Chapter 22 - Leah

The past few days with Killian had shown me that our relationship was strong enough to continue building and growing together, and I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I felt like I was floating whenever we were together.

I had never understood the phrase “on cloud nine” before, but now that we had finally disclosed our demons and faced our family issues together, I knew exactly what people were talking about.

With my parents and Killian’s brother gone from Pinedale, we finally had the chance to be open, flirty, and playful. And we were taking every opportunity to do it.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Killian said. “What are you doing in here?”

“Making dinner,” I said. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” He licked his lips while looking me up and down. I laughed at his innuendo.

“For food,” I clarified, tossing the kitchen towel at his face.

“Yes, that, too,” he said with a laugh. “After we’re done eating, I actually have a different kind of physical exercise I want to do with you.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You haven’t gone with me to the pack skirmishes yet,” he said. “We’re holding one tonight.”

“You told me about those,” I said excitedly.

Killian smiled at my obvious enthusiasm. “We’ve found it’s a really great way to bond while also staying ready for any threats that might arise. If you want to participate, just let me know.”

“We’ll see,” I said. “I think I want to observe for a little bit. Do the lunas usually join in?”

“Anyone of shifting age is welcome to participate as long as time allows,” he explained. “April and Violet have both done skirmishes pretty regularly. The only rules are that we never attack to maim or injure, and typically, if there is going to be a group skirmish, we set those up in advance—just to make sure that the playing field is as even as possible. But individual challenges can be done spur of the moment.”

Killian and I finished our meal in companionable silence, ending the evening at home by cleaning the kitchen together. It was amazing how two people who had only lived together for a short time could work together in unison. Although doing the dishes wasn’t necessarily a romantic gesture, there was something about doing the chores together that brought me happiness and healing from my past.

I smiled at him as he passed me a plate to dry.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied. “I’m just so glad we’re here together.”

“Me too,” he smiled back.

When we were finished, we got dressed and headed out to the forest to watch the skirmish. Wolves from all over town took all evening to sneak out at random intervals so as not to draw the attention of the humans to the mass exodus of people toward the tree line. We were some of the last to arrive.

“I’ll go talk with the other alphas for a minute before we get started,” Killian said. “Will you save me a spot next to you?”

“Of course,” I said.

I gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know he should hurry back to me. Killian looked at me and took a shuddering breath. I looked at him inquisitively, and he responded by leaning down and giving me a not-so-chaste kiss. For a moment, I forgot that we were surrounded by people.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said quietly as he pulled away. “I’ll be back soon.”

I watched him walk toward Jasper and Nile with a satisfied smile on my face. We had been through so much together and overcome so many obstacles, but we were finally able to move forward together as alpha and luna, husband and wife.

The packs took their places around a circular wooden fence, shifting from foot to foot in anticipation. The ring was about forty feet wide and contained various obstacles spaced randomly throughout. I stood next to one of the wooden posts and looked around at our people, pride welling within me. Soon, I was joined by Killian, and I heard Nile call everyone to attention.

“Welcome, packs of Pinedale, to another skirmish,” Nile began. The crowd cheered in excitement as he continued. “We’re going to start with a group capture-the-flag event before moving on to individual challenges. Contestants, please enter the ring.”

Two groups of three climbed over the wooden fence into the ring and began making their plans of attack.

“Each group has a flag,” Killian explained to me in a low voice. “They can carry it or hide it, but if they are holding it, they have to be in human form. The goal is to reach the other team’s flag before your own is captured.”

“You may begin!” Nile shouted.

I watched in fascination as a few of the contestants burst into wolf form. There was a flurry of activity as some hid, some ran, and some feigned a chase. Both groups were evenly matched, and it took nearly ten minutes of clawing, tackling, and biting before one group emerged victorious.

A wolf from Jasper’s pack transformed into his human form, holding the opposing team’s flag into the air for all to see as the crowd went wild.

“What did you think?” Killian asked.

“It’s more vicious than I realized,” I admitted. “But it’s exciting.”

“The only rule is to avoid intentional maiming or killing. It’s lucky that our kind heals quickly.”

The winners were celebrated and the losers consoled as they exited the arena. Nile then announced a shift to one-on-one events.

It was clear as the night went on that most of the individuals were friends who wanted to have a good time and practice new skills. However, a few spats took place between obvious rivals—especially once Nile moved the objective from capturing a flag to hand-to-hand combat.

“It’s not a bad way to settle scores within the pack,” I acknowledged to Killian.

“We’ve had almost zero in-fighting since we began this,” he replied. “It keeps the arguments contained to a specific night. Everyone has accepted the outcome of the fight and kept it in the ring.”

“I’m impressed,” I said.

Killian smiled. “I had a feeling you’d enjoy this. Do you think you’ll volunteer this round? It looks like things are slowing down, so if you want to, now is the time.”

“Not tonight,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’ve enjoyed watching, but I think I’ll wait until the next event.”

Killian nodded in approval, and I looked toward the ring where the next contestant had entered.

