Chapter Five
Aleco turned at the sound of Julie’s voice, and he thought his heart would burst with relief, it seemed to swell so much in his chest. “Julie.”
She was wearing the simple pale blue dress she favored when going to town, on her feet, flat pumps and her hair, usually neat and pulled up, was loose around her shoulders. Even in the dim light, he could see she was pale and scared.
Behind him, Pedro whimpered, then growled.
Aleco reached back, set his hand on his mate’s head and turned back to Titan. “If she’s harmed, I’ll kill you now, with my bare hands.”
“She’s unharmed.” Titan shrugged. “I think.”
Aleco pushed past a couple of Titan’s dogs, ignoring their protests. They were small. He could shift in an instant and take them both down if he needed to.
They wisely chose not to stop him.
He marched up to Julie who broke free from a tall man with red hair, who’d led her from the cabin.
Aleco held his arms out, gratitude washing over him as he saw that she did, indeed, appear unharmed. She fell into his embrace and he held her close, inhaling her familiar scent and pressing his cheek against her soft hair. “It’s okay, love. We’re here.”
“I knew you’d come. Both of you.”
He pulled back and cupped her face. “And now we’re going to take you home, just as soon as I sort out this asshole who thought it was okay to snatch you from the town.”
“I’m sorry. It happened so quickly. I was taking a short cut and in the alley… They were just there.” Her eyes filled with tears. “They grabbed me from the truck. Bundled me in and brought me here. I was so scared, so—”
“Shh, please, don’t cry.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. It’s all okay now.” He gave her another quick hug then faced Pedro. “Shift, she needs you.”
Pedro went up onto his back legs, his human form emerging from his canine one. In a heartbeat, he was at Aleco’s side, scooping Julie into his arms. She clung to him the way she had Aleco, burying her face against his neck.
Aleco could see the tension drain from Pedro as he held the woman they loved.
But now it was time to sort out Titan and his unruly pack. “Explain yourself, Titan.”
“She’s cute. I see why you both like her.” Titan nodded at Julie. “Does she behave like a good little bitch when you tell her to?”
“Refer to our wife like that again and you’ll be shoveling your guts up from the ground.”
Several of Aleco’s pack, still in their dog forms, came up behind him. Their snarling presence was pleasing.
“I won’t tell you again to start explaining yourself,” Aleco said. “Because I’m all out of patience and tolerance for one day.”
“So be it.” Titan stood. “But I’ve achieved what I set out to get.”
“Which is?”
“You, here.”
“I don’t want to be here. Your camp stinks.”
“No more than yours.” Titan grinned.
Aleco clenched his fists. The urge to punch the smirk off Titan’s face was becoming overwhelming. “So now what? Say your piece, because we’re leaving.”
“I want the town.”
“What?” Aleco frowned.
“The town, we need it as part of Rocky territory.”
“No. No way. It’s always been ours. You use Montray up north for your human needs.”
“It’s too far.”
“Tough.” Aleco shrugged. “Not my problem.”
“Oh, but it is.”
“How so?”
“Because I want it. My pack want it. You can go elsewhere. That makes it your problem, very much so.”
“Screw you.” Aleco turned. Was this really what it was all about? Where to go and buy soap and lube and shit. He should knock Titan from here to kingdom come for putting him through this.
“I’m not letting it go,” Titan said, his voice low and growling. “We want your town.”
Aleco turned back to him. “Well you can’t fucking have the town. It’s our patch.” Jesus, was the man deaf?
“And now it’s ours.”
Aleco felt as if a red mist was coming down over his eyes. He stared at this arrogant enemy—a man who’d taken his woman and was now trying to take his pack’s land. His pulse thudded in his ears and his muscles twitched with the need to spring into action.
He marched up to Titan.
A swirl of yelps and growls flooded the air, from both packs. They snapped and snarled at each other, baring their canines and spittle flying.
Aleco pulled back his arm and set a hard thump over Titan’s nose.
To Aleco’s surprise, Titan didn’t try to block or step out of the way. He took the punch and grinned. “I thought that’s how you’d want to settle this small disagreement.”
“Small disagreement? You took my woman. I want to fucking kill you.”
“You can try,” Titan said, holding out his arms. “But if you can’t kill me, I get the town. Simple as that.”
“No. That’s never going to happen.” Aleco shook his head.
“You’ll have to kill us all. The town is Redwood territory, always has been,” Pedro shouted.
“Then perhaps we will kill you all.” Titan shrugged.
Several of Titan’s bigger dogs circled Aleco, but he refused to be intimidated by them. He was a damn big dog when he shifted. Fierce, too.
He glanced at Pedro and Julie. They were protected by their pack, all now in dog form.
It became clear to Aleco that there was only one way to settle this dispute, and much as it pained him to admit it, dialogue with Titan wasn’t going to be it.
He rubbed his knuckles, smarting from where he’d just punched Titan. “Me and you. Not them.” He gestured to his pack and Pedro and Julie. “Winner takes the town.”
Damn, how has it come to this?
“Suits me,” Titan said, shoving at his jeans and kicking them aside.
He stood naked, hands on hips, cock soft, and surveyed his pack. “Keep back. I can take this old dog.”
