Chapter 23

T he crowd backed up as the yellow glowing ring of magic edged toward them, zapping a few of the slower ones. Tails smoldered and one wolf yipped in pain before prancing away.

Inside the circle, Elva looked at Wulfric and raised her voice to echo over the camp.

"A challenge has been issued. Standard rules apply. It will be a fight to the death or to unconsciousness. You have two minutes to prepare."

Her words were so final, and Wulfric's spine snapped to attention. Some of his memories of previous battles while human flitted in and out of his mind along with the two other alpha challenges he'd participated in before.

The same sense of cold calm settled over him now as it did then. Elva and the other two Elders each went to the edge of the circle, forming a triangle between them with the fire in the center.

Wulfric turned to face Scarlet. He had to make sure she was alright. But she just looked up at him with those fierce green eyes, one brow raised. "You didn't tell me Grandma was a fucking legend here."

He grinned and shrugged. "Wasn't sure you'd actually come all this way if you knew."

She rolled her eyes, then looked over at Brody who stood talking with his two friends, now both in human form. She looked back up at Wulfric, the concern on her face making his chest ache.

"How is this going to go? Will you be alright? Are you recovered enough? Can I help?"

He grinned, his feelings for her filling him with hope, purpose, and determination to succeed.

"I'm going to win," he said with confidence. "It'll just be the two of us in a fair fight, and that, I can handle."

"But your injuries—"

"Are healed. Don't worry, bunny. When this is over, I want to show you the camp and introduce you to some friends."

She looked over at the crowd nervously, the flash of vulnerability nearly making his knees weak. He wanted to pull her into a hug and protect her from the world, but she was more likely to punch him for it than seek comfort.

Elva's voice rose over the crowd. "It is time."

The Elders lifted their staffs and said an incantation together. A magical barrier erected itself from the circle, straight into the sky. Then Brody's two friends each were pulled by magic. One was forced to Nomani's side and the other went to Barley.

Scarlet struggled as magic settled on her, but Wulfric just shook his head. "This is normal," he said. "Elva will watch out for you."

Scarlet's feet slid along the compacted dirt. Elva smiled at her and nodded when Scarlet stopped beside her.

Wulfric turned to face Brody, and faintly heard Elva say, "Welcome to the Growlers tribe known as the Ironpaws, my dear. I'm Elva the Elder. I'm sure you have many questions, but all in due time. Prepare yourself. It's–"

Brody roared and attacked without warning, shifting in mid-air. Wulfric reacted and shifted, meeting him head on as a wolf. Brody swiped, but Wulfric was done messing around.

They'd already fought once. It was time to end it for good. He wrapped his claws around Brody's shoulder and took him to the ground. Brody rolled, and his claws slashed at Wulfric's ribs.

Wulfric grabbed his paw with his jaws and bit so hard he felt the crunch of bone. Brody yelped and clawed Wulfric's face with the other paw.

He jerked back with a howl and pushed off Brody. Pain shocked his body once more as Brody's claws ripped flesh, and Wulfric stumbled away.

Brody leaped off his back legs, one of his front paws held loosely, and slammed into Wulfric. They both tumbled into the fire. It licked at his feet and heels, singing his tail in seconds, and climbed swiftly up his body.

Howling in pain, they rolled out, twisting in the dirt as each tried to put out their own fire.

Brody shuddered and gasped as he swiped his still smoking tail in the dirt, but Wulfric came to his feet first. He patted his body furtively, then took a char-filled breath and pounced, knocking Brody onto his back.

The crack of bone made Wulfric howl in triumph as he rained blow after blow onto Brody's still smoldering side.

From the corner of his eye, Wulfric saw movement. He ignored it, lifting his paw to swipe once more.

Then someone slammed into his side, and a burst of pain exploded through his body. He slid over the dirt, breathing shallowly as the pain pulsed in his ribs. A wolf lunged for him, but Wulfric blinked and rolled, stirring up dirt and ash.

The snarls and growls of fighting wolves were familiar, but the flash of red in the dusty air made him rub his eyes.

His heart raced as he pushed past the pain and blinked to clear his vision. The magic circle had changed colors to purple, something he'd never seen in an alpha challenge before, and Brody's two friends now circled Scarlet. They were no longer held by magic but participants. He opened his mouth to yell at the Elders, to ask questions, but her daggers swiped as she spun and slashed at the other two. They toyed with her, testing her defenses and skills.

Wulfric's mouth snapped closed as he focused on his mate. He had to save her. He circled the scattered fire, looking for an opening to leap in and help when movement to the side drew his eye.

He turned to look but another pain slammed into him. Fuck, love had made him blind. Brody had pounced at Wulfric's distraction.

Wulfric couldn't let him win. Not when Scarlet was on the line. He went feral, reaching into his primal nature to find the spark of wildness he needed to win.

