Savage Moon: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 4) (14 page)

Chapter
Twenty

“I hate this.”

Alec paced in front of me, bouncing on the balls of
his feet with each turn he made. He’d only switched to pacing when he ran out
of things to punch. Pat’s plaster walls paid the price for that.

“It’s the only way. And I’m ready for it. I want it.
More than I ever realized.”

As soon as the sun came up, all of our lives would
change one way or the other.

“But what about what Bas said? You’re used to
fighting. Not leading. They’re not the same.”

Alec turned to me. In an instant his look went from
fierce to tender. I sat on the edge of the bed in Pat’s first floor guest
bedroom. Alec went to his knees and put a hand on my legs. I cupped his face
and threaded my fingers through his hair.

“And how do you know Kane’s pack will honor the
deal? Even if you win, what’s to stop them from ripping you apart two seconds
later?”

The deal was simple. At sunrise, Alec would
challenge Kane. One on one. Wolf against wolf. Alec had the advantage of size and
was the more experienced fighter. But Kane was an Alpha. The bears agreed to
stay out of it in exchange for Jaxson. I took great comfort knowing my brother
would sleep among the bears tonight under a blanket of stars near my father. He
was safe. He would heal.

“I’ll have to
make
them honor the deal. I’ll
make them submit to me. That’s what Alphas do.”

God, I couldn’t take it. His beautiful blue eyes
sparkled in the dim light of the room. A breeze through the window lifted his
hair and I leaned down to kiss him. I felt Kane just outside, making my mark
flare with heat.

“But what if you can’t? I might lose you anyway.”
The thought tore at me. I didn’t bear Alec’s mark, but it didn’t matter. He had
my heart, and I had his.

“It’s the way it is with wolves, Olivia. The way it
has to be. I’m strong enough. I’ve known it for a long time. It’s why Bas sent
me here to see what Kane was up to. We could have come as a pack, but I think
he knew what was happening inside of me. Even without you, I think challenging
Kane is my destiny.”

I looked up at the ceiling. “God, I’m so sick of
that word. Destiny. Fate. If I lose you tomorrow, I lose everything. Kane wins,
even if you kill him. I
felt
them, Alec. Wade and the others. They’re
not human anymore. They’ve lost themselves.”

“And the instant Kane dies, I can break that. I’ll
bring them back. Luke thinks it’s possible.”

“But what if you get
hurt
? Kane may not have
the battle experience you do, but he’s huge and strong. He’s going to do as
much damage to you as he can. And you’re not even at your full strength right
now. This is suicide, Alec!”

He kissed my thigh and smiled. “It’s not suicide.
It’s . . .”

I put up a hand. “If you tell me it’s pack law one
more time I’m going to kill you myself.”

Alec laughed and brought himself up, sitting on the
bed next to me. He hooked his fingers under my chin and tilted my face toward
his. He kissed me slow and deep, making my body tingle and my mark burn. I
clawed at it.

“Take it away!” I stood up and whirled on him. “I
mean it. At least do that. Take away Kane’s mark and give me your own.”

The air hung heavy between us. Neither of us so much
as breathed. Alec squeezed his eyes shut tight and when he opened them, his
wolf flared to life. The urge to do just what I asked burned within him. I knew
it. I could feel it. And yet, something held him back.

“Alec,
please. You said it would have to be my choice. So, I’m
choosing. Right now. Mark me. Make me yours. Make me
stop
having to feel
Kane’s touch.”

Alec growled. His lips curled back and his fangs
came out. He stood up and went to the wall, putting his hands on it, he pressed
his forehead against the plaster as he struggled to keep his wolf in check.
Then he turned on me.

“After. If it’s what you still want. I swear.”

“Why not now?”

Agony came into his eyes, his brow furrowed. “I
promise. After.”

