Chapter 60

DAKOTA’S POV

When I had finally hunted down a deer and retrieved its head, as was the customary way to issue a challenge against an Alpha, I ran to the training ground and dropped the head in the huge circle that served as a wrestling ring of sorts.

I raised my snout into the air and howled loudly. I kept howling until most of the pack had woken up and were congregating around the circle. I heard murmurs rising among the crowd as they saw the head oozing blood on the floor. They knew what it meant, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before Odin showed up. I was angry. I was bitter.

At that moment, every emotion that had plagued me since the day my father died came flooding back. It felt as though today was the day that I confronted all my demons. And in a way, that was sort of the truth. Odin, for his selfish reasons, had decided to make himself the demon of my family.

Soon enough, the bastard appeared, with Koda, Sophia, and the Luna flanking him. The sea of people parted to let him through. When he got to the circle, dressed in a robe and shorts, he looked at the head and sighed. And then he looked at me and began to laugh. I growled because there was nothing funny about this moment. I could feel the tension in the air.

“You know, when I heard that howl, and when I got a call saying a wolf had dropped a deer’s head here, the first thought that came to me was ‘not again.’” The crowd laughed.

I half-shifted so that my body would be covered by fur, my claws extended, and I stood on two feet. It was more convenient if we were going to be speaking. And I wasn’t comfortable with standing naked in front of all these eyes.

“…Just how many people need to die by my hand for you fools to realize that I am the Alpha? The strongest to rule this pack, and dare I say…the best to rule even the Alphas.” So, what the rogue said had some merit after all.

“Well, it’s not like you got to be Alpha fair and square, did you?”

He turned around and gave me the stink eye.

“Ah. It’s you. I thought you would have learned after your father’s death.”

“Yes. About that. It’s funny how in that speech you just gave, you failed to mention how you cheated in that fight. Murmurs began springing up from the crowd as Odin looked at me with wide eyes.

“You thought that was going to be secret for long, didn’t you?”

“You little bitch, I should have had you and your miserable mother killed when I killed your pathetic father!” The crowd gasped.

“You killed him because he knew too much. And you tried to kill my mother too.”

“Well, she is going to kill herself when I kill you, so I win. You want a fight, little girl?” He took off his robe, and I noticed that he had something in his pocket. He knew about the challenge before coming here, so I could only guess what it was. The potion. He came prepared.

My hand reflexively went to my neck, and I noticed that my necklace wasn’t sitting on my neck. Panic began to set in, but I quickly pushed it down. I was ready for this. I took deep breaths as Odin stepped into the ring and picked up the deer’s head, signaling to the pack that he accepts the challenge. He must not have gotten the response that he was hoping for because he growled at the crowd that had gathered.

“Get ready to meet your father.” Beta Markus came into the circle, and his eyes raked my form. I saw pity in his eyes.

“Are you sure that you want to do this?” he whispered.

“Yes. I am.”

“This is not what your father would want.”

“I believe that his opinion on the matter is irrelevant.” Beta Markus looked at me as though he were willing me to change my mind and just go home, but I wasn’t budging. He nodded and turned towards the crowd.

“As you all can see…” His voice boomed “…a challenge has been issued today. We need all of you to evacuate this space and go back to your various homes. The results will be communicated to you by morning.”

Everyone looked between each other, confused and not very willing to obey the orders.

“Only the family of the two contenders and, of course, myself and the gamma are allowed as witnesses to ensure the fight is free and fair. Now, start moving!” Everyone scurried away, and soon enough, the space was cleared, and that was when my eyes landed on Alan. I wondered what he was doing here. Koda, Sophia, and Luna were the only ones left here with Alan.

“Are you ready?” We both nodded.

“There aren’t many rules to be followed. First, no weapons are allowed. Second, the fight can be fought in either your wolf form, your human form, or fully shifted. Clear?”

“Clear,” I answered. He turned to Odin

“Clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Okay.” Odin half-shifted and shook out his fur. I looked to the pocket where the supposed potion was, and it was empty.

“Fight. Till one surrenders or dies.”

Odin raised his snout into the air and howled at the air. Then he attacked. And it began to make sense why everyone was so adamant about me training vigorously. He butted his head into my midriff, sending me flying back a few feet. I hardly had enough time to recover when I saw his leg above my face. I quickly rolled above the way and got to my feet, putting some distance between us both.

He threw several punches at me, and it took all the strength I had to deflect them. He might have cheated his way to Alpha, but one thing was sure—he was strong. He stuck out his right hand to hit my face, but I caught it, twisted it backward, and swiped my claws against his face. He screamed and fell back, trying to assess the damage I had made.

“You stupid bitch!” He charged at me again, but this time, I was ready. As soon as he was close enough, I delivered a hard kick to his chest, following it up with another kick to his groin. He fell to the ground, holding his family jewels. I straddled him and immediately began punching him. All the anger and frustration of the past year were dumped on his face and chest. Tears blurred my vision as I continued punching. I was suddenly thrown off him, and I immediately jumped to my feet. But then realized I was dizzy. I looked down at my abdomen and saw blood oozing out. I looked at his hand and saw my blood dripping down from his fingers as well as a purple substance. The potion.

“You put up a good fight. Just like your father. He would be proud.”