Vivian Arend - Wolf Flight

The area in front of the house looked like a parking lot. Half the pack must have been there, and a couple of fancy rentals were noticeable front and center. Tad opened the car door for Missy and held her arm as they approached the house.

The Granite Lake Beta stepped from the shadows.

“Hell, am I glad to see you. Did you get our message?” Tad asked. Erik nodded and motioned to the side of the house with his head. Tad followed toward the edge of the stairs.

“A group from Whistler showed up today and demanded Granite Lake’s assistance in regaining one of their AWOL pack mates. They said she might be suffering from mental trauma, and they were concerned she could be a danger to others if she wasn’t dealt with properly.” Erik snorted in disbelief.

Missy clutched Tad’s arm tighter.

“Dangerous? Missy? Please, what kind of crap are they trying to pull? And last time I checked there was no such thing as going AWOL from a pack. It’s not a military membership or anything.” Tad soothed a hand down Missy’s back as he looked up into Erik’s worried face.

Erik squatted his huge body down to Missy’s level so they were eye to eye. “You’re close to the end of your time of mourning. Did you know Doug planned to take you as a partner?” She nodded and Erik cursed. “Damn, can’t even claim ignorance and ask for an extension. I take it you’d prefer not to accept his proposal?”

Tad felt the wave of fear and nausea that swept over her.

“I would sooner permanently shift and go feral, but they threatened my sister.”

Tad laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re not going anywhere, Missy, and we can keep your sister safe.” Tad turned to Erik. “We can keep her safe, can’t we?” He stared at Erik, ready to do whatever it took to convince the Beta to help them.

Erik stood and rubbed his chin. “I have some friends in Vancouver that I could call in a favour from. But she would have to be ready to leave fast. In the meantime, it doesn’t change the fact they”—he pointed with a thumb over his shoulder—“want Missy.

“We got your message that you plan on getting hitched. When they overheard the news, the Whistler pack stopped talking about recovering a missing member, and Doug informed us that you were promised to him. Keil’s done what he could, but they’ve issued a challenge for Missy.”

Tad wrapped an arm around Missy. “Nope. She’s my mate, Erik. The real deal. They can’t take her—”

Erik shook his head. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. They can. They can take her if you’re dead.”

Well, that would really mess up his day.

“Bloodthirsty wolves.” Tad cursed.

Erik nodded. “Not one of our better personality traits, I’ll admit.”

Tad took a long breath in and considered. He’d just been triggered. Next full moon was in three weeks. In that amount of time they should be able to help Missy’s sister get away and he’d be able to prepare a battle plan. Figure out how to use his new skills as an Omega if he really did have them.

“Fine, I accept the challenge. Do they want to fight in Whistler or—”

Erik’s face screwed up into a frown. “Tad, they want to fight here. Now.”

Shit. Werewolf politics sucked. “But I can’t shift yet. How the hell is that a fair challenge?” He was supposed to defend himself against a wolf attack tonight?

“There are rules about these things set out in the code, of course, but it seems since you’ve been triggered you count as a full wolf. There’s nothing in there about having to wait until you actually can shift.” Erik looked extremely uncomfortable. “It would be in the interest of fair play to wait, but I think Doug’s comment was something like ‘I want to kill the little bastard as soon as possible.’ We’re not talking about nice people here, Tad.”

Missy crowded into his side. The connection between them flared. Images flashed through his mind—Missy accompanying Doug away, Tad left in safety—Tad groaned. While it was neat to know what she was planning, it was going to make it tough to give her surprise gifts in the future if they couldn’t keep any secrets from each other. He turned her to face him and brushed a soft hand against her cheek, gazing into her eyes. He lowered his voice to speak quietly to her alone.

“Missy, you are not going with them. You think you can deny our mating and go be with Doug now? I don’t think so.”

She pressed her hand to his, her fingers cold and shaking. “If my sister is safe, I can stand it. I don’t want to lose you. Just get her to safety and I’ll eventually get away from Whistler.”

Tad hugged her close, his lips brushing her cheek. This time he spoke intimately through their mate connection trying to pass the emotion he felt along with the words. “I can’t let you go back. I can’t stand the thought of him touching you. I’d sooner die killing him than let you return to a life that’s caused you so much pain.”

Missy clung to him for a second then stared up at him with fear in her eyes. “It’s a challenge. He’ll turn into a wolf and kill you, and it will be all my fault.” She covered her face with her hands. “I wish I’d never come back.”

“You don’t mean that.” Tad held her close to his chest. “I love you, and I’m so glad you came back north and found me.”

“But he’s an Alpha wolf and he fights dirty.”

Tad kissed her. Here she was in his arms, the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him, and a criminal wanted to take her away from him. No bloody way. “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. I can fight dirty myself if I have to. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not entitled to a fair fight after what he’s done to you, your family and your pack.”

Erik cleared his throat. “If you’re ready, everyone is waiting in the back.”

Tad had seen pictures of gladiator fight rings before. This set-up was a little more archaic and rustic. On the right side of Keil and Robyn’s backyard, the snow had been packed down into the shape of a small hockey rink. The cleared area nudged up against the trees that led out into the wilderness. Bright overhead lights turned the whole area into high noon.

“Someone afraid of the dark, Keil?” Tad called.

Erik pulled Missy with him toward the house and Tad watched as the light in her eyes dimmed. “Missy. You get that look off your face and trust me. We need to decide where to go for a honeymoon. After we finish the job at Mount Logan. Liard Hot Springs in April?”

“Tad, he jumps to the left.”

And then silence.

Tad stared up toward the house. “Keil?”

Keil marched into the lit area and pulled Tad in for a hug. He wore his usual guiding gear of camo pants and padded vest. There was a tall, lean man by his side dressed in a suit who watched with cold eyes. “Tad. This is Heath, Beta of Whistler. He’s here to ensure I explain the challenge and all the terms.” Keil shot an evil look at the intruder. “He’s also listening to make sure I don’t impart any hints on how to win this thing. I’m sorry, but they’ve got traditional law on their side. I have total control over my own pack and territory, but these kind of challenges follow laws that are bigger than me. I suggested they wait until the next full moon so you’d be able to shift as well but the damn code says…”

Tad shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Keil made a rude noise. “It’s not okay. Your sister is going to make my life miserable for not coming up with a better solution.”

Tad looked around but saw nothing beyond the blinding lights. The rest of the yard and the house were dark shadows in the background. “Is Robyn watching?”