Page 96 of Ascendant Moon
Now that the people had been questioned, the entire group was escorted to the challenge circle to witness the next phase. Leaving Bruce and the others to be dealt with later, Stu Richmond was brought out for interrogation. Now fully awake and furious, the bellicose Alpha raged at the intruders and demanded that they leave. With a nod from Oscar, Colton reached into Richmond’s mind and flinched. Except for Ballard, he’d never mentally touched someone as...filthy, and his stomach churned as he compelled the man to honestly answer every question put to him.
Oscar waited until Richmond’s eyes glazed over to begin.
“Did you permit and encourage Bruce Ballard to impregnate Lincoln Hart against his will?”
“Yes.”
“Did you purposely lie to your people about Hart’s condition and his relationship to Ballard?”
“I did.”
“Do you believe male Omegas should be cherished and protected?”
“No.”
“Did you withhold vital information from your pack to protect yourself and Ballard?”
“Yes.”
Colton broke the connection with Richmond and the crowd erupted in angry growls, mixed with murmured opinions as to their Alpha’s deserved punishment. Oscar raised a hand to quiet them down and addressed Richmond.
“Based on your own admission and the testimony of this pack, I find you guilty of gross negligence and abuse of power. With the authority of the National Council, you are hereby relieved of your position and banished from this place.”
While the crowd cheered, Richmond turned amber eyes on Oscar.
“Lies and bullshit! You have no authority here, and the council is nothing but a bunch of Sheppard boot-lickers. This ismypack and I’m not going anywhere!”
Instead of responding, Oscar took a step back and made way for Alpha Tindall.
“If you won’t go willingly, then I challenge you to the death for leadership of this pack!”
The totally unexpected challenge stirred an already bubbling pot, leaving the crowd confused and Richmond livid. There was not only a thirty-year age difference between the two, but Tindall’s specific challenge meant only one of them would survive. Richmond’s hand had been forced in what looked suspiciously like a set-up, but what other choice did he have?
With a gesture from Oscar, the circle was quickly cleared of everyone except the two Alphas and himself. He turned to Richmond.
“A challenge to the death has been issued. Do you accept?”
“Yes! Get on with it!”
“You may shift. Prepare to fight on my signal.”
Both men stripped, tossed their clothes outside the circle, and shifted. Richmond snarled and gnashed teeth at his opponent as they took their positions on opposite sides. Oscar lifted his arm and brought it swiftly down in a slashing motion.
“BEGIN!”
Though Richmond equated Tindall’s youth with inexperience, nothing could be further from the truth. The younger man chose to encourage that misperception by feigning temerity instead of aggression. As a consequence, Richmond overestimated his ability and chose a classic, but flawed, approach.
Pouring on the speed, he took off like a bullet and was airborne in the blink of an eye. Tindall launched himself at just the right moment, bringing down his opponent in a whirling tempest of claws, teeth, and blood. Momentarily stunned and blinded withgore, Richmond tried to back away, accidentally exposing his throat. Tindall struck true, crunching bone with powerful jaws until Richmond gasped his last breath and lay still on blood spattered ground.
A howl of victory rent the air as the hushed crowd blinked in surprise. On the sidelines, Colton’s stomach clenched, having never witnessed a challenge, or death, before. As Oscar tended to the victor, Colton succumbed to the inevitable and kneeled down to vomit in the grass.
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Meanwhile…
An unfamiliar howl rent the air, startling Bruce and the five other enforcers being held in Richmond’s office. The odd sleepiness faded away as he realized it was a victory cry, and Bruce knew what it meant—his Alpha was dead, and he was next! There were only three of Sheppard’s men watching them, and if there was any chance of escape, it had to be now. With a slight lift of his chin, Bruce let the nearest man know what he was thinking. The message passed silently while the guards watched out the large windows, straining to see what was going on.
Shifting while clothed was always somewhat risky, but the sound of ripped fabric was the only warning the surprised men received. Chaos ensued in the small space as the guards tried to shift and defend themselves. Instead of helping his packmates fight, Bruce jumped—sailing through the largest office window amid the tinkling of shattered glass, and ran as fast as he could go. He knew these packlands better than Sheppard’s men, but they could still follow him by scent and he was outnumbered.He’d have to outrun them or find the perfect hideout, because his life literally depended on it.
