The Reluctant Wolf (Book 1 Cloverleah Pack) (22 page)

As soon as he saw Xavier’s muscles shift to indicate movement Shawn struck, closing his teeth over Xavier’s leg. Xavier wrestled himself from Shawn’s mouth and the fight began in earnest.  Again and again the two wolves engaged, snapping, biting, clawing at every chance they had. It was beautiful in its brutality.  Xavier driven by his own madness and Shawn determined to do all that he could to render his opponent useless in the face of a second challenge.

Time stood still.  No one outside the circle said a word.  They barely moved.  Kane fought with every thing he had to stay still, to keep his face impassive as he watched Shawn’s beautiful wolf being torn at, blood streaming down his white fur.  Not that Xavier was looking any better.  He had huge chunks of flesh flapping at his shoulders and hind quarters and Kane could see the older man was tiring.

Then out of nowhere a shot rang out
from the trees and Shawn fell.  Kane could see a dart piercing his flank.  Xavier had stopped, waiting to see what Shawn would do.  Shawn pushed himself to his feet and shook his shaggy head.  Kane knew the moment was coming fast and he had to act.

Turning to
the men who had stood staunchly as they watched the fight Kane said, “As soon as Shawn is dead I am going to demand retribution for cheating.  Dad, take all of the men except those from my pack and stop the Spokane pack from attacking.  Try not to hurt too many of them if you can, just detain them. Unless they get pigheaded of course.  Griff, as soon as I yell for retribution I want you and the boys to engage Xavier.  He will shift as soon as he thinks he has won so keep him in human form if you can.  I need you to keep him away from Shawn’s body.”

“What are you going to do, son” Arthur asked gently.

“I am going to get my mate back.  Wait for my signal.”

Kane forced himself to watch.  Shawn could barely stand as he fought the tranquilizer in his system, but he kept moving around as Xavier circled him, the
black and grey wolf almost rabid in his excitement.  Finally with a howl, Xavier struck, reaching across Shawn’s back, his teeth ripping a huge tear from Shawn’s throat.  Shawn fell and this time he did not get up.

Kane could feel the moment of his mate’s death.  His wolf howled on the inside, long and loud and then all of a sudden he felt a slam into his body and a warm glow tingle through his chest and over his limbs.  He would have fallen if it wasn’t for Griff’s solid chest
hard against his back.  Stumbling a moment, he took a deep breath and stood upright again. The tingle in his body remained. Shawn’s spirit had found him.

Xavier stood over
Shawn’s lifeless body and howled at his victory.  Then he stepped away from Shawn and shifted.

“I did it
! I won! I AM the TRUE Alpha of the Spokane pack.  And now all of you who have supported this freak will pay.”  Xavier was dancing around, which quite honestly looked ridiculous given that he was naked and not that good looking at all.

“You
CHEATED and under pack law I demand retribution.” 

Kane’s voice rang out strong and loud.  On his signal his men moved - Claude, Lucius and the men from Arthur’s pack all moving around the circle to confront the men of the Spokane pack.  Kane moved forward to claim Shawn’s body, while Griff, Scott, Troy and Dean rushed to grab Xavier to prevent him from shifting.  With Griff holding him tightly in a bear hold, Scott, Troy and Dean al
l took turns in punching him and kicking him so he couldn’t focus on shifting.  Xavier was trying to fight back but he couldn’t get Griff off his back.

Kane’s only focus was Shawn.  He carefully picked the wolf up, trying to support his head.  The death wound was large and gaping.  He was surprised when he felt another pair of hands helping him and he gave a quick glance at his father.  Together the two men rushed the white wolf to the porch and laid him gently on the wooden boards.
Kane knelt beside him.

Running his hands over Shawn’s fur, Kane wasn’t sure what to do.  If he bought Shawn back now he would just bleed out again and die all over again. Remembering what Shawn had shown him earlier that day Kane placed one hand over his heart and another over the tattoos on Shawn’s chest.  He could feel the tingle of the connection and he reached forward in his mind trying to find the magic in Shawn’s body.

