Shannon was laughing and crying behind me. “Command, love,” she explained. “You told us to listen. Alarick had to release us from it when you didn’t.” Oh, whoops. I guessed I was lucky he knew how to do that.
“Share,” Zev demanded, tugging me from Alarick’s arms to pull me in for a kiss. I was dizzy by the time Chann followed him and then passed me to Shannon.
Her kiss was sweet, her hands soft on my face. “Goddess, I love you,” she whispered against my lips before passing me to Ian.
Ian cupped the nape of my neck, turning my face up to take my mouth. “I should spank you for scaring us like that, kitten,” he murmured, nipping at my swollen lips.
“I thought you were gonna run or something,” Chann grumbled on a sigh, tugging me back to nuzzle at me as Zev squeezed me between them.
Alarick cradled me close, his hands firm and warm. “I knew you’d fall for us eventually.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Honestly, I think I fell for you from the beginning. I was just too scared to admit it.” I smiled up at them. “I’m done being scared though.”
“Does that mean you’ll mate with me?” Alarick chuckled, nipping my ear.
I groaned, tapping his nose. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ari,” I warned, wriggling from his grip. “Besides, we have forever, right?” Grinning, my head held high, I led the people I loved from the room to address our pack. No matter what happened now, we were facing it together.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Pixie
“Seriously?” I wheezed. “I’ve seen mosh pits with more breathing room.” I could only gape at the insanity that was Ocean Mist’s territory. I wasn’t the only one either. Zev whistled as he maneuvered the SUV around other vehicles parked in the long driveway, squeezing his way into a parking space so we could pile out. The sun was setting, already behind the trees, but with our shifter senses, I knew being able to see in the dark wouldn’t be an issue.
“Dude, I know we had allies and lookie-loos coming to watch this, but this is a lot of witnesses,” Chann muttered as he passed Luna into my arms.
“All the better.” Alarick’s tone was grim as he led the way toward the house. “The more wolves that can vouch for what happens today, the better for us.”
“Does that mean the bad guy will go away?” Luna whispered in my ear. I cuddled the pup tightly against me as we walked.
“We’ll keep you safe,” I assured her.
“Alarick!” Alpha Due strode from the front door to offer a hand in greeting. “It’s a bit of a madhouse, I’m sorry.”
“It looks like you’ve been overrun!” Shannon laughed, shaking her head. “Does your mate need any help?”
The alpha shook his head. “I believe my pack has it in hand, thank you, Omega. If you see my mate, though, I know she would appreciate the offer.”
“Of course.”
Due grimaced as he added, “Starlight Woods arrived hours ago to take advantage of our hospitality and whine to any of the witnesses who would listen.”
Ian shrugged, the movement sharp. “I’m not shocked, but it’s not a trial. They are here to witness, not pass judgment.”
“Which is what I told them when I continued to move them on their way,” he grumbled, his hand sliding over the silver at his temples. “They have been watched carefully by my most trusted and vetted pack members, but so far we have seen nothing of concern.” His words were no more than a whisper as his eyes darted to Alarick who inclined his head.
“Thank you, Alpha Due, for the concern. I hope we won’t infringe on your territory much longer.”
The alpha chuckled, though the sound was far from pleasant. “You know as well as I do that he is not a true alpha. Kill him and get it over with. There’s no point in even trying to transfer a bond that doesn’t exist.” He turned on his heel, walking around the building toward the cacophony of noise that echoed off the surrounding trees. “Everyone has already made their way to the dueling grounds. They have been boasting that you were too afraid to show up, which is why you waited so late to arrive.”
Zev groaned. “Yeah, cause being only a half hour early to kill someone is considered the height of bad manners.” Ian smacked him on the back of the head but didn’t bother to negate his statement.
“How’s your father doing, by the way?” Due asked, angling so he could speak to Alarick as he walked. “I knew you would be busy handling pack politics, and I didn’t want to overwhelm you with calls.”
“He’s annoyed that his full spectrum of vision hasn’t yet returned,” Alarick admitted with a sigh, “and that he still has some pain and limited mobility. But he is doing better, thank you.”
“Told ya he was too stubborn to die. You make sure you’re the same way.”
The alpha led us through a grove of trees and into the middle of a massive field. Lamps hung from the boughs and across wires overhead, casting light and showing off the colors that my night vision didn’t provide. I whistled in shock at the number of wolves—in both forms—that ringed the fringes and slipped between the trees in a patchwork of red, brown, gray, and black. “Guess that explains the cars.”
“Only a few of my pack are here to witness,” Alpha Due informed us with a small shrug. “Many remain at the packhouse with our pups and to help compile the amount of supplies necessary to host this type of proceeding.” His eyes darted around the field, his brow wrinkling as he searched. “I assumed Eirian had already made her way here.” How he hoped to spot her in the sea of color, I wasn’t sure, but Starlight Woods wasn’t hard to find. On the far side of the clearing, their red hair acted as a beacon as they surrounded Gwyar, their hands flying as they spoke emphatically with him about something.
“Luna, you need to stay close to me,” I reminded the pup, as my wolf snarled at all the unfamiliar smells and the number of unknown wolves. While many smiled or waved at Alarick, who greeted them familiarly, I didn’t like them anywhere near us. “Shannon, you stay close too, okay?”
“I will,” she agreed, squeezing my shoulder. “I may not be the strongest fighter, but I can keep them back from us for a while at least.” I smiled up at her in thanks.
“Remember, nothing fancy.” Ian’s words were quiet. “No warnings are necessary, the duel is to the death. Just kill him and end it before he has a chance to try anything, because we both know he will, and I don’t relish the idea of patching you back up again.”
“Hey, at least there are no cliffs here for you,” Zev remarked with a pointed look at me. I groaned at the reminder.
“Oh, come on!” I leaned my head against Luna’s. Despite the dark humor, even the pup chuckled at the joke Zev made at my expense.
With Alpha Due at our side, we approached the delegation for Starlight Woods, and I purposely ignored the slimy smirks on their faces. “You’re late.” Gwyar’s voice was pitched to carry, even though I could sense the witnesses moving closer, soaking in the drama that was about to unfold.