Page 18 of The Dancer

Fuck.

Blood oaths are a serious matter. On some level, we are magical beings, which binds us through our blood.

“Then you will settle this in the old ways,” my brother says from behind me.

I don’t even know when he came in. All my focus has been on this male who intends to steal away my mate.

“Fine,” Warren says with a sniff. “The next full moon is in three days. And when you lose,”—he turns his glare to me—“I will claim your pack and fuck my mate in front of you before finally ending your useless existence.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply before walking back out the way he came.

“What are the old ways?” Quinn asks softly as I cradle her shivering form against my chest.

My gaze locks on that of my younger brother and I can see the fear and worry in the depths.

“We will fight. To the death.”

****

Quinn is distraught at the thought of me fighting another male and getting hurt and possibly dying. Not once does she mention herself, and I make sure my brother keeps a close eye on her. She’s liable to do something stupid like turn herself over to Warren to save me, and I won’t stand for it.

The council has called a meeting I must attend even though I don’t want to leave my mate alone for a second. The truth is, there is a real chance I won’t be able to defeat Warren.

The members of the Northridge pack are raised and trained far more brutally than any other I have heard of. Their boys are ripped away from their mothers and thrust into fighting pits from the age of five. They fight for survival, and those thatdo are fearless and psychotic.

Walking into the great hall, I find the entire council waiting for me.

“What is it now?” I ask, my patience wearing thin.

“Congratulations on your mating, Alpha,” one of the older women says.

“Thank you. I need to get back to my mate, so could we please hurry this along?”

“We are aware that the Alpha from the Northridge pack was here earlier,” Bill, an older male, says. “We cannot afford to go to war with them.”

“There won’t be a war. We will settle our disputes in three nights on the full moon.” I am already getting fed up with this conversation.

“You are letting your dick lead you,” Daryl says, and I want to bounce his thick skull off the table before us. “Just give him the bitch and be done with it.”

“Do you want me to rip your fucking arm off completely?” I lunge at him, but my beta intervenes, saving the worm’s life. For the moment.

“We need a new Alpha,” Daryl proclaims from behind the back of my Beta. “He can’t be trusted to keep us safe.”

“In three nights, I will fight the Alpha of the Northridge pack. To the death.” I make sure to initiate eye contact with each member of the council. “If I lose, you can choose a new Alpha. But if I win, and I fully fucking intend to, you will bow to me as your Alpha and Quinn as your Luna. And you,” I point at Daryl. “You’ll either leave my pack, or I will kill you. Understood?”

Everyone nods. I watch the wheels in Daryl’s head turn and I know I won’t only have to fight one enemy on the full moon.

Chapter Seventeen

Quinn

Elias is more protective than usual, and I fully understand his reasoning. He wants to keep me safe and will do anything to ensure that happens. My heart breaks at the mere thought of my mate being hurt or killed. I can’t stomach the idea of anything bad happening to him only so that he can keep me safe.

I would offer myself to Warren, the Alpha who claims I belong to him, to keep Elias safe. But my mate already knows me too well and has Maddox watching my every move.

“Stop doing that,” Maddox grumbles over the rim of his coffee mug.

“What?” I am trying to act innocent, but I am sure it is falling flat.

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