Electric Moon (26 page)

Then Donaldson spoke. “She’s right. The land is unclaimed.
And more importantly, none of the alphas will need to make concessions.”

Each time a new alpha petitioned for alpha status, the
current alphas lost land. They all ruled with heavy and sometimes brutal hands
to keep what was theirs. Public land had always been sacred. Now that she’d
claimed a large portion, the rest of it was up for grabs around the state. It
gave the shifters a bigger prize to focus on other than her.

The vampire smiled. “Your land borders both the clan and
magic practitioners. It is a delicate strip to own.”

“And we have all lived there in peace for years.” He
wouldn’t be appeased that easily, and Raven needed one more vote. “But if you
prefer, we can choose an intermediary.”

He revealed fangs when he smiled this time. “Who would you
suggest? One of your shifters?”

Raven wasn’t sure if he was repulsed or eager to taste
whomever she selected. “Actually, one of your own. Rylan Pryor.” May he forgive
her for thrusting him back into his old life.

Rylan rose to his feet and met her gaze with an impassive expression.
“I accept.”

The vampire stilled, taken by surprise. “Then the clan
approves your petition as well.”

Donaldson nodded. “Congratulations. Be—”

“Objection.” Vivian was now openly scowling. “I demand
proof. She was not born pack. She’s a were, not a pure breed.”

A growl rumbled from Dominic at the blatant insult. Even the
rest of the room fell silent. Ignoring the woman, Raven remained standing and
waited for the council to decide.

They were clearly not pleased at having their decision
challenge, but Vivian seemed blind to the danger.

“What is this proof?” Raven whispered the question to
Taggert.

“You must demonstrate that you’re an alpha, strong enough to
hold your own and protect what’s yours.”

Donaldson let the silence stretch as he stared at Vivian. Only
when she sat, jerked down by her husband, did she finally lower her gaze.

Silence stretched for a minute more, the air growing heavy, when
Donaldson continued. “Do we have a volunteer?”

 Chapter Twenty-six

D
urant’s
golden eyes met hers as he threaded his way through the crowd to reach her
side. A show of support. Taggert whispered toward her. “No one in your pack or
the challenging pack is eligible to perform the test.”

The thought of another alpha challenging her woke her wolf.
If Raven allowed her to show, granted her any freedom, they would be considered
weak. Thankfully, her power remained dormant, possibly sensing nothing would
get her killed faster.

A man rose to his feet after only a slight pause. He was
older, his hair mostly white. Though shorter, he had a strong build suitable to
shifters. Then she spotted someone familiar sitting at his table. The youngest
carpenter, the same one who’d come to her rescue a few days ago.

Though the alpha appeared congenial, he hadn’t become an
alpha for being nice.

“He doesn’t have a female alpha for his pack. This way, he
can get the first close look at you without competition.” London was assessing
the other man even as he spoke. “He’s also one of the oldest alphas here.”

Oldest meant more powerful. Would that make the challenge
easier or harder?

“Acceptable.” Donaldson stood, a slight frown between his
eyes. “Please step forward.”

She passed through the tables unmolested. Vivian sat with
her arms crossed, clearly pleased at the turn of events. Raven refused to give
into the need to rip out her throat.

Not yet, anyway.

She stopped only when she came face to face with her challenger.
“What are the rules of the test?”

“No rules. The test is simple. All you need to do is call my
wolf.” The voice was gruff as he watched her. She detected no antagonism from
him, a nice change for once.

But simple would not be the word Raven would’ve chosen.
She’d spent so much time denying her animals and locking them away, she had no
clue how to use her wolf to call his. She’d done it before to protect her pack
but that had been with her power.

Despite all of the training in the last few days, the only
way to call to her animal was by physical contract. “May I touch you?”

A light scowl creased his face. “Yes.”

She could tell he wasn’t happy, but conceded to her request.
Talking a deep breath, she placed her palm over his heart. The heat he kicked
off nearly burned. Instinct said he was canine, but what stunned her was that
she couldn’t sense his wolf at all.

