Fated for Two

Everard paused for a moment, to catch his breath after taking down another rogue and noticed a stealthy movement through the fighting, heading for him and Brenton. There were three of the rogues and they seemed to have a mission. He quickly moved next to Brenton and let out a growl of warning.

Brenton turned just in time for the largest of the three, a solid black wolf, to tackle him to the ground.

Everard watched as the other two stayed put, waiting to see what would happen. One of them was female, the other male, and he wondered exactly who they were, although, the female seemed familiar to him.

As soon as the black wolf had attacked, Brenton knew he was an alpha. He figured it must be the one he’d been looking for during the whole fight yet hadn’t shown himself until now. He figured the wolf had waited, bidding his time before attacking.

Everard watched the two rogues, making sure they stayed put even as he kept an eye on Brenton. He felt a few of the pack warriors come up, intent on watching over their alpha as he fought. Glancing once more at the two, he tilted his head staring at the female who seemed so familiar to him. It had been a while since he’d seen her in wolf form, but it almost looked like Mason’s mate, Tara. He tried sniffing, but the scent of blood was too thick.

The she-wolf, as if she felt his scrutiny, turned. She gave him a wolfy smirk before turning back to the fight.

Everard turned back to the fight also and found the black rogue wolf bloody and limping as Brenton slowly ripped him to pieces. Brenton had a lot of anger, anger over the death of his parents, and anger over the trouble that the rogues had caused his pack for all these years.

Suddenly, a small gray timber wolf came tearing through those gathered. The she-wolf shifted from fur to skin as she screamed, “Stop! You’ll kill him!”

Her screams came too late as Brenton served the black wolf the death blow.

Nothing else could be heard over the wails of the woman as the male wolf shifted from fur to skin in death. The woman threw herself over the dead man’s body, crying and screaming for him to not die on her.

The she-wolf Everard had been watching shifted to her skin and joined the woman next to the dead man. The male wolf with them stepped closer to stand next to them but did nothing except growl low.

The warriors who now encircling them tensed, their teeth bared, at the growls of the rogue. However, they held back any attack as Brenton let out his own demanding growl. It was a growl that told them to wait because their alpha wanted answers and dead men couldn’t give him those.

Everard shifted to his skin side, breathing heavily as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The she-wolf was Tara, his beta’s mate. He swallowed hard as he gazed fully at the dead man’s face, tensing as he recognized him. Everard had never seen the man in the flesh, only in old pictures. The man was none other than his uncle. He muttered, “Uncle Joseph?”

Brenton’s wolf looked up at the sound of Everard’s voice. He shifted from fur to skin to ask, “Everard, this is your uncle?”

Everard nodded as he said, “I think so. I’ve only seen pictures, but he looks so much like Dad…”

Brenton turned to stare at the dead man on the ground and growled, “Yeah, I reckon he does.”

Tara looked up and growled at Everard.

Brenton growled at her and asked, “What purpose do you have to consort with an enemy of this pack?”

Tara gave him a condescending laugh before saying, “Do you still not see it? Are you really that stupid? He is my father, and pathetic little Everard is my cousin!”

Brenton growled stepping closer, his canines and nails lengthening as he growled, “He is not pathetic!” The older woman looked up then and Brenton froze in place as he snarled, “And the traitor in my own pack comes to light! Maryanne, a trusted employee as well as a pack member. That would explain how things were being plundered through with no one being any wiser, after all, who would question the head housekeeper?”

“Yes, who indeed,” Maryanne snarled right back at him. “I loved him, he wasn’t my mate, but I didn’t care, I loved him. Then your father and Alpha Steward decided he was no longer worthy to be considered family, much less a pack member, and threw him out!”

“Why didn’t you go with him if you loved him so much?” Everard asked her.

Maryann snorted as she answered, “Because I was much more worthwhile here. Here I could keep an eye on the coming and going of everyone. Then, when he would sneak in to visit me, I told him everything.”

