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

Emerick

I watched as a snarling wolf appeared where Sam had just stood. Ayisha tilted her half back and let loose a deafening howl. Her white fur glistened in the sunlight. Several answering howls echoed their alpha from the stands as many spectators also shifted.

Gregory, her opponent, stared from across the ring with blatant unease. Sam’s petite frame and delicate features gave away none of the size and strength that was Ayisha. I smiled to myself. He had assumed he would be facing a dainty she-wolf. Instead, he was staring down a powerful alpha, teethed bared and ready for the fight.

I hadn’t been all that surprised when Jonathan had called to say it was Gregory who was challenging for the alpha position. He had always been an ansshole and was a cocky son-of-a-bitch to boot. In his mind, he probably always should’ve been Alpha.

I heard Zef growl in my head. It would be difficult to keep him in check throughout the fight. I would have to, though. I made Sam a promise and I intended to keep it.

I watched as Gregory raised both his arms and gave a battle cry before shifting. His wolf, Xander, was slightly smaller than Ayisha with reddish brown fur. I knew him to be a strong opponent. He was fast and calculating in a fight. I had trained with him many times when we were teens and he always tried to land blows harder than was necessary in a sparring session just because he could.

Sam would win, I reminded myself.

Both wolves circled in the ring, heads low, fur raised. They growled with their fangs bared in a snarl. Their eyes were locked on one another, waiting for an opening. Xander lunged first, and Ayisha dodged him, snapping at his back leg. Xander yelped as she made contact but recovered quickly, feinting towards her front leg.

Ayisha snarled and latched on to the back of his neck, and suddenly they were locked, rolling together, fangs and teeth flying. I saw blood pooling on the ground around them and noticed a large gash on Xanders front right shoulder. Blood coated Ayisha’s fur, but it was hard to tell whether it was her own or Xander’s.

Ayisha pulled away and kicked off the edge of the ring before tackling Xander. He recovered, twisting onto his back and kicking her off. She went flying and landed on her left side with a sickening crunch against the wall. She stood and shook her head before once again lunging at a still wobbling Xander.

A yelp rang out and was followed by a piercing whine as Ayisha stood over him. Her unforgiving jaws were locked around his neck. Blood seeped to the ground around her teeth while Xander struggled on his back beneath her, his claws trying to find purchase on her chest. I knew from experience, Ayisha was holding back from piercing his major blood vessels.

Ayisha let out a low growl.

Submit, she was telling him.

He continued to struggle beneath her. She stood firmly and tightened her jaws. I knew she would kill him if she had to, but she was giving him the chance to live. Xander yelped and whined once before finally relaxing, submitting to his alpha.

Ayisha released his neck and his head dropped to the ground with a thud. She let loose a howl and a chorus of wolves in the arena joined her. I would’ve shifted had I not been concerned I wouldn’t be able to keep Zef from finishing off Gregory.

Sam shifted back and walked to the edge of the ring. She faltered trying to climb over and met my eyes with a pleading gaze. I climbed up and helped her to the top where she stood tall and waved to the crowd with a triumphant smile.

The stadium once again erupted in a cacophony of cheers. She winced as she leaned to climb down and grabbed on to her left side. Her clothing was coated in blood, but I still couldn’t tell what was hers and what was Gregory’s. I searched for injuries and found nothing obvious.

“Take my arm and get me in the building,” she hissed through gritted, blood-stained teeth.

She stood tall but up close I could see it was taking effort. She was fading quickly.

“I’ll carry you,” I told her and moved to pick her up.

Her eyes snapped to me and she glared, “I will not have them see my weakness. Just do as I asked.”

I understood what she meant. She wanted this victory to look easy. She wanted to put the thought of any other challenge to bed right here and now.

I gave her my arm and she looped hers through it. I let her stealthily lean her weight into me. The nearer we got to the doors, the more I could feel her footsteps faltering. I kept a composed expression and Sam kept smiling, but I knew it was taking a great effort.

“I’m having trouble breathing and I’m losing blood,” she winced through her smile.

I gave her a short nod and moved my arm around her waist to take more of her weight. When she didn’t fight me, I knew it was worse than she was letting on. She collapsed as she stepped through doors and in one motion I caught her, pressed her to my chest and started running.

“Shit,” Sam whispered.

“Jonathan! Call the med bay and make sure they’re prepped!” I barked.

I could hear him and Jackson on their ear comms giving orders and relaying information. They were having security teams lock down the pack house completely. Essential personnel only, no exceptions.

“Please don’t leave me, Em,” Sam murmured.

“I’m with you,” I promised.

I continued running as fast as I could, determined to get Sam help as quickly as possible. My feet pounded through the hallways and I listened to her breathing which was becoming ragged.

“Am I going to die?” She asked, sadness and fear in her voice.

“Of course not,” I couldn’t even stand the thought. “Werewolves are very hard to kill. We are going to get you patched up and you’ll be right as rain.”

“Mmm…”

I tried to keep her from sensing my own terror. There was no denying my feelings for her, and any thought of losing her sent a pain through my chest that I could hardly stand. Finally, I saw the med bay and burst through the doors.

“On the table,” ordered Dr. Yvonne Martin.

I set down Sam and her eyes flew open while her hand reached for mine. I held it and stayed by her side. Her lids fluttered closed once again. The supporters who had all followed her from the ring hovered and spoke at the same time. Nurses rushed to hook Sam up the monitors and take her vitals.

“Everybody out!” shouted Dr. Martin. She turned to me. “That includes you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, firmly.

She eyed me with a narrowed gaze as the rest of the group exited to the hallway.

