Chapter 8
“Idon’t know why I bother with this shit!
” Alex snarled as he shot to his feet. The alpha council had been arguing for the past two hours, and they were still nowhere near a consensus.
“Caden led an attack on the feline village without my permission. He knew damn well I would not approve and he did it anyway. That is an overt challenge to my authority, and I will treat it as such.”
“But he didn’t—”
“Enough!” Alex cut off Drake with an enraged snarl. “This council offers advice, but I am village alpha. Caden took lives and captured females without my permission. He will now face the consequences of his choices.”
The meeting room erupted with overlapping arguments, but Alex was done talking. He threw open the door and stormed from the room. A gust of frigid air greeted him as he left the clubhouse, but he didn’t bother with a coat. He strode directly to the stockade and told the guard to release Caden.
Caden glared at Alex as he stepped out of his cell. “What did the council decide?”
“You challenged the village alpha,” Alex sneered. “There is only one place this can be settled.”
“Fine by me,” Caden stressed. “Let’s go to the cage.”
Caden’s wrists were secured in magnetic cuffs, but the guards flanked him anyway.
Alex returned to the path that encircled the village and made his way toward the training center.
He loved Caden like a brother, but the fool left him no option.
If he allowed this challenge to slide, others would quickly follow.
A crowd had gathered by the time Alex reached the training center.
Drake stood near the gate securing the cage’s entrance, Nate and Luna on the other side of him.
The tension inside Alex increased as he saw his mate.
His human side hesitated to reveal the true scope of his savagery.
She knew he’d killed and would likely kill again, but this was different.
Alex wasn’t sure he wanted her to have a front row seat to the violence.
Alex’s wolf, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to prove his strength and ferocity.
Refusing to be distracted by the internal conflict, Alex silenced his misgivings.
Luna would be mate to the village alpha.
He had no doubt she was strong enough to witness this lesson.
Needing to concentrate on the challenge awaiting him, Alex forced specific thoughts and emotions to the back of his mind while drawing his wolf closer to the surface. His wolf was strong and vicious, and Alex would need to be both. Caden was an experienced fighter. Well, so was Alex.
Drake opened the gate, his expression tense yet resigned.
Alex paused long enough to shed his shirt and tug off his boots.
He handed the garments to Nate, then ducked inside the cage.
This was no practice bout, no exhibition.
There would be no padding on their hands or makeshift helmets protecting their heads.
It was wolf shifter against wolf shifter until one cried for mercy or died.
Alex knew he’d face challenges. It was part of being village alpha.
He just never expected a challenge to come from one of his cousins.
Stripped to the waist and barefoot, Caden joined Alex in the cage. The magnetic cuffs had been removed and lupine fire burned in his eyes.
People encircled the cage, but Alex saw nothing but his challenger. He silenced his mind and freed his instincts, gaze fixed on Caden’s face.
Caden threw the first punch, but Alex saw it coming. He sparred with his cousins frequently, so he knew Caden’s moves almost as well as Caden knew his. Bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, Alex let Caden set the pace. Alex was taller and had a longer reach, so he let Caden be the aggressor.
Caden swung then swung again, but Alex effortlessly dodged each attempt. With a growl of frustration, Caden spun and tried to sweep Alex’s feet out from under him. Alex agilely leapt over Caden’s leg then punched him squarely in the jaw.
Head snapping to the side, Caden grunted, but his next punch caught Alex’s nose.
Pain momentarily blinded Alex and his wolf surged, triggering a partial shift.
His eyes burned and the tips of his claws bit into his palms. Determination and years of practice were the only things that kept Alex from completing the shift.
If his wolf gained control, Caden would die.
Wolves did not understand mercy. Their lives were kill or be killed.
Alex staggered back, blood dripping from one of his nostrils.
He wiped away the blood with his forearm then charged.
They had danced long enough. This didn’t need to last all day. Alex laid into Caden with real aggression for the first time. His fist struck flesh over and over, but Caden gave as good as he got. They kicked and punched, circling each other as they exchanged blows.
Caden kicked at Alex, but Alex caught his ankle and jerked Caden off balance.
Caden’s knee twisted and his leg collapsed.
Alex followed him down to the dirt. Caden landed hard on his back and Alex quickly straddled his hips.