Wulfric's bloody jaws clamped onto Brody's throat. Flesh ripped and shredded, blood seeped into his fur and filled his mouth as he tore into warm meat. Then there was nothing else but this joy in the snapping of teeth and tearing of flesh. Brody whimpered, but Wulfric flung him side to side, holding tight with his jaws locked, slamming him into the ground hard enough to make his own head pulse.

And still he didn't release his opponent. A flash of red penetrated the blood-lust haze, and he blinked swiftly, his gaze landing on Scarlet, still fending off the other two Growlers with her twin daggers of death.

The feral mindless bloodlust lifted, and Wulfric leaped into the air, slamming Brody down to the ground with his mouth still locked around where his shoulder met his neck. He felt a snap, then Brody went limp in his jaws.

Something tugged on the edge of his consciousness, and he tossed Brody away. The winds pulled his attention to Scarlet. When a glance confirmed that Brody lay still, he turned to find his mate.

She slashed at one wolf and went low, drawing blood and making him yip as Wulfric jumped over her, landing on all fours behind her. Back-to-back, they each swiped and slashed at the two remaining wolves.

A thump, and the ground shook with magic again. They rode out the wave, and all four of them stopped to glance at the Elders.

Elva stepped forward and lifted her staff. "Brody has failed the challenge. Wulfric remains alpha. When someone is raised to an Elder, we make a pilgrimage to the ruins of the goddess. We each received separate visions from the goddess with instructions once this alpha triumphed in his third alpha challenge. Now is the time for the prophecy."

The three Elders chanted in the ancient tongue. Wulfric's hackles rose as the magic swept through the camp like a pulsing wave, knocking those closest to the Elders to the ground.

He shifted back to his semi-human form as he flew through the air, grabbing Scarlet's cloak to pull her close to his side as they rolled on the ground. She shivered as magic pulsed, and he prayed that she wouldn't pull away.

Then she turned her head to his chest as the magic washed over them. One arm around her back, one on the back of her head, he breathed in the comforting scent of her. It grounded him, even as the world seemed to tilt and spin. The magic flowed through him and threatened to turn his stomach.

A searing pain in the back of his skull slammed into him, as if someone had taken a pick and hammer to his head. He howled and stiffened.

Scarlet's hands on his back pressed him closer, and he whimpered, bowing his body around hers. He wasn't proud of it, but it wasn't because she still held her daggers in her hands, pressing them into his back.

No, it was the flood of forty-five years of memories. Almost all of them came back like a hurricane. His parents' shop, his friends from the village carousing at the tavern, wooing his wife, the birth of his babe… He choked down the bile and tears, each memory choking him as his mind spun out of control.

Then the overwhelming feelings receded like a gentle, outgoing tide. He opened his eyes as the glowing magic faded. The circle keeping the rest of the crowd out had dissipated. Scarlet pulled back and glanced over at him. "Are you alright?"

He swallowed hard, but couldn't speak, his throat too choked with memories. He ran his hands over her head to check for injuries, but she was fine. He sighed in relief and groaned as he moved to his knees, then his feet, not releasing Scarlet's hand. His head pulsed with pain.

Wulfric glanced over the crowd as everyone stood, but it took a few seconds to comprehend what he was seeing. All the turned Growlers were holding their heads. Some were retching, some fell to their knees with tears in their eyes as they sobbed. A few howled in anguish.

Wulfric blinked and pulled Scarlet into the safety of his arms. His mind went blank with what to do next, what to say, what questions to ask. He was paralyzed by the changes, but holding Scarlet kept him from panicking over his failure to lead.

She mumbled into his chest, "Too tight."

He immediately pulled back, loosening his arms and sucking in a deep, shuddering breath.

"Are you alright? What happened?" She searched his face, then scanned down his body for injuries.

Pain still flowed through him with every beat of his heart, but it was dull and achy. An old pain that would never really go away. A familiar ache of lost family and friends.

"Wulfric?" she asked.

He looked down at her in bewilderment. "I–all my memories. They're back."

Her brows rose. "All of them?"

He nodded, dumbfounded as emotions swirled in him. He remembered his parents, his childhood growing up in the shop. He remembered being good with money and making deals for supplies.

He remembered meeting his wife behind the tavern, sneaking away from her parents, the fight with her parents over her hand. He remembered their baby girl and happy days singing in the tavern with his friends.

Then he blinked as tears ran down his cheeks. He remembered the fever that swept through the village. The death, the heartache, the loss. He choked back a sob and pulled Scarlet tight into his arms once more.

The old woman, an Elder, stepped closer with a soft, sad smile on her face, but Scarlet barely paid attention. She could almost feel the pain radiating off Wulfric. He swayed, and she held him up in her arms.

"It's too much," Scarlet said, seeking the eyes of the Elder woman. "He needs rest and healing."

The old woman nodded and stepped toward the crowd.