Then the particulars of this test came home to her. He was an
alpha. The more alphas there were, the less land and power they would have. His
job was to prevent her from achieving her goal.

The touch of another male, an alpha outside of her pack,
lured out her own wolf. The beast was inquisitive in whom Raven had allowed so close,
but not dumb to blindly charge forward without gauging the threat.

But there was a barrier, like a hazy mist, that prevented
her from reaching his animal. Every time her wolf neared, he whirled away into
the ether, dark particles of him swirling around to reform a few feet away.

After the second time, Raven didn’t give chase. Her wolf
wouldn’t catch him that way. There must be some alpha power crap that she was
supposed to know.

It took a concentrated effort to call back her wolf. She
knew of only one way to proceed. Though reluctant to call upon her power, she
would do whatever was needed before conceding defeat. Then she remembered how
Aaron knew where his pack was before they’d been visible. The first time it’d
happened was at his home, the second when his mother arrived on the day of the
picnic.

Instead of focusing on his wolf, she studied the energy
around him. It immediately branched off in a dozen directions. She followed the
fork, and her mind immediately shot in the direction of the nearest connection.

And shoved in front of a young wolf. Young, but dangerous,
if the sudden display of fangs was any indication. At the presence of the animal,
her own charged forward and snarled. Confused by the sudden change, the wolf
backed away, a whine caught in his throat.

Raven sensed that she could grab control of this young beast
if she wanted. A fast way to get herself killed. She carefully retreated. She turned
to see at least sixty-some threads connecting the alpha all over the city and
further.

The process was fascinating. Could this be an alpha trait? A
response to blood being exchanged? Raven reached for the power, rubbing the
unusual texture of it between her fingers.

Suddenly yanked from the other world, Raven dropped back
into her own mind with a nasty thump that left her stomach reeling.

The alpha knocked her hand away from his chest, his wolf in
complete control. Raven stood her ground, unsure if this was part of the test
or not. She feared she might have made a tactile error and done something that
should’ve been impossible.

A snarl rose from the alpha.

He grabbed for her throat, the intent to kill her clear in
his yellow eyes.

And encountered her necklace. Silver warmed her skin. The
alpha inhaled sharply and jerked away, coming back to his human self.

A flush filled his face, his breathing rough as he struggled
for control. He reached out, lifting his hands in the universal show that he
meant no harm. The palm of one hand was latticed with welts. Though she sensed
wariness, she didn’t feel any immediate threat. Funny, since just seconds ago
he’d tried to kill her. Raven gave him a nod of permission, and he slowly
tugged aside the collar of her jacket.

The silver necklace Jackson had given her gleamed in the
dark lighting of the club like a splash of stars.

Someone gave a low whistle, and a hum of awe filled the room.

“There’s your proof.” Vivian rose with a triumphant smile
and faced the council. “I demand that she be taken into custody.”

Donaldson gazed impassively at the alpha who’d performed the
test. “What say you on your findings?”

“She’s an alpha. I’m not sure of her beast, but with some training,
she could hold a large pack.” He dipped his head toward her in a sign of
respect, but circled around her so they wouldn’t accidently touch when he
walked back toward his table.

Not that she blamed him.

When most people touched her, they only made that mistake
once. She had no idea how she’d passed, what he’d learned, but her secret was
safe for now.

“You must be wrong.” Vivian glared at Raven.

People quieted, and the alpha halted.

Kevin rose to his feet at his mate’s side and forcefully
pushed her down in her seat. He’d finally had enough. “We apologize and accept
the council’s decision.”

The other alpha pinned Vivian to the spot until she paled
and lowered her eye in deference, maybe realizing for the first time what she’d
done.

“Accepted.” The alpha growled the words, clearly not pleased
at being challenged. He settled into his seated, never once taking his
attention from Vivian.

Donaldson showed no reaction to the tension crawling through
the club. It was a full minute before he spoke. “Your petition has been granted
and dually recorded. Let the conclave begin.”

With that, talk sprang up again like excited chatter
monkeys. Half of it was directed at Raven, the other half at Vivian.

