Gabriella - Alpha Marked, Book II (8 page)

“Like this?” Gabby made a fist, and Jack
shook his head.

“No, like this. Don’t cover your thumb.
You’ll break it.” Jack repositioned her fingers and she tried to
remember how they were arranged.

“She’ll tell you where she’s going with her
eyes. Wait for it. After the stomach, aim for her face. Nose or
mouth will bleed the quickest if you hit ’em.” Berke’s voice was
low and soothing.

“If you can’t hit her right off, trip her.
Then you can kick her in the face.” Gabby opened her mouth to
protest, but Jack cut her off. “She’s a wolf. She’ll heal fast.
Your job is to get her to bleed. Don’t for a second think she
wouldn’t do the same to you.”

The silence stretched, and Berke looked to
Jack, the two of them communicating without words, before turning
back to her. “We’ll go Rogue before we lose you, Gabriella.”

She shook her head, unwilling to accept
Berke’s solution.

Jack butt in. “Yes. It’s decided.”

“Jack…” She turned to her previously reticent
mate.

“If you’ll have us, you’re ours. Period. The
only thing this spectacle does is delay our mating.” Truth rang in
Jack’s words, each one imbued with sincerity that flowed from his
heart.

Scarlet poked her head into their small
circle. “But it would be super awesome if you, like, won and shit
since Keller found you a kick ass Pack to lead and everything. Just
sayin’.” Message delivered, she retreated just as quickly as she’d
appeared.

“Miss Wickham?” Levy’s voice drifted through
the growing din.

Straightening her shoulders, she pushed to
her tip toes and brushed a kiss across Jack and then Berke’s lips.
“Lemme go kick this bitch’s ass and then we can do the Alpha
Pairing mumbo jumbo stuff.”

Before she could deal with any more mushy
whiny-ness, she strode toward the waiting Wardens. Just as soon as
all this was handled, she was so gonna kick their asses for taking
so long to arrive and help with Whitney. Maybe she could do the
whole Challenge Without Death thing to them once she was done with
Hannah.

Right.

Standing in the center of the cleared area,
she faced off against the she-wolf, noting the smug look and cocky
attitude she displayed. Like Berke was hers already, and this farce
was simply a formality. As if.

Levy stood to Gabby’s left, body centered
between her and Hoe Bag. “Hannah Cox…”

Gabby snickered, earning her a glare from
Levy. Whatever.

“…has issued a Mate Challenge to Gabriella
Wickham for mating rights to Berke Davis. The fight is to first
blood. Ladies, are you ready?”

Could she say no? A glance at Emmett revealed
his equally stern glare. Okay, apparently not. “Of course.”

This time it was Hannah who snickered, and
she added an eye roll for good measure. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s do
this.”

“Show some respect,” Levy snapped, exposing
the first true flash of emotion she’d seen. Glaring didn’t count.
She took that as a silent warning. Him biting off Hannah’s head,
however, was freakin’ awesome.

With those last words, he stepped back until
he was even with the bodies encircling them. “Begin.”

Hannah gave her a smarmy smile, feet moving
across the floor as the wolf began circling Gabby. “Ready to lose
your ‘mate’, human?”

Rolling her eyes, she stepped back and
countered the wolf’s travels, not allowing the woman to get
close.

“To a she-whore like you? As if.” Gabby kept
her gaze intent, looking for any hint of an attack. She wasn’t
stupid enough to take on the woman first. Nope, she hoped Hannah
would leave her with an opening so she could react and win. Berke
and Jack had both given her tips on how to defeat the wolf.

So, yeah, watch her eyes, punch her in the
stomach, punch her in the face (but no covering her thumb) and pray
she bleeds. She totally had this. Maybe…-ish.

“I’m stronger than you, human. Do you really
think you have a chance? One hit and Berke will be mine.” Hannah’s
grin was filled with pure evil. “Give up now before you get
hurt.”

Gabby circled right, allowing the wolf to
continue her smack talking.

“We don’t want to hurt your pretty face while
you’re still looking for your mate, do we? Stop this, human.”
Hannah sneered.

“You know, cunt,” Normally Gabby wasn’t with
using that word when applied to a woman, but it just
fit
. “I
think thou doth protest too much.” She tilted her head to the side.
“Actually, I’m pretty sure you and your little puppy inside are
afraid of me. Is that it?” Gabby smirked. “The big, bad wolf is
afraid of a little ’ole human.”

