For Life (23 page)

“More than likely everyone is already at the park,” Maura told him, boldly

addressing the pack leader who had just dogged her breed.

Josie hugged her closer to him, proud of his spunky bitch. Dimitri didn’t want her in his pack and thought little of her kind. Yet she spoke calmly, offering the obvious 115

Lorie O’Clare

information to him. Even in her thoughts she didn’t belittle him. If he could keep this bitch by his side, life would definitely be a better place. He met Dimitri’s scowl, making sure the werewolf saw Josie’s satisfied expression. Dimitri looked away first.

“There are a hell of a lot of
lunewulfs
in the park ahead of us.” Rosa pointed down the street. She probably heard the hundreds of thoughts blurring together just like he did. Being in a crowd could be damned annoying for that reason. “Just stay focused, Josie,” she said, responding out loud to his thoughts. “Most of them don’t care if that den gets the crap beat out of them.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Maura added.

“It’s amazing,” Heidi said. “The Wagner den howled so loudly when they helped all the other dens or did any good deed for the pack. I guess we’re no better than any other pack. Bring it down to a good fight and all anyone wants to see is a bloodbath.”

“It’s in our nature,” Nicolo admitted.

The icy cold breeze brought the rich scent of their recent lovemaking to Josie’s nostrils. It made him burst with pride that Maura carried his scent with her head held high. They’d reached the park and
lunewulfs
stared curiously at the small group. Their reactions were mixed, but for the most part, the males and bitches staring at them equally despised and admired Heidi and Maura for walking among the dark Malta werewolves.

“Stand to the side.” Their pack leader, Bob Abbey, yelled at his pack.

Quickly the
lunewulfs
parted like a sea responding to some higher power.

“I can’t believe you would show your tail in this pack,” a small bitch with a pup in her arms snarled at Heidi, and then glared at Maura.

“You can’t acknowledge her—she’s shunned.” A
lunewulf
male grabbed the mouthy bitch and pulled her away from them.

Heidi held her head high, ignoring the comments. Nicolo wrapped his arms around her, keeping her very close and growling at the
lunewulfs
until they backed up farther.

Dimitri acted like he didn’t hear any of it. His attention remained on the pack leader as he walked into the middle of the group.

“You’re here to support your packmate?” Bob asked Dimitri.

“You would do the same,” Dimitri said, surprisingly not smelling outraged for a change. “Josie Balzon honors the Wagner den by offering the right to draw first blood.

We shall witness his honor.”

Bob nodded, then said something quietly to a stout
lunewulf
male standing next to him. The pack leader’s thoughts were a mixture of emotions. He seemed to know he’d made a bad call with Maura. Somehow confirmation had reached him that Pete had dumped her outside their pack and that pissed him off. What surprised Josie, as he fought to hear the pack leader’s thoughts and drown out everyone else around him, was that Bob respected him for showing up and for standing up for Maura. Apparently Bob liked Maura. Bob didn’t like the idea of her being with a Malta werewolf though.

116

For Life

“Your pack members will stay over to the side, Balzon,” Bob said, staring him in the eye. “There are three members of the Wagner den who seek first blood. You will give them the right to draw first blood?”

“I will.” Josie looked away from Bob first, feeling Maura’s small hands grip his arm as she clung to him. Showing softness at the moment wasn’t appropriate, as much as he knew she craved seeing something like that from him. He kept his voice low and as calm as he could to reassure her. “Dimitri and Nicolo will stand by you. Go with them now.”

Maura trembled, fear and panic threatening to consume her. “Remember your

promise, wolf man.”

He nodded once, then stroked her smooth, long hair. Ignoring the outrage from the pack around him that a
lunewulf
bitch stood at his side, Josie gripped the back of her neck, forcing her head to fall back, then kissed her quivering lips.

“Quit your worrying, little bitch.” He straightened, then tapped her nose, wanting more than anything to walk her over to his pack leader and personally demand Dimitri watch her with his life.

