Chapter 7
Nadia made her way through the territory dressed in slate and black, right down to her boots and the heavy coat she’d buttoned tight against the cold. She’d been given the outfit that morning, and it made some sense. Slate for the Slate Pack.
She stopped several times along the way to chat with pack members who seemed to be everywhere at once. People stood outside of their homes, lingered in doorways of storefronts, and leaned out of open business entrances just to call her name or offer a nod of encouragement.
It felt strange. Overwhelming. Good.
She had never felt this welcomed anywhere before. Not like this. Not by so many at once.
By the time she reached the main lodge, her cheeks ached from smiling, and the tension in her shoulders had eased just a little.
The building loomed before her, solid and familiar, smoke drifting lazily from one of the chimneys.
She pushed through the front doors and stepped into the warmth, the scent of coffee and wood polish settling around her.
The receptionist behind the main desk smiled widely.
“Oh, Nadia, it’s so good to see you.” The female came around the desk and grasped both of Nadia’s hands.
Today Glynis wore a pretty pink flowered skirt and a yellow sweater, the colors bright and cheerful.
Stylish brown boots peeked out beneath the hem, and her brown hair was piled high on her head.
“This is so kind of you. I don’t know if anyone’s said how much we appreciate what you’re doing for the pack. ”
“Yes, I’ve heard it all day,” Nadia said, her voice soft but sincere. “It’s nice to feel like I belong.”
“Of course you belong. You’re one of us.” Glynis pulled her into a quick, rose-scented hug. “Now go on into the conference room. There’s coffee, water, and soda. Would you like anything else?”
Nadia’s stomach rolled. “No, thank you. I’m really not hungry.”
“I don’t blame you. This is weird. Don’t worry. We’ll get past it.” Glynis gave her a gentle nudge around the counter.
Nadia stumbled and righted herself before walking down the hallway and turning into the largest conference room. She stopped short.
All four remaining challengers sat around the long slate table, eating donuts.
“Hello, dear,” Bussy said from the corner, where she stood beside her sister and Solomon.
Solomon wore a slate gray suit with a purple tie. The women had chosen slate-colored dresses with purple accents. They all matched. Nadia looked at them, momentarily thrown.
Bussy smiled. “We went with the theme of the day, which is slate. It’s so boring that we had to add some color, and we figured why not purple. Don’t you think?”
“Sure.” Nadia had absolutely no idea why any of it mattered. Her gaze snagged on Caidrik. He was studying her openly, his color fully returned, his posture relaxed but alert. She cleared her throat and forced herself to look at the other three. “How’s everybody feeling?”
“Fine,” Bulwark said shortly.
Isaac nodded. “Never better.” He glanced at Luca, suspiciousness in his gaze.
Luca lifted one shoulder in a loose shrug and winked at Nadia. “I honestly didn’t poison anybody. I wouldn’t stoop that low. I just don’t like tea.” He flicked a look toward the other males at the table. “I’m surprised you all drank it. It was fricking tea, gents.”
Nadia tried to center herself. Somehow.
The slate conference room table looked too tight for the number of males packed around it. The long table anchored the space, its smooth surface reflecting the overhead lights in dull bands. Donut boxes sat open and half-emptied, the sugary smell clashing with the tension crawling through the air.
Caidrik crossed his arms, his body language closing off as his eyes glowed faintly. He looked less like a hopeful Alpha and more like a brewing storm. “Could we get on with this?” he asked, his voice sharp.
“Why? Are you ready to die?” Bulwark drawled.
Caidrik turned his head slowly toward his brother. “It’s a good thing your father’s gone, or he’d be mourning you already.”
“You’ll meet your bastard father again before I see mine in hell,” Bulwark shot back.
“Enough.” Bussy snapped the word like a whip. She raised one hand. “Boys, please behave. So, you have to fight to the death. Big deal,” she went on briskly. “Get over it.”
Nadia stared at the older woman, disbelief tightening her chest.
Bussy shrugged. “Sorry, dear. Facts are facts.”
Solomon moved then, lifting the grimoire from a side table. The leather cover creaked softly as he placed it at the head of the conference table. The ladies flanked him automatically, forming a quiet wall of authority.
“All right,” Solomon said. “We had five challengers. Now we have four. I’ve searched all the rules.” He flipped a page. “If one of you poisoned the tea, you didn’t break any guidelines. Sabotage is perfectly acceptable.”
