and face when I grabbed the first aid supplies.

We make it up the stairs, and my free hand wraps around the door handle. I close it as quietly as possible before shuffling over to my bed. This house has old wooden floors and the boards creak constantly.

Getting to the edge of my queen-size bed, I pull back the covers before placing her down.

My eyes fly to the floor and back to her still body. She could totally roll off if I’m not careful. I gently lift her, repositioning her closer to the middle before heading over to grab myself a fresh T-shirt. I frown at the blood staining my chest and sides but pull the material on, anyway.

My gaze moves back to the female alpha. My lion really likes the fact that she’s in my clothes, but the reminder of the way she got there makes my jaw clench.

Aimes is lucky he’s dead.

Shady behavior or not, I would have transformed into my lion and killed him for attacking the female wolf. It would have gone against all of our codes and customs, and yet, I still would’ve done it without hesitation.

That probably says as much about me as it does him.

I move to the side of the bed closest to the door and climb on while doing everything I can to keep from jostling her.

Lying on my back, I loop my arms over my head and stare at the ceiling.

I’m physically exhausted, but my mind races.

Shit just got real, and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.

Ember snuggles closer in her sleep, and her nose comes to rest against my ribs over the shirt as I stare down at her in bewilderment.

She feels the connection, my lion says smugly. He doesn’t elaborate further, and I do my best to stay completely still. It feels like any slight movement could cause her pain, with how severe her injuries are. Her good side lies against the mattress, and the one that’s ripped to hell faces the ceiling.

Her hand slides over my side, coming to rest on my stomach, and my mouth falls open. Everything in me aches to touch her, too, but I’m not sure if that’s gratitude or what.

My wolf is a beta. Since my lion is an alpha, he tends to win out when it comes to pushing his thoughts and feelings into my mind.

But my wolf comes forward just long enough to say, You should shift. Skin-on-skin contact will help her heal faster.

Indeed, my lion agrees.

My head shakes. I’m flabbergasted. They’ve never shown interest in anyone individually. Having them agree on something? It’s fucking weird. They picked a hell of a person to hyperfixate on.

Ember will have her choice of mates. There’s no way she’d settle for me.