A Wolf's Duty (23 page)

“This is my true mate.
I’ve waited longer than any of our kind and was rewarded with the
perfect mate, more than I could ever have hoped for. Your claims
are lies, Lucinda and I should have you severely punished for
them.” The smell of her tears still filled the air, and he could
feel her body trembling within his grasp. “Calm down dearest, don’t
worry, there’s only you for me and I for you. I swear,” he
whispered in her ear, rubbing his rough cheek against hers before
standing to his full height to address the council and his parents.
“My mate and I are leaving.” Gripping Alex’s hand within his own,
he turned and headed towards the door, before Lucinda’s voice
stopped him in his tracks.

“I’d hoped it wouldn’t
come to this Tobias and I want you to remember that you forced me
to do this. I invoke the right of Challenge.”

His steps faltered while a
collective gasp could be heard from behind him. “You don’t want to
do this Lucinda.”

“You’re right I don’t.
Accept me as your mate and I’ll rescind my Challenge.”

“I’ll never do that
Lucinda, never.”

“Then my Challenge
stands.”

“Tobias, what’s going on?”
Alex whispered aware of the increased tension that filled the room
at the mention of a Challenge.

“You’re sure you want to
do this?” A council member inquired, her head turned and Alex
recognised the speaker as the man that had interrupted her and
Tobias in the garden yesterday.

“I am,” Lucinda
responded.

“Tobias, I don’t
understand what’s happening,” she whispered, becoming increasingly
agitated as confusing conversation continued to flow around
her.

“The clans will need to be
gathered,” another council member added.

“How long will that take?”
Her eyes darted to the next unknown speaker, her heart pounding
faster in her chest.

“They can probably be
gathered in three days.”

“Then that’s when the
challenge will take place.”

The whispers
began to respond to her increased anxiety and the ground beneath
their feet rolled.
Ssshh,
she yelled.
I need to
concentrate if I’m going to understand what’s going on, give me a
minute, then you can throw as many tantrums as you like.
The voices quieted and she exhaled a sigh of
relief before turning to face Tobias. “What the hell is going on?”
she bellowed, tired of her questions being ignored and
unanswered.

“Come with me Xandria and
I’ll explain everything.” Her hand tightened within his grasp and
she moved to follow him out of the room.

“Where do you think you’re
going Tobias?” Lucinda demanded; her beautiful face twisted into a
mask of anger and hatred.

“I’m going to explain
things to my mate.”

“You know the rules
regarding the Challenge Tobias, you can’t be with her before the
challenge is complete.”

“You’re right Lucinda, I
do know the rules and I’m sure they state that I can’t be with her
after the Challenge has been announced to all the clans and before
the Challenge itself takes place. As neither of those have happened
I’m free to spend as much time with her as I please.”

Kill her now.
She’ll harm our mate. Kill her!
The demands
of his wolf pressed against his mind and he found himself fighting
not only the wolf’s instinct but also his own desire to rid the
earth of Lucinda.

Tugging on his hand, Alex
began guiding him towards the exit. “Let’s go Tobias, from the
sounds of it we don’t have long and I want you to explain what’s
going on.”

He allowed himself to be
led outside, the loud sound of the door closing behind them
bringing him out of his state of confusion. Turning to her he
gently stroked the side of her face. “Xandria,” he sighed before
easily lifting her into his arms and running back to their rooms.
They soon emerged at the door of his bedroom and he lowered her to
the ground, opening the door and leading her inside.

“What just happened,
Tobias?”

He sighed, content to
simply look at her for a few moments before she waved a hand in
front of his face in an attempt to attract his attention. His eyes
wandered to the bed they had lain on that morning, briefly noting
that the dishes had all been removed. He grasped her hand and
pulled her towards it, sitting on the edge of the mattress and
lowering her to sit on his legs.

“Are you going to tell me
what’s going on, or am I going to have to start yelling
again?”

“No yelling dearest, I
just need a minute.” He pulled her closer, nuzzling his deep into
the curls of her hair and breathing deeply. “If you understood what
had just happened…”

“I’m trying to understand
Tobias, but I need you to explain it to me. I’m not from here so
everything is new to me. What exactly is this
Challenge?”

“It’s a fight,
sweetheart.”

“Ok, a fight, that kind of
makes sense. Who’s fighting? And what are they fighting
for?”

“The fight is meant to be
between the challenger, that would be Lucinda and the one they
challenged, in this case that’s meant to be you.”

“Right, me and Lucinda go
for one another, I can understand that. What exactly are we meant
to fight over?” He groaned, desperate to avoid answering the
question. “What are we fighting over Tobias?” she repeated, her
tone demanding an answer to her inquiry.

“You’re meant to be
fighting over me! The challenge is done to see who would be a
fitting mate for a male and in this case that would be me and if
you lost, not only would you get hurt, I’d have to take Lucinda as
a mate.”

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Her jaw dropped and she
waited a moment, hoping that he would tell her he had been telling
a lie, but the seconds ticked by and he remained silent. “You’re
not joking are you, Tobias?”

“I wish I were, dearest,”
he groaned, nestling deeper into her hair seeking relief from the
stresses the last few minutes had caused.

“So I’m expected to fight
Lucinda, is that basically what you’re telling me?”

“No dearest, that isn’t
what I’m trying to tell you.”

“I could swear that’s what
you just said.”

“No, what I said was that
you were meant to be fighting Lucinda. That isn’t what’s going to
happen.”

“Really? So what exactly
is going to happen then?”

“You aren’t going to be
fighting Lucinda, I won’t allow it to happen.”

“So the Challenge is
optional? Because from what I heard it didn’t seem that
way.”