The wolf scoffed. “Never.”

“Really?” Please, please, please let the
whore be gullible. “Prove it. Gimme first shot, bitch. A little
human can’t hurt the big bad wolf, can she?”

Hannah’s eyes lightened but didn’t flip to
the full yellow of her wolf. Damn it. That would have ended this
stupid game.

Grumbles and snorts furthered Gabby’s case,
the gathered crowd obviously agreeing with her taunts. No human
could ever hurt a furball; they’re too big and growly and strong
and blah, blah, blah.

“Fine,” Hannah bit off the word and moved to
the center of the circle, stilling once she reached her chosen
spot. “Do your worst, human. But know that the moment you finish,
I’ll be doing the same.”

Gabby straightened and grinned at her mates.
“Dudes, it’s like Christmas!”

Turning her attention back to Hannah, she
circled the woman, drawing out the suspense. Because, hey,
embarrassing the wolf couldn’t ever be rushed. She kept her steps
slow and steady, already scrolling through her not-so-vast catalog
of moves. Tae Bo had punches and kicks and P90X was big on
cross-training. But Turbo Jam…

Hello assious kickious.

Stopping before Hannah, facing the woman
one-on-one, she smiled wide. “Ready? ’Cause this is gonna be over
fast.”

Another eye roll from the she-wolf.

Gabby shrugged. “Okay.” Getting into
position, she raised her fists, Jack’s voice practically purring
through her mind. Then she kicked ass and told names to fuck the
fuck off.

Gabby sped through the moves, the background
music from her favorite Turbo Jam video filling her head.
Jab.
Cross. Hook. Upper cut.

Boo-yeah mother fuckers!

A stunned silence wrapped around not only
Hannah, but the crowd as well, as if they all held their
breath.

Then pain overwhelmed her and she clutched
her hand, knuckles throbbing and hurt pounded through her body.
“Shit, that fucking hurt. Why did no one tell me it’d fucking
hurt?” She screamed the question as she worked through the
agony.

She definitely would have remembered a “Hey,
it’ll feel like you’re dying” warning. But even through the pain,
she kept her gaze intent on Hannah. ’Cause, yeah, she had no doubt
that blood was freakin’ inevitable. If punching the beyotch’s face
hurt Gabby, it had to have hurt the other woman.

Tick tock, Mr. Blood. Any time now.

Only, shit on a stick, the red stuff didn’t
show. Nope, the she-wolf simply stood in the middle of the circle
rubbing her jaw, fingers sliding over slightly reddened skin, and
then even that flush disappeared.

An evil grin formed on Hannah’s mouth. “My
turn.” Without pause, the woman struck out at Gabby, her human
fingers curved and aimed right for Gabby’s face.

Eyes wide, she did the only defensive
maneuver she had in her vast arsenal… Okay, she had no arsenal. She
did have…
Stop, drop, and roll!

Gabby hit the ground with a scream and then
rolled across the circle before popping to her feet. Oh shit. Shit.
She was gonna die and she’d never be with Berke and Jack again. She
readily admitted that the worry over dying trumped hot sex with her
two wolves. Her wolves. She needed to remember that. She was doing
this so she could have them, and no wolf was gonna take that from
her.

Hannah came after her again, fingers still
curved into human claws, and her mouth was wide, baring her blunted
teeth. When the chick was within arm’s reach, Gabby dropped again,
this time crawling between the woman’s legs and dashing to the
other side of the circle.

Yes, she was a pussy with a capital Save Me
Now.

“Come on, Gabby! Punch her in the junk!”
Scarlet’s yells rose above the general shouts.

“Junk?” Then Gabby screamed like a girl
because Hannah lunged for her. Waving her hands, she ran around the
edge of the circle, the wolf hot on her tail. “Do girls really
have
junk?”

Snarls followed her, the other woman closing
the gap between them.

She really should have actually
done
the P90X videos instead of just watching them for the man candy.
Really.

Suddenly her fleeing was cut off. Hannah
managed to snare a clump of Gabby’s hair, pulling her up short. She
fell backwards with a scream, hitting the thinly carpeted floor
with a grunt, and her breath was knocked from her lungs.

Hannah yanked on her hair again, holding
Gabby steady as the she-wolf straddled her stomach. Wrenching her
head back, the woman leaned toward her.

