14. Fourteen

I knew it was coming, but hearing the words uttered from his lips was like a stab to the heart. They didn’t think I was worthy.

Why should they? Look at me. I was bloodied and broken and looked like I’d had my ass handed to me.

They hadn’t seen me take out Alpha Dane’s men earlier, though. The jerks had never even touched me.

Lincoln put his hand on the small of my back. His voice filled my head. I’ll fight for you.

No,I answered immediately. I have to do this myself, Lincoln. Having you do it for me proves nothing. Someone else will just challenge me again. I have to prove myself. Then maybe this will stop.

Lincoln sighed, but I could tell that he knew I was right by the fear swirling around him. Fine. I can still help you, and you should ask to be allowed to shift first. It won’t be a fair fight.

No.I turned to look at him and gave him a small smile. I’ll fight like this, and I’ll do it without your help.

Lincoln’s brows knitted into a deep frown. Sloane, you’re hurt.

I brushed past him and went toe-to-toe with Thomas. “I accept your challenge.”

The corners of his lips tugged up into a harsh smile. The jerk thought he’d already won. He didn’t know me. I might not be a fighter, but I was stronger than he knew.

I was going to show him I’d been to hell and back again, and I’d be damned if I was going to give up my spot now to some idiot who thought he knew better than me.

Movement caught my gaze. It was Willa. She stood on the porch, hugging one post that supported the awning. One hand covered her mouth, and her eyes grew wider with fear.

I held her gaze, and she gave me a nod. We’d made a pact to take down Alpha Dane together, and I wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of it.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Thomas. “Are we fighting as wolves or as humans?”

He leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t want to hurt you. I just don’t think you can lead. There will be a spot for you in my pack. I promise.”

I narrowed my eyes and made a pfft sound. “How can you be so sure that I won’t be the one hurting you?”

His brows shot up, and then he laughed out loud, tilting his head back with one hand on his chest.

I gritted my teeth. We’d see who was laughing when the fight was over. I wasn’t going to lose. I couldn’t. I pumped my fists at my sides.

He stepped back and balled his fists, falling into a fighting stance. “We fight as humans.”

My heart stuttered and then raced. Coward. Of course he’d choose human. If we fought as wolves, I could heal most of my injuries. My leg throbbed, and my head pounded, the beginnings of a migraine blooming behind my eyes.

I took a few steps back and sank into a fighting stance, too. Or at least I tried to. My knee almost buckled, and I stumbled.

Thomas laughed again like this was a joke.

I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off his face.

A growl ripped through the air, startling Thomas and me. It had come from Chance.

He stomped toward us and let out another growl. “You should at least let her shift to heal her injuries. It doesn’t seem like a fair fight when she’s already been in a car accident and one brawl today, while you remain unscathed.”

Murmurs rippled over the crowd. People agreed with him. Good. Let them see Thomas for the coward he was. It was a dick move. Maybe he was a little afraid of me after all. Why else would he challenge me when I was hurt?

Thomas shook his head and motioned to me with his hand. “It’s clear our alpha can’t fight. Look at her.”

Lincoln let out a guttural roar as he stomped forward.

I shot my arm out, blocking his path. Don’t. Please. I have to do this. Let him look like an idiot in front of everyone. It will only make it better when I defeat him.

I couldn’t control everyone, though.

It wasn’t Chance or Lincoln who spoke up next, but Alex, one of the other men who had been with us today.

“That’s not from a fight,” he insisted. “Our alpha kicked ass back there. That’s from the car wreck we were in, and she sustained those injuries before she killed two of Alpha Dane’s men.”

Pride swelled in my belly. Alex wasn’t one of my men. He wasn’t one of Ian’s either. Truth be told, I didn’t know where he’d come from, but I’d earned his respect, and that meant something.

Thomas looked less sure of himself now. He scowled and stood straight, looking at the other members of the pack.

Good. Maybe he should question himself. It was a dick move to challenge me the second I got home.

The thing was, if I beat up Thomas now, it wouldn’t keep someone else from challenging me after him. I had to do what I could now to stop future challenges, and that meant I had to prove my strength.

I rolled my shoulders back and stretched my neck from side to side. “It’s fine. We fight now and like this. Will that be enough to earn your respect? Prove that I’m worthy to lead everyone here?”

I stared at Thomas and then let my gaze wander over the pack.

Most of them looked at the ground as they shuffled their feet.

Thomas’s eyes lit up at my suggestion. He really was a coward, wasn’t he? I just had to prove it.

Lincoln gripped my elbows. “Sloane, this is a bad idea.”

It was a horrible idea. Probably the worst one I’d had so far. But the only way to earn respect was to prove my worth.

Nobody questioned Alpha Dane. They followed him blindly like fools. I didn’t want people to follow me like that, but I did need them to listen to me and respect me.

I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “We don’t have time for everyone to be questioning my leadership. I’ll fight anyone here and now who thinks that they can do better than me. The only thing I ask is if I win each challenge, that this is over and done. We move forward together. We shouldn’t be fighting with each other. We should be looking toward our common enemy and the best way to defeat him so that we can all return to our normal lives.”

About half the pack nodded and whispered amongst themselves.

I brought my fists up in front of my face and pulled my right leg behind me. “Shall we?”

Thomas had the decency to look sheepish. Good. He should. He was being a complete asshole right now.

