Chapter Eighteen

The day of the challenge arrived. James sat at the dining table with a glass of whiskey. His father had berated him once again about how badly he handled trying to control Sarah. The woman was a force like her grandmother. She also had the staff already seeing her as their leader. They never looked at him that way. He bet Moira was the one who gave Sarah the key she used to open the cell. It was also obvious that Nana had shown her all the secret passages. Something she didn’t show him.

The truth was he never cared to learn that much about the castle. He didn’t want control of the pack. The reason he was in this mess was all his father’s fault. James knew he should have stood up to his father. Instead, he had to pretend to care for his father during this challenge and be his second if needed. If he had to fight in his father’s stead he would have his ass handed to him.

His world crashed the day Nana learned that Sarah was alive. A world he may never see again.

***

Blaine checked his attire once more in the mirror. Today he would finally take over his family pack. After he won the challenge, he would be alpha and as an added bonus he would take over Max’s pack as well. It had taken years, but he was going to get what he had always wanted. What he deserved.

James met him at his car. His son wasn’t the alpha he should have been but at least he had shown some backbone by remaining at his side. They climbed into the car and headed to the site of the challenge. The car pulled to a stop and their doors opened.

The sounds of voices filled the air. How many people were here? Several men he didn’t recognize walked the two of them into the arena. No one paid attention to his entrance, which pissed him off. They were focused on each other with small talk.

He wanted to growl.

Their guides brought them to an area set up for them. They stood in front of him with their arms crossed.

“You are dismissed.” Blaine didn’t need them in his way.

“Not until you strip.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sarah set the rules. You can only wear clothing she has approved. What you’re wearing isn’t approved.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You will forfeit.”

He grumbled under his breath but did as demanded. He would show Sarah how he felt about being humiliated. One of the men took his clothes while the other one tossed him a pair of bottoms that reminded him of martial art pants.

He dressed and waited.

***

Max stepped out once Blaine had arrived. He wore the pants Sarah had requested. He bet his mate had something to do with it. She wanted her mate as safe as possible. Alicia learned how treacherous a challenge could be when she witnessed Patrick challenging the late leader of the pack he now was alpha of.

Sarah came out next and gave him a proper bow. Conor came out and bowed as well. Nana was the last person. None of them bowed to Blaine. The slight was noticed by the crowd.

Blaine tried to stifle a growl, but Max’s keen hearing caught it. Max watched the man’s anger grow. Good. He wanted the man to be too mad to think. He was more dangerous when he was calm.

The lights flickered, quieting everyone from their conversations. Nana stepped out into the center space. Sarah and Conor joined her.

“Good evening.” Nana paused so everyone would focus on her. She squeezed Sarah and Conor’s hands before she spoke again. “First, for those of you who haven’t met her, I would like to introduce my granddaughter, Sarah, and her mate, Conor.”

They stepped forward and each took one of her hands.

“Each day I prayed that the death of my daughter and her mate wasn’t some random accident. That something good would come of it. My prayers were answered when Max Santos called me and let me know that my granddaughter was alive. That was the happiest day of my life.” She looked over at Blaine. “But not so much for my brother. He thought he could have his son inherit everything since I had no female heirs. He didn’t understand anything about our covenant. Each pack has its rules, and nothing can change them once they are implemented. If something needs to be changed it can’t be done by one person. It must be done by the council of elders. He’s tried several shortcuts, including trying to kill me off.

“My brother challenged Sarah in anger. Again, without knowing what our covenant said. He never stated what he was challenging Sara for.” She looked at Sarah. “Since the type of challenge hasn’t been chosen you do have a choice.”

“Thank you, Nana.” Sarah looked around the area. “I know my arrival has been a whirlwind for some of you. The long-lost heir who everyone thought was dead. Some have wondered if I am truly Nana’s heir. They whisper that I’m a fraud trying to get Nana’s money.” Sarah held up one finger. “First, Max had me tested. We are a match, and if you need proof you can have a copy of the test.” She held up another finger. “Second, I was raised human. I didn’t know I was a werewolf until I met Conor. I knew nothing of your world when Max asked to have my DNA tested.”

She lifted one more finger. “Third, I don’t need anyone’s money. My human parents are well-to-do, but I never wanted to take advantage of their money either. I might inherit everything, but it was their money to live off. I worked my ass off to get scholarships so they wouldn’t have to pay for anything as I earned degree after degree. I paid my own way through school and believe me there were times when I could have asked for help, but my pride stopped me.

“Now you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you all this. I came here because Nana and James came to the states. As an adopted child I had wondered if I had family out there somewhere. When I was given the opportunity, I wanted to find out why I was given up. That was all I wanted to know. Nana, though, had other plans. She was the one who told me how much I looked like my mother. She showed me pictures of my parents and I couldn’t deny the resemblance. I came to see where my parents grew up. When Nana started talking about me taking over, I reminded her that I have a job back in the states. I have family there that need me.” Her voice cracked for a moment. “Blaine didn’t care to see anything from my perspective. He just feared I would take everything away from him and his son.

