The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

Toni emerged from the shower in her hotel room, putting on some casual jeans and a jumper that hid her mark, she would go into this fight as herself, not as the Gamma.

She takes out some workout gear for later, packing the rest of her clothes, ready to check out.

Fifteen hours, that was the time she had left, four to get to the fight zone and for the next hour, she intended to pray, giving her ten hours to fill.

Starting to contemplate her remaining time, it’s odd, she thinks, when you have days left, you don’t seem to have any trouble filling the day with things you think are important.

But when it came down to hours, she found herself with nothing left to do, everything that had seemed important yesterday had fallen away, leaving her with a peacefulness and calm she hadn’t expected.

Heading out into the gardens, she sits and prays to the Moon Goddess, asking only for fair judgement for herself, safety for Louise and forgiveness for Andy and herself, going against the mating bond was a sin against the Goddess, but hopefully, she would understand they were forced into it.

James watches on from the hotel, knowing she needs the time alone, he is still in two minds if he wants to watch the fight or not, the thought of watching his friend fight for her life isn’t an appealing one, but he also wants her to know she isn’t alone.

He stares at the envelopes she gave him last night, her last will and testament and instructions for her charge Louise, that he needs to memorise, once he had persuaded Alpha Lance to let her join their pack.

None of this seemed fair, but he would give her his ultimate support, however, she needed it, and he could not, would not, leave her to face this alone.

Last night, as the blood guardian to Louise, she had made him Louise’s temporary guardian, which if she didn’t take it back tomorrow, would become permanent.

Even though he wasn't her blood guardian, he had the legal right to remove her from the pack, the difference is, as a Blood guardian, she ranked higher than Louise's kin, but he did not.

Even in preparing to face her death, she’d been thinking of others, James just wished their world could see the real Toni.

They spent the day within the hotel grounds, just talking over old times until five thirty that evening when they packed her car and checked out of the hotel.

They drive slowly to the fight point, knowing they will be early, but Toni doesn’t want to wait around the hotel for any more time, the general chat between them falls off to silence, as they get closer to their destination.

“If I die, you have my last will and testament, I had it signed and notarized, so it’s all legal.

Inside that envelope is also a prayer I’d like you to repeat.

You need to place your hands on my head and heart when you say the words, it’s written in the old language, but I’ve written it out phonetically, but it requires you to take part of me and bury it, it can be a lock of my hair, or part of my body, whatever you feel comfortable with.

Then burn my body where I fell, it’s an old lunar temple, so it’s a good place to release my spirit and body.”

“You aren’t going to die, Toni, you aren’t allowed to think like that.” James responds

“I’m being realistic, Alpha Joseph is going for a fight to the death, so if I lose, I am not walking away from it, I need you to know what I want.

I added a letter to give to my Alpha, he will not be happy, but it should give you safe passage into my house.”

“Ok, but can we stop talking as if you are already dead.” He snarls

Toni laughs

“It’s a technique, you have to accept all possible outcomes, visualise the positive outcomes and the one you want, you focus on what makes that work.

I’ve done that.

But you also have to plan for the negative, usually, it’s not such a, let’s say terminal negative, but if you work through it, often you can plan your way out of it.

Don’t worry, I’ve not given up hope!

I’m just putting my affairs in order, and that last will, well you need to keep that safe even if I live today.

Others are hunting me, so it’s good someone I trust holds it.”

“Goddess Toni, if you say one more depressing thing, I swear I will kill you myself” James snaps

“Do I schedule you in before or after Alpha Joseph?”

She quips back causing James to smile

They pull up not long after to the furthest point they can drive to, the rest of the way has to be on foot.

“You ok James?”

Toni notices how pale he’s looking

“You can wait in the car if you’d prefer, it’s a ten-minute walk, but I can explain where you are to the Alpha, to cover all eventualities?”

“Fuck off Toni, I am coming, and if you even think or talk about losing one more time, I am going to bake a shit pie and make you eat it!”

“I’d like to see you try… so James, I’m thinking about it, about my dead body lying on the ground,

Calling your bluff…

My wolf told me, to tell you, she prefers horse shit for some reason”

She winks at him causing him to grin

“Asshole” is his only reply.

After a quiet walk, they get to the abandoned temple, with fifteen minutes until the fight, the vessel would be coming with Alpha Joseph and his second, but Toni looked around the area.

While the building had long since crumbled, probably destroyed in the great war, the statue of the Goddess stood almost unaffected by the ravages of time, she wore an ivy cloak, that trailed its way around and over all of the Goddess leaving only her face visible.

James stood silently watching as Toni dropped to her knee’s hands out as if in supplication, one hand in the other before she spoke in a language he didn’t recognise

“Minak Cthale

Eip kra drat yia win kurnes eipar bidyl.

Krenddrenind eipa fir dre hasless alude.

Korifyl eipar sial widr yiar lole aln mutsemelk.