Brenton glanced over at the wolf who hadn’t shifted, taking notice of his size and black fur. He then commented, “I’m guessing the wolf is your son. Or, as we know him, the rogue alpha.”

Maryann snorted again as she said, “He is no rogue, he has a pack. The pack isn’t large however and…”

The male wolf shifted back to his skin and snarled. “Shut up woman! They have no business knowing our business.” He turned to glare at Brenton and Everard as he said, “I will be back with reinforcements because Steward land should have been my fathers, then mine. Neither of you has any right to it.”

Everard took a step forward and gave a growl of his own. He was tired of the threats, tired of the attacks, tired in general, and he knew before this night was over this man needed to die. So, he asked, “Tell me, what was Fiona to you?”

The man smirked and shrugged, saying, “Nothing but a lover. She was your mate though, wasn’t she?”

Everard shook his head as he clearly stated, “No, no she was not.” He could almost hear his pack behind him draw in a confused breath at this revelation.

“Oh, so you finally figured that out. Well, good for you, too bad you didn’t realize it before it cost your friend’s family their lives.”

Everard let out a loud snarl, causing those closest to him to back up slightly. He was tired of being ridiculed and blamed. He hadn’t meant to be the cause of Alpha and Lady Phillips's death. His wolf arose inside him, a feeling of aggression he’d never had before also rising. Shifting into his fur he leaped at the alpha rogue, his wolf growling that it was time to end this.

The alpha rogue also shifted to his fur, and they began to fight.

Brenton stood back, in awe of his wolf brother as he tore into the rogue alpha. A soft hand on his arm had him glancing out of the corner of his eye to find Farrah standing next to him. He questioned, “What are you doing here?”

Never taking her eyes off the scene in front of her, she murmured, “A warrior came back to the pack-house looking for the doctor. He said the battle was over and there were a few in need of medical help. He also said that the remaining rogues were being rounded up for questioning. I made my way here when he added that the rogue alpha was making a stand against you and Everard.”

Brenton returned his complete attention to Everard and the fight, saying nothing else. He watched, ready to step in if he was needed. Everard, however, was holding his own and had bloodied the rogue severely.

“Brenton, is that Tara?” Farrah asked in a shocked whisper.

“It is,” Brenton growled. “It would seem his beta wasn’t the problem after all. Instead, it was his mate, who probably filled his head with lies in hope of undermining Everard even more.”

Farrah softly sighed, her wolf howling inside at the mess greed had brought upon two packs. “Where is Mason?”

Brenton shrugged as he watched Everard deliver the killing blow, ripping the rogue alpha’s throat out. At the death of the rogue, the pack lifted their heads and howled their victory.

Farrah ran out to Everard. Falling to her knees she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his fur. It was tears of relief and of sorrow because she knew he was hurting at the betrayal of his beta’s mate. The cry of two females brought her head up.

“NO! You have taken everything from us!” The older woman screamed as she stood. “All of you should die!”

Brenton stepped forward and growled, “If you wish to live this day woman, you will discontinue your rant.”

The older woman said nothing before she shifted to her fur and jumped to attack.

Brenton never shifted. His anger was at an all-time high and as he let out a loud growl, bringing half his pack to their knees at the anger in it, he reached out his hand. Catching the she-wolf by the neck, he shook her, his nails lengthening into claws. The blood began to run down his arm, dripping onto the ground as he squeezed the life from her. He dropped the dead wolf to the ground and turned to the younger female. He asked, “Do you wish to die today also?”

A stirring in the crowd had some turning.

“Tara!” Mason shouted as he entered the circle and came to a stop. Looking around he questioned, “What is happening? I was sent to help take the batch of prisoners to the cells and one of the warriors told me my mate was here. Why?”

Everard shifted to his skin and walked up to his beta. Reaching out a hand and placing it on Mason’s shoulder, he told him, “Mason, Tara is the mole. She has been working with the rogue alpha, who is her brother. My uncle is her father.”

“What? No, that can’t be,” Mason muttered as he turned to stare at his mate.

