The Challenge (The Pack 2)

Caleb scoffed, “You wouldn’t do that. You always taught me to fight fair.”

“And in a fair fight that would still be the case, but, Caleb, don’t for one second think this is a fair fight. It’s not. When a man is about to die, you can’t predict what he’ll do.” I inhaled again, but this time it was the sweet scent of Jess that hit my nose and I drew the air deep into my lungs. “And trust me, I would do anything to protect the ones I love.”

“He’s right,” Anna seconded, growing defensive when Caleb stared at her shocked surprise. “Survive, Caleb, any way you have to.” For a second, her face was unguarded and I glanced away from the emotion I could see there. She quickly schooled her expression and I wasn’t sure Caleb even noticed. “Our survival depends on yours,” she continued, her voice brittle as she tried to hide the emotions churning just under the surface.

“No pressure,” Caleb voiced and I glanced at him, gauging his mood. His hands were steady, expression resolute and as I watched, his gaze shuttered, locking away any emotion that might interfere with the challenge.

I clasped his shoulder, leaning in so sensitive ears wouldn’t hear as I told him, “I’m proud to call you Alpha.”

Caleb nodded, his voice too tight for words as he grasped my forearm in a tight hold. He released me as vehicles pulled into the clearing and we stood side by side to face the coming fight.

“Ready to lose?” Frank Hanley called as he sauntered into the loosely formed ring, his gaze locked on me.

I smiled. The fool thought he was fighting me today.

“I’m going to enjoy watching you die,” I answered him as Caleb stepped forward and Frank stared at him in puzzlement. “Today, you fight the Alpha.”

Frank moved slowly, caught unaware by the news but as he took in Caleb’s smaller build, a grin started to form.

“You’re going to make this easy on me, then?”

“If you consider dying easy,” Caleb said confidently, a relaxed shrug lifting his shoulders. Frank frowned, unsettled by Caleb’s casual demeanor and I knew we’d won the first round. Fighting was ninety percent mental and if you went in with the expectation of losing then you would.

The Hanley Alpha emerged from one of the trucks and Caleb tensed. Rage hummed over the Pack link, not all of it coming from Caleb as we saw the man who’d ordered the death of our Alpha.

Focus, I barked the command down the link, and felt some of the anger bleed away. A hint of gratitude came from Caleb as he held his head up, facing the true challenger to our Pack.

“You’ve come to watch your son die?” He called to his father’s killer and fury flickered over the older man’s face.

“Always the issue with the Navarre Pack, they allow their pups to speak,” he sneered, his gaze darting from face to face, searching.

“At least we don’t allow them to shoot men in the back,” my father drawled as he stepped from the crowd. “Unlike you, Nicholas.”

The Hanley Alpha narrowed his eyes at the sight of my father, taking in his sheriff’s uniform and the gun holstered at his side. “It seems you’ve come out ahead. No longer having to guard the back of a pathetically weak alpha and you got a job promotion.”

Incoherent rage burned through the link I shared with Caleb at the insult to his father. Control, I cautioned him. Use the rage to take away the thing he values most, his son, his heritage, I counseled him. I could feel Caleb grapple for control and I wondered how much more he could take without breaking.

“Strange you should call our previous Alpha weak when you were too scared to challenge him. Instead, you used a weapon to defeat him. Your wolf not up to the challenge any longer?” My father’s gaze slid to Frank and a snarl ripped from the Hanley’s Alpha’s throat.

“You’ll regret this when you are forced to kneel before me,” Nicholas Hanley roared, spittle flying as he glared at my father and then the rest of our Pack gathered around. “All of you will be taught your place when my son rips out the throat of your young Alpha. You will know what a true Alpha is like,” he promised, his eyes gleaming with a fervent light.

“We’ll see,” Caleb spoke then, a small smile playing on his lips as the Hanley Alpha glanced at him, caught off guard by Caleb’s words. “If you’re done posturing?” He held up a hand and when the Hanley Alpha didn’t speak, he nodded. “Good, then let’s do what we came to do. Fight.” A roar met Caleb’s words as the Pack showed their support and the Hanley Alpha took a wary step back.

The Hanley pack formed a semi-circle across from our people, keeping their distance, but I noticed the Hanley Alpha continued to search the crowd. It wasn’t until his gaze found Sam that I realized who he was looking for on our side.