Brand of the Pack (4 page)

When the dark gray SUV pulled up in front of the house, Grey rested his hand on her tensed thigh.
Stay seated
, he seemed to say. The doors creaked as they opened, and two men got out and came to the bottom of the porch steps. She tested the air. Werewolves. Fear snaked down her spine and settled somewhere in her gut. No doubt her eyes were a bright and vibrant purple. If posturing were a test, she would get an F-minus.

The men were a study in opposites. One had olive skin and dark hair, while the shorter one was fair-skinned with blond hair cropped close to his head.

“What can I do for you gentlemen,” Grey asked, apparently completely at ease with the situation.

“My name is Rodrigo Valderez,” the first man said with a Spanish accent to his deep voice. “This is my Second, Brian Mercer. I am alpha to the southern New Mexico pack,” he said formally.

“Greyson. This is my fiancée, Morgan.” Grey didn’t pay much mind to formality. He was more of a get-to-the-point kind of man.

“Is she the silver wolf?” Rodrigo asked directly.

Seconds ticked by as Grey stared through eyes as cold as ice. Slowly, he nodded. What would be the point in him trying to lie about what she was? Her damning purple eyes only existed in a silver wolf.

The alpha didn’t look surprised. “I have come to issue a formal challenge. I wish to challenge you for her.”

A challenge? She looked between Grey and Rodrigo. They were serious! They would fight and the winner got what?

Grey stilled, the tension in his hand the only thing hinting he wasn’t as calm as he seemed. Standing to his full height, he looked down his nose at this man who came onto his territory to try to claim his mate. Grey smelled more wolf than human. More fragrant fur than skin. Never had she smelled wolf so thickly while a man was still in his own skin. He was trying to hold him in. Wolf would get his fill of violence soon enough.

“Accepted, but since you have your witness, we will wait until my witness arrives.”

Rodrigo nodded as Grey pulled out his phone. Her heightened hearing pricked with each soft ring of Grey’s cell and on the third ring, Dean picked up.

“Dean, where are you at? I need a witness.”

“Shit,” Dean bit out across the cell. “Marissa just called and we’re already on the road. We’re a few minutes out. Don’t start until we’re there.”

Grey hung up and tossed the phone onto the table.

“What does that mean?” Morgan gritted out. “A formal challenge, what does that mean?” The rising fury pounded away in her ears.

He said it calmly, with only a hint of disgust. “It means winner gets you.”

Morgan set her blazing glare on the stranger. “Why do you want me? You don’t even know me!”

“I don’t have to know you. You are Silver Wolf.” Rodrigo said it so matter of fact, as if the title was the only important thing about her. “You will bring honor to any wolf you choose.”

“I choose Grey!” she cried.

Okay, she was a little hysterical. She should definitely rein it in, but it obviously wouldn’t deter this jack-wagon. He only cared about what she was.

Rodrigo made a show of sniffing the air. “It doesn’t
smell
like you chose him. You are not claimed by him or anyone else from what I hear. Until you are, formal challenges can be made.”

She looked in disbelief from Rodrigo to Grey to Brian and back to Rodrigo. Had they missed the memo that it was the twenty-first century? “This is barbaric!”

Grey sat again with his hands behind his head and his long legs stretched out. A slow smile spread across his face as if he was enjoying the show.

“Silver Wolf—” Rodrigo started.

“My name is Morgan, you ass hat.” This guy was really starting to piss her off.

“Morgan,” he amended with a frown tugging at his full lips. “This is no way for a silver wolf to act. Formal challenges are issued often. I understand you are a new wolf, but this is the way it has been for hundreds of years.”

Aw, hell no. He did
not
just tell her how she should act. She eyed the chair, debating whether to fling it at him, but the sound of Dean’s truck coming up the road interrupted her maiming plans. Grey arched his eyebrow at the chair she had taken a step closer to and shook his head slightly. Well, he seemed confident he would come out of this okay, but what if he was wrong? Would she have to leave with this man? She’d sure as sugar rather lick a port-a-potty than be a kidnap victim again. Her heart rate cranked up to panic mode, and it suddenly felt like a horse was sitting on her chest.

Grey cocked his head and eyed her thoughtfully. “I need a word with my fiancée, if you don’t mind.”