Anger sparked inside me. It seemed selfish of him to
deny me this one thing. And I didn’t like myself for thinking it. Alec was
about to put his life on the line to save me. It was selfish of
me
to
demand something like this from him. But I wanted it so badly. I wished I’d let
him mark me a thousand times before this night. And now he wouldn’t do it, and
I didn’t understand why.

“I need you,” I whispered.

The breeze kicked up again, and when I looked toward
the window, pink slashed across the horizon. We were running out of time. I
heard the mournful wails of the wolves outside. Dozens of them. Bas’s pack.
Derek’s. Kane’s. They smelled blood in the air and the promise of a fight. Only
the Alphas and Alec had the strength to stay in human form tonight. And in
Alec’s case, barely. Fur sprouted along his jaw as I reached for him.

“It’s almost time,” he said, his voice wolfish and
ragged.

God. I could lose him. By the time the sun rose
again in the morning, he could be gone forever.

I gathered my hair and turned my neck, exposing the
nape to him. “Alec. Please. Don’t let me bear this for another second.”

He growled and upended the bedside table, making me
jump. “Please don’t ask me that. Not now. Please trust me that it’s not what
you need.”

“Maybe it’s what you need!” I turned to face him.
“Maybe it’ll help.”

Alec shook his head, but I could see the torture it
caused him not to bite me. His fangs were still out and his eyes flashed. But,
something held him back, and he wasn’t going to tell me what it was. He crossed
the distance between us and pulled me up by my wrists. My skin caught fire; my
legs went weak. Lightning struck me all over again as it did every time he
touched me. I didn’t need his mark. Alec was mine. I was his. No matter whose
brand I bore.

He kissed me. Savage. Deep. It was a different kind
of claiming as the rooster crowed near the barn. The wolves’ howls rose along
with it. It was time. Kane waited for Alec at the top of the ridge on the south
end of the lake.

“Don’t go,” I pleaded. “Not yet. I’m not ready.”

His hands were everywhere, carving through my hair,
tugging at my jeans. I fumbled with the drawstring on his pants.

There was scratching at the door. Someone had been
sent for Alec. It was time to go.

I slid out of my jeans and he had me up against the
door. A wolf growled on the other side of it. Probably Bas. But it didn’t
matter. We would steal these last few moments together before Alec had to leave
me, if I had to kill someone to do it.

He entered me fast and hard, finding my passage
slick and ready for him. I gasped at the pleasure and force of it. He stretched
me wide and filled me deep. I clawed at his back, trying to pull him even
closer.

“Olivia.” He whispered my name against my temple as
he thrust himself deep inside of me. With my pants around my ankles, I couldn’t
get my legs around his waist like I wanted. I clutched his ass, drawing him
deep. Hard and swift. Seconds ticked by. A slow heat rose within me, spreading
out like a starburst as my orgasm tore through me. He growled when I bit his
ear. Then, he went rigid, bringing himself up on the balls of his feet he
impaled himself far inside of me and spent himself.

I’d asked him to mark me, and in his own way he did.
I pressed my forehead against his shoulder and took all of him as he pumped
inside of me.

As the sun stabbed through the windowpane, we were
out of time. The sharp growl on the other side of the door became more
insistent.

“I love you,” I gasped as Alec pulled out of me. He
took two steps back, his eyes wild as he started to shift.

I gathered my clothes together just in time and
stepped aside as the door burst open. Bas and Wade’s wolves stood shoulder to
shoulder in the doorway.

It was time to go.

Chapter
Twenty-One

“You’re safe here,” Pat said. “For as long as you’re
willing to stay.”

I’d taken to pacing just like Alec had. It didn’t
work. Pat poured a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter toward me.

“No, thanks. I’m keyed up enough. And you’re telling
me those are my choices? If Alec dies, I can either go off with Kane or stay
here?”

Pat shrugged. “I know it doesn’t sound like much.
But, give it time. For one thing, I wouldn’t sell Alec short. That boy has had
Alpha in him his whole life. He just didn’t want to admit it. It took
you
to bring it out of him, if you ask me. And I trust the pack. If Alec
doesn’t
prevail, and let’s not even really think of that, but having you here will buy
us some time to figure out the next move.”