People rose from their tables and began to mingle, while
others went before the conclave to be heard. Raven turned to find Durant before
her, his face pale and set.

Then he embraced her for the whole room to witness. “They
would have killed you.”

His whispered words made her shiver. The nerves she held at
bay churned through her stomach at everything that could’ve gone wrong.

At everything she could’ve lost.

A fine tremor shuddered through him when she ran a finger
down the side of his face. “Pack.”

He pulled back and smiled. “Pack.”

They made their way back to her table where London and
Taggert stood waiting.

In lieu of congratulations, London nodded to her and scanned
the crowd. “You are one of the few females that are able to hold a pack on your
own. You just made yourself the biggest attraction and target for every male in
search of a powerful mate. A seductive combination.”

Raven took her seat then allowed herself to be nudged further
into the booth to make room for all four of them. She sat in the center curve,
a place of protection, one similar to almost all the other alphas in the room.

The only exception was Dominic. He sat, fully wolfed-out, at
the front of the table, a gatekeeper for the unwary.

Most of the gazes cast their way were a combination of
respectfulness and curiosity. She glanced at the corner for Jackson and Aaron.
Only they had disappeared. The last of the tension dropped away to know they
were safe.

“I need to get back to work. I’ll see you back at the house.”
Durant lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “I never doubted you.”

Then he was gone.

Rylan approached when Durant left. The large cat still
hadn’t forgiven him for turning Cassie, even if it had meant saving her life.

“I never thought to see you here.”

“You didn’t think I’d miss it, did you?” His smile was
genuine, the friend that she thought she’d lost. “Congratulations.”

“I’m not sorry I volunteered you.” Raven lifted her chin, refusing
to hide from what she’d done. It was selfish, but she wasn’t ready for him to
disappear out of her life without a fight.

His eyes darkened. “We’ll figure something out. I’ll meet
you on the last day of the conclave to discuss where we go from here.”

He lifted her fingers to his mouth. Instead of a press of
lips, he nipped at the back of her hand, stealing a drop of blood. Then he, too,
was gone.

The lover’s kiss shared between vampires stung, heat spreading
in its wake. Blood lust and desire were intertwined for vampires and a powerful
aphrodisiac for those trusting enough to leave themselves vulnerable to their
lovers.

Not wanting the others to see the effect he had on her, she
cleared her throat and gestured toward the crowd. “Do we need to walk around
like the rest?”

Taggert shook his head. “Not tonight. They will come to us.
After an hour or so, I’ll make the rounds for you.”

Raven wasn’t sure of the protocols, but her relieve at not
having to parade herself about was too great to object.

Over the next few hours, a steady procession of people came
to the table and introduced themselves. She made it a point to memorize faces
and pack affiliation, but names blurred together after the first hour. Midnight
came and with it, the press of shifters increased. Her skin itched with the
need to get out and ease the ache resting below her skin.

Taggert sensed her growing unease and returned to the table.
“We’ve stayed long enough. We can leave if you want.”

“Yes.” Raven stood, grateful for the reprieve.

The men guided her toward the door. Dominic led the way, the
big, black wolf kept people at a distance. Bringing him was no different than
brandishing a cocked weapon. She nodded to the few people she recognized,
trying not to be bothered by the gawking. No one approached them.

“We can go over the petitions you received in the morning.”

“My petitions?” Raven almost missed a step at Taggert’s
comment. They were almost to the door.

“Now that you’re pack, it’s time to build your connections.
You’ll receive petitions, requests for favors, and propositions in forming
allegiances.”

When she didn’t answer, Taggert took it as incentive to
continue. “It’s commonplace practice at the conclave. You’ll want to be
selective, not let yourself be swayed by someone else’s trouble. You need to
make connections that will strengthen the pack. I handed out your cards and
received a number in return. The first notices will start arriving tomorrow.”

The unforeseen revelation poleaxed her. It was the last
thing she expected. She burst outside into the fresh air, closed her eyes and inhaled,
trying not to panic. “But I’m new. I have nothing to offer.”