He didn’t wait for Rodrigo’s answer. Instead, he stood immediately and took her by the elbow. His work boots made hollow sounds against the porch as he led her to a shaded area against the house. It wasn’t completely out of hearing range for a werewolf, but at least it felt more private.

“Is it to the death?” she asked, a new wave of panic threatening to overwhelm her.

“It can be, if no one gives up.”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

Grey snorted indelicately. “You don’t have to watch this. Go on and wait inside if you want, and I’ll come get you when we are finished. I’m not going to let him take you, Morgan. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

She wasn’t convinced. Stretching up on her toes to kiss him, she slid her arms around his neck. He obliged, gentle with her until she deepened the kiss. Hell, if she was honest, she wanted to hop up and hump his leg right in front of that rat-faced Rodrigo. She settled for flipping the bird behind Grey’s back. A silver wolf she might be, but no one would ever accuse her of being a proper one.

“I’m staying,” she growled against his lips. Retreating an inch, she said, “Kill him if you have to.” It would serve the idiot right for trying to take her away from everything she’d fought for.

Grey chuckled. “Look who’s turned into a bloodthirsty little werewolf.”

He squeezed her ass with a smirk and sauntered off to meet Dean, who was pulling up in front of the cabin. Some of the tension left her shoulders when Wade and Jason also stepped out of the truck. Grey had backup if something went wrong. Surely, Dean wouldn’t let this barbarian take her away from her new home.

Dean introduced himself and the others to Rodrigo and his second. Dean’s introductions were formal, but not friendly enough for a handshake or even a smile. In fact, Dean, Wade, and Jason looked pissed. Good, because if she had to bet on who the biggest, baddest wolves in town were, she’d bet on her boys any day.

Reaching back, Grey pulled his shirt off and Rodrigo excused himself to Change in the privacy of the trees. Grey shucked his pants and pulled Wade to the side. Morgan strained her ears to hear what he said.

“If this goes south, throw a formal challenge at him right away. Don’t give him time to breathe. Make sure they are taken care of.”

Wade nodded and clapped Grey on the shoulder. “It won’t go south, but we will make sure they are taken care of. Go get him.”

So Grey was more worried than he was letting on. A fresh wave of panic sent the first tingles of the Change through her body. She stifled her wolf, eliciting a slow carnal growl from deep in her throat. Grey turned and set intense eyes upon her. Something glinted off his chest in the sunlight.

“Can you hold this for me?” He unhooked the leather necklace and held it out. On it was her engagement ring. How long he had been wearing it around his neck? Against her hand, he pressed the ring, a small and crucial symbol of his devotion. He’d offered so much more than a wedding the day he’d given it to her. He’d offered his life to protect her.

“My body was made to keep yours safe,” he breathed.

She gripped the treasure he’d given to her for safekeeping, and he brushed his lips against her knuckles.

Rodrigo loped from the woods. He was a large wolf, dark gray with a lighter belly and legs. Brown eyes stared steadily back at Grey as he cocked his head and studied his opponent.

Watching Grey was her guilty pleasure. He was unashamed of his Change and rightly so. When he Turned, it was like magic. His wasn’t like any other wolf she had ever seen. If he wanted, and if he pushed hard enough, his transition from man to beast could last just a moment. For other wolves, it dragged on for minutes.

She was terribly private about her own Changes. They took so long and were so painful, she always made anguished noises by the end. It was borderline embarrassing. She didn’t even want to imagine what she looked like. There was a substantial amount of time she was in between states. Not human, not wolf, but a creature fighting to take on either form so it didn’t have to stay as the defenseless
other
.

Grey had been Turned by a beast. A monster among monsters had unleashed Grey’s inner Wolf onto the unsuspecting world. In contrast to his utter lack of control over his animal, his Change was absolute magic.

Grey stood upright, staring down Rodrigo, and then he was Wolf. His transformation blended so seamlessly, he blurred from human to animal. Rodrigo might have been big for a werewolf, but Grey was a beast. His fur was black as pitch, and his lips pulled back over razor sharp teeth. His chest was broad and his legs powerful. Sharp, black claws made for ripping adorned his giant paws.

Grey was all weapons.

Dean and Wade scaled the stairs and stood on the porch beside her while Jason leaned on the railing at the bottom. Rodrigo’s second stayed on the opposite side near the trucks.

“You know the rules,” Dean clipped out. “One bark means one of you gives. No bark means you’ll fight to the death. Bark it loud and proud boys. If we don’t hear it, no one yields. Understood?”