“As the current beta, I will be staying with the alpha”

The doctor scoffed, “You know as well as I do that you don’t get to pull rank in here Beta Stone. When you walk through those doors, I am in charge and I answer only to the alpha who is currently incapacitated,” she paused and looked at our intertwined hands. “Now, as a… companion, I will allow you to stay seeing as none of Alpha Paulson’s family is here with her.”

I nodded and started to thank her, but she stopped me with a hand.

“However, if you cause a distraction or get squeamish on me, you’re out with the rest of them,” she gestured to the door. “Understood?”

“Yes, Dr. Martin. Thank you,” I said, sincerely.

She nodded in return and started barking orders at the medical staff around us. The nurses began cutting off Sam’s clothes. I swore under my breath as her shirt fell away and a deep gash from her right hip to her left side just under her rib cage, poured blood. An X-ray machine wheeled up to the bed.

“Step back,” Dr. Martin ordered the room.

Reluctantly, I removed my hand from Sam’s. She stirred slightly but remained unconscious. The X-rays were over quickly, and I returned to her side. The team hovered over a screen and discussed in medical jargon that I couldn’t follow.

A nurse tapped my arm and motioned for me to move as she held a needle and tubing in her hand.

“I need to start an IV Beta Stone. She needs pain meds and a blood transfusion,” she told me.

I nodded and stepped back.

Dr. Martin and a man in white coat approached.

Dr. Martin spoke in a clipped tone, “She’s lost a lot of blood and the X-rays indicated broken ribs that have punctured her lung on the left side. Luckily, the lung is already starting to heal. The blood transfusion will speed the process, but we are going to have to reset her ribs because they are fusing together incorrectly. She also has a broken tibia on her left side, but that seems to be healing fine as well. I’m giving her a large dose of pain meds that will sedate her. She’s going to be unconscious for a good amount of time.”

“But she will be okay?” I asked.

The male doctor nodded.

“She should heal completely within a couple days,” he paused, “I was told she walked away from the challenge on her own?”

“For the most part, yes. I had to help her across the field at the end,” I told him.

Both doctors looked at each other before Dr. Martin spoke, “With the extent of her injuries I would’ve thought her to be the one who submitted. The fact that she walked away… it’s incredible actually. I didn’t realize she made it all the way across the field.”

I didn’t know what to say so I just nodded and stared at Sam’s pale face in the hospital bed. She was petite but she looked even smaller as nurses bustled around her.

“They are sedating her now,” Dr. Martin said next to me, “I’m going to ask you to step out while we reset her ribs.”

I started to protest and she spoke over me, “I understand you want to stay with her, but this is a rather gruesome procedure, and I don’t need your wolf interrupting. I can see you barely containing him already. Wait in the hallway and we will get you when it’s done.”

I wanted to argue, but as Dr. Martin had said, this was her domain and she gave the orders. I reluctantly turned and walked out the door.

Outside, Jackson and Jonathan stood guard on either side of the door as Sam’s fierce protectors. When Christian had been in charge, they normally monitored his security from afar and only acted as direct bodyguards when he left pack territory. Even then, they kept their distance to be discreet.

I imagined with the state of things as Sam came into the alpha role, they were not going to let her move without someone on her constantly. She would hate that.

“How is she?” William asked as he approached me.

“She’s going to be okay, but she’s pretty banged up,” I said, dragging a hand through my hair.

I gave him a rundown of her injuries and what the doctors had said. He nodded and leaned against the wall next to me. I heard footsteps and looked up to see Emilia walking towards our group in the hallway.

Zef was immediately pounding to be released. The rage I had tamped down while with Sam boiled over.

“What the fuck are you doing here,” I snarled and stalked towards her.

“As a former Luna I’m checking on the alpha of course,” she answered, indignant.

“Mom, I think you should go,” William stepped up beside me.

She scoffed, “I have every right to be concerned.”

It was the innocent act that had me ready to rip her throat out and watch her struggle for air. Zef flashed a million ways we could kill her through my mind and I was more than ready to strike. My control was hanging on by a thread.

I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see Jackson shake his head slightly at me as if to say, “Not here.”

“Mom, I don’t think it’s concern you are feeling. Right now tensions high,” William glanced in my direction. “I’m asking you once more to go.”

Emilia threw up her hands and rolled her eyes, “Are you not even going to ask about Gregory? He’s your cousin, too, you know?”

With that, it was William who jumped in her face.

“Gregory wouldn’t be hurt if Gregory hadn’t challenged the rightful alpha,” he bellowed, “Do NOT pretend you had nothing to do with this. Do NOT act like the victim. Samantha was chosen. She didn’t choose this. If she had a better option, I guarantee she would’ve kept living her life in peace. Now, GET. OUT.”

Every jaw in the hallway dropped. None of us had ever seen the former alpha show even an ounce of the anger he was displaying towards his mother now. Sure, he had been a firm leader in his day, but he was always calm and kind. He never let his self control falter.

When Emilia stood blankly in stunned silence, he turned to Jonathan, “Get her an escort out and to her home. She is not welcome in the pack house until further notice.”

Jonathan started speaking into his ear comm to give the order as Emilia once again scoffed and stomped down the hallway.

I stared at William for a moment before asking, “Are you - “

“No I’m not,” he snapped.

He rubbed a hand over his face before crossing his arms over his chest.

Just then, Serena Redding, William’s wife, came flying around the corner.

“Oh my god, William,” she said when she got close and wrapped him in a warm hug. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry I couldn’t join you at the fight. You know how I am with blood.”

Serena was the gentlest person I knew. Growing up, I had thought of her as a second mother and she had always treated me as part of their family.

She began speaking softly to William and rubbing his arm as she nodded at his response. I watched as he relaxed and returned to the cool, collected man I knew.

Suddenly a piercing scream rang out and I realized it was Sam. I lunged for the med bay doors to find they were locked. I roared and pounded the wall as I heard her scream my name.