Pack Possessed, page 9
part #4 of Thrown to the Wolves Series
All but Hunter raise their hands, and I pick two at random. Not because I can’t stand the thought of being alone, but I’m practical. Being locked in a cabin with seven guys and no TV is hard enough on the best of days and I’d love nothing more than five minutes of a solitary reprieve, but losing a few bags of blood will have my reaction time delayed. Not only is Ash lurking out there, coming and going between territories as he pleases, but there are also several hundred angsty mountain men with a hell of a lot of testosterone build up to worry about. I may be arguably badass at times, but even I couldn’t have handled the entire Alodia massacre myself, and we not only had the element of surprise on our side, but bombs and a sniper.
There’s no shame in admitting that you can’t take on the entire world by yourself, nor that you have no interest in doing so. Accepting a little help from the people you trust enough to surround yourself with in an otherwise cruel world doesn’t mean you’re not enough on your own, it means you’re lucky enough to have found a reason to stay alive so you can live to fight another day, and that’s ten times harder.
Slade and Boden follow me outside, leaving the others crowded around Reid’s laptop. There aren’t any chairs out here, so Bo takes a seat on the top step with me one below between his spread legs. As he absentmindedly plays with my hair, Slade leans against the porch rail, keeping an eye on our surroundings. Even after signing away his pack and stepping down, some traits are too ingrained in a person’s personality to ever fully snuff out, but that’s not a bad thing.
The problem was never that he didn’t want to protect the people he cared about, the problem was that he didn’t think he deserved the same consideration. I think that he’s finally starting to realize that putting a few boundaries in place doesn’t mean that he’s letting anyone down, or being selfish by making sure his own needs are met before worrying about other people’s. You can’t pour from an empty cup. If all you do is give, eventually, you’ll have nothing left to give. It’s just as important to take care of yourself so that you’re in better shape to take care of other people, to take turns letting down your guard.
Reaching a hand behind me to offer Bo a cookie, I stare at Slade’s serene profile. “Can I ask you something?”
He faces me in an instant. “Always, mon soleil.”
That pet name is pretty ironic now, isn’t it?
“How come we haven’t seen any sign of your demon? I’ve been searching for the signs, but you seem so... put together. I know when we all voted on the plan that you cast his answer, but... he is there, right?”
His expression softens. “I think this is one of those situations where we fall into the grey territory. It’s not as apparent with some of the others where their demons are polar opposite personalities. With me-” he wavers a hand back and forth in front of him “- I suppose the best way to describe it is we don’t actually feel like separate entities. Gave me a bit of pushback once I met you and was messing things up, but once I was actively trying to remedy things, he was fine. Our interests align so closely, there’s no disconnect. We both want to take care of the people that we love, and that’s really the only thing that’s important to either of us, so we’re on the same page. The only instances that he makes himself known are times like when we found you missing outside of the police station, or when facing the lycans, and as he’s better equipped to handle things when I shift, I let him take the reins. We’re simply... good, I suppose.”
Tilting my head back to peer at Boden’s upside-down face, I toss the same question his way. With a contented smile, he kisses my forehead while simultaneously stealing another cookie from my bag. “Mine’s similar, to a degree. Only real difference is that I can always feel his presence, and when I toss a question in regards to you his way, I don’t get any audible reply, more of a feeling. So I consider him more of a sixth sense than a living entity.”
Facing forward again, I lean against him, soaking up the comforting feeling that comes from being surrounded by him. “Do you think it’s a matter of like they said? Where each generation becomes more of ghosts of who they used to be? If that’s the case, a couple more and they may cease to exist altogether.” My stomach twists into a knot. “But it’s not a watered-down bloodline if we can only reproduce with demon-possessed people. So why would they be fading away?”
“Because they’re tired of fighting the inevitable. There aren’t any more stories being passed down to remind them who and what they are, no hope, and no reason to fight. With such few women being born and the chance of them being free in some aspect becomes little more than a fairytale, they’ve stopped bothering to dream.”