The comfortable, rather intimate gesture brought several growls from the males around him. Much to her credit, Maura didn’t look at any of them. She stood tall, sucking in a deep breath. Her breasts swelled against her sweater. Long blonde hair, still slightly damp from sweat after running over the mountain, fell over her shoulders to her waist. A possessive fever burned inside Josie. Maura honored him with her presence here. He wouldn’t have admitted bringing her would be a good thing. But damn. What she did to his ego—he could take on the entire
lunewulf
pack right now.

Josie watched her ass sway as she walked away from him between Nicolo and

Dimitri. Heat continued frying his veins like they were full of hot lead. Turning his attention to the
lunewulf
pack leader, Josie glanced past him and took his time surveying his surroundings. Adrenaline surged to life inside him harder than it had for a long time. Fighting for anything always seemed a waste of time. The gift made him soft, he realized at that moment. No one ever challenged him enough to create fear inside him.

And there was no fear now. But making sure the events of tonight assured everyone beyond any doubt that Maura would stay with him created an energy that attacked like a drug.

Several
lunewulf
males watched him warily, obviously given the assignment of herding him into the middle of the park. Hundreds of
lunewulfs
surrounded him, creating a werewolf wall of males and females, all anxious and panting, eager to witness a good fight.

Three males, one of them the asshole who’d been in the pickup truck in front of Maura’s old den, stood at the other end of the circle. They jumped from foot to foot, growling and snapping at each other and the crowd around them. The faint smell of alcohol and their slightly incoherent thought patterns were indication that they’d spent the evening drinking and psyching each other up to draw first blood.

117

Lorie O’Clare

Bob Abbey howled and quickly all the others in the park turned their attention to him. These
lunewulfs
better have a fucking clue how good they had it. They exercised their ceremonies in a public park without worrying about humans interfering or panicking. Not many werewolves could claim such a luxury.

“Our traditions hold true over the centuries for one reason,” Bob began, bellowing loud enough so everyone could hear him. Even the few pups present stopped playing and sat on the ground to listen. “They are what make us strong, superior over any other species on this planet. We honor them tonight with the challenge of first blood.”

The howls started slowly, growing in volume until everyone in the park, males and bitches alike, threw their heads back and howled their respect toward the laws and traditions all of them, regardless of breed, honored.

Once the howling subsided, Bob cleared his voice and continued. “Tonight the Wagner den seeks the right to draw first blood.” Not entirely the truth since Bob sought it out for them, but Josie wouldn’t argue the detail. “This male,” Bob pointed his finger at Josie, “entered the Wagner den and killed Pete Wagner. It was his private challenge, since Pete cast out his mate.”

There was an uneasy silence. Josie straightened, making eye contact with the pack leader. He couldn’t reach Bob’s thoughts—not with so many surrounding them and the magnitude of their thoughts hitting him like hundreds of quiet whispers being carried on the frigid breeze. At that moment though, he gained new respect for the male. Bob didn’t have to state why Josie killed Pete, yet he’d just informed all the
lunewulfs
that Josie’s actions were honorable.

“Since he chose of his own accord in an admittedly premeditated decision not to publicly challenge Pete Wagner for his mate, the Wagner den comes forth at this time to draw first blood. Are all parties in agreement with these facts?” Bob looked at the Wagner den.

The three males yelled their agreement, almost tripping over each other in their excitement to get at Josie. The idiots barely managed to hold on to their human forms.

Already their blond hair looked whiter and their teeth pressed against their lips, adding to the ridiculous scene they made.

Bob looked at Josie, who simply nodded. Josie stood, not moving, letting the wind attack his flesh. Slowly, he started fighting to move into the heads of the three males dancing in front of him just several yards away. Knowing their minds, their actions before they attacked, would make his victory simple.

Bob said something. His pack howled and cheered their approval. The noise filled the air. So many smells tried attacking his senses. This wasn’t the first time he stood around so many and fought to hear just one—or in this case the thoughts of three males.

And singling the drunken
lunewulfs
out was hard as fucking hell.

“I have terms.” Paul Wagner, the largest of the three males, pointed a finger at Josie.

“He must swear not to use his magic on us.”