“But how can you stand it? How can we just sit here
and wait while there’s a war going on out there? People we love are in the
thick of it. I can’t just sit here drinking coffee.”

Pat smiled. “I’ve waited out more Alpha challenges
than I can count right here in this kitchen. It’s not always pretty. And it’s
not always the outcome I hope for, but the right thing always has a way of
happening. My money’s on Alec. Let’s just say he’s got a lot more to fight
for.”

“I need air. Am I allowed to go outside, at least?”

Pat squeezed her hand over mine. “Of course. Just
stay out of the woods and don’t go down to the lake. The packs are everywhere
and there’s a hell of a lot of testosterone in the air. I trust our boys, but
Kane’s pack aren’t themselves right now. Hey, why don’t you head down to the barn?
There’s a chance you might be able to see something from up in the loft. And
you’ll be safe up there.”

I blew a hair away from my face and charged out the
front door. The barn seemed like a brilliant plan the closer I got to it.

My heart thundered in my throat, and I knew part of
that was Kane. My mark throbbed with the adrenaline coursing through him. He
hadn’t gotten to Alec yet, but something was about to start. I could feel it. I
turned back just before I got to the barn door and waved to Pat. She stood on
the porch with her hand cupped over her brow. She waved back and a wide smile
split her face that seemed incongruous to today’s circumstances. Then, she
waved again but didn’t seem to be looking at me. She turned and went back
inside the house.

I got the barn door halfway open before a heavy hand
clamped down on my shoulder and turned me.

“Olivia.” My father’s voice was ragged and stilted.
I nearly dropped to my knees at the sight of him. Large and strong, his face
lined with worry. But he was here. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a
cry. The wolves were close by. The bears were supposed to be long gone. I
looked back toward the house but Pat had disappeared inside. She knew. Of
course she knew. It’s why she sent me out to the barn.

“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

He wrapped me into a strong embrace the way only
bears can do, making me feel lost and safe. I pressed my cheek against his
broad chest and inhaled his woodsy smell. I looked up at him. He seemed to have
aged a decade since I left him six months ago. His light brown hair had gone
completely gray and lines creased the corners of his eyes. But, he was smiling.
My God, he was smiling.

Then, Jaxson came out of the barn, and my heart
warmed all over again. He looked weak still, his skin sallow and gaunt. But he
stood straighter than he did last night. His step was more sure.

“There’s no more time,” Jax said. “We have to leave
now.”

“Leave? Where?”

“Home,” my father said. “I’m taking you back up to
Wild Ridge where you belong.”

“But the deal you struck. Kane and Alec.”

“Enough!” My father’s booming voice made the horses
inside whinny. “I’m through making deals with wolves. Let them tear each other
to pieces. They’re no good to us. If I ever see another wolf on Wild Ridge,
I’ll rip him to shreds.”

Jax’s eyes were kinder, but still filled with
purpose. “Olivia. You can’t stay here. If Kane survives, he’s going to come
after you. We can’t protect you here on pack lands. You need to come home.”

He was right. As much as I ached for Alec, Kane was
still a threat to me. I knew in my heart if he were here right now Alec would
tell me to go.

“I have to know. I have to see what happens with
Alec. He’s willing to give his life for me. I have to know if he’s going to be
okay. If we hurry, we can do both.”

Harold came around the other side of the barn
leading one of the chestnut mares and the dappled gray. They were already
saddled. It seemed both Pat and Harold had been in on my brother and father’s
plot. “Take Ladybug and Lucifer,” he said. “They’re both swift and sturdy. Keep
to the trail along the lake.”

I wanted to kiss him. So I did. Harold blushed and
smiled and handed me Ladybug’s reins. My father gave Harold a grim nod as Jaxson
heaved himself up and mounted Lucifer. Harold cupped his hands to give me a
boost and I straddled Ladybug.

