Page 18 of Unsanctioned
It took less than five minutes to get to the diner. The minute he walked through the door, the place fell silent. All except the dumbass who hadn’t noticed and still ran his mouth.
Waylon moved to stand over him. “Outside. Now.”
The guy went still. He turned. His whiskey-colored eyes landed on Waylon’s chest before his chin lifted and he met Waylon’s stare.
Proving he was dumb, he stood. “With pleasure.” He headed for the door.
Waylon followed, nodding at familiar faces as he passed. Unlike the store, no one seemed cold. Showing up to take care of things was enough to prove his worth, but Waylon had to completely put an end to this bullshit. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. If he let this go, he already knew it would come to that.
“What’s your name?” Waylon asked the moment they were outside alone. He already knew it. Waylon had to give permission to any wolf who wanted to stay in this town. Yuri’s presence was a favor for a friend a pack over. Waylon needed to start a calm and rational conversation somewhere.
“Yuri.” He sounded like an angry young one. Tiresome.
“Welcome to Wulfe. I’m sorry I haven’t had time to introduce myself yet. I’m Waylon. The alpha around these parts. People are saying it’s a position you want.”
“You disrespect our bloodline.”
People began to pour from the diner to watch.
Waylon kept his cool in the face of youthful rage. “My mate was chosen by Celeste, the way all mates are chosen. He was visited by Odin to bless our pairing. If you wish to take issue with things, you should take it up with them. This town runs smoothly. For the most part, everyone gets along. I can’t have you disrupting the peace. So, choose. Fall in line or pick a new pack.”
He took a step closer. “I think I’ll stay right here. What do you plan to do about it?”
Waylon sighed. He just wanted to go home. “Don’t make me do this. I haven’t had to put a pup in his place in a long time. Let’s not break the streak.”
“Pup?” His features shifted. He obviously had little control over his wolf.
“Yeah. Pup. If you can’t hold your temper during a simple conversation, you’re not fit to lead. Choose. This isn’t a get-back-to-me-later situation. Right now, swear your fealty or I’ll show you the edge of town.”
“I kneel to no one.” He shifted. His clothes ripped to shreds around him, hanging from his furry body in places. He paced, watching Waylon. Measuring him. More people poured from the diner. This was bad. They were in the middle of town. This could be exposing their people. It was dark, but not so much humans couldn’t see if they passed. Vampires popped in, proving the king already knew there was an issue. While Jonathan didn’t really rule Weres, he would not tolerate exposure and had the gods on his side on that one. Punishment would be handed down. This kid had no idea what he started.
You can kneel to me.
The fact that Waylon could hear him without trying already proved he wasn’t an alpha.
“Odin hasn’t chosen this for you. You have a lot of growing up to do if you want a role with this much responsibility. Being alpha isn’t sitting in a diner all day running your mouth. It’s caring about the people, especially caring enough not to expose them the way you are now. Do you have any idea what’ll happen if this ends up on the news? If hunters start flooding in? Do you even give a fuck or are you scared someone might have a bigger dickthan you? Grow the fuck up and think about someone other than yourself. Then you can come see me. Until then, you’ll fucking kneel.”
He felt the young one’s rage building. Waylon knew he would strike soon. He was right. A half second before he lunged, Waylon stepped to the side, dodging him like he was nothing. The move blackened the wolf’s thoughts even more, especially since Waylon refused to shift. Waylon easily bested him in human form. He wanted Waylon’s blood. Yuri didn’t understand Waylon could see his every move before he played it because he was the fucking alpha of this town.
Again, Yuri lunged with bared teeth, going for Waylon’s throat.
Waylon planned to wait until the last second to step away. He needed to prove a point. Yuri could either stop humiliating himself or Waylon would do this all night until the shame ran him from town. Except, a half second before Waylon stepped aside, Audor appeared between them.
An angry roar tore through the air. He held the wolf by his throat, easily snatching him from midair. His feet were nowhere near the ground. He struggled, but it was useless. No air reached his brain, with Audor squeezing his throat. “You dare to attack what’s mine?” The words were growled through terrifying fangs. Audor looked like a killer. He saw inside Yuri’s head. Yuri watched his life flash before his eyes, and it ended here.
Audor pulled Yuri in, going nose to nose with him. “You don’t touch my mate.”
Waylon knew he had to step in before Audor actually killed the pup. He stroked a hand down Audor’s spine. “It’s okay. He’s just a kid shooting for a position way out of his league.”
He felt Audor waver, but he was enraged. Audor wanted to snap Yuri’s neck. He had the right as Waylon’s mate to take the pup’s life over this attack. Audor squeezed tighter for a second before he tossed Yuri away.
Yuri skidded across the pavement before he was back on his feet. His body heaved for air, but he didn’t try to attack again.
“Make your choice.”
At Waylon’s demand, Yuri turned his head right and left, taking in the number of witnesses to his effortless defeat. He took a step back. A wave of sadness washed over Waylon. Sometimes winning wasn’t really winning. Yuri took another step back. Waylon felt the way his mind raced. He turned and ran away, darting into the woods that surrounded the town.
Waylon’s shoulders fell. He looked Audor’s way. Audor still practically vibrated with rage. Waylon could only handle one issue at a time. He faced the crowd of onlookers. Some had already gone back inside, as if they had known exactly how things would end.