It was Miranda, the woman who had informed me that Killian would come back to her bed when he got tired of me. I saw red flash in my vision as she smiled at me from across the clearing.

“I have no chosen opponent. Is there anyone brave enough to accept my challenge?” she asked, looking directly into my eyes mockingly.

She had challenged my authority as luna and my desirability as a mate, but I wouldn’t allow her to challenge me openly like this. Not without putting her in her place. I cocked my head at her and narrowed my eyes as I made my decision.

“Changed my mind,” I said to Killian tersely.

“Leah, are you sure about this?” I heard Killian mutter.

I could sense the nervous energy in his voice as he strived to keep it steady, but nothing could dissuade me from my goal. This was between Miranda and me.

I placed my hands on top of the fence and vaulted myself over it, landing on my feet opposite the conniving she-wolf. Cheers from our pack rose up from the crowd, with the other two packs joining in. None of the alphas or lunas had participated in tonight’s event, and I could sense that they were all looking forward to seeing what skills their newest luna had.

I may not have had a lot of friends growing up in Sparkle Hollow, but what I did have was a lot of free time to practice maneuvers and build my strength. I hadn’t seen Miranda fight, but I felt confident I could take her down. I was stronger than I looked, and my moves were precise.

“Just a refresher of the rules before we begin,” Nile said to Miranda and me. “You may not go for the opponent’s throat or face. Do not use intentional force to break your opponents’ bones or aim for their major organs. Are you both clear on the boundaries?”

We both nodded, not breaking eye contact, as we began to circle each other in the ring.

“You may fight in human or wolf form,” Nile said. “The winner will be declared after they pin the other person to the ground. Begin!”

Miranda and I ran toward each other at full speed and launched ourselves into the air while we transformed. Destiny and Miranda’s pale gold wolf collided with a thud, falling to the ground as the audience cheered and screamed. Her golden wolf had the advantage of size, but Destiny was more agile. She avoided each pounce and swipe with relative ease, returning a few minor blows of her own.

As time went on, the golden wolf began to pant in frustration and exhaustion. Destiny circled around her menacingly, snapping at her legs.

The golden wolf lunged and was about to catch the fur at the back of Destiny’s neck when I suddenly changed into my human form to slide underneath her. I rolled on the ground under her paws, narrowly avoiding being hit.

I landed with a smile on my face, kneeling on the ground as she spun around in surprise. “Don’t you have any other tricks?” I teased.

The crowd laughed, and I wondered how often others switched between forms during their skirmishes. I hadn’t seen anyone do it tonight, but Nile had said it was allowed. What made Destiny and I such a great team was that we always played to each other’s strengths. There were times when one of us could accomplish something that was beyond the abilities of the other. Since we were always working as a team, it only made sense for both of us to participate.

Miranda transformed as well so she could respond. “Stop playing around and attack me!”

“Why would I do that?” I asked, rising to my feet and brushing the dust off my jeans. “You’re doing such a good job of defeating yourself, I don’t think you need my help.”

Another laugh from the audience met my jibe, and Miranda’s fury overcame her. She ran at me full force, transforming into her wolf once again. When she was only a few feet away and unable to stop her trajectory, I stepped nimbly to the side and allowed Destiny to take over.

Realization widened the eyes of the golden wolf as she saw that she had placed herself in the perfect position to be trapped. Destiny pounced on her back, rolling her to the ground as she barreled past, and landed with her paws pining the other wolf to the ground.

I howled in victory, stepped off the golden wolf, and we both transformed. Miranda’s face was red with embarrassment—where it wasn’t covered in dirt—as she lay on the ground.

I bent down to help her up, but as I leaned over, I looked into her eyes. “Don’t ever try to take what’s mine again,” I whispered. “Understand?”

Miranda nodded in fear as she realized she was completely outmatched and allowed me to help her to her feet. She limped out of the arena toward her sister as the rest of the group clapped.

“Congratulations to Luna Leah on her first win!” Nile announced.

I smiled and waved at the assembly as I made my way back to Killian. I was thrilled with my win, and even more pleased when I saw the bright smile on my mate’s face.

“I won!” I cried excitedly, running the last few steps toward him in celebration.

He pulled me into an embrace and twirled me around in celebration while I laughed.

“That was incredible,” he said. “You have no idea how turned on it made me to watch you take your rightful place as luna to the pack.”

I raised one eyebrow, wanting him to continue. “Oh, really?”

“You were so intimidating, tough, and collected,” Killian said, keeping his tone low so he wouldn’t be overheard. “I’ve never seen anything hotter. All I can think about now is how badly I want to touch you.”

“Want?”

“Need,” he growled into my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine at the seductive timbre in his voice. The power I felt after my victory made me want to feel even more. As much as I wanted to be with him, I also wanted him to work for my attention. Just this once.

I looked around to see if I was being watched by anyone else. Noticing that the attention had shifted away from me, I decided now was the perfect time to test Killian’s need for me.

“Come get me, then,” I dared him.

I walked away from him, and once I was sure he was following, I sprinted into the forest.