The She-Wolf Alpha (Book 1 She-Wolf Series)

Samantha

“Hello?” I answered.

“Have you told him?” He asked. His tone was serious and clipped.

“Uh, yeah. He just saw me shift.”

“Good. We're coming in,” he said before hanging up.

I stared at my phone. I was taken aback by his cold demeanor after the affection he had shown me last night. My dad’s words about being a target for males wanting to possess me or defeat me rang in the back of my mind, but I tried to push away the thought. I needed to give him a chance to explain, I decided, but some of the wariness lingered.

I heard a knock before Emerick, Jackson and Jonathan walked through the front door.

“Oh duh!” Luke exclaimed, slapping a hand to his forehead, “Of course Emerick is also a werewolf!”

“How does he know Emerick? I thought they were supposed to stay out of sight,” Dad asked.

He turned to me and I shrugged.

“It’s a long story. Emerick ordered pizza,” I answered, innocently.

“They watched movies all night together,” Luke interjected.

“Luke!” Emerick and I both shouted.

“What? I didn’t know it was a secret,” Luke grumbled.

Dad glared at Emerick and said, “You and I will be having a conversation later.”

“No, Dad. You won’t. I’m an adult and whether I want to have a movie night with someone or not is not up for discussion.”

Dad rolled his eyes and stalked over to the coffee pot to refill his mug. Muttering under his breath.

“We have a situation,” Jonathan spoke. “There is going to be a challenge.”

Dad whipped around spilling coffee all over his hand and the floor.

“Fuck!” He exclaimed, setting the coffee down and shaking his hand.

I couldn’t tell if the curse was from the hot coffee or Jonathan’s statement. Mom grabbed a wash rag and started helping clean up the mess.

“What do you mean there’s going to be a challenge?” I asked.

“Another wolf is going to challenge you for the alpha status,” Jackson continued, “It hasn’t happened in generations but given the circumstances there is a small group that is currently refusing to accept you.”

“Because they’ve never met me? Or because of my family tree?”

He stayed quiet but shook his head, slightly. There was something he didn’t want to say.

“Because I’m female?” I asked.

“Partly,” he answered.

Dad swore under his breath and Mom crossed her arms.

“What does that mean? A challenge?” Luke asked.

“I’m going to half to fight another wolf to submission,” I told him, “Or death.”

Luke paled. I could only imagine what was going through his mind. He had already lost one parent.

“You need to stop this,” Dad told the three men standing before me.

“If we stop it, the pack won’t fully accept her and she will face greater threats. Under pack law, a challenger has every right to come forward,” Jonathan argued.

I looked at Emerick who had yet to say a word. He kept his face blank, but his entire body was tense and his eyes burned.

I wanted to ask him for his advice. I wanted to run to him, have him wrap his arms around me and tell me it would be okay. Instead, I held my ground and stood tall.

“Then I will take the challenge,” I spoke over my family who all protested, “Mom, Dad, and Luke will stay here. I imagine if I lose they will not be welcomed with open arms. Dad, you will take them and go. Either drive or get on a plane to go see Kaitlyn until everything settles down and you can come up with a plan.

"Emerick, you and I will drive to the pack house. Jonathan and Jackson will take the other vehicle ahead of us to scout out everything. Report back and let me know who and what we are walking into.”

No one looked particularly happy but everyone nodded.

I realized I had just taken control of the situation completely and it felt natural to be issuing orders to the large men who loomed around me.

Maybe I was destined for this, I thought absently.

I moved to grab the duffel bag I had packed the day before with my couple days worth of necessities, but Emerick beat me to it and slung it over his shoulder. Without a word he stalked out the front door towards the black SUV.

I turned and Luke slammed into me with a hug.

“You have to win,” he told me, his voice thick with tears he was holding back.

“I will, honey,” I answered with more confidence than I felt.

I gave him a last squeeze before both my parents wrapped me in a hug and held on tight. I paused, soaking in their warm embrace, before I stepped away.

I leaned into Dad’s ear and whispered, “Any paperwork you might need is in the safe in my closet. You know the code. If anything happens, don’t hesitate. Luke would be their next target. You said I could trust you to protect him, and I'm counting on it.”

I gave his hand a final squeeze. He met my gaze with misty eyes and nodded. When he looked back up to Luke, his face was once again stone. I turned to walk out of the house.

“Alright let’s call your school so they don’t get on my ass about you being absent,” I heard Dad tell Luke.

I smiled and rolled my eyes even as I felt a lump form in my throat.

Emerick held the door open for me and shut it when I climbed into the truck. Energy was practically popping around him as he climbed in the driver’s seat and started the engine. I looked over at him, but he refused to meet my eyes.

“Are you going to say anything?” I finally asked as he tore down the road.

A muscle in his jaw ticked.

“We need to discuss your strategy for the fight,” he said, tightly.

I frowned, “Is that all you want to talk about?”

He finally met my gaze and I could see barely contained rage below the surface. His eyes softened slightly as he took in what I could only imagine was pure anxiety on my face.

“I just thought… after last night… I thought there might be something between us,” I looked away as a single tear rolled down my cheek. “I wanted to ride with you for support.”

He suddenly locked the brakes and turned down a dirt road. I barely registered what was happening before he ripped open my door, unbuckled my seat belt, and pulled me out of the truck. He pushed my back against the truck and wrapped my legs around his waist.

