Page 48 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Me too,” he smiled back.

When we were finished, we got dressed and headed out to the forest to watch the skirmish. Wolves from all over town took all evening to sneak out at random intervals so as not to draw the attention of the humans to the mass exodus of people toward the tree line. We were some of the last to arrive.

“I’ll go talk with the other alphas for a minute before we get started,” Killian said. “Will you save me a spot next to you?”

“Of course,” I said.

I gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know he should hurry back to me. Killian looked at me and took a shuddering breath. I looked at him inquisitively, and he responded by leaning down and giving me a not-so-chaste kiss. For a moment, I forgot that we were surrounded by people.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said quietly as he pulled away. “I’ll be back soon.”

I watched him walk toward Jasper and Nile with a satisfied smile on my face. We had been through so much together and overcome so many obstacles, but we were finally able to move forward together as alpha and luna, husband and wife.

The packs took their places around a circular wooden fence, shifting from foot to foot in anticipation. The ring was about forty feet wide and contained various obstacles spaced randomly throughout. I stood next to one of the wooden posts and looked around at our people, pride welling within me. Soon, I was joined by Killian, and I heard Nile call everyone to attention.

“Welcome, packs of Pinedale, to another skirmish,” Nile began. The crowd cheered in excitement as he continued. “We’re going to start with a group capture-the-flag event before moving on to individual challenges. Contestants, please enter the ring.”

Two groups of three climbed over the wooden fence into the ring and began making their plans of attack.

“Each group has a flag,” Killian explained to me in a low voice. “They can carry it or hide it, but if they are holding it, they have to be in human form. The goal is to reach the other team’s flag before your own is captured.”

“You may begin!” Nile shouted.

I watched in fascination as a few of the contestants burst into wolf form. There was a flurry of activity as some hid, some ran, and some feigned a chase. Both groups were evenly matched, and it took nearly ten minutes of clawing, tackling, and biting before one group emerged victorious.

A wolf from Jasper’s pack transformed into his human form, holding the opposing team’s flag into the air for all to see as the crowd went wild.

“What did you think?” Killian asked.

“It’s more vicious than I realized,” I admitted. “But it’s exciting.”

“The only rule is to avoid intentional maiming or killing. It’s lucky that our kind heals quickly.”

The winners were celebrated and the losers consoled as they exited the arena. Nile then announced a shift to one-on-one events.

It was clear as the night went on that most of the individuals were friends who wanted to have a good time and practice new skills. However, a few spats took place between obvious rivals—especially once Nile moved the objective from capturing a flag to hand-to-hand combat.

“It’s not a bad way to settle scores within the pack,” I acknowledged to Killian.

“We’ve had almost zero in-fighting since we began this,” he replied. “It keeps the arguments contained to a specific night. Everyone has accepted the outcome of the fight and kept it in the ring.”

“I’m impressed,” I said.

Killian smiled. “I had a feeling you’d enjoy this. Do you think you’ll volunteer this round? It looks like things are slowing down, so if you want to, now is the time.”

“Not tonight,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’ve enjoyed watching, but I think I’ll wait until the next event.”

Killian nodded in approval, and I looked toward the ring where the next contestant had entered.

It was Miranda, the woman who had informed me that Killian would come back to her bed when he got tired of me. I saw red flash in my vision as she smiled at me from across the clearing.

“I have no chosen opponent. Is there anyone brave enough to accept my challenge?” she asked, looking directly into my eyes mockingly.

She had challenged my authority as luna and my desirability as a mate, but I wouldn’t allow her to challenge me openly like this. Not without putting her in her place. I cocked my head at her and narrowed my eyes as I made my decision.

“Changed my mind,” I said to Killian tersely.

“Leah, are you sure about this?” I heard Killian mutter.

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