Geding eipa alond dre kadr yia liofal widriat fure.

Ma eipar arnional sepa gedil widr yiar lole.

Latind eipar linte aln duedr sepa widriat cieadice,

Kien shiel kimilityl widr yia weip eipar gede.

Shiel drial linte aln shiel lab lilal, eip eifion eipkira ali yia.”

(Moon Goddess

I pray that you will cleanse my body.

Strengthening me for the trials ahead.

Purify my soul with your love and judgment.

Guiding me along the path you chose without fear.

May my actions be guided with your love.

Letting my life and death be without cowardice,

But in humility with you as my guide.

In this life and all lives, I dedicate myself to you.)

She kneels there quietly in silence, letting peace fill her, all thoughts cease leaving her in a calm almost relaxed state, which is how Alpha Joseph finds her five minutes later.

Feeling the presence of others, she gets up and turns, bowing her head she acknowledges Alpha Joseph and Beta Oliver respectfully, introducing James to them as her second.

The surrealness of doing the introductions and greetings isn’t lost on her, one of them may lose their life tonight, and yet they all followed the social etiquette of polite society, the only difference is the small talk dried up quickly.

Toni checks that the woman, Nicky, brought to be the vessel for the Goddess is comfortable with the words she needs to read before they take to the field.

She wears a sports bra and leggings, and he walks out bare-chested in training shorts, giving her less to grab hold of in a fight, but on his chest, he proudly sports a large intricate tattoo.

Two wolf heads are inked out in detail, each starting on one side of his shoulders, one darker than the other, both inked as if leaping towards the centre of his chest, mouths open in a fight stance.

In the centre of his chest is a detailed image of a wolf heart, where each of the chambers has its own almost face, with an open maw, surrounded by wolf teeth, it has a light covering of fur, that drips with blood, giving it a life of its own, its beautiful, savage, primal and she watches as he places his hand on the heart, as if in prayer.

Like her prayer to the Goddess, this moment that she watches with Alpha Joseph is clearly important to him, as if he is silently communing with someone or something, but it’s almost an inward action, rather than her outward prayer to the heavens.

At ten o'clock they stand on either side of the Vessel, as she hears the words of the prayer spoken, she’s already forgotten her name, because, for tonight, Toni will think of her as the priestess, opening herself up to the Goddess.

She calmly waits, hearing the words again this time in the common tongue.

Once the words are completed the woman steps back, signalling the challenge can start, readying herself to fight, Toni is left standing and waiting, body relaxed but alert, she will not attack first, leaving that honour to Alpha Joseph.

They are close enough to each other to see the scars and marks on each other, Toni bows her head once, and Alpha Joseph responds in kind.

They circle each other carefully, eyes never leaving their targets, Alpha Joseph’s muscles seem to ripple in the moonlight, emphasising his strength, and Toni’s movements are graceful, barely caressing the ground, like a dancing wind leaving no trace, both hesitant to fight.

Alpha Joseph bounds forward trying to land a punch in Toni’s stomach, she spins sideways countering with a punch to his side, which he blocks effortlessly.

There’s a testing quality to each of their attacks, neither fully commits to the fight, wanting to understand their opponent.

Toni fakes a stumble to her right, leaving her left side exposed, he surges forward, trying to land blows to her side, blocking, she lands a kidney punch to his left, and a pained grunt escapes his lips.

He moves, to protect his back, Toni landing an uppercut to his chin, his head flies back briefly before he straightens and stabilises himself.

Growling he launches a flurry of punches at Toni, pushing her back as she concedes ground, blocking eighty per cent of the punches, but taking several painful hits to her core, retaliating in kind where she can.

For half an hour they, fight it out, punches thrown, bones cracked, blood spilt, neither side gaining superiority, both beaten, bloodied and injured, the initial hesitancy of the fight gone, a fire burning in them, one to kill, one to survive, neither side backing off.

The intensity of the fight focuses them on only each other, the rest of the people there, blurring to nothingness, it feels like the two combatants have been transported to a different place.

Alpha Joseph stumbles over hidden rubble, Toni presses forward, driving her shoulder into his stomach, and they land heavily on the floor.

Toni takes the slight advantage she has to rain blows into his stomach before she’s hefted off over his head.

Rolling, she scrabbles to her feet, almost making it, before Alpha Joseph's hand grabs her ankle, yanking her back to the floor, he gets his hands around her neck choking her.

She grabs his right wrist with her right hand, her left hand grabbing his bicep, stopping his arm from moving.

Alpha Joseph just grins, with seconds to go before she passes out, he has no intention of moving his arm, her move is pathetic he thinks.

Throwing her left hip up, she dislodges him; unable to use his arm to balance himself he falls, breaking the choke hold, rolling him onto his back, she gets to her feet, bruising visible on her neck.

Snarling he leaps at her, shifting into his black wolf as he jumps.