A Wolf's Duty (27 page)

Moving into the empty
circle that the surrounding people formed, she looked at him,
noting that his fists were clenched tight and she smiled to
reassure him. He was flanked by both his parents and the Council on
an elevated platform. Everyone on the platform wore solemn
expressions and she had to resist the urge to laugh out loud at the
imposing picture they made.

“Where is the challenger?”
A councilman asked, she recognised the dark haired man as Charles
and smiled warmly at him; Lucinda’s voice floated to her ears and
her smile quickly disappeared.

“I’m here.”

“Good, now that both
challenger and challenged are here, we shall begin. State your
claim.”

“I am the challenger,
Lucinda Delphine, Lady of the North East Clan and I invoke the
right of Challenge.”

Silence reigned after
Lucinda's statement while Alex struggled to remember what Ryan had
taught her. The words soon came to her and she took a deep
steadying breath, as her final task of preparation. “I’m Alexandria
Madison, the challenged, chosen mate of Prince Tobias and noble
lady of the Royal clan of wolves.” She turned to Tobias for
verification and he grinned at her confirming that she had said the
right thing. A low growl from Lucinda caused her to turn and she
grinned in the face of her deep-set frown.

Take that!
Even without being a Princess, I still whoop your ass in titles and
when I win this Challenge, I’ll have beaten you twice over.
She mentally cheered before the sound of voices
forced her to focus on what was happening around her.

“The rules of the
Challenge are simple,” Charles intoned, “submit or die. May the
true mate win.” He stepped back and Alex knew that it had
begun.

She turned to look at
Lucinda, noting that she had begun to change into her wolf form,
before she closed her eyes and allowed the whispers to surge to the
front of her mind. Again, once she had allowed them to flood her
thoughts, she felt an immense sense of connection between them and
her, her sense of awareness increasing beyond the boundaries of her
body to include the greenery that surrounded them. A low rumbling
growl forced her eyes open and she turned to look at the lupine
body of Lucinda, surprised by the black fur that covered her
body.

I thought that
her fur would be a light colour with all that blonde hair she has
when she’s human,
she mused, the whispers
still filling her mind due to the sheer amount of plant life they
were encircled by.

The momentary distraction
cost her and Lucinda lunged forward, her sharp claws swiping at the
exposed skin of her calf. The pain stunned her and she fell to the
ground, clutching the bloody wound to stem the flow of blood.
Lucinda circled her, seemingly prepared to go for the kill. Her
eyes locked with Tobias’ and the look of horror on his face urged
her into action just as the whispers stopped cramming her head with
new voices.

She lifted a hand,
allowing a thick tree branch to wrap itself around the limb. It
lifted her skyward just as Lucinda lunged and ran headlong into a
large tree trunk now that Alex was no longer there. The branch
lifted her higher and higher into its foliage, setting her down on
a sturdy branch. Alex smiled down at the growling form of Lucinda
as she struggled to climb up the tree.

Make sure she
doesn’t get up here,
she
commanded.

Her grin widened as the
branches began to swat at Lucinda, causing her to jump back.
Turning her attention to the bleeding cut on her leg, she examined
the injury, four deep furrows ran across her skin exposing the
flesh beneath and she found herself frowning at the deepness of the
cuts. The edges of the wound were beginning to turn purple and her
scowl deepened.

That shouldn’t
be like that. I might need to get this checked out. I swear if that
bitch has given me rabies or something, I’m going to hand her her
ass. I should probably get this checked out soon, so I suppose that
means it’s time to go on the offensive, right guys?
The whispers in her mind rose in volume, agreeing
with her.
Could you put me down
please?