“Take care of her, Caleb,” Harold said. “Don’t
forget what happened out here. The wolves of Wild Lake don’t want a war with
you. Listen to your daughter. She’s the only one who knows you both well enough
to understand. She’s got a clear head.”

My father growled, and I took that as progress.
Still, I knew if it came to it, the wolves would be in mortal danger on Wild
Ridge at least for now.

Jaxson clicked his teeth and dug his heels into
Lucifer’s side. The horse charged forward and Ladybug followed. Harold held out
his hand to shake my father’s. My father narrowed his eyes, but couldn’t bring
himself to take it. But, at least he didn’t rip his head off, so I decided that
was progress too. Then, he leaned far forward, his back rippled, and his bear sprung
free. Caleb, Lord of the bears sprang up on his hind legs and pawed the air.
Then, he took one lumbering step forward and picked up speed.

Pain seared through me. My mark felt like it would
split me in half. I felt Kane’s heat. His instincts.

Hunt. Kill. Take. Die.

“We have to hurry,” I shouted back to my brother. I
pressed my heel into Ladybug’s side. She broke into a gallop. Having a full-grown
grizzly running alongside her didn’t seem to faze her in the least. Lucifer
charged forward and we hit the trail along the lake.

My blood turned to fire. The closer we got to Alec
and Kane, the more tingling panic spread through me. Jaxson must have sensed
something because he pulled up and grabbed Ladybug’s mane.

“Dad, wait!”

I could have yelled until I was blue in the face,
but when my brother did it, my father heard him. He huffed and turned his great
black nostrils flaring. “What’s wrong with you?” Jax asked.

I squeezed my arms around Ladybug’s neck to keep
from falling off. “I can feel them. Him,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

I rubbed a hand across my mark; the edges were
raised and swollen. “Kane. I can feel Kane.” My breath came out in quick pants.
Phantom pain raked across my back. Kane’s pain. Alec must have struck him.

My father roared. Wolves howled in the distance. The
packs were agitated, and they’d figured out there were still bears on Wild Lake
lands.

“I’m okay,” I said. “We need to keep going.”

“Sis, to hell with that. I think the closer you get
to him, the more you can feel what he’s feeling. We need to go the other way.”

“No! Jaxson, please. I have to know. I have to be
sure. If Alec dies, I need to be there. If you’re with me, you and Dad, Kane
can’t hurt me. We’ll run. I promise. But I have to know. I love him.”

Jaxson’s eyes went wide and he clenched his jaw
tight. “Fuck,” he whispered. My father pawed the ground, anxious to be on the
move no matter what direction we took. I didn’t wait for Jaxson’s answer. I
gave Ladybug a swift kick and got her moving toward the ridge.

We weren’t far. I could sense it. As the clouds
broke and the full morning sunlight washed across my skin, I could see them. Oh,
God, I could see them! Kane and Alec stood in silhouette at the top of the
hill. Kane charged Alec. He made contact with Alec’s left flank and tore flesh
from bone. Alec faltered but stayed on his feet. He lunged for Kane and tore
into his back. I felt it across mine. Without thinking, I pressed my heel into
Ladybug’s side again. We were just at the edge of the woods.

“Stop!” Jaxson got to me first, but my father was
right at his side. “Don’t let them see you. The wolves are close.”

He was right. I could feel them. Wade, Brandon,
Daniel, Cole, and Christian. They stayed hidden on the far edge of the woods,
but they watched and waited. Dark menace rolled over my skin as Kane took
another deadly glancing blow from Alec’s front paw. I blew out a hard breath as
my mark burned hot.

Alec circled, but he was getting tired. Kane had
reopened the gash on Alec’s right side and blood flowed freely, staining his
white fur almost completely red. From a distance, I would have thought he was
Bas.

I scanned the tree line on the opposite side. Cold
eyes stared back at me as other wolves came to watch the battle. I could make
out Bas and Derek.

