Page 30 of Scapegoat

“What the fuck…?” Xavier hissed before clustering closer. “I have no idea what that means, but we’re not gonna get through this unless we do this together. Back to back, for Kaia.”

“For Kaia,” we agreed.

Our muscles coiled tight, our weight resting on the balls of our feet, but I saw my brothers’ eyes widen as fur rippled across my skin. They seemed to work out how it was done, because I saw the same along their arms. The alphas nodded then and any advantage I thought I might have had disappeared as they did the same, hands becoming claws, massive biceps prickling with fur. We were fucking doomed, I knew that, but we’d go down fighting and that was what mattered.

I couldn’t even tell you how the fight went. I very quickly stopped thinking, or planning what I was doing. Instead, I just responded. Ducking out the way of one claw, then another, then stabbing my own into unprotected ribs, dancing out of the way in the next second. Initially it was elating, to be treated like a fucking man, fighting like one, having the power of one as I hit, ducked, ducked, and hit again. My whole body sung with the savage music of it.

But all that energy wasn’t endless.

The first time I stumbled over my own feet, overshooting a strike, I knew I was starting to get tired and my heart beat faster, my muscles locked down tighter, even more so when I saw knowing smirks on the alphas’ faces. They knew they were more powerful than us and we were about to get a lesson in exactly how much. Our hits were now missing the targets, more than they landed, but theirs didn’t. We were being fucking pulverised, smashed over and over for our hubris, reminded how we were weaker than them.

But I couldn’t seem to admit defeat.

I knew what our fate would be if we did. We’d each knotted for Kaia, and that easily confirmed our alpha states. We’d never be able to submit to the rule of other alphas, so we had to be brought into the fold, our power joining theirs, or we’d be driven out. If the latter path was taken, the four of us would be lone wolves, drifting from human settlement to human settlement, never finding a place to belong. And Kaia? She’d suck it up, stay by our side, but… She was our omega and her scent would draw other less scrupulous wolves to her side every time she went into heat, and we’d have to fight them off and see her through it. And if she bore our children…? I froze then, staring at the fist that was coming towards my head, then my hand snapped up to catch it.

We were doing this all wrong.

We were never going to beat the alphas down. What we needed to do was show that we were worthy of standing beside them. So, as I held Mike’s massive hand in my grip, I used what was left of my energy to keep him right where I was.

“Well, fuck, kid…”

Mike was still trying to drive his fist home, but he grinned and so did his brothers as we were locked in stalemate. He couldn’t smack me from here until next week and I couldn’t hold him back forever.

When the tension went out of his body, mine did the same, and I let out a sigh so fucking big I felt like I was a balloon deflating. I was dizzy, elated, empty, my heart was pounding way too fast and I was starting to shake all over when Mike surged forward. I braced myself for another hit, but it didn’t come. Instead, the big guy wrapped his arms around me and gave me a brief hug.

“You’re an alpha, kid. Congrats.”

Our dad approached slowly once the alphas had made their announcement. The boys had looked us over with a challenge in their eyes before, but they weren’t doing that now. They knew that they’d had their shot, and they’d watched us take ours, knowing we’d proved ourselves fair and square, that we’d earned this.

“Kaia…” Atlas ground out, sucking in breaths. He had a couple of nice bruises forming on his ribs and taking a deep breath seemed to hurt him. “Where’s Kaia?”

“Greg’s gone to get her,” Jackson said, before looking at each of us. “Proud of you, boys. Your mum’s gonna think you’re the shit—even more than she already does—and Kaia… No one will push her around again, not as your mate.”

That, that, was all I needed to hear. I dropped to my knees, my strength deserting me and, to my fucking horror, tears pricked at my eyes.

“We did it…” I whispered. “We did it…”

Chapter 18

I ran directly to the forest, feeling sure that’s where Greg, Mum and Anna were headed. But once I stumbled into the clearing, I could pick out the scent of my guys, smelled their wolves, but didn’t see them. I’d outrun my enemies, but for what? The guys had moved on and… My wolf nose jerked up and we sniffed, sniffed again, catching scent of cooking meat on the wind, then the sound of a bell being rung.

The BBQ in the town square.

It’d be where everyone gathered once the alpha challenge was complete. Every other person my age would be waiting for the choosing to happen.

And I would join them.

I was tired, sore, but I drew deep from reserves of strength I had no idea I possessed, loping over pine needles, then grass, then the harsh asphalt as I ran closer and closer, weaving my way through streets, people, even between cars, until I reached Main St.

I paused just for a second, the wolf’s lungs sucking in a breath, as we saw people streaming into the big space. Then our nails dug deep into the artificial surface of the road and we ran straight down the middle of it. People watched me as I passed by, some pulling themselves out of my path. Others called out, sensing something was up, but not knowing what. No one fucking could. Stanthorpe had its problems, but none of them were anything like my mother. But as I heard a cheer go up through the crowds, I knew time was running out.

The wolf hated this place. It smelled bad, harsh, artificial, and there were people, way too many people. We tried to wind our way through the crowds and when that didn’t work, we let out a powerful bark. People pulled back without thought, clearing a path, and that was when we dared to hope we were in time.

Until we stumbled out into the square.

A stage that had been erected in the centre of the town square, and the town’s alphas stood on it, the Campbell boys, wearing sweaty, worn, old clothes, up there beside them. Despite the fact that it was obvious they’d been through a gruelling challenge, to me they looked like they shone in the morning sunlight, like they were made of gold. Of course they were the ones who had made it through to become the next alphas. Everything about them signified that: the way they looked, the way they stood there and accepted the crowd’s applause with slightly flushed cheeks. And then there was the way they searched the crowd…

But if they were looking for me, they were about to discover something else altogether.

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