Chapter 11 - Cliff

Moments after my announcement, the sun spread long webs of orange rays across the neighborhood, striking the windows of the house across the street and lighting them aflame. I met Bill head-on with a passionate stare that would have won a round with Robyn. The thought of her dragged my attention to the left, where my vision remained for a long time. She looked sick to her stomach.

And somehow, that look made me feel like the luckiest man in the world.

She could have shown little to no emotion. She could have played it cool. She could have even chosen to stay inside while I made a show of this challenge.

But she hadn't.

She brought Sydney outside to witness my brave testament to protecting them. Nothing felt more right in this moment than what I was doing. I was pleasantly surprised to see the looks of approval in the crowd. Many of the women were trading glances of relief while whispering to each other about the upcoming event. While I couldn't understand what anyone was saying, I got the impression that this was a welcome event.

Good . These people deserved to be led by a non-possessed wolf who hadn't done his own people dirty. Desperate wolf families were known back in the day to lop off some fur for trade or sale. But what Bill had done was invasive and disgusting. He deserved to be punished for that.

Perhaps that was why he was currently possessed.

Cheers erupted around me as Bill raised his hands. For a guy who inspired fear, he had an eloquent way of capturing the crowd's attention. Once he had soaked up enough attention, he dropped his hands and dismissed most of the crowd. He spoke to his three henchmen while pointing at me.

Soft fingers touched my neck. I swung my head left to find Robyn standing right next to me. Her lemony eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I didn't realize how powerful that would be."

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just realized—" Her focus snapped to Bill, who was approaching us with his henchmen. "Let me handle this."

I took her hand. "It's okay. I've got this."

"If I speak to him, then—"

Bill clapped his hands loudly. "What an incredible display of strength. I was expecting you to do it in Robyn's name, but…" He stopped clapping while focusing on Robyn. "I suppose when you settle, that's what you get."

Robyn visibly flared with rage. "I'm petitioning the current Alpha to allow the challenging Alpha to—"

Bill cackled. "He's no Alpha, dimwit. He's a child playing with fire for the first time." He squinted at me, sneered, and then smiled. "Just because he didn't burn himself yet doesn't mean he's won anything."

"I'm petitioning the current Alpha," Robyn repeated sternly, "to allow the challenging Alpha to stay with me. What do you say?"

"Denied," Bill snarled. "Get back inside where it's safe. I'll visit you later to—"

Robyn growled. "I'm petitioning the Alpha to see the challenger this evening!"

Bill huffed with irritation as he flung a last-straw glare at Robyn. "Moe, take the challenger to your basement and secure him."

Robyn bared her teeth while grabbing my arm, grunting with rageful defeat when Moe muscled my arms behind my back and paraded me through the patchy crowd that lingered in the street. My back prickled with a distinct awareness of Robyn, her hoarse voice trying to get one up on Bill, and her scent of licorice and pepper tickling my nostrils still. That smoky sweetness made me salivate and I dared to flip around just to have another look at her.

Goddess.

What a sight.

Fading sunlight brightened her auburn hair with sparkling orange strands. Though her golden eyes were furious, they held power as well, a devotion to defending herself, her neighbors, and me.

And me .

Her skin glimmered with golden glitter on her tawny beige tan, cheeks red with anger, eyes wide with commitment. Sydney lifted her head from her mother's shoulder and inspected her surroundings with drooping eyelids. The poor girl was just trying to get some shuteye. She made me want to be a better captive, a better challenger. My behavior would surely dictate what happened to Robyn and Sydney next.

It was best not to stir the pot.

Robyn caught me observing her and paused, her features shifting quickly from passionate defense to affectionate offense. Her eyes bubbled with admiration. To receive that look from her was a spiritual trophy in my mind. That alone gave me the strength to smile and turn back around.

Head held high, I marched with Moe to his home, where he muscled me through a sparsely decorated living room into a cramped hallway. From there, we ducked through a wide doorway into a cool and dry basement. Crates occupied the left side of the room, with a cage in the rear right corner. Antique electric lights were strung along the walls, casting a soft hue on the space. The cage was where Moe chained me inside the iron cage that was just tall enough for me to sit upright against the brick wall.

A pipe dripped somewhere in the basement. Under my boots was that shiny gray cement that looked a lot like cliff rock. Long scarlet-brown braids hung in Moe's face as he bowed down to check the lock. Beady black eyes stared suspiciously at me.

I snarled.

The burly guy laughed huskily and retreated to the stairs, where he noisily climbed back to the surface. I was left alone inside the cage, with my brain spinning through different outcomes. The good news was that the first phase of the plan was working now—I had access to whatever was in this basement. And, if I played my cards right, this entire house.

