ASHER 11

ASHER 11
“How? Why? And how do you know?”
Gregory glanced from Alex to Nate and then me. I shook my head and said, “She doesn’t know yet.”
He bowed his head and met Paige’s gaze. “I’ve only recently discovered Jessup is my mate. The pack as a whole doesn’t know. But a few have discovered the truth, and a few don’t approve. He wanted to keep me safe until he could change things…. N-Now they’re making him pay for being with a man. He got me away, but he needs help.”
Paige opened her mouth, but Nate spoke first. “Jessup isn’t mated to the woman. They’re the alpha couple, but she was mated to his brother. They only came together to have a kid.”
Paige nodded, then clapped her hands and said, “Right, let’s go save Jessup and kick some bigotry ass while we’re at it.” She started forward until Alex grabbed her arm gently.
She glanced at him, and he told her, “I’m sorry, Paige. I do enjoy seeing you kick ass”—a few of the guards chuckled—“but Nate will have to take point on this mission. It’s a wolf pack we’re dealing with, and Nate being, well, a wolf, he’ll be better at sorting it.”
She nodded and curled her arms around Alex’s waist. Of course, he blushed, gazing down at her like she was the treasured prize she was. “You’re right.” She stepped back and took his hand. “I’ll hold myself back.”
Nate snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She glared over at him. “You say shit like that and I won’t.” She glanced at her guards. “Sorry, I’m not acting very queen-like.”
They bowed, and one said, “You be whomever you wish when you want, and we will follow you, my queen.”
Tenderness bloomed inside of her and shone out. I knew Thorn would be feeling the same. “Thank you.” She smiled.
“Please, my queen, may we move forward?” Gregory asked. Fear had his body twitching.
“Of course. Lead the way, Nate.”
Nate grunted and took point. I followed behind him to his left and Thorn to his right. Gregory stepped up behind us, then Paige and Alex, swinging their joined hands. After them, the guards joined the line. Only one had his eyes on my mate’s ass. When I let out a hiss, all eyes shot to me, and when the guard saw I was directing my glowing eyes on him, he blanched. There was his one chance. If I caught him ogling her again, I would make him pay in pain. He nodded as if reading my thoughts. Good.
Turning back around, we rushed through another couple of miles before we stepped into a clearing that held at least thirty cabins scattered here and there. I hadn’t understood why the wolf shifters kept to themselves in this area when all the other shifters lived in the village behind the castle. That was until Thorn had explained that the former queen allowed the wolves their own area because of their large group, as long as they swore their allegiance to her.
Passing a few cabins, we entered the open space where we found Jessup strung up by his arms to a pole in the middle.
Gregory cried out. He made a run for Jessup, but Paige grabbed him and held him close. “Not yet,” she said. “It’s all right,” she added, patting his back.
Upon Gregory’s cry, Jessup slowly pulled his head up. There wasn’t a part of his face that didn’t look cracked, bruised, or bloodied.
He was alpha, the strongest of them all… how had this happened?
My answer came when five shifters, in their human form, stepped out from between the cabins. The one at the front was Fenris.
“You dare come onto pack land without an invite?” Fenris snarled, his upper lip raised.
Nate stepped forward. “We had concerns for the alpha. We came to help. No invitation needed.”
“I’m alpha now.” His gaze flicked to Paige, and he licked his lips. “And soon to be king by your side. We’ll rule well together.”
Paige opened her mouth to respond, but I caught Alex tightening his hold on her waist and she snapped her mouth closed. Instead, she just glared Fenris’s way.
“Do not fucking look at her,” Nate growled.
Fenris tensed. “Do not fucking come on my lands and talk to me that way. I’m alpha here. I’ll deal with you in the challenge.”
“How did you become alpha?” Nate nodded to Jessup, who’s head had dropped back down, but his eyes stayed half open and on the ground while he listened. “Jessup isn’t dead, or did he step down?” Nate questioned.
Fenris spat to the side. “He’s filth. He’s no alpha.”
“So he stepped down?”
Fenris’s jaw clenched.
“They were going to kill him in the morning” came a voice. The alpha female stepped out.
“Mom, get the fuck inside,” Fenris clipped.
“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me, boy. You disgrace our ways. You do this to your father—”
“He’s no father of mine,” he roared.
She shook her head. “You disappoint me. Disappoint the pack. There was no fair fight. You all took Jessup to the ground when you caught him and beat him senseless, then strung him up to make anyone too scared to go against you and your ways.” Her eyes moved to Paige. “Times are changing.”
“Not in this pack,” Fenris yelled. “Fine, you want a fair fight? Release him and I’ll rip his throat out.”
She laughed humorlessly. “You would fight a man in his condition? Pathetic.”
“Have care, Mother,” he warned. Other shifters, some in their wolf form, some human, emerged from inside the cabins.
“Or what? You’ll fight me? You’ll beat me? Because you want power, you want to be alpha and have the pack fear you instead of leading it with love, happiness, and an iron fist? When has Jessup steered the pack wrong? He hasn’t been challenged in decades.”
“He steers us wrong by fucking that piece of shit over there,” he screamed. “He’s not pack. He’s not wolf. Not even a fucking shifter.”
The alpha woman shook her head. Fenris glared at the obvious disappointment in her eyes. “Times are changing. We need to keep up with them.”
“We don’t and we won’t.” Fenris threw out a hand toward Jessup. “Take him down. We fight for the alpha position.”
Nate took another step forward. “On behalf of Jessup Falk, I’ll fight for his right as alpha. I’ll also be completing the challenge, set for the full moon in a couple of days, tonight.”
“No!” Paige cried out just as Fenris s
miled wickedly.
“Accepted.” Fenris laughed.