“They lost their purpose to exist.” Closing my eyes, I take a slow breath as I work through my tumultuous thoughts, but can’t voice them aloud; not when anyone could be listening in.
The crunching footsteps across the clearing has my eyelids flying open, a low growl filling my ears from within my own head. Bo and Slade manage to keep their cool as we watch three more men appear, and though I’m sure their first instinct is to shove me back into the cabin and bar the door, they don’t. Within two minutes, the small group comes to a stop a short distance away. With the exception of Adrian leading the band of un-merry men, none appear familiar, and something about that is almost worse. If men that I haven’t had a single interaction with feel bold enough to approach us here, at an alpha’s cabin, then it’s a precursor of what might be coming as the other men grow bolder, sick of milling about on the sidelines.
“Adrian, you’re like a bad penny; can’t get rid of you no matter where I go, can I?”
Adrian’s pitch black, buzzed hair, has started to grow out since the last time I saw him, and it looks like the man hasn’t seen a razor in weeks. All in all, he looks rough as hell, and that alone gives me pause. “Sabrina, a pleasure as always.”
Raising an eyebrow, I keep my attention on him while subtly studying the other three in my peripherals. “No need to lie, we’re all adults here. And gods know we have enough deception to wade through as it is, so how about for a change we cut to the chase and you tell me what you’re doing here?”
With a soft, breathy chuckle, he gestures to those accompanying him. “Apparently Ash is under the assumption your silence these past couple of days means that he may have upset you by selecting mates on your behalf, so he wanted a chance to show that he didn’t come to the decision lightly. And should he be proven wrong, offer his sincere apologies and worthy replacements.”
“Ma’am.” The beta dips his head and I almost snort, imagining him tipping a hat respectfully in my direction before the men folk get down to serious matters.
Resting my arms on my knees, I lean forward, addressing Adrian. “And the real reason?”
He shrugs. “It’s boring out here? Apology, game, or simply a way to kill time until you’re ready to cooperate, does it really matter?” His eyes darken ever so slightly, and he holds my stare even as the door opens behind me and the others join us on the porch. “I swear, your mother’s paranoia rubbed off on you. I can only imagine how incorrigible you’re going to become now that you have the undivided attention of someone like Acheron Wilder.”
A second later, his smirk is firmly back in place, turning to the men he escorted here and gesturing for them to take the floor. “Let’s hope you don’t embarrass yourselves; I’ve got money riding on these fights.”
On par with my visual, the beta straightens to his full height. “Hunter Varyn, I challenge your claim on Sabrina Slaughter.”
Scrunching up my face, I tilt my head back to face Bo again. “Did this guy just challenge Hunter to a duel?”
He scrubs a hand over his jaw while the other wraps possessively around my waist. “He did. Have to give them credit for being upfront about it, though. Guys back in Shadow Ridge tried to orchestrate our deaths from the shadows or kidnap you; I guess this is what they were bitching about in regards to people being more direct out here.”
I eye the newcomers in a different light, sizing them up and trying to look unimpressed despite the fact that the beta could probably stand a decent shot of squishing Bo. “You know, you see this sort of thing in movies, but it really doesn’t do the situation justice. It one hundred percent is going straight to my head.” I pop another tiny cookie in my mouth like it’s a piece of popcorn. “It’s kind of flattering if you think about it.”
He whispers in my ear, “You do realize a formal challenge means a fight to the death, right? And if Kaige, Hunter, or Damian lose, the victor takes their place as your mate?”
I shake the last of the crumbs out of the bag into my mouth, feeling worlds better, physically at least, as the sugar kicks in to combat my blood loss. “Oh, like they’d lose. Besides, even if one did, I don’t have to do jack shit and I’d melt the new guy’s esophagus, so that part’s null and void. I’m simply saying it’s flattering that these strangers are willing to fight to the death for me without even knowing if I’m a raging bitch or mind-numbingly dull to be around.”
