Page 55 of Fated to the Wolf Prince

She stopped at the foot of the dais, staring up at me defiantly before turning a withering glare on Brielle, fully a foot shorter than she was.

“Who are you to defy my fated mate?” The words were thick in my mouth, and I realized my fangs had descended at the threat to Brielle. My wolf was close to the surface, and this woman didn’t realize how fine a grip I had on my control right now, how close she stood to death incarnate.

She lifted her chin and spoke loudly enough for all to hear. “I am Jasline, of the Northern Territories Pack, and I challenge for mating rights, as outlined in the wolf accords. If any high alpha is appointed without a completed mating bond, it is written that the strongest she-wolf can battle for mating rights.”

I snarled, seething and about to deny her ridiculous challenge, when Brielle shoved out from behind Gael. “I accept your challenge.” Her gaze was pure steel as she faced down the much more powerful wolf, but my grip on my wolf was wearing thin. He wouldn’t accept a challenge to our mate, not when she didn’t have the safety of our bite.

“One week, here, in fur. You may name your second.” Jasline was calm, unworried by the sight of Brielle.

Brielle paused, looking over her shoulder at her two best friends as if unsure who to choose.

“Shay of the Johnson City pack will act as my second.”

Jasline nodded in acceptance,winkedat me, and then turned her back and left the gathering, the crowd once again parting for her to leave.

THIRTY-FOUR

Brielle

“No!” Kane snarled as soon as the door shut behind our small group of six.

“No, what?” I spun to face him, hands crossed over my chest.

“No, you cannot accept Jasline’s challenge. I’ll not risk you, not against a stronger she-wolf. I won’t lose anyone else.No.”

The Alpha command made me flinch back, my knees wobbling at the forcefulness of it, his wolf’s eyes glowing green, even in the strong light of his office.

As the words sank in, hurt flooded me.

“So you’re saying I’ll lose? You don’t have any faith in me at all, do you?” I snapped, trying not to cry at what felt like a knife jutting from my chest.

“Brielle, I have nothing but faith in you, but your health… You weren’t able to maintain your last shift, let alonefightin your wolf form! It’s suicide, and I can’t stand by and watch you die. Youhave toreject the challenge.”

“No. I’m not doing it, and you can’t make me. I’m the only one who can withdraw it. Those are the rules of a challenge.”

“I’m high alpha. I’ll change the rules!”

“Put yourself in my shoes, Kane. If Reed challenged you for the right to mate with me, would you just stand by and watch, or would you accept the challenge?” I saw Reed stiffen out of the corner of my eye, the four others with us primarily standing to the side and letting us scream it out.

I wished one of them would talk some sense into Kane, but apparently, they’d decided I could fend for myself. That had to break some sort of best-friend code, but that was a problem for another time, when my fated-mate bond wasn’t on the line.

“I’d tear out his throat and bathe in his blood.” His fangs lengthened, and I took a pointed step to the side, intercepting his glare at Reed.

“Yeah, well,Reedisn’t challenging you. Jasline is challengingme, and I can’t stand by and watch her take you any more than you could watch someone else take me. I will stand for the challenge, and you can either help me, or get out of my way. But I’m not backing down, and I’m hurt that you’d ask me to. That you’d just assume she’s stronger.”

“She’s alpha! Of course she’s stronger!” He rammed a hand into his short hair and began to pace angrily back and forth, making the large office feel tiny. “This is why alphas are supposed to mate with other alphas,” he growled under his breath, but I heard him.

The knife in my chest twisted as I stared at him, and I blurted out another question. “Do you want to mate with her?”

“What? No!” He lunged forward, grabbing me around the waist with his stupid-fast shifter reflexes before I could bolt. My wolf and I had to have a talk about her showing up more when I needed to evade assholish alphas, because seriously, I should be able tododgeas fast as he was able tograb.

“Look at me, Brielle.Nevercould I want anyone besides you. But to lose you would rip my heart out of my chest, and I can’t handle that right now. I barely have a grip on all the new pack bonds in my chest. I needyouto steady me, and I can’t live without you.”

“So you think I can?” My voice cracked, the pain finally leaking through. “You think I can step aside and watch youmate someone else,just because she’s an alpha and I’m not?” My voice shook, but I couldn’t stop it if I tried, pride or no pride. He was seriously trampling all over my heart, not to mention my self-esteem.

“I would never, Brielle. We’ll mate tonight. Once the rites are complete and you wear my bite, our bond can never be challenged again.” His grip on me tightened to near pain, a frantic determination in his eyes.

“You can’t do that, Kane.” Gael was the one who finally stepped forward, a hand raised in a peacemaking gesture.

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