The branch that she was
sat on began to grow, lengthening until it reached the ground,
allowing her to step off onto the ground. The moment she touched
the floor, Lucinda began to move towards her. The grass beneath her
padded paws warned Alex of her approach and she managed to roll out
of the way, nimbly avoiding another swipe of deadly claws. The cuts
on her leg ached, her skin throbbing, as the ache soon became a
burn. Trying to push the pain to the back of her mind, she began to
gather the plants around her, preparing for an attack. Vines burst
from the ground, moving swiftly towards Lucinda. The black wolf put
on a burst of speed, avoiding most of the outstretched green
tentacles. One managed to wrap itself around her leg, throwing her
into the crowd. People scattered, backing away from her as she
regained her footing, snarling her anger and showing her long,
sharp and deadly teeth.

Lucinda moved, the action
so fast that Alex couldn’t keep up, her mind increasingly fuzzy.
She blinked, surprised to see Lucinda standing directly in front of
her. Her paws moved, preparing to strike and Alex jumped back
reflexively to avoid the hit. She wasn’t fast enough, her reactions
slow and her thoughts becoming increasingly difficult to maintain,
and Lucinda scored another hit, tearing the tender flesh of her
stomach. Alex stumbled back, the pain in her leg increasing to
become almost unbearable and she fell to the ground landing on her
ass. Lucinda stalked forward and Alex felt her heart begin to race
as fear filled her. The vines she had sent after Lucinda doubled
back on themselves with astounding speed and more burst from the
ground between them. The plants began to swirl around her,
cocooning her within them for safety, Lucinda howled outside,
starting to claw wildly at the plants that stood between her and
Alex.

Thank
you,
she murmured, blinking rapidly in an
attempt to focus her blurring eyesight.

She eyed the
new injury at her stomach, surprised to see that it was also
turning purple, blood flowing from the deep wound. A vine touched
the injury on her calf, quickly pulling away as though it had been
burned.
Poison!
The voices screamed within her mind.
Poison!

That would
explain why it hurts so much and I can’t see properly,
she responded,
I’ve got
to win. I can’t afford to lose. I’ve got to try and focus.
The ground beneath her rolled and she smiled as an
idea formed.
Don’t stop.
She patted the earth beneath her pleased when it
continued to buck and heave.
I’ve got to
catch her, keep her caught and make her give up.
A moment passed before her plan solidified.
Could you grow some thorns?
She asked, stroking the vines that surrounded her. A small but
sharp thorn appeared next to her hand.
Bigger?
The thorn tripled in size and
she grinned.
Good, now come down, she
should be off balance, I want you to wrap her up and hold her
tight, ok?

The vines descended
quickly and moved towards Lucinda, managing to catch her as she
struggled to find her footing on the constantly moving ground. The
vines wrapped around her struggling form, each appendage
simultaneously sprouting thick, sharp thorns to prevent her from
moving. Alex watched as her plan succeeded, smiling as she
struggled to her feet, the simple movement surprisingly difficult
as she became increasingly light headed from blood loss and the
poison that continued to move through her system.

“Do you give up Lucinda?”
Her voice was slurred, but she kept moving forward, determined to
see the Challenge through and emerge the victor. “I asked you a
question Lucinda.” She stumbled almost losing her footing. “Do you
give up? Do you submit?”

Lucinda growled in
response, resuming her frantic struggles against the thorny vines.
Clutching her head, Alex attempted to stop it from spinning but it
continued on regardless. Her concentration broken, the vines
relaxed their grip on Lucinda allowing her to break free, she
pounced, sending Alex tumbling to the ground, while she rolled to
the side to catch her footing. Shaking her head, Alex tried to
clear her mind but found the task almost impossible as her thoughts
became increasingly fuzzy. The lupine form of Lucinda stalked
towards her, certain in her victory.

I’ve got you
now bitch.
A voice floated through her
mind. Instantly recognising it as Lucinda’s she tried to focus on
it, but the throbbing ache at her stomach and leg continued to
distract her from the task allowing Lucinda to continue her
approach unhindered. Reaching her, Lucinda leapt landing on Alex
and keeping her pinned to the ground.