Caden swung blindly, desperate to avoid the punishment gleaming in Alex’s eyes.
One of Caden’s fists caught Alex’s already injured nose. Pain and fury drove his wolf even closer to the surface. Alex tried to make a fist, but his claws were fully extended. Instinctively wrapping his fingers around Caden’s throat, Alex reached for his flailing arms with his other hand.
Caden thrashed, twisting and bucking. His knee slammed into Alex’s back and Alex was thrown forward.
Propelled by the unexpected momentum, Alex’s claws drove into Caden’s throat.
Alex gasped as shock and disbelief surged through him.
Caden went still beneath him and blood seeped out between Alex’s fingers.
“Fuck,” Alex cried out, horrified by what he’d just done.
“Don’t move!” someone shouted. “Do not retract your claws!”
Confused by the order and still reeling, Alex looked around. Who had shouted at him and why the fuck should he leave his claws in Caden’s throat? It didn’t make sense.
The crowd parted and the gate was pushed open. Two females and a male rushed into the cage, but Alex knew none of them. One female had pink-streaked blonde hair, the other had dark brown. Both were young and pretty, but what the hell were they doing here?
“Who are you?” he demanded, though he followed their advice and kept his hand pressed against his cousin’s throat. “Where did you come from?”
The male hurried forward and knelt on the other side of Caden. He had a large alloy case in one hand. “I’m Doctor Milor Pojmon of the starship Azrithal.”
The names meant nothing to Alex, but Caden was still breathing so he wasn’t about to argue with the stranger.
The doctor opened the silver case and quickly activated one of the devices nestled inside. Lights flashed and a low hum indicated that the device was working.
Alex calmed enough for his suspicions to engage. Pojmon said the Azrithal was a ship, but what was it doing on Rydaria? Was the ship on the ground or still in orbit? He had so many questions, but one was more important than the rest. “How’d you know you were needed down here?”
“We’ve been spying on you,” the brunette admitted with a friendly smile. “I thought having medical backup for this event might be a wise precaution, so we streamed down a few minutes ago. Once Milor gets your friend stabilized, I’ll explain everything.”
The blonde stood near the brunette but said nothing. She had huge dark eyes and delicate features. But who was she and why was she here?
Opening a small compartment on the front of the humming device, Doctor Pojmon withdrew some sort of injector.
Without explanation he pressed it against Caden’s upper arm and triggered the injection.
“This will help his blood coagulate,” he said to no one in particular.
He set the injector aside and selected a cylindrical device slightly larger than the injector.
“Pull your claws out as slowly as you can. The tissue generator cannot close the wounds until the foreign objects are removed.”
Alex knew damn well that Caden’s only hope of survival lay in the doctor’s hands, so he followed the instructions and slowly eased his claws out of Caden’s flesh.
As soon as the tips withdrew, the doctor sprang into action.
Alex scrambled back, getting out of the doctor’s way.
Maneuvering his feet beneath him, Alex stood and moved farther back.
Drake approached Alex and handed him a towel. “Doctors don’t magically appear right when you need them most. This is one hell of a coincidence.” The hostility and suspicion in his deep tone were unmistakable.
“Agreed.” Alex looked around and spotted Luna and Nate. They were still standing on the outside of the cage. One of the village guards had closed the gate, so Alex signaled him to let Nate and Luna approach.
The guard swung the gate open, and Luna ran into Alex’s arms. “Are you okay? How much of this blood is yours?”
“Very little,” he stressed. “I’m fine.” He gave her a reassuring kiss, then urged her toward Nate. “We’ll talk later.”
Luna nodded and moved into the beta’s embrace.
Remaining well back from Caden and the doctor, Alex walked over to the unfamiliar females. “I’m grateful for the help, but I need an explanation.”
The brunette looked at the blonde and said, “You’ve heard my speech a couple of times now. Why don’t you take the lead.”
Nodding stiffly, the blonde stepped forward and cleared her throat. “I’m Senator Avery Collins and this is Director Natalie Morgan of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”
Alex stared back at her silently. If the titles were supposed to impress him, they failed.
“He’s stable enough to move,” the doctor announced. “Can his tracker be deactivated? I’d like to stream him up to the ship.”
Natalie shook her head. “None of them can leave the planet, but we can bring the Azrithal down here.”