“It isn’t meant to be, but
I know what she wants.”

“I got that bit loud and
clear. She wants you Tobias, she wants to separate us and take you
from me.”

“What she wants is my
crown. She’s not interested in me; she’s well aware that we aren’t
mates but she’s desperate for power and will go to almost any
lengths to get it. I won’t make you fight Xandria. I’ll give up my
crown and we’ll leave here, we’ll go far away. It’s not often that
a wolf leaves the clans but it’s not unheard of either. I’ll take
care of you.”

“Now I’m sure you’re
kidding.”

“No I’m not, I’ll tell my
parents and we’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

“Tobias you can’t do
that.”

“Why not? If I allow you
to go through with the Challenge you’ll be hurt. I’ve let you be
injured enough while under my protection. If I can prevent you from
coming to harm this time and I’ll do it.”

“How can you be so sure
that I’ll get hurt? I might not you know.”

“Lucinda will fight you in
her wolf form, she’ll stronger and faster than you can even
imagine. She’ll have lethal claws and teeth at her disposal as well
as animal instinct and won’t hesitate to hurt you. You’ll be
injured if I don’t give up my crown and I let you do this. It’s a
small sacrifice to make for you dearest.” He grinned, kissing the
side of her neck.

“Tobias, I won’t let you
do this.” Her mind reminded her of his fair and kind judgment
regarding Ilyanna and her children and her resolve solidified.
“You’re going to make a great King. I can’t screw that up for
you.”

“So what do you want me to
do then? Be a good King but live the rest of my life without a
mate? Without you? I can’t do it. No, I refuse to do it. I’ve spent
too long searching for you to give you up now. I’m very selfish
when it comes to you, I would rather they be without a Prince and
heir than give you up!” Turning her so that she faced him, he
framed her face with his hands before placing a punishing kiss on
her lips. Gentleness fled as he bit at her lips and forced her
mouth open, brushing his tongue against her own before sucking it
into his mouth. “I love you Xandria, you’re the bravest, most
courageous person I’ve ever met. Kind, stunning, loyal to an
unreasonable fault, you’re perfect for me. You will stay with me
and that’s the end of this discussion. I’ll tell my parents we’re
leaving.”

“Tobias, I
don’t want you to do this.” She whimpered, her mind reeling at his
confession.
He loves me! He loves me! Take
that Lucinda, he loves me!
“I want you to
trust me.”

“I do trust you Xandria,
with everything that I am.”

“Then let me fight
her.”

He growled,
“No.”

“I thought you trusted
me.”

“I do, but I’ve already
told you, I’m not going to let you fight her.”

“Look Tobias, I’m willing
to fight for us, are you?”

“Xandria –”

The tone of his voice told
her he was going to try and mollify her into agreeing with him but
she had decided on her course of action and was determined not to
stray from it. “No Tobias,” she interrupted, “don’t Xandria me. I
don’t care if I get hurt, it’s not like it’s something new.” Tobias
cringed at the reminder of his failure to protect her. “I’m
perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“You’ve never fought a
wolf before Alexandria, it won’t be like it was with your
father.”

“Damn right it won’t. I
intend to fight tooth and nail to stay with you. I’m not going to
just lie there and take the beating like I did with Fred. Besides,
I might never have fought a wolf before but I bet she’s never
fought a witch like me before either. And don’t you remember what
Ryan said when we were all still in England?” He frowned, the exact
words clearly having escaped him. “He said that when I told him to
do something, he didn’t have a choice but to obey me. There’s no
way she’ll win.” At the reminder, the merit of her desire to fight
increased within his mind but he chose to remain silent. “Besides,
that bitch needs to be taken down a peg or three, she thinks far
too much of herself and I owe her one for the last time we
met.”

“Xandria, you don’t have
to do this.”

“Yes I do
Tobias, I’m ready to do this.”
A woman in
love will do anything.
She gasped, shocked
as the thought came unbidden to her.
Oh
man, from falling to fallen in under a day, I’m sure that’s got to
be a record. I’m in love? With Tobias?
Her
mind debated the questions for a moment before it settled, the
questions answered.
I’m in love with
Tobias.
She chuckled to herself, the
statement feeling right.
I’m in love with
Tobias and Lucinda thinks she can take him away.
“Not in this life, bitch,” she mumbled
aloud.

“What was that
Xandria?”

“I’ve decided that I’m
doing this Tobias so you had better explain the rules of this
challenge to me.”

“You fight until one of
you submits or dies.”

She gulped at his calm
delivery of a death sentence. “Dies?”

The fear in her voice
caused his reservations to re-emerge. “I told you, you can’t do
this. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“No Tobias,” she shouted
frantically. “It just wasn’t what I was expecting, that’s all, but
I’m fine now. I’m going through with this Tobias so I think you
should just accept it. I’m not going to make you give up everything
for me.”

“You don’t seem to have
understood what I’ve been saying. You’re everything to me. There’s
nothing outside of this room. Only you and me matter.”

“It doesn’t change
anything Tobias, I’m fighting her and I’m going to win.”

He sighed, apparently
resigned to accepting her decision. “I’ll let you do this on one
condition.”

“What is it?”

“Your abilities are new,
untested. I can’t just send you into a fight with an experienced
wolf on the basis of something you managed to do once. If you
insist on doing this then I’m going to have you do some work with
Ryan, just to be sure you can do it again. You’ve got the rest of
today and all of tomorrow to be sure of your power. If he tells me
the night before the Challenge that you can’t do what you’ve just
told me then we’ll run. I’ll be coming to get you in the middle of
the night so have a bag packed with anything you consider to be
important; I don’t want to make that mistake again.”