Thought you
could beat me did you human?
she snarled,
her jaws opening wide to expose her dripping fangs.

She’s going to
kill me if I don’t get it together. Focus!
Pushing the pain to the farthest corners of her mind, she
struggled to remain conscious putting all her energy into a last
ditch attempt to win.
God please let this
work.

“Lucinda, get off me now.”
Her voice was slurred but the command behind it was clear. “Now
Lucinda, move.” The weight on her shoulders and hips was removed as
Lucinda complied with her order. Resisting the urge to cheer her
success, she forced her body up from the ground careful to maintain
eye contact with the black wolf. The amber eyes of the wolf blazed
in defiance, but Alex pressed on regardless determined to win.
Struggling to her feet, she began to back away towards the area she
thought Tobias and the Council should be. “Follow me Lucinda, don’t
try to attack me. Do you understand?”

The wolf began to pad
forward, its movements jerky as Lucinda tried to resist Alex’s
command. The light-headedness returned and Alex knew she didn’t
have long. “Move faster Lucinda.” She complied, her slow gait
increasing though the movements were still jerky. “Am I in front of
Tobias and the Council Lucinda? Nod if I am.” The wolf nodded its
large head and a sigh of relief passed her lips. “Good now Lucinda,
I want you to submit to me, do you understand? I want your
submission and I want it now.” Her amber eyes widened in surprise,
but her body began to follow Alex’s order, her legs giving out
beneath her as she pressed herself to the ground. Her movements
became increasingly juddery as she fought the compulsion. “Now
Lucinda, do it now!” Alex shouted, feeling her grip on
consciousness begin to slip. The wolf rolled over exposing the
tender skin of its underbelly to her. Falling to her knees as the
pain in her calf became too much Alex reached forward, lightly
touching the skin and rubbing before turning to Tobias, her eyes
glazed over.

“Does this mean I win
Tobias?”

Chapter Twenty
Seven

“Does this mean I win
Tobias?” Her question was met with silence and she allowed her eyes
to move from him to take in the shocked faces of Thomas, Yvonne,
and the entire Council. “Tobias?” she asked again, hoping to gain
his attention before she passed out from the pain.

The low sound of her voice
snapped him out of his state of panic and he began to move.
“Announce it Charles, Alexandria has won, Lucinda submitted,” he
ordered, lightly shaking the council member to bring him back from
his current state of shock and awe.

Looking her over, he
scowled at the deep cuts on her leg and torso, increasingly
concerned as her body began to sway, the arms she was now leaning
back on seemingly unable to hold her weight. “And call a doctor as
well,” he ordered before he began to move down from the raised
platform that separated him from Alex. A blur of movement out of
the corner of his eye had him putting on a burst of speed. Grabbing
Lucinda by her neck, he lifted her from the ground and snarled in
her face.

“What the hell do you
think you’re doing? You lost and you’re still trying to harm my
mate, the Challenge is over!”

“Tobias,” she pleaded.
“You don’t understand. I wasn’t expecting that, no one said
anything. She made me give up, I didn’t want to. How can it be
over? I didn’t willingly submit.”

“You’re allowed to use any
gift that comes to you by virtue of birth in the Challenge, you’re
the one that invoked it so you should have looked closely at the
rules.”

“But no one said anything
about her being able to control me,” she continued
frantically.

“You were happy enough to
invoke the Challenge when you thought she was only human, and she
accepted despite the fact that she knew exactly what you were and
the damage you could cause her. Yet the same cannot be said of you,
when you found out the full extent of her abilities, you tried to
kill her when she was weakened.”

“Tobias, I, I…”

“You what exactly?” he
roared, directly into her face.

Ryan and Sebastian rushed
over, seeing that Tobias was about to lose any semblance of control
and most likely kill her in his rage. “Give her to us cousin, we’ll
take care of it,” Sebastian stated calmly, trying not to anger his
cousin any further.