“He poisoned Nana and if Conor and I hadn’t been with her all the time he would have been successful.” Sarah paused for a moment. She noticed James turned to stare at his father. “I didn’t come here to disrupt anything. My first reaction was to go home and forget about everything here. If I walked away no one would blame me for anything.”

Then she looked at Max. “But a very wise man told me that walking away would change nothing. Staying could change everything.”

Max gave her his mega-watt smile.

“I am honored that I have two men who want to fight for my honor. My mate, who could wipe the floor with Blaine and my alpha and my friend, Max Santos. I know if I have Conor be my champion it would really piss Blaine off. He doesn’t see my mate as his equal. Unfortunately, he also slighted someone I look up to: Max.” She turned to Blaine. “That is something I won’t tolerate. I wish we could just throw him in the dungeon but he would still find a way to be a bane to my existence. I spoke to my mate and Max at length about this. I didn’t want to slight either man.”

She walked around a little bit. “The simplest solution would be to have Max battle Blaine and Conor square off with James since he followed his father’s orders.”

Murmurs filled the air. That was the way werewolves did things.

“I know. That is the way you do things. Everyone does what your alpha wants. I wasn’t taught the same rules. I was taught to think for myself. That I didn’t need a man to make me whole. I wasn’t something to control. None of you learned this. You were taught to follow your Alpha no questions asked. James was a good son. He did everything his father demanded. You don’t know how many times I wanted to punch him. He also angered Conor. James wanted to come between Conor and me. He just didn’t know how.” She paused for a moment.

Max knew she was releasing all the anger she had toward their way of life. Her frustration came through in her voice.

“With my attitude it seems I was born into the right pack.”

Chuckles filled the air.

“Human or werewolf, what Blaine did was wrong. He wronged Nana and, in the process, wronged me. I had just found my grandmother and he tried to take her from me. In my old world I would have him arrested and tried for his crimes. As human technology gets more advanced battling for supremacy will have to give way to thinking about how to remain undetected. This will be our first step.” She turned to look at Blaine. “You challenged me but never specified what you were challenging me for. Because you neglected to do this the choice of what you’re challenging for, falls to Max.”

“What? You stupid girl. You know I want control of the pack.”

She nodded to the two guards still with him. They grabbed his arms as she approached. She pulled her arm back and punched him in the face. “Never call me a stupid girl again. If you do, I will castrate you. Conor is your alpha. Get used to it. I am your superior as leader of our pack. You should be groveling at my feet. I can decide to fight my own fight, how would you feel when I beat the shit out of you? I’m trying to keep your humiliation to a minimum by allowing Max that honor. You’re wrong if you think you’re going to walk away from this with control.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She punched him again. “Read the damn covenant, you idiot. No one can ever challenge for the pack. Our ancestors did this to protect our pack.”

Blaine just stared at her.

Sarah sighed and turned back toward Max. She gave him a proper bow. “Sir, the choice is yours.”

Max grinned. The moment was at hand. “I challenge to have the loser banished.”

That got a lot of people talking. As he expected his sister stepped forward.

“This wasn’t discussed with the council.”

Max bowed to Blaine's sister. As the leader of his pack council she was his superior in certain things. “We can’t keep killing each other. We need to change our ways to advance properly. The council agreed to a match to the death. I’m only changing death to banishment.”

She nodded. “Approved.”

“Thank you.” He bowed to her again before turning back to face Blaine. “Let’s finish this.”

He and Blaine walked to where Sarah stood.

“The rules are easy. No weapons. If I see a hint of one, I will end this match and you will forfeit. Shifting is allowed, but you must fight as humans for the first five minutes. Once you hear the bell you can shift to fight. I expect a clean fight. Conor will referee. There will be three timed segments with a two-minute break between each segment. If there is no clear-cut winner then you will battle until one of you can’t battle anymore.”

The two men nodded before facing each other.

Blaine grinned an evil grin. “I have waited a long time for this.”

“Really? I forgot all about you.” Max knew his words would heighten Blaine’s anger. He wanted to keep him off-kilter as much as possible.

Blaine growled deep in his throat as he started to shift.

“You’re forfeiting?” Max asked as he relaxed his stance.

“No.” He looked at Max like he had lost his mind.

“Then why are you shifting? The rule was no shifting for the first five minutes.”

The glare Max received would have frightened another alpha. All he did was smile. “Are you done messing around?”

“I’m going to wipe the floor with you.” He started to circle Max, looking for an opening.

Max did the same and had seen several, but Blaine had to attack first. The first hit was nothing when Max was able to maneuver his body so it looked like Blaine had stumbled. It was the move Max wanted. He started to attack now. Quick hits meant to wear Blaine down. Every once in a while, he heard a grunt letting him know he had hit his mark. Blaine was losing but hadn’t realized it yet.

***