Both wolves nodded, circling each other slowly, eyes completely focused on the task at hand.

Rodrigo lunged.

Snapping back, the gray wolf missed his mark and Grey struck with snake-like speed. Bowling him over before he could recover, Gray latched onto the fur of his neck as Rodrigo bit into his shoulder.

Ducking, dodging, spinning, and snarling, the dance of the frenzied wolves was so violent she wanted to look away, but so beautiful she didn’t dare. She’d seen wolves fight before, but not like this. Playing and wrestling were part of pack life, but this? This was deadly.

Gnashing teeth clacked, echoing through the yard in near misses, and the scent of thick iron filled the air. Gray fur, black, gray, black—their coats mingled until she couldn’t tell them apart as they spun and battled. The smell of blood grew thicker by the moment, and she fought the instinct to Change to protect her mate.

Dean, Wade, and Jason looked passively on as if there weren’t two wolves ripping each other to shreds in the yard.

Grey was beautifully lethal, like one of the swords in her collection. Sometimes it was obvious that he was meant to be what he was. Wolf. When he Changed so fluidly, or he hunted with exact pack logic, or his ability to kill with little remorse when her safety was concerned. He dodged away from Rodrigo’s attack to return with the upper hand. More proof that fate didn’t make mistakes. He fought like he was born to, and an unsettling combination of pride and fear welled up in her chest.

A single bark rang out. The flurry of motion slowed and she tried to decipher between the two snarling animals. The light was dimming and the battle had stopped as quickly as it had started. Grey was on top of Rodrigo, pinning him with his body weight. His sharp teeth lay against the tripping pulse of the smaller wolf’s neck. Dark crimson blood matted Rodrigo’s fur, and he let out another sharp yip before Grey could do more damage.

“Called.” Dean sounded unsurprised and almost bored. “Rodrigo Valderez gives. Greyson Crawford wins the challenge.”

Grey snarled and his jaws tightened ever so slightly against the mud-colored wolf’s throat. He waited a moment, then released him. He hovered dangerously above the challenger with his glistening white teeth bared. Still as a stone, Rodrigo lay under him in submission.

Morgan slipped the ring from the strip of leather. “I suggest you leave this property immediately. My fiancé won’t give his mercy for long. And tell your friends that Silver Wolf will be claimed by the end of the week.” Sliding the ring back on her finger where it belonged, she tossed the naked leather necklace onto the table and stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind her. The boys could handle the rest. She ran straight up to the safe room.

The wall clicked and opened. Lana colored comfortably in the corner. From the roiling tension in the room, Marissa was upset. The girl had been claimed against her will when she was just a child. And now more dominants had descended on her home where she was supposed to be safe. It was easy to understand why fear swam in her eyes.

“A wolf challenged, but everything is fine,” Morgan reassured her. “Grey won and the other wolf is leaving.”

Morgan swallowed a growl when the bitter smell of fear wafted off Marissa’s lightly freckled skin. No matter the reason, her wolf always reacted to the acrid scent.

Marissa let out a long, shaky breath. “Are we still going out to eat for my birthday?”

“Of course, we are. We aren’t going to let that bullheaded man ruin your birthday dinner.” She smiled. “I have a surprise.” She held her hand out for Marissa to see. The light glinted off the ring, throwing speckles across the wall. “We have a quickie wedding to plan, and since you’re going to be my maid of honor, I’m going to need your help.”

“Really?” she asked in a breathy voice. Marissa beamed and tackled her in a hug, squeezing her until Morgan’s back cracked. “Oh my gosh, this is awesome! You don’t even understand how much I’ve wanted this for you guys. Did Grey freak out?”

“I don’t really know. I put the ring on and walked away. Come on, let’s call Rachel and we’ll head on out to eat. My stomach is starting to cave in on itself.”

“Fine with me. I’ll get Lana’s shoes on. Is it okay to come out now?”

“Yeah. We’re safe.”

The boys were downstairs in the great room talking while Wade stitched up Grey’s side where Rodrigo had torn into him. It looked painful, but either it wasn’t, or Grey was getting used to pain because he laughed and joked with the others like he was having a back massage. When Morgan’s light footfall hit a creak in the stairs, his eyes lifted straight to her. A grin lit up his entire face. He was captivating when he was like this.