Tara stood, tears rolling down her face as she stared at the two dead men on the ground.

“Tara, tell them it isn’t true,” Mason pleaded. “Tell them it’s all a mistake.”

Tara turned to face her mate and sneered, “Why lie? It’s all true, I am the daughter of Joseph, sister to Eric. Now they are dead, along with my mother.”

Farrah stared at the dead she-wolf and whispered, “A family for a family.”

Tara turned with a snarl and headed toward Farrah.

Farrah, lost in her grief at all that had happened all because of greed, never saw the she-wolf coming.

Mason did though.

At that moment he remembered how kind Farrah had been to him even when she wasn’t sure of his allegiance to Everard. He remembered how Everard had treated him like family even when Mason had made every step of being alpha difficult. He also remembered Tara almost interrogating him every time he went to do anything for his alpha. She was always questioning him, questions that at the time made no sense.

Now, however, it all made sense.

She had been spying for her father and her brother to bring down what was left of the Steward Pack. His own mate had been out to destroy everything and had used his position as a beta to help her do it. He stepped between his Lady Alpha and his mate, catching her as she jumped. He couldn’t kill her, but he could stop her, and he did.

Brenton waved two warriors forward and had them stand behind the she-wolf as he growled, “Shift traitor!”

Tara shifted to her skin.

“Take her to the cells,” Brenton growled. “This one will suffer not only for what has been done here today but also for being a traitor to her own pack.”

Farrah stood, wide-eyed, staring at the warriors as they took Tara away. Tara screamed and cried, trying to pull herself from their hands as they drug her away. Swallowing, Farrah realized she could have been killed and softly said, “Thank you, Mason.”

Mason turned and gave her a respectful bow as he murmured, “Anything for my Lady Alpha. I am sorry it took me so long to realize what my own blinded eyes were missing.”

He turned to face Brenton and Everard who was now standing next to Brenton. Giving another bow he said, “I am deeply sorry, my Alphas, for my disregard and disrespect of you. I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary.”

Brenton looked at Everard and gave him a slight nod as he said, “He is your beta, I leave it up to you.”

Everard took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before saying, “Mason, you know I’m not good at this kind of thing. I will say I did tire of being compared to my brother day in and day out, but most of the time I suppose you were all right. However, I really think it best if you step down from your position. I also think that it will be difficult for you to live here, am I right?”

Mason looked down, looking deep in thought, before saying, “Yes, I believe you would be correct. Perhaps it would be best if I were to leave here for another pack. I have some family up north; I think their pack would take me in.”

Everard nodded and said, “Consider yourself relieved of your duties. Go, straighten up your life and be happy.”

Mason gave them one more bow of respect before shifting to fur and taking off in a run.

Farrah pulled her two men into a hug, tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, from the crowd, someone called out, “Alpha, is it true that Fiona wasn’t Alpha Everard’s mate?”

The three of them turned to find that most of the pack was now standing there in the early morning light.

Everard stepped forward and clearing his throat, he began, “Let me tell you a story from the past. After my family was killed in the pack wars Brenton set out to help me be the best alpha, I could be…”

Thirty minutes later Everard finished his tale and the pack stood in quiet shock.

“So, all of this because your uncle wanted our pack’s land and the kaolin that can be mined here?” Someone asked.

Everard nodded and said, “That is what it looks like. Of course, since my uncle now lays dead, we’ll never know for sure, but it seems to all point that way.”

“Wow!” Another member muttered. “Well, where do we go from here then?”

Brenton stepped forward and answered, “I’ll do some checking, talk to some people and have them come look at the land. Once a bit of research is done, we’ll have a pack meeting to discuss our options. Until then, it’s been a long night, go find your families and go home.”

After saying their goodnights, the pack began to leave the field leaving only those who were cleaning up the bodies.

Brenton turned and murmured, “Come on Everard, Farrah, let’s go home.”

The two gave him a tired nod of agreement and they did just that.