His soft laughter as he presses a kiss to the crown of my head assuages some of my unease. “If that’s all it takes to put you in a good mood, I’m sure we could find a few more takers and make a whole afternoon of it.”
Shaking my head with a small smile, I face the newcomers. “Sorry, guys, but you can head home. I give you props for the valiant effort, though, and Adrian, you can tell Ash I said thanks, but no thanks. I’m good.”
“Sabrina,” Damian says softly, and as I face him, my smile gradually falls as I take in his serious expression. “That’s not how this works. If we refuse, it’s equivalent to forfeiting and they win by default.”
“I’m sorry, did I miss the part when we teleported back into the seventeen hundreds? You’ve got to be kidding me. This sort of thing is only an issue if everyone decides to humor it. Just... don’t, and it’s not a problem.”
Before the final word is out of my mouth, the first face appears in the tree line, setting off a chain reaction of dozens of men appearing around the circumference of the clearing to close in around us as witnesses. Sighing, I get to my feet and step around Bo.
“Let me pee and grab another snack before you tear each other apart in case I need to be prepared to melt someone’s eyeballs.”
***
Leo takes a seat beside me on the steps as I munch on a bag of chips, giving Hunter bonus points for managing to keep his stash a secret until now.
“This is ridiculous.”
“You literally said it was flattering twenty minutes ago.”
That was in theory, not application. Who the hell actually challenges people to duels in this day and age?
“You’re still thinking of them as human,” she replies with all of the patience that I’m currently lacking. “We’re neither human nor demon anymore, Sabrina, but a breed of our own. And the wolves are more archaic in their beliefs than other modern-day shifters, it appears. Regardless, honor and pride are important to the vast majority of us.” Sheepishly, she adds, “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place.”
As I tilt the bag his way, Leo helps himself to a few chips. Word spread about what was happening swiftly enough and he rushed over to watch over the proceedings that would determine the fate of his daughter, unnecessary as it may be. The others are busy figuring out how to integrate my blood into the serum, and they all agreed after I brought them to their knees on my first day that it was overkill sending all of them, so Leo’s here more for show than anything.
“I don’t know about ridiculous,” he objects, crunching obnoxiously loud next to my ear. “It’s a good opportunity for those boys to prove their worth. If they’re going to get themselves killed by this lot, better to find out now than when you’re actually relying on them to hold their own and keep you alive at the same time.”
Giving him a sidelong look, I raise an eyebrow. “You’re only saying that because you don’t like them.”
He smirks, stealing another chip. “Nothing personal. I don’t like any of the bastards in this place. The fact that they’re all competing over who gets to get in my daughter’s pants only makes it worse.”
Chuckling, I turn to Adrian where he’s leaning back against the railing, standing beside us on the steps. “I should have known you were working for Wilder instead of the Slaughters. But I have to ask; does that mean you’re only a part of Pack Ronen out in Shadow Ridge for the sake of keeping an eye on Ash’s test subjects?”
He faces me fully now, guarded expression firmly in place. “You have quite the wild imagination.”
Rolling my eyes, I tilt the bag his way in offering. “Everyone does whatever they have to in order to survive, Adrian, especially people like us. And honestly, I should thank you. If you never outed me to the Slaughters, I'd never have met them or three of my mates.” At that, I grimace. “Okay, maybe I would have eventually if Ash is to be believed, but whatever, you know what I mean. We've all been used for one reason or another by that asshole. We're doing the best we can with the shitty hands we've been dealt in life. So, what I’m trying to say is, you and me? As far as I’m concerned, we’re good.”
Suspicion clear as day on his face, he reaches a tentative hand my way and takes the olive branch. "For now."
Waiting until he takes a bite, I smirk. “Agreed. The next time I catch you playing peeping Tom, I won’t let things slide so easily.”