Wade howled. He grew bold and took slow, stealthy
steps out from behind the brush, edging closer and closer to the fighting. My
heart thundered with alarm.

“What’s he doing?”

Jaxson shook his head. “Waiting his turn.”

Kane leaped through the air, his body coiled and
snout curled, forming a murderous arc as he came down and landed on Alec’s
back. Alec’s shriek of pain cut through me, nearly unseating me from Ladybug’s
back. Jaxson’s steady hand on my thigh kept me from going over. Kane sunk his
teeth hard into Alec’s neck. Alec pushed out with his mighty front paws and
flipped Kane on his back. The crunch of bones against rock echoed through the
valley and straight through my heart.

Kane’s mark seared me. Tore through my nerves and
made my heart burn. As Alec rounded on him, the truth settled over me with cold
clarity. I had begged Alec to mark me this morning knowing it might be his last
chance. Now, I knew why he wouldn’t. It wasn’t for himself; he’d done it to
save me. Because when Alec made a final lunge and sank his teeth deep into
Kane’s neck, severing muscle, tendons, and the corded knot of his jugular, I
felt it. Pain speared me, hollowing me out. Only Jaxson’s hand on my shoulder
kept me tethered.

I felt Kane’s pain, but was somehow detached from
it. I didn’t love him. His mark was unwelcome. But, if Alec had marked me and
the pain I felt was his as
his
life leeched out of him, I don’t think I
would have survived it.

Kane’s mark flared one last time, then it tingled
like pins and needles. I put my hand on the back of my neck, and for the first
time in months, the skin felt smooth and cool.

I turned to Jaxson and smiled. “He’s dying. Alec’s
done it.”

I didn’t see the movement from the corner of my eye.
I saw it in the widening horror reflected in my brother’s eyes. I turned to see
a flash of silver and fangs. Up on the ridge, Alec’s white wolf, stained with
blood, stood over Kane’s dying body. I felt an echoing chill as his blood
poured out of him, but nothing more. Alec raised his head and howled. The rest
of the packs raised their voices to form a chilling chorus. Alec started to
lope down the hill toward Kane’s pack where they hid in the trees. All but one.

Wade’s wolf lunged for him, his eyes still clouded
with red. Alec was victorious but weakened. Wade was berserk. Bas and Derek leaped
into view, but they were too far away to do anything about it.

I opened my mouth to scream. To warn Alec. But it
would all be far too late. One deadly lunge and Wade could kill him.

Lucifer reared up. I turned to the horse thinking
I’d need to grab Jaxson to keep him from falling. But he was already down. He
ran. He took two faltering steps then found his footing. His bear roared to life
within him.

My father’s great roar beside me blew my hair back.
He stretched his long neck and curled his lips back, bellowing with rage as Jaxson’s
bear burst forth, stretching bones and skin for fur and thunderous strength.

Jaxson slammed into Wade’s wolf, spinning him end
over end down the hill. He lifted one great black paw and swiped it across
Wade’s snout, splitting it open. Wade’s blood made a red, spraying arc across Jaxson’s
chest. Jaxson reared up on his hind legs and arched his neck, splitting the air
with a mighty roar. Then, he brought his full weight down, crushing Wade’s
body.

I tried to nudge Ladybug forward, but she wouldn’t
budge. I slid off her and took a tentative step toward my father. He roared
beside me.

Then the rest of the pack moved in. Brandon howled
with rage, his teeth bared as he advanced on Alec at the top of the hill. Cole,
Daniel, and Christian followed him. Alec stepped around Jaxson where he stomped
one last time on Wade’s body.

Alec howled and pawed the ground. Brandon ran toward
him, but Alec was ready. He leaped up and brought his paws down on Brandon’s
back, baring his teeth. They stayed locked that way, and Alec’s fierce growl
sent a shiver down my spine. Cole, Christian, and Daniel lowered their heads,
leaning on their front paws. Alec nipped Brandon’s ear.