His lips were on mine, kissing me hungrily in the next instant. I threw my arms around his neck and gave in to him. He growled and deepened the kiss further. His tongue brushed my lips and I opened them for him as I pushed my fingers through his hair.

I felt his length thrust against my core and I moaned. He kissed me once more before pulling back slightly and searching my face. He still had me pinned between him and the car door as he cupped my cheek.

“Sam, there’s a million things I want to say. All of them start with ‘please don’t do this’,” he murmured. “I know you have to. And I know I don’t have any right to tell you I care for you too much to watch you get hurt, but that’s how I feel. So no. My plan was not to talk about anything else.”

I gave him a small smile, “I’m sorry to put you in this position.”

He gave me a grin and looked between us, “Actually, I quite like this position.”

I have his chest a light slap before nuzzling into his neck and wrapping my arms around him.

“I’m scared,” I said, quietly.

“Me too."

“Ayisha seems confident, though.”

“That’s good. She’s a powerful wolf and an alpha. Any man who challenges you is a fool,” he said, seriously.

“Thank you," I smiled. "I plan to win, you know.”

“I plan to celebrate with you afterwards.”

“Will you be there with me?” I asked.

He shook his head, “Jonathan and Jackson think I would be a distraction. I’m not sure how Zef and I will react if you're injured.”

I tried to hide my disappointment, “Sure, that makes sense.”

I must not have hid my true feelings well because after a moment he said, “If you want me there, I will be there.”

“I don’t want to put you through that if it’s going to be too difficult.”

“You’re not,” he assured me. “I wanted to be there but let them talk me out of it. Whatever you think will help is what I’ll do.”

“It would just be nice to have someone cheering me on,” I said, honestly. “I don’t know anyone else.”

“Remember this,” Emerick reached for my chin and tilted it until I was looking in his eyes. “The pack is happy to have you. This is a very small, sexist faction. They may give other reasons, but at the end of the day they don’t want to bow to a woman. Show them how powerful you are - how strong and courageous I know you to be - and they won’t have a choice but to admit you are the true alpha of this pack.”

“Thank you, Emerick.”

I gave him one more peck on the cheek and he stepped back to let me slide to my feet. He kissed my forehead before helping me into the truck.

As Emerick pulled back onto the main road, we started talking strategy. He explained the set up for the challenge and how I should approach. He told me what weaknesses to watch out for and how to protect my vital organs. I asked about the rules of the fight and found out there really wasn’t any. No one could interfere or stop the fight once it started unless a wolf surrendered.

Jackson called with information and Emerick swore at the name of the challenger.

“It’s Gregory, Emilia’s nephew,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Emilia? As in Stephen’s wife?”

“Yeah. This is probably her last attempt at revenge,” he answered, tightly.

I stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “Why didn’t she just leave him? If she was so angry with his infidelity, why didn’t they just divorce?”

He seemed to weigh how to answer before continuing, “Werewolves mate for life. It’s not really as simple as just walking away. The bond we feel for our mates is powerful. She would have felt it when he was unfaithful - would’ve known immediately. He knew that and still chose to betray her. On top of that, he brought Elias into the pack, so everyone in the pack knew about it.

"From what I understand, theirs was an arranged mating for political reasons. It was common back then - in some packs it still happens. Stephen resented it and chose to have an affair, knowing how it would hurt his mate, in an attempt to piss off his father.”

I stayed silent taking in that information.

Eventually I said, “It’s hard to fit that image of Stephen with the man I met yesterday. He seems so kind.”

“To be honest, he is. He was a great alpha and that’s why many of his misgivings were forgiven. I choose to believe he knows he made a mistake and people change.”

I nodded and stared out the window.

I would win the challenge, I was sure of it now, but I would have to make a decision about Emilia in order to protect my family. She would never stop coming after us if what Emerick said was true. I doubted she would let my father and mother move onto pack lands and live peacefully. I let my anger simmer. It would be my driving force in the fight to come.

As we pulled up to the pack house, Jackson, Jonathan, and William stood out front. William approached the truck when we parked.

“Sam. I’m so sorry this is the welcome you are getting,” he said.

I kept my expression impassive, “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

William looked as though there was a lot he wanted to say but settled with, “Just know you have my, my mate’s, and my father’s full support. We will stand by you in victory and defeat. If you fall, our family will go with you.”

I thought about making a snippy remark regarding Emilia but saw that he was genuine in his promise. He would be a strong ally upon my victory.

“I appreciate that. I hope for a more… united pack going forward,” I told him.

He nodded and led the group inside the pack house. We wound our way through the corridors before making it to the rear of the building. I could see what appeared to be a large soccer stadium through the floor to ceiling windows. In the center of the field, a wooden ring had been erected. The stands were overflowing with spectators as a large, muscled man strutted around the ring shirtless.

“That’s him?” I asked Emerick.

He nodded as the muscle in his jaw started working again. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Stay by my side?” I whispered.

“Always,” he answered.

With that, I released him and walked to the double doors to push my way out. The crowd erupted with a cheer as the sunlight hit my face. I stood tall and walked confidently to the ring. The wall stood about 3 feet high all the way around. When I reached the edge, I climbed up and waved to the pack -my pack. Once again, cheering echoed throughout the stadium.

My opponent glared from the other side as I climbed in. I looked behind me to see the same crew that had walked me through the pack house plus Stephen standing just outside. Emerick gave me a short nod.

I turned back and felt Ayisha pushing to the front of my consciousness. I took the mental step back, and she charged forward.