His face pales slightly, highlighting the scar cutting across his face as Leo stiffens, demanding, “Excuse me, what did you say?”
“Ssh, the fight’s starting.”
Taking another bite, I run my gaze over the parallel line of men widely spaced apart in the clearing before us. Damian, Kaige, and Hunter are each paired off with a single opponent while the rest of my guys are loosely spread out around the crowd that gathered to watch and place their bets, more animated than I’ve seen people in my entire time here. At this stage, we have no clue how they’ll react depending on the outcome, but none of us would put it past them to interfere simply to spite the guys. While the treaty is apparently temporarily suspended so that members of Kaige, Damian, and Hunter’s packs can witness the fate of their alphas, primarily, these are the Slaughters’ men. It’s easy enough to tell them apart; there’s a cruel glint in their eyes that’s absent in others’, like the life hasn’t completely been sucked out of them yet.
There isn’t an alpha among them, and I cannot fathom what these guys are thinking. Fuck, Kaige doesn’t even need to touch his opponent to be able to steal his strength and turn it against him. Still, despite being well-aware of that knowledge, these three strangers are confident enough in their abilities that they’re willing to take the risk, to put their lives on the line simply for a chance.
I’m a terrible person, because the flattery apparently decided to bypass my head and settle between my legs instead, and I mentally side-eye my counterpart.
Stop getting such a kick out of this. The guys could get seriously hurt or even die.
“Don’t be dramatic, they’re not going to die. Besides the obvious, Acheron is using it as an excuse to assess their current skill level as well as torment them since each of their challengers are from their respective packs. It’s a dick move, one to instill discord so that their packs aren’t going to be so easily swayed to join us and turn on him. He’s the king of multitasking, and nothing he does is without at least a handful of reasons.”
With more enthusiasm, she adds, “But it’s going to blow up in his face, and I for one am going to savor every moment of it.”
How so?
“Because he didn’t consider that you took away the guilt that was torturing Damian and Hunter. That was the foundation that set the course for Acheron being able to exploit, torment, and control them. He could anticipate how they’d act in any given situation because of who they were at their core. Now, they’re as much of wild cards as you are.”
And Kaige?
She begins to grow restless, writhing around beneath my skin and sending a shiver down my spine. “Think about it. The Kaige Acheron knew went zero to one hundred, and that was while his demon was still confined. Even Ash doesn’t know how he’ll behave now that his demon’s free, at odds with his naturally sympathetic nature as he faces his friend in a match to the death, hence him testing the waters by arranging this. And the best part? Neither do I. That’s thrilling, and provides more hope for us actually being able to kill him than anything else.”
“They’re banking on their pride keeping them from using their abilities, aren’t they?”
Leo rests his arms on his knees, leaning forward to watch them intently. “Possibly. Might also think they’re quick enough draws they can afford the risk.”
“Wait, weapons? That’s not fair!”
His grin splits his face. “All’s fair in love and war, Sabrina. You going to try to tell me you wouldn’t take a cheap shot if that’s all that stood between you and getting what you wanted? Especially if it was to protect someone that you loved?”
Scowling, I run my gaze over the strangers more critically, searching for any lumps in their clothes or twitching of fingers that might indicate their intent. “Fair point.” As I scan them another time, I ask, “How do they know when to start?”
I jolt, nearly dropping the bag of chips in my hand as he shouts, “Fight!”
The resounding crash has me wincing as bodies collide, and I’m pretty sure a few bones fractured upon that initial impact. I really should have anticipated that they wouldn’t use their abilities; all of the signs were there. Hell, Kaige decided to make a show of me coming on his face in front of a handful of frat boys that weren’t even a threat, merely annoying. They live to toy with people, to flex the fact that I’m theirs and rub it in people’s faces whenever they get the opportunity. They aren’t going to end this in two seconds like they could, they’re going to make a point so that it doesn’t happen again.