Wulfric mumbled, resting his forehead to her shoulder with a sigh. "I'm fine, bunny, we're both fine."

Scarlet's chest ached at the endearment as the Elder's voice rose over the wailing.

"Tomorrow at noon, we will meet in the longhouse, and the Elders will explain the prophecy. For tonight, go back to your tents and rest. Remember and get warm. All answers will be given tomorrow, and the alpha will decide what's to be done. All hail the rightful alpha Wulfric."

"All hail alpha Wulfric," the crowd murmured, shifting uncomfortably. Most still held their heads, snow now piling on top of them all.

Winter was supposed to be almost ending after this last cold snap. But now that the fight was over, she shivered.

Wulfric bowed his head to the crowd. "Thank you. I tell you now the same thing I said five years ago. I am here to serve and protect."

The Elder woman raised a brow at them. "Alpha, do you have something to say about our guest?"

Wulfric growled and nodded, wrapping his arm across Scarlet's shoulders and gripping her to his side. He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and stared at the crowd.

He stood proud and naked in front of the fire, full of vitality, virility, and confidence as he commanded the crowd's attention. Blood covered his chest and face, but Scarlet found him all the more enticing because of it.

"This is Scarlet, granddaughter of the druid, and one of the most feared Hunters. She is an honored guest… and my fated mate."

The crowd gasped and then whispered furiously. Several children pointed at her, and a few looked at her in fear. Wulfric's voice rose over them all.

"You will treat her with the same respect you treat me. I know how you are feeling. I feel it too. When we were turned, we gave up our humanity, our memories, but they are back."

Half of the Growlers didn't appear affected but they looked warily at those who either held their heads or stomachs. Some stood with heads held high, openly weeping even as they looked to their alpha for guidance.

Pride made her see him in a new light. He had the same burden of leadership that Knox had. She recognized that same look in his eye as he addressed the crowd.

Damn, he really was so much more than a mindless monster.

Wulfric's voice commanded respect and honor. "I don't know what the prophecy is or why we have been given our memories back. The Elder is right. Those are questions for tomorrow. For tonight, I want to lay in my warm bed, honor my past, and remember who I was. What I gave up."

The crowd grew quiet, and Scarlet knew his words resonated with many of them.

He nodded curtly and blood dripped off his chin. "May you all do the same. Rest easy, knowing we will get through this together on the morrow. Now go to bed."

Wulfric's knees buckled, and Scarlet held him up as everyone shuffled away. Wulfric looked at Brody's prone body, his two friends kneeling at his side and quietly checking his injuries.

"Does he live?" Wulfric asked softly.

One of the now shifted men, a gangly, black-haired boy who couldn't have been more than twenty, nodded.

Wulfric sighed. "Nomani, will you heal him?"

She nodded and moved to his side, waving two from the crowd to come and lift him. While she gave direction, the two who had fought beside him stood to their feet.

They glanced at each other nervously, and Wulfric frowned, meeting each of their gazes. "Come here. Stand and accept your fate."

Their heads hung low but they shuffled to stand in front of Wulfric and Scarlet. Wulfric dropped his arm from Scarlet and laced her fingers with his own.

He said, "You broke the law when you assisted Brody with the illegal alpha challenge. Do you deny it?"

"No, alpha," they said in unison, their gazes on the ground.

Wulfric sighed, his shoulders deflating. "The law states that you are to be killed."

Scarlet froze. This was the type of Growler she'd heard about. Heartless and ruthless killing. Justified, but the idea of their deaths twisted her stomach.

She didn't want to analyze why. Probably her stupid curses making her weak.

"Yes, alpha," they both said, voices tinged with fear and dread. They didn't look up as they sank to their knees in front of Wulfric and waited to die.

Wulfric shook his head. "Brody went about this entirely wrong, but some of his ideas are good. Tomorrow, after the Elders explain things, I'd like to discuss those ideas and how we might find a compromise. I am not a tyrant or a king or a monster. We are a family, a tribe, a pack. One people united into the Five Uncivilized Tribes. You will swear allegiance to me tomorrow, or you will be exiled. Do you understand?"

His gaze bored down at them, his face fierce with blood and dirt drying to his fur, his eyes burning from the ash and smoke. Their heads jerked up in surprise, jaws open as they nodded, hope clear in their eyes.

Then Wulfric nodded. "Very well then. Go back to your tents and think of what you will say tomorrow and what choice you will make."

Scarlet looked up. Most of the crowd had dispersed. The other Elder woman had disappeared with Brody. The male Elder stood watching the crowd, tall and expressionless as he held his staff.

The last Elder woman—had she introduced herself as Elva?—stepped up to them and smiled. "Well done, alpha. Now let's get you to your tent and patched up."

Scarlet's breath caught in her throat as Wulfric's arm came around her shoulders once more. He leaned heavily on her as they followed the woman to the largest tent in camp.