Orsen
“We accept,” Bastian replied smoothly, and I almost didn’t hear him over the sound of blood rushing in my ears.
But I heard Rowan’s sharp intake of breath. Glancing over at her subtly, I watched Nix tighten his arm around her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, whispering something as she clutched him hard enough to make her knuckles white. No doubt silently urging her to remain calm.
“Very well,” Lasser grunted, looking a little miffed that we’d chosen this route over giving them Allison. The three enforcers nodded, turning on their heels and walking out of the circle.
I gestured at a few guards, making sure they walked our “visitors” off our land. We needed to keep an eye on where they were coming and going from.
The crowd began to disperse, and Greylen called out, “We’ll handle this. Please go back to your cabins. You all deserve rest.”
It took several of the older dragons a minute to leave, the four of us ensuring them the challenge wouldn’t be an issue. When I finally could, I went over to Rowan, standing next to her as Nix rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“A challenge? You can’t do a challenge!” Rowan hissed, glancing between us with wide eyes.
Her fear was palpable, the scent distressing, and everything inside me wanted to find a way to make it stop. Her concern was understandable, though. A challenge was a fight to the death, after all, and Byron was no slouch in the strength department.
“We have to. If we win, Allison will be safe, and Byron won’t be able to support Cyrus anymore,” Bastian explained softly, resting his hands on Rowan’s upper arms.
Whichever Alpha won would be given the other’s territory. If Byron won, he would control all of North Oak, and all the people we cared about would be under his rule. If we won, we would have control of Birch Creek.
“As much as I want that, I don’t want you risking your lives!” Rowan’s voice was insistent, thick with emotion.
“It’ll be me,” Bastian assured her. “Only one of us can fight.”
She glared at him. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”
I took a deep breath, looking between my clanmates. I knew what needed to be done; I just hoped they agreed.
“No.” I stepped toward Bastian, putting my hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be me who fights.”
He furrowed his brow, tone low. “I’m the one they expect. I’m the former Alpha’s son.”
“Exactly. If your father is in bed with Byron, like we all know he is, then no doubt he’s told him about your weaknesses.
” I cocked my head, huffing out a breath.
“I would bet just about anything that the only reason the old bastard feels comfortable issuing a challenge is that he thinks he has the upper hand.”
“He will insist on fighting me as I’m technically the more senior one, at least in his fucked-up mind.”
“But you’re not,” Rowan whispered, and we all turned to her. “Orsen is.”
We’d only recently discovered the truth about who my father was.
I hadn’t really taken any time to let it sink in.
Sure, I was glad I knew the truth, but I also didn’t want to disturb the order of things.
Our clan had a good thing going, especially now that Rowan and Bastian had sorted out their issues.
But this would hit both Byron and Cyrus where it hurt, revealing more of his crimes and forcing the Alpha to fight someone he wasn’t prepared for.
“They won’t expect me,” I told him. “It’ll throw them off and expose Cyrus’s respect for tradition only goes so far as it serves him to both hordes.”
“I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. We’re all equal Alphas here. Any of us can accept the challenge.”
“You two are pretty well-matched when it comes to fighting ability,” Greylen pointed out.
That was true. We had sparred a lot when we were teenagers and young adults before coming to that conclusion.
There may have been a broken tail involved, but I wasn’t going to admit that to my mate.
“You can’t do this. You haven’t had any time to prepare.” Rowan wrapped her arms around me, the tears that’d been gathering in her eyes soaking the front of my shirt. My hand rested on the back of her head as I tilted my face down and breathed in her scent.
“That’s the point. He’s trying to ambush us, assuming that Bastian would be the one to take the challenge.
” I lifted her chin, looking into her eyes.
“Don’t worry about me, Rowan. I’m a damn good fighter, if I say so myself.
Byron is old. There’s no one else who can take the fight for him because he’s the only Alpha of Birch Creek.
We’ll win. It’s almost shockingly easy.”
“It makes me wonder what the fucker has up his sleeve because there’s no way he could take any of us in a fair fight,” Nix mused, and he had a point.
“He probably thinks he has all this inside knowledge. It’s making him arrogant. He will quickly be dissuaded from that notion.”
“Don’t get too cocky,” Bastian urged, his brows pinched together. “They’ll try some shit. I’m sure of it.”
“I hear you.” I nodded at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as I held Rowan with my other arm. “But in the meantime, we all need to get some rest. It’d be stupid to go to a challenge tired.”
Rowan glanced up at me, shaking her head. “I swear to God, if you die because of this stupid challenge, I’ll kill you.”
I smiled at her, tamping down the nervous energy that infected me. “Got it. No dying.”