118

For Life

“Yeah!” The male who appeared to be the youngest of the three, and definitely the most wired, almost jumped from foot to foot as he shouted at his pack leader. He continually shot anxious glances at Josie as he spoke. “We get to attack and he can’t do anything to stop us.”

“When I caught him at my dead littermate’s den with his widow there, he walked out into the yard and suddenly my truck started and headed down the street without me.” Paul’s accusation sent the crowd into a violent uproar.

Accusations of Malta werewolf magic and the probability that Josie could stop them without even touching them were screamed from all directions.

Josie stood silently, watching the three males get themselves overheated over something they knew nothing about.

“That’s fucking enough!” Bob’s outraged howl managed to silence his pack. He stormed into the middle of the circle formed by his pack. Already he had some of his larger males helping to keep those not involved in the challenge back and out of the way so there would be room for the Wagner den and Josie. “Each of you may strike once. That is the law of drawing first blood. You strike, then step back. You understand?”

The Wagner den grunted their consent, circling each other and turning to respond to comments made by their pack.

“And you, Malta werewolf.” Bob walked within a few feet of him. “You’ll stand there and not interfere or do anything of any kind to stop that one punch. You got me on this?”

“Understood.” Josie nodded, looking past Bob at the three males who were so

wound up their thoughts sped like rats racing on wheels in a cage.

“That means no tricks or magic. Got me?”

“Yup.”

“Good. Don’t think you’ll live through the night if you fuck with our traditions.”

Josie gave the pack leader his full attention. “That won’t happen.”

Bob stared at him for a moment, clearly wondering in his mind exactly what Josie meant. Did he mean that he wouldn’t die? Or did he confirm that he wouldn’t use the gift? Bob stared at him with bright blue eyes that tried piercing into him before he grunted.

Josie watched Bob turn his back to him and knew the
lunewulf
wasn’t an idiot for choosing not to question Josie further on the matter.

“Now that we understand each other,” Bob continued, “the oldest member of the den may begin. Move forward and strike. One movement, one moment of contact—

then you back off. Once the first has moved back to join the others, then the second may approach and attack. One strike, that’s it. Let the change begin!”

Josie stripped out of his shirt as an uproar sounded behind him. Two of the three Wagner males were already half changed into their fur and appeared to freeze in mid-119

Lorie O’Clare

change as they stared past him. Josie turned in time to see Maura break free from the circle of onlookers and run to him.

“What the fuck is this?” Bob yelled. “Get back to your place, female.”

“This is my place.” She stood up to him, her hands fisting at her waist, but only for a second. As Josie pulled his shirt free from his body, she grabbed it. “It is my place to hold the clothes of my mate during a challenge.”

In spite of the loud disapproval, voiced and thought, throughout the pack, Maura ignored all of them and waited for him to disrobe, taking his clothes. As the change washed over him, hardening his muscles and forcing blood to race through his veins faster than his human body could handle, she stepped forward, pressing her warm, moist lips to his.

“I look forward to returning to our den when you’re done here,” she whispered, her blue eyes sparkling defiantly as she watched him.

Already the animal in him surfaced with enough vengeance and anxiety to take on the challenge that he couldn’t answer her with words. But his low growl made her smile. Slowly she backed away from him until Nicolo lunged forward and grabbed her.

Josie felt something rough inside him enhance the change and he almost saw blood. He didn’t want any other male touching her, not even to protect her. But there was enough human intellect still in his animal brain to help him see that Nicolo acted out of friendship. Nonetheless, he didn’t turn around until Maura stood safely between Rosa and Heidi with Dimitri and Nicolo on either side of the bitches.

Josie barely turned around when the crowd screamed, violent thoughts attacking his brain from all directions. At the same time, a white blur leapt toward him, teeth and claws bared. The oldest of the den landed on top of him, digging in deep with his claws and teeth before leaping to the side.

Josie staggered and Maura’s piercing scream vibrated in his brain over all the other sounds around him. If only he could completely grant the wish of the
lunewulf
pack leader and turn off the gift, if just long enough to offer first blood. But doing so would be the same as agreeing not to breathe, or smell or feel the hard, snowy ground underneath him. It was impossible not to hear their thoughts.