“I need you to heal, my love.  Let me in to heal you.” His words were soft against the wolf’s ears.  Pushing again with his mind he urged the magic spirit forward and watched as a blue glow moved gently over the lifeless body.  Shawn’s throat wound closed and healed in seconds but the body was still dead.

Okay thought Kane, we have the connection.  Come on my lover I need you back, now
would be good.  Placing both hands on Shawn’s body he started to stroke the fur.  Speaking softly he poured his heart into his words and his hands.

“Everything I have is yours.  All that I am belongs to you.  I love you with all that I am and all I can be.  I need you more than air in my lungs or blood in my veins.  Don’t leave me Shawn, I love you so much.  Come back to me angel, come back and let me show you my love.”

Kane could feel Shawn’s spirit moving in his own body.  Transfixed he watched as a pale blue glow emanated from his chest, down through his hands into the wolf below.  Kane never let up speaking, never let up stroking until he could feel that the whole of Shawn’s spirit was back where it belonged. 

Then he whispered. “Come back to me my love.” And Shawn’s wolf shuddered and his eyes flew open.  Seeing Kane
by his side, Shawn blinked just once, then shifted complete with his trademark jeans.  Kane stared at him for just one second and then scooping him up into his arms, he buried his face into Shawn’s neck, tears flowing soundlessly from his eyes.

“By the Fate’s you’re a Guardian.”  Shawn heard Arthur’s hushed voice and carefully moved his head to meet the older man’s eyes.  Looking deep into the same blue eyes that graced his mates face, he nodded and then sunk back down draping his arms over his lover’s neck holding him as close as he could with all the strength that he had.

Finally Kane felt like he could move again.  Raising his head he looked into the eyes he loved so much and stroked Shawn’s face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes my love.  I think that tranquilizer hit me more than it should, must have been a huge dose.  But I can feel my magic trying to fight it so I should feel a lot stronger real soon.” 

Shawn looked across to where the others were fighting. Griff had let Scott and Troy hold Xavier and was raining punches over the old man’s body and face
while Dean was getting in hits where he could.  On the other side of the circle the other men had the Spokane pack encircled.  Some of the faces looked a bit bruised and bloodied but everyone seemed to be okay.

“Hmm they all seem okay maybe I can take another five minutes.”  Shawn mumbled.  Then he heard
Cheryl scream out from the door of the house, “Oh my God he’s alive.”  Everyone in the glade stopped what they were doing and looked to the porch.

“Or maybe not.”  Shawn gave a small grin to Kane.  “Can you help me up love?  I am not sure I can stand on my own two feet yet.”

Kane stood up with Shawn in his arms before letting his mate’s lower body go so that Shawn could rest his full length against his body.  Shawn held on tight for one brief moment and then turned leaning his back against Kane’s chest with Kane’s strong arms wrapped around his waist.  Lifting his head he looked out at the men in the glade beneath him. Typically it was Xavier who spoke up first.

“I knew you cheated.  You lying little shit.  You did use your magic.  Well come back here and fight me again, I won’t lose.”

“ENOUGH.”  Shawn’s voice rolled out his power and every wolf in the glade shivered.  “I gave you my word that I would not use magic during the fight, and I did not. YOU cannot kill me, you fool.  I am a Guardian and with my mate by my side I will always be stronger than you.”  Taking a deep breath Shawn faced the rest of the men.

“As a Guardian it is my duty to ensure that all packs, all shifters are kept safe from harm and abuse.  Under wolf pack law Xavier is the rightful Alpha of the Spokane pack.  He killed my wolf, which you all
were witness to and therefore the position is his.”

The look of surprise on Xavier’s face was priceless, but Shawn had more to say and this time it was to the Spokane pack.

“You men have lived under this man’s tyranny for six months now.  I see many of you are underfed and you have not been trained to protect your pack.  I have heard stories of the abuse some of you have suffered for being gay, human or different.  That has to stop and as such I have to ensure that Xavier does not leave my pack land today as the Alpha of your pack. Will any of you step forward now and challenge Xavier, to the death?”