I just had to pick the lock on the cage. I patted my pockets to find my lock-picking kit and casually pulled it out to sort through my picking options. Knowing most pack customs, the Alpha would probably keep me overnight in this cage to ensure sterile fighting conditions. What they didn't anticipate was that I wanted them to lock me up in one of these houses so I could gain access to their archives.

Anything could be considered archives down here. Diaries, sale logs, financial statements—if it kept track of something, then it was sure to tell a story. Once I picked my favorite lock pick, my ears tingled—the hinges on the door upstairs squealed long and low.

Quietly, I shoved the lock-picking kit back into my pocket and watched the stairs on the other side of the basement. Light spilled over the pale khaki wooden steps. A shadow appeared in the square of light, then faded as the door shut. Footsteps clapped through the silence of the basement as my visitor approached.

I bowed my head. "I'm not hungry if that's why you're here. I just want to know the schedule."

The hooded figure stood at the bottom of the stairs, soaking up what little dim light came from the torches on the walls. Delicate fingers removed the rich green hood. "Is that really any way to talk to me?"

My heart pulsed hard. " Robyn! "

She rushed across the room and fell to her knees, the robes billowing around her. The tips of her fingers came through the iron bars like she was about to claw the door off the cage. My instinctual response was to clutch what I could touch of her hands through the bars and shove my forehead against the thick iron.

"Hey," she whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I had to promise Bill a date just to—"

"A date?" My nostrils flared. "Robyn, no."

She smiled weakly. "If you lose this fight, we'll have bigger problems than that demonic jack-off taking me on a date, okay? Don't let jealousy win in a hypothetical situation."

Hot agitation flared in my chest and spread to every limb. "Help me pick this lock."

"Way ahead of you."

Ah, there she was—that adorably rebellious girl who I had met about nine years ago taking a bobby pin out of her jean pocket to pick the padlock. I watched with hypnotized awe and admiration as she expertly worked with a peaceful look on her face. As soon as the lock was off, she tossed it aside and yanked open the door, flinging herself into my lap before I could step out of the cage.

I laughed. The spirited feeling of joy consumed me temporarily, reminding me that there were so many bright spots in life where darkness appeared to exist endlessly. I hugged my sweet girl, who always found me, no matter how late or how dark it was in the night.

"Took you long enough," I teased. "You here to bust me out?"

She whimpered weakly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to get you past that knucklehead upstairs. I had to leave Sydney with Jillian at home because the streets are insane right now."

"Yeah, that guy looks like he can bench an entire truck with one arm."

"At least you're not fighting him to the death."

I gulped as I gripped the small of her back. "Eh, it's kind of scary when you say it like that."

"I wish you wouldn't. I don't want to lose you."

My smile cut through the sadness that threatened to take over. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me ever again."

"That was before I saw how much Sydney adores you."

"She thinks I look funny."

She chuckled lightly. "Yeah, but she's a good judge of character."

"Oh? Is that so? I thought I was a spineless fuckboy."

"I never called you that."

I guffawed as I guided her back. From this angle, the soft lighting made her look angelic. I peered into her eyes, enjoying how she closed them every so often in submissive contentment. I half-expected her to start purring with how much she looked like a satisfied cat taking a nap.

I cupped her face. "You implied it."

"Okay, I implied it."

I smirked. "Something must be wrong if you're not fighting me."

"Cliff," she whispered breathlessly. "I never want to fight you again…"

She kissed me then, a glorious sensation infecting me that made it feel like my stomach was doing backflips, front flips, and side flips. I didn't bother trying to contain my enthusiasm. Robyn was a spectacular kisser. She knew how to slide her fingers through my hair to make my skin tingle with desire. She knew how to accept my tongue when I plunged it into her mouth, capturing it with a lush groan that drove me wild. She leaned in when I adjusted my arms around her waist and then arched back to expose my throat to her.

Yes , that was just what we both needed right now, wasn't it? A bite—which would ensure our bond and our protection. Just one bite would keep my mate from being groped by a possessed freak like Bill Parks, who had no problem betraying his own people for greed.

Robyn nipped my lower lip. I growled as I deepened the kiss while pulling her into my lap, firmly smoothing my hands over her hips to keep her in place. She straddled my lap with a generous roll of her hips, folding into place like she did three years ago. Like she did for many years before.

I tilted my head back, accepting the new angle with ease as my cock hardened. Everything about this felt dangerous and forbidden. I sensed my increasing arousal, her racing heart, and the way the air around us thickened with desire. Already clouding up my mind were the things I had been wanting to do to her since I arrived.

She broke the kiss long enough to inhale sharply and say, "It's been a while."

"It's been a long while."

"I want you, Cliff."

I groaned as I arched her back and nuzzled into her bosom. Such silk flesh waited for me under her robe. I didn't care if we got caught. To hell with the way customs were run here. I aimed to win, and with that victory would come great change. But first, I had to remember what I was fighting for.

And that all started with another heart-stopping kiss…