If Becca won’t submit …”
“Becca already submitted,” Joe snapped,
cutting me off. “She submitted five
minutes ago.”
“Where?” I asked, jumping off the bed and snagging my keys. I mouthed, ‘ Let’s go,’ to Dominic and threw the door open. According to pack law, fighting to the death
was fine if neither of them would give up. But killing after submission was punishable by death.
“The park, and hurry up,” Joe said, clearly
flustered. I could hear shouting in the
background, tinted with panic. “She’s
already bit a few of us that have tried to step in.”
“I’ll be there soon,” I said and hung up.
Dominic was already in the car when I
jumped in and started it up. I threw it
in reverse, and the tires squealed. My
muscles were so tight they burned.
“What going on?” Dominic asked, as I
shifted gears and spun onto the road.
“Erika’s trying to kill Becca. Where the hell is the park?”
It was a tense and silent drive to the
park. I was actually a bit stunned that
Dominic didn’t have anything to say. He
always seemed to have something on the tip of his tongue. He listened as I told him the little bits Joe
had said, which took less than a minute, and then he sat there staring out the
window with a locked jaw.
It took four and a half minutes to drive
across town and reach the park. I
figured that was one of the pluses to living in a small nowhere town, but it
still felt like a long drive. As soon as
I parked, Dominic was out of the car and running toward the crowd that was
gathered in the center of what looked like a soccer field. The sky was clear and the moon, extra-bright,
was casting the ground in a dull silvery light. I took a deep breath and emerged from my car, letting the door slam, and
I started over.
The field was set back in an alcove. On three sides, tall pines hid most of the
view from the rest of the park. If the
parking lot hadn’t been directly in front of it, I wouldn’t have even noticed
it. Raised bleachers outlined the playing
area, and a walkway skirted the open end.
Dominic was already pushing everyone back
as I approached, opening up the circle of onlookers. With a quick scan, I was relieved to see that
they were all part of the pack, and for half a second, my focus settled on the head
of the enforcers. Jared stood just
outside the crowd, watching. He smirked
at me, and my blood boiled. “You couldn’t
have dealt with this?” I snarled.
“Not my job to keep the peace, alpha,” he
said with laughter in his voice. “I only
deal with those who have broken pack law, and that hasn’t happened here, yet.”
I gritted my teeth, focusing back on the crowd. I had never liked the enforcers in my
father’s pack, and the ones here were no different. Always waiting on the sidelines to deliver
punishment, but never stepping in.
And then my eyes landed on Erika.
She was in wolf form, her white coat
speckled with blood. She was snarling,
circling around a gray wolf that lay motionless on the ground. The wolf was still breathing; I could just see
the slight rise and fall of its stomach. Erika stalked toward her, growling, low and menacing.
“Enough!” I shouted, closing the last few
steps to tower over her.
Erika swung her head, fixing her eyes on
me. She let out another growl, baring
her teeth. A rush of raw adrenaline
coursed through my veins and my skin prickled. I pulled off my shirt and pants and tossed them aside as my bones
started to break, reshaping, and changing. It was a rush, hot and cold. Spine-tingling and thrilling. A hot chill slithered over me and my body
shifted, forming into a black wolf.
I growled, and snapped out at her. My fur bristled along my spine, and I curled
my lips, exposing the full length of my canines. Erika backed up a step, her eyes darting
between Becca and me. Blood dripped from
her muzzle and she snarled
“Becca already submitted,” Joe snapped,
cutting me off. “She submitted five
minutes ago.”
“Where?” I asked, jumping off the bed and snagging my keys. I mouthed, ‘ Let’s go,’ to Dominic and threw the door open. According to pack law, fighting to the death
was fine if neither of them would give up. But killing after submission was punishable by death.
“The park, and hurry up,” Joe said, clearly
flustered. I could hear shouting in the
background, tinted with panic. “She’s
already bit a few of us that have tried to step in.”
“I’ll be there soon,” I said and hung up.
Dominic was already in the car when I
jumped in and started it up. I threw it
in reverse, and the tires squealed. My
muscles were so tight they burned.
“What going on?” Dominic asked, as I
shifted gears and spun onto the road.
“Erika’s trying to kill Becca. Where the hell is the park?”
It was a tense and silent drive to the
park. I was actually a bit stunned that
Dominic didn’t have anything to say. He
always seemed to have something on the tip of his tongue. He listened as I told him the little bits Joe
had said, which took less than a minute, and then he sat there staring out the
window with a locked jaw.
It took four and a half minutes to drive
across town and reach the park. I
figured that was one of the pluses to living in a small nowhere town, but it
still felt like a long drive. As soon as
I parked, Dominic was out of the car and running toward the crowd that was
gathered in the center of what looked like a soccer field. The sky was clear and the moon, extra-bright,
was casting the ground in a dull silvery light. I took a deep breath and emerged from my car, letting the door slam, and
I started over.
The field was set back in an alcove. On three sides, tall pines hid most of the
view from the rest of the park. If the
parking lot hadn’t been directly in front of it, I wouldn’t have even noticed
it. Raised bleachers outlined the playing
area, and a walkway skirted the open end.
Dominic was already pushing everyone back
as I approached, opening up the circle of onlookers. With a quick scan, I was relieved to see that
they were all part of the pack, and for half a second, my focus settled on the head
of the enforcers. Jared stood just
outside the crowd, watching. He smirked
at me, and my blood boiled. “You couldn’t
have dealt with this?” I snarled.
“Not my job to keep the peace, alpha,” he
said with laughter in his voice. “I only
deal with those who have broken pack law, and that hasn’t happened here, yet.”
I gritted my teeth, focusing back on the crowd. I had never liked the enforcers in my
father’s pack, and the ones here were no different. Always waiting on the sidelines to deliver
punishment, but never stepping in.
And then my eyes landed on Erika.
She was in wolf form, her white coat
speckled with blood. She was snarling,
circling around a gray wolf that lay motionless on the ground. The wolf was still breathing; I could just see
the slight rise and fall of its stomach. Erika stalked toward her, growling, low and menacing.
“Enough!” I shouted, closing the last few
steps to tower over her.
Erika swung her head, fixing her eyes on
me. She let out another growl, baring
her teeth. A rush of raw adrenaline
coursed through my veins and my skin prickled. I pulled off my shirt and pants and tossed them aside as my bones
started to break, reshaping, and changing. It was a rush, hot and cold. Spine-tingling and thrilling. A hot chill slithered over me and my body
shifted, forming into a black wolf.
I growled, and snapped out at her. My fur bristled along my spine, and I curled
my lips, exposing the full length of my canines. Erika backed up a step, her eyes darting
between Becca and me. Blood dripped from
her muzzle and she snarled
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