God, this was it. A single, crushing bite and
Gabby would lose her men forever. There’d be no chance of mating if
the stupid bitch spilled her blood. The nearer Hannah came to her
neck, the quicker Gabby’s vision of her future deteriorated.
Anguish overtook her, squeezing her heart in an iron grip. Tears
sprung to her eyes, not from Hannah’s actions, but at the thought
of never having Berke and Jack.

Hannah bared her blunted, human teeth. With
each inch closer, Gabby fought harder. She struggled against the
woman’s hold, but her strength didn’t allow Gabby to move an
inch.

Hanna’s face became Gabby’s world, the
screams and shouts of the crowd drowned out by the terror that
coursed through her. Between one breath and the next, she felt more
of her future draining away. With luck, the wolf’s bite would kill
her. She couldn’t imagine living without those two wolves.

The she-wolf yanked on her hair again,
forcing her head to turn even further, and then Berke and Jack were
within sight.

“See them, human? Before you draw your next
breath, Berke will be mine. Remember that as your blood flows.”
Hannah was so smug.

Anger. Fucking rage hotter than anything
Gabby had ever felt before pounded through her. No. She wasn’t
gonna let this happen. Period. Full stop. She dug deep within her,
searching out any unused strength, and drew on the last few bits
that lingered. Uncaring of any further pain, she turned her head,
straining against Hannah’s hold, and uttered two, last words.
“Fuck. You.”

Before the last syllable left her, she’d
opened her mouth wide and did what she should have done forever
ago. If it was good for the wolves, it was good for humans. In a
blink, her teeth met flesh and in a fraction of a second, her jaw
clamped down on Hannah’s cheek. Blood, coppery and salty, filled
her mouth, and the urge to vomit nearly overwhelmed her. Bile rose
in the back of her throat and she released the wolf the moment the
fluid poured over her tongue.

Screams and yells echoed around her, Hannah’s
screeches overwhelming them all. The weight of the she-wolf
disappeared and Gabby opened eyes she hadn’t realized she’d
closed.

A strong arm around Hannah’s waist kept the
woman from coming back at her. The she-wolf’s eyes yellowed and
fangs burst from her gums as her fingers finally did transform into
deadly, claw tipped paws. Blood continued to flow down the woman’s
mangled cheek, and Gabby almost felt bad for the screeching
chick.

Almost.

Okay, not really.

“That’s enough, Hannah.” Levy’s beefy arm
held the woman still. “The Wardens’ official ruling is for
Gabriella Wickham. Hannah Cox will no longer be permitted to
approach Berke Davis.”

“Bitch,” Hannah spat. “I issue a Mate
Challenge to Gabriella Wickham for—”

Levy slapped a hand over the bitch’s mouth.
“No, you really don’t.”

Hannah shot daggers at Gabby with her
eyes.

“The next order of business is the Alpha
Bonding of Berke Davis and Jack Wright.” Emmett drew her attention,
and she noticed the man’s focus was on her two mates as well as
Keller and Garron. “Ruling Alphas, do you agree that these two
males are worthy of the pairing and give your blessing?”

Keller’s answer was immediate. “We do.
Gentlemen.” He beckoned her mates to the center of the circle, and
they both kneeled. Placing his hands on their bowed heads, he spoke
the necessary words. “Blood ties to heart. Heart ties to body. Body
ties to soul.” A soft glow flowed over Berke and Jack. “Heart.
Body. Soul. May you rule with your heart, protect with your body,
and find the one to complete your soul.” The low light flared
bright, nearly blinding her with its intensity. “I present the
Gathering with Alpha Pair Berke Davis and Jack Wright, the new
Colson Alphas.”

Colson. Garron and Keller had killed that
Pack’s Alphas just the previous night. Now Berke and Jack would be
taking over. Would the wolves resent them? Hold the deaths of their
Alphas against them? Would they…

Scarlet’s low whisper broke into her worries.
“It’s like, fifteen minutes from the Ruling Alpha compound. Sweet,
eh?”

“What?” She whispered back, watching her men
receive congratulations from the crowd.

“Yeah, Keller and Garron said Colson is close
to our home. So you can totally come by for coffee and stuff.” A
glance at Scarlet revealed her wide smile.

“But if your guys are close, why don’t they
rule over that city?”

Whit popped into the conversation. “They’re
responsible for the entire continent. No way they’re gonna deal
with a small city.” Her sister’s gaze was intent. “And I know
you’re worried about the Pack accepting you guys, but everyone said
those guys were assholes.”