Shawn sought out his cousin’s Eli and Jacob and stared at them, waiting for them to make their move.  They were both Xavier’s sons and perhaps that was why they were bigger, fitter and better fed than many of the others in their pack.  Jacob looked back at a younger man who was tucked behind him.  The younger man gave a nod and Jacob stepped forward.

“I am Jacob, eldest son of Xavier.  I will fight for the right to be Alpha and the right to claim my mate.”  He looked across at his brother, Eli who also stepped forward.

“I am Eli, younger son of Xavier.  Should Jacob fail then I will
fight for the right to be Alpha so I can claim my mate.” He grinned at a tall slim man standing a few feet away from him.

Are both Xavier’s son’s gay?
Kane asked his mate.

Yep, and although they have both found their true male mates they have not been allowed to claim each other as first my father and then Xavier was going to force them to marry women instead.

Shawn smiled at Kane and then looked over to Jacob. “Come here, Jacob.”

Jacob stepped forward.  Although he wasn’t very tall he was young and strong his muscles rippling under his shirt as he strode towards the porch. As he passed Xavier the older man started ranting at him about what a weak pervert he was and how he was going to smash him into the ground.  Kane glanced over at Griff who promptly smashed Xavier in the mouth with his fist, effectively shutting him up.

Close up Shawn could see that Jacob was nervous but determined.

“Is this your first fight?” He asked softly.

Jacob nodded.

“And you realize it has to be
to death?”

“I understand my responsibility.  Xavier must be made to pay for what he has done.”
  This time it was Shawn who nodded.  He reached out his hand and pressed it against Jacob’s forehead.  A blue glow oozed out from his hand, encasing Jacob’s body before seeping into his skin.

“For this one fight, Jacob will have the protection of a Guardian.  Does anybody dispute this?”

Everyone shook their head except Xavier who yelled out, “You can’t do this, it is not a fair fight.”

“I can and I have done it,” said Shawn calmly.

“Well I demand my Shaman.  I need him to heal me if you expect me to fight right away.”  The Shaman’s weren’t anywhere to be seen.

Shawn looked at Kane who roared out over Shawn’s head.  “NO.  You are denied by virtue of the fact you owe my pack retribution for the death of my mate’s wolf.  You will fight as you are.”

“Fine, you are all a bunch of faggots and faggot lovers anyway.  I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back.”

“That can be arranged,” called out Claude
causing the men around him to laugh.  Xavier shut up.

Looking down at Jacob Shawn asked softly, “Are you ready?”

Jacob nodded.

“As the challenger, Jacob has the right to shift first.”  Shawn’s voice rang out through the glade.

Supporting Shawn’s weight, Kane helped his mate off the porch, followed by his father.  All of the men grouped around the pack circle again. Jacob stripped off proudly, his body gleaming in the afternoon sun.  Kane noticed a couple of Damien’s men looking a little harder than they should, but hey a guy can look can’t he.  Seconds later Jacob shifted, in his place a solid black wolf.

Kane nodded to Scott and Troy to release Xavier.  The man could barely stand by himself but his mouth just would not stop working as he kept verbally abusing his son.  Finally Shawn called out, “Shift, Now,” in his powerful Dom voice and Xavier’s face was still showing surprise, shifted against his will.
  As soon as Xavier was in his wolf form, Jacob attacked.

Shawn closed his eyes as the fight progressed.  There was never going to be any doubt as to who would win, but Xavier made it last longer out of sheer madness.  But for now Shawn wanted to savor the feel of his mate’s body against his back, his own strength returning with every breath.

Are you feeling okay?
Kane was worried and Shawn quickly replied wanting to spare Kane any more stress that he had already been under.

More than okay my lover.  I am just enjoying the feel of the sun on my face
and your wonderfully strong body against my back.
Kane grinned in Shawn’s ear and rolled his hips gently into his mate’s ass. 

You might want to give me just one more hour before you start making moves like that.

An hour?  I can do that, just.