“Who you calling old?” Aleco could almost taste Titan’s blood. He’d be sinking his teeth into him within seconds.
Titan put his head back and laughed. “You can’t be Alpha male forever, Aleco. And now it’s time for your dogs to see that you’re past your best. That you’re used goods. A has-been.” His laugh turned into a growl as he tipped forward and shifted.
Aleco quickly followed suit, not wanting to spend time responding to insults. He had a feeling Titan would pounce as soon as he was a dog.
And he was right. Aleco had barely shifted and Titan’s huge black, wiry-haired body was flying through the air toward him. His front legs were outstretched and his teeth visible.
Aleco dodged to the right, nearer to the fire.
Titan landed hard, missing Aleco by inches. His muzzle hit the floor and his spine jarred, but he recovered quickly and turned on Aleco, snarling.
This time Aleco was ready and as Titan sprung at him, he went for Titan’s neck, his jaw stretched wide.
He was aware of Julie screaming his name. Of the tension radiating from his pack. But it didn’t affect him. He sank his teeth into fur and flesh and tasted warm metallic fluid.
Titan, however, was big and young. He twisted and freed from Aleco’s grip.
Aleco stepped back, panting. Blood spread on his palate.
Titan growled and several drips of blood splashed onto the ground. Then once more he hurled himself at Aleco. The impact of his big body knocked the air from Aleco’s lungs and he hit the floor near the fire. Titan clamped his mouth around Aleco’s neck, biting the way he’d just been bitten. A moment of panic seared through Aleco. He turned his head to the right and saw Julie, frantically trying to free herself from Pedro’s gripping arms. Thank goodness. The last thing he wanted was either of his beloved mates anywhere near a murderous Titan.
He summoned strength, writhed and knocked Titan to the right. Aleco then jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his neck and back.
Behind him, several of Titan’s dogs stepped forward, shrinking the fighting ring and drawing the fire nearer. Escape wasn’t an option.
He didn’t want it to be.
Titan stood with his head low and his teeth on display. They were stained red now and his saliva dripped pink.
Aleco growled and summoned the rage he’d felt earlier when he’d found out this man, whose ancestors had warred with his in the past, had dared to take the woman his heart beat for.
He found that rage to be a powerful force, an injection of energy.
With one flying leap, he knocked Titan sideways, into the fire embers. Titan landed heavily, his neck jarring and his body twisting.
Aleco saw his chance and once again clamped his jaw around Titan’s neck. This time, he meant business and he bit in such a way as to squash Titan’s windpipe and stop the flow of air.
Titan’s breaths ceased, though, he continued to fight. But there was panic in his movements, as if he knew Aleco had the better of him.
The scent of burning fur filled the air. They were too near the fire and each dog was singeing.
The crowd was going crazy. Barking. Shouting. Growling. Howling. But still Aleco gripped his nemesis.
Titan’s struggle was growing less intense, his body shuddering. It would only be a few seconds now and Titan would be dead. Did he want that?
Wouldn’t that make him as bad as Titan?
But the town. He wanted the town to remain Redwood territory. They needed it. Their humans needed it.
I’m not a murderer. That thought slammed into Aleco’s brain. He’d always been tough, able to fight and win. But he’d never killed. Killing wasn’t on his to-do list.
He released Titan and stepped away. The heat of the fire a lick of pain over his coat now.
Titan sucked in a deep breath and meekly rolled to his side. Smoke puffed from his coat.
The packs quieted and Titan’s retreated.
Aleco was breathing deeply too. He turned to Julie and Pedro, and hoped that whatever happened next wouldn’t mean they’d have to witness him killing Titan.
Because he would. If Titan left him no option.
But Titan appeared weak. And as a huge dog, that somehow looked all the more pathetic. He half-crawled, half-dragged himself from the danger area around the fire, then stood on shaking legs.
Blood dripped from his neck and when he shook, it sprayed in a large arc landing on several of his pack members. He then shifted, turning back into a human. But he remained kneeling, his spine curled forward and his head hanging low.
One of the women rushed to him and pressed a wad of material to his bleeding neck.
Aleco reared back and returned to his human form. “I could have killed you there and then,” he said, breathlessly. “And taken all of your territory for my own. Made your dogs loyal to me .”
“They would never go with you,” Titan said, apparently suppressing a cough.
“They’d have no choice.” Aleco swung his gaze around them. “Unless, like you, they were foolish enough to think because I’m an older dog, with gray fur, that I cannot fight and win.”
“You’re not a true fighter.” Titan grimaced. “If you were, you would have killed me when you had the chance.”
Aleco gestured behind himself. “And have my mates and my pack see me become a murderer? Why would I do that?”
Titan said nothing.
The woman at Titan’s side adjusted the pressure on his neck. Blood was seeping onto the material. “We need to get this seen to.”
“Yes. Yes.” Titan waved her away but as he did so he slumped farther forward.
In a flash, several of his pack, in their human form, were next to him. They scooped him up and carried him into the nearest cabin.
As Aleco watched him go, he was aware of Pedro and Julie at his side. Pedro put his hand on Aleco’s forearm.“Now what?”
Aleco looked at him. “We go home. All of us.”