His hands flexed on her waist. “Thea love … you’re still fast but you’re not as strong as you were as fae. You havenae fought in this body before.”
“Yeah, but I still remember how to fight.”
“I cannae risk it.”
Her expression turned mulish. “You’re going to let me kick Richard Canid’s ass, Conall. If you don’t, I’m going to think you don’t have much faith in me anymore.”
He released her. “Dinnae. Dinnae try to manipulate me into this.”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s not a manipulation. It’s truth. How can you possibly expect your pack to accept me as your alpha mate if you don’t even believe I can kick the ass of a weasel like Richard Canid? He’s a beta, for Christ’s sake, and soon to be demoted to enforced omega. Now, I’m not sure what that means, but it definitely sounds like he’ll be pretty low on the totem pole. Are you saying I can’t kick an omega’s ass?”
Conall strode over to the coffee machine and made his coffee. “Were you this bloody cocky as a fae?”
“I didn’t need to be cocky. I was awesome.”
She thought she saw a hint of a smile curling the corner of his mouth. “Well, be that as it may”—he turned to hand her a cup of coffee as he took a sip of his own—“enforced omega means that’s the official status Richard will have in his pack. It doesnae mean he loses the strength of a beta.”
“But I’m an alpha.”
“Aye, but many beta males have beaten alpha females in Challenges. It’s just a scientific fact, Thea, that many men are stronger than women. It’s not a deliberate attempt to keep females down in the ranks.”
Thea curbed the urge to growl. “Did I outrun you yesterday?”
“Aye.”
“Did I keep up when we were tussling?”
“Aye, but I was going easy on you.”
“Ugh, you just love the fact that you’re more powerful than me now.”
Conall gave her a chiding look. “A wolf is only as strong as his heart, and my heart belongs completely to you. So who really has the power here?”
She melted a little. “Okay, not fair sweet-talking me right now. Here’s the deal. You’re one of the strongest, fastest alphas I’ve ever encountered, Conall. And I’m faster than you. Not stronger, but faster. That’s what a woman needs in a fight against a stronger male. She needs to be fast and strategic and since I’ve been running for six years, fighting for my life, I’m both those things.” Feeling hurt twinge in her chest, she glared at him. “Becoming a wolf doesn’t wipe that out, and suddenly this isn’t just about making a statement to the pack, it’s about you. If you don’t think I can do this, we’ve got bigger problems.”
“Jesus fuck,” he snapped. “It’s not that I dinnae think you can do it, Thea, it’s that I just got you back after days of thinking I might have to bury you. And no matter how strong or fast you are, anything could go wrong in a Challenge. I dinnae want to lose you!”
It was like being bellowed at by your loving, pet bear.
A little intimidating, even though you knew he’d never hurt you.
Thea stared at him in silence, all her love for him in her eyes, but she refused to stand down. “You can’t swaddle me in bubble wrap, Conall. That’s not what the pack expects from us as the new alpha couple.”
“They’ll expect what I tell them to expect,” he grumbled.
Smirking at his adorable grumpiness, Thea set her coffee down and closed the distance between them, resting her hands on his chest as she leaned into him. He stubbornly didn’t touch her, which made her smile widen. “I’m a fighter. I didn’t start out that way and I didn’t want it … but it’s who I am now. And yes, I am looking forward to starting a life with you where I don’t have to run and where I don’t have to fight all the time. But I faced a man I spent six years running from and no matter the consequences of that, facing him changed me. I took back my power. I realized the importance of facing my fears. I’m a fighter. You made me believe that. Now Richard Canid did do all those things to you, but he took away my choices, Conall, when he attacked me. I deserve retribution for that.
“I deserve to make the choice to fight him.”
Her mate studied her for so long, she worried this argument would end badly. However, he put his coffee cup on the counter to free his hands. His arms slid around her waist and he sighed, long and deep. Bending his head, he rested his forehead against hers. “That was a pretty good speech.”
Hope bloomed. “Meaning?”
He raised his head to look into her eyes. “I willnae stand in your way if you want to take the Challenge to Richard, but he may not agree. He might choose to fight me instead. But if he does agree, you must promise to make it fast. Dinnae make me endure watching a long battle.”