That didn’t stop him from falling into a boxer’s stance and shuffling his feet as he bounced back and forth.

Lincoln took a few steps back. So did everyone else.

I caught sight of my mother. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her lips moved slowly, but I couldn’t make out the words. My guess was she prayed to Luna for my safety.

She’d been through enough the past few weeks. I hated putting her through more, but this couldn’t be avoided.

Thomas sprang forward like he was coming in to tackle me. I spun left, scrambling out of the way. His shoulder clipped me, and I stumbled but caught myself. Pain ricocheted up my injured leg, making me see stars.

Lincoln’s voice filled my head. Focus! Fight through it. You got this, Sloane.

The determination in his voice gave me clarity.

You got this, girl!

Thomas twirled on his foot and jabbed at me. I shot my arm out, blocking it.

This was nothing like when Lincoln and I sparred. He’d held back, giving me a chance to learn. Thomas went full force, and it flipping hurt like hell when his fist connected with my forearm.

I cursed under my breath and focused on his movements, watching and waiting. I didn’t have the training to fight someone who’d been doing this their entire life. But I believed in myself and the cause and was determined to win. That had to count for something.

I just had to stay out of range of his punches long enough for him to get a little winded.

That was easier said than done.

He threw a couple jabs, but I wasn’t quick enough on the last one. Thankfully, it only hit my shoulder. Pain bloomed beneath the surface, making me cry out.

Thomas smiled smugly.

This was my opportunity. I threw a right hook with everything I could. It hit him square in the jaw.

My knuckles burned, but I ignored the pain because nothing could take away the satisfaction of seeing that smirk wiped off his face.

I threw an uppercut with my left hand, which connected under his chin. His head snapped back, and he stumbled.

Thomas put a hand to his lip, where blood dribbled out. He smeared it away with his thumb and then growled, racing forward.

I darted to the right, but I wasn’t fast enough. His arms wrapped around my waist as he tackled me to the ground.

The dirt and gravel bit into my flesh when he landed on top of me, hitting me in the solar plexus and knocking the air out of me. My lungs screamed in protest, and for a few terrifying seconds, I couldn’t breathe.

Thomas used this to his advantage. He pushed up so he straddled me and started throwing punches.

I flew my arms up to protect my face. His hits were relentless, pummeling my arms so hard I was surprised they hadn’t shattered. The force kept knocking them into my face.

I had to get out of this. Lincoln and I hadn’t covered this when we sparred, and I had no idea what to do. He was bigger, stronger, and he had the upper hand.

My pulse roared in my ears. I couldn’t lose this fight. I couldn’t. I kicked my feet, wiggling and thrashing.

I screamed at the top of my lungs as outright rage took over. I bucked up as hard as I could, lifting my hips off the ground and turning hard enough to knock him off balance. It gave me the opportunity I needed.

I thrust my palm out and hit the heel of it right underneath his nose. Then I smacked him across the face like the little bitch he was.

It didn’t deter him for long. His hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing; I clutched his wrists, trying to pry them off, but I couldn’t. He was just too strong.

Thomas shoved up to his feet so he was bent completely over me, giving himself more leverage.

I clawed at him with my fingernails, knowing that if I shifted, it would void any win I might get. We’d agreed to fight as humans, which meant no shifting of any kind.

My heart thundered in my ears. My lungs begged for a breath.

I wiggled beneath him, desperately trying to free myself. He was just too strong.

This was it. I was going to lose.

A familiar hum surrounded me, followed by a roar as I connected to my mate.

This wasn’t Lincoln. It was Sawyer, and I could feel his rage. Together, we let out a ferocious growl, and I let him have control.

I slid one hand to Thomas’s wrist, the other to his elbow. Then I hefted my hips up,, tucked my knees between us, and shoved him off me.

I kicked him right in the face and then wrenched his arm to the side, bending it at an unnatural angle until it cracked loudly.

Thomas cried out in pain.

I kicked his face again before scrambling on top of him and straddling him. I balled both fists and wailed on him, punching with everything I had. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose. I kept pummeling him.

He squirmed beneath me, but the way that I anchored my foot next to me made it almost impossible for him to knock me off balance, even though I was the smaller person.

I grabbed him by the collar, lifted his head, and then slammed him back to the ground. His head bounced, and his eyes fluttered like he was going to lose consciousness.

I didn’t want to kill him. We needed everyone we had to help win this war. But I needed him to submit.

I got in his face and snarled. “Are you satisfied now? Do you concede, or do we need to take this one step further?”

My voice sounded so harsh, I didn’t even recognize it. To be truthful, I wasn’t even sure if it was me asking or Sawyer.

Thomas let his arms fall to the sides. “I surrender, Alpha. My deepest apologies.”

I shoved him to the ground and stood on wobbly legs. Blood covered him, and bruises bloomed by his eyes and cheeks. My knuckles burned with ugly scrapes and blood.

I turned to face the crowd. “Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me? Or can we move forward now?”

A few people murmured, but no one stepped forward.

I drew in a breath and let it out. “We can’t afford to be fighting each other when our common enemy is out there growing stronger by the day. This needs to end today, so is there anyone else?”

I held my breath, snapping my gaze to where a few of the other alphas stood. It looked like they were arguing about their next step.

I gritted my teeth and waited, hoping I had one more fight in me.