Nadia wanted to lean against the wall but stood tall instead. Well, tall for her. “That’s just great,” she muttered.
“Wait a minute,” Bulwark said. “I thought we couldn’t kill each other outside of the trials.”
“Oh no,” Solomon replied calmly. “You can kill each other now that the challenge has started.” He peered down at the grimoire. “Feel free.”
Bulwark’s body bunched, muscles tightening as if he might launch himself across the table.
“Hold it.” Solomon raised a hand. “Let’s at least get through this part first. Then you can fight to the death.” He didn’t sound like he cared.
Nadia did. She cared very much. “I’m trying to find a way out of this for everyone.”
“You can’t,” Solomon replied.
“Maybe you can’t,” she shot back, her pulse hammering. “But I have a code deciphering that ancient language that apparently only you can read. I think you might be making it up on the spot.”
Solomon reared back, clearly affronted. “I would never do such a thing. Feel free. I’m happy to translate for you anytime.”
“Good,” Nadia said. “Let’s meet after this. I have questions that might help my algorithm.”
“You might be a little busy,” he said, nodding toward the side table.
Bussy hustled over and grabbed two large manila envelopes, handing one to her sister.
“This is interesting,” Isaac muttered.
A flurry of sound erupted outside, followed by rapid footsteps. The door burst open to reveal a beautiful female.
“Sorry,” Glynis said, breathless as she edged around the newcomer. “I told her you were all busy, but she wouldn’t listen.”
The female stepped fully into the room. “Listening isn’t one of my best skills.
” She had to be at least six feet tall with long black hair falling straight down her back, and striking blue eyes the color of a sparkling pond in summer.
She looked around once, assessing. “I’m Taryn Rook,” she said. “Current member of the Ravencall Pack.”
Luca slowly set his coffee cup on the table. “Taryn,” he said carefully. “What in the world are you doing here?”
“Hello?” Isaac said, looking the woman up and down. His brows lifted slightly. “You have some very nice height.”
“Thank you for noticing.” Taryn smiled to reveal perfectly spaced white teeth. She didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny. If anything, she seemed to enjoy it. “It has come to my attention that it’s quite possible there can be more than one challenge in this situation.”
The room felt like it tilted a degree off center. Chairs creaked as bodies shifted, attention snapping fully to her.
Taryn turned her head toward Solomon. “I take it you’re the librarian.”
“I am.” Solomon straightened, somehow making himself look even taller, his shoulders squaring. “What can I do for you?”
“Well.” She winked at him, quick and confident. “I’d like to challenge for the trophy position.”
Nadia took a step back before she could stop herself. Her heel caught slightly on the rug, and she steadied herself by clenching her calves. What in all that was holy? She swiveled toward Solomon. “Is that something that can happen?”
Solomon tugged at his amethyst-colored tie and glanced around the assembled group, clearly recalibrating.
“Well, yes. I hadn’t thought it would come up, but it can.
” He leaned over the grimoire and flipped several pages.
“See, right here. If new challengers arrive, someone can challenge to be the mate without being related to the current Alpha, Philip Nightsom.”
“Please tell me we don’t have to fight to the death,” Nadia said. The woman had several inches of height on her, and Nadia hadn’t been training to fight.
“Absolutely not,” Caidrik said lowly.
“No, no, no,” Solomon echoed, shaking his head.
“It’s not a fight to the death. Not at all.
” He leaned forward again, reading, then flipped the page quickly.
“Basically, if there’s more than one trophy, the ah, trophy challengers must go through at least one trial with each challenger.
Once an Alpha wins, it looks like—hmm. Interesting. ”
This was not interesting. “What?” Nadia asked.
“Well, long story short, the new Alpha chooses.” Solomon nodded.
Margaret leaned closer, peering over Solomon’s shoulder. “He can choose anybody?”
Solomon snapped the book shut. “Yes, he can choose someone not even from this pack so long as the trophy challenger has Alpha blood and has endured at least one trial with him. I suppose that’s so he can see how well they work together?”
“I assure you that I do have Alpha blood,” Taryn said softly.
“She does,” Luca said, leaning back and crossing his arms.
Nadia looked from one to the other. “Are you two related?”
“No,” Taryn said immediately. “Of course not.”
“We’re not,” Luca added. “Totally different lineages. I hadn’t realized the trophy could be challenged.”
“That’s because you don’t think things through all the way,” Taryn said lightly. Then she turned to the men. “Hi. I’m Taryn.”
Isaac smiled. “I seriously like your height.”
“Thank you. I like yours as well.” She held confidence like most people did a weapon.
Nadia studied the newcomer. Taryn was tall, fit, and dressed for the occasion in a bright red sweater and tight leather pants tucked into impressive black boots. She looked like she could fight. Worse, she looked like she’d enjoy it.
If Nadia’s family lost leadership of the pack entirely, it would destroy her father.
Maybe Emily too. And from the looks of it, if Luca or Isaac won, they’d choose Taryn as the next Alpha mate.
Nadia was almost certain Caidrik would choose her, and she didn’t care what Bulwark wanted. He was a monster.
She shivered. “Taryn,” Nadia said softly.
The woman turned.
“Is anybody else coming to challenge me, or just you?”
Taryn shrugged her delicate shoulders. “I have no idea. But the sooner we get this over with, the better. I can handle the competition.” Her gaze narrowed. “Can you?”
“Absolutely.” Though Nadia hadn’t counted on this new complication. She momentarily longed for the days when she wasn’t with a pack and just planned farming land for a group of wolves. Wonderful ones who now were a part of Emily’s new pack.
“One more thing.” Solomon scratched his head. “Apparently the trophies can kill each other during this process as well.”
“Absolutely not,” Caidrik said, his teeth sounding like they were grinding together.
“I don’t mind,” Bulwark murmured. “That might be fun.”
Isaac shook his head. “I don’t really like the idea of that.”
“I’m all right with it,” Luca said. “Let’s see who wins. If I mate one of you, I’d want you to be a fierce fighter.”
“Oh, I’m definitely a fighter,” Taryn said, somehow making it sound sexy. She looked at Nadia. “How about you?”
Nope. Not at all. “I’m more for peace than anything else,” Nadia said. “But if you want to die, that’s fine. Just tell me.” Yeah. She was full of crap and talking big. But what else was she supposed to do?
“All right. Enough of that.” Solomon took a deep breath, clearly re-centering himself.
He planted both hands on the edge of the slate conference table and looked around the room until he had everyone’s attention.
“The procedure for today is this.” He straightened and gestured first toward Bussy.
“The names of the challengers are in the envelope Bussy is holding.” Then he nodded toward Margaret.
“The different possible challenges, all twenty of them, are in the envelope Margaret has.”
Margaret gave the envelope a little shake and the contents rattled loudly.
“So, Nadia,” Solomon continued, turning back to her, “you’ll go first. You’ll choose the name of a challenger and then choose a challenge.
You’ll put them together, and you’ll do a challenge with each of the four.
” He paused, apparently thinking it through again.
“After that, you’ll give the names back to me.
Taryn, you’ll then choose a challenge for each challenger as well. That’s how we’ll do it.”
“Yep,” Bussy said briskly. “That works.”
Nadia looked at Solomon, her brows drawing together. “Did you know this was a possibility?”
He hesitated, one shoulder lifting slightly. “Sure. It’s in here.” He tapped the grimoire. “But I didn’t think it would come up.” He focused on Taryn. “How did you find out?”
That was a very good question.
Taryn smiled, calm and confident, as if she’d been waiting for the query.
“I didn’t know the possibility existed for sure.
But I’m a scholar as well as a fighter.” She folded her hands loosely in front of her.
“I’ve read plenty of grimoire records through the years.
I returned home to find Luca gone, heard about this situation, and figured there was a good chance the trophy could be challenged as well.
” She lifted her chin and glanced around the room.
“I would very much like to be the Alpha female of this pack.”
The room felt heavier somehow. Nadia wanted to throw up.
“The Slate Pack is known far and wide,” Taryn went on. “It’s one of the protected packs. That means stability. And let’s face it, the price of slate is on the rise.” Her gaze flicked briefly to Solomon. “You’re all going to be very wealthy very soon.”
“What about the people?” Nadia asked.
“I’m sure they’ll love me,” Taryn said easily. “Most people do.”
Yeah. Well. Nadia didn’t. She turned toward the envelopes before she could overthink it. If this was happening, then it was happening now. Her fingers brushed the edge of the paper as she reached into Bussy’s envelope and pulled out a folded slip.
She unfolded it to read. “Bulwark.”
Great. Of course. Start with the jackass.
“All right,” Margaret said, lifting her envelope and giving it a decisive shake. “Let’s choose a challenge, shall we?”