“Submit? Yeah,” Remy finished for me with a bitter laugh. “He quit.”
Looking up, I could see the disgust on the faces of a lot of people from Norwood as Trace gave up. Some looked concerned, but a few also looked relieved.
Rhodes backed away from Trace, who was still on the ground.
“Norwood submitted,” Griffin announced. “Blackwater wins.”
Remy let me go and headed for the middle of the clearing. He gazed at the Norwood members, and then his eyes zeroed in on Maren. “Let her go.”
The men holding Maren released her suddenly, abruptly. She stumbled forward before breaking into a run and running straight to Katy with a sob. A second later, Tate was joining their hug as Dante and Ryder waited for their own chance to hug Maren.
“It’s over,” Larkin whispered. “It’s actually over.”
“Not quite,” Lulu said quietly, filling the empty space Remy had left. “We need to free those women, and I need to find that elemental they were using.”
Griffin joined Remy and arched a brow. “Any other challengers?”
I held my breath and waited. Challenges were almost entirely issued by Alphas unless it was a lower pack member trying to wrest control and power of a pack. Technically any of the men across from us could challenge Remy, which meant he or Rhodes would have to keep fighting.
A man stepped forward from the pack and stared hard at Remy for a moment before slowly lowering to one knee. One by one, the rest of the Norwood pack followed suit until they all submitted to Remy. To Blackwater.
I finally exhaled the breath caught in my chest.
56
Skye
“Katy and Maren will be here in ten minutes,” Larkin said, ducking her head into the room where I was sitting with my father in the Windale Alpha house. She flashed us both a tired smile.
It had been a long twenty-four hours since the challenge ended and we were all feeling it.
“Okay,” I replied as Larkin moved out of the doorway to the formal living room Nikolai and I were sitting in.
“How is Katy’s girlfriend?” he asked gently.
I sighed. She was doing okay, but there was no denying the last few months had taken their toll on her.
After winning the challenge, and Norwood finally standing down, we actually had space to breathe for the first time in months. Maren had been sort of out of it when we brought her back with us, and she’d been holed up with Katy for most of the day.
After Trace surrendered, Remy and Lulu had bound him to his wolf form. He’d slunk off into the woods with his tail between his legs. The doctor from Windale had set Remy’s arm and stitched up his shoulder. I had stayed up most of the night, watching him sleep next to me, to reassure myself he was really okay.
That we were all okay.
Damien’s body had been cremated and would be returned to his widow when we went to Norwood tomorrow. Everything was happening fast now, faster than I could keep up with.
Which was why I was a little grateful that my dad had grabbed me to talk for a few minutes. There was something we needed to settle between us.
“I won’t keep you,” he told me quickly. “I just wanted to see how you were faring this morning. Yesterday was rather taxing.”
I snorted. “That’s an understatement. But I’m okay.”
“And Remy?”
“He’s good,” I said with a smile. “Doctor thinks he’ll have the cast off by the end of the week. The break was clean, so it’ll heal fast.”
“That’s good news.”
I fidgeted for a second. “I need to give you back your pack.”
Sighing, he nodded and rubbed his jaw. “I had a feeling this was coming after what I said yesterday.”
I looked down at my hands, not wanting to see any disappointment in his eyes. “Blackwater is my home. They’re my pack. I know you gave me Narodnaya to get the other Alphas to agree to help—”
His hand covered mine. “I was happy to do it. And I would be happy still to see you rule Narodnaya. You would make a magnificent Alpha.”
“I won’t ask Remy to give up Blackwater,” I said quietly, lifting my eyes. “And truth be told? I don’t want to give it up either. That pack saved me when I was a scared kid on the run with Mom. My friends and some of my family are there.”
He smiled at that. “I understand, little wolf. But you will always have a home with me.”
“I know,” I replied, feeling the prick of tears sting the backs of my eyes. “I had no idea I would find you or Dimitri.”
“You’re welcome in our home anytime. I’ll even send the plane for you,” he added with a wink. “And your room will stay yours.”
I drew in a cleansing breath. “So, how do I give you back your pack?”
“Well, I could challenge you.” He grinned at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
A laugh burst from my chest. “I think you’d win.”
“Perhaps,” he allowed with a small smile.
“But really. How do we do this?” I asked, a little unsure about the proper protocol to surrender a pack.
“Do what?” Remy asked, his frame mostly filling the empty doorway. He gave me a soft smile and sat down beside me.
“Give my dad his pack back,” I said.
Remy nodded slowly at me. We had talked about this last night, and he knew I was planning to give up Narodnaya. He grabbed my hand in his and squeezed supportively.
“There’s no need for formal protocol,” my dad told me. “Just … give it back.”
“Okay,” I replied with an amused chuckle. “I give you your pack back.”
“Our pack,” he corrected.
“Our pack,” I agreed. Blackwater was my home, but there was no denying the pull that my wolf and I felt for Narodnaya.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to send some of the men ahead into Norwood. I don’t want any surprises when we arrive tomorrow.”
“You’re coming with us?” Remy asked.
Nikolai paused where he was standing now. “If that’s all right with you, Alpha?”
“Of course,” Remy replied instantly. “I just assumed you would want to head home.”
“My pack still has some outstanding business,” Nikolai said vaguely. “And Lulu needs to meet the elemental that the pack has been using to manipulate the wolves there.”
“Okay,” Remy agreed, shrugging. “I won’t say no to the extra help.”
Unease prickled up my spine. “You think we’ll have a problem?”
His dark eyes met mine. “I think I’m not taking any chances. There are bound to be a few who resist the idea of me being Alpha. And the deal Damien was offering was lucrative for a lot of people. They won’t be happy to see that end.”
My eyes narrowed. “He was offering women and children as mates to the highest bidder.”
“And there’s a lot of people who still think he was onto something,” Remy pointed out. “Winning this war isn’t going to magically change everyone’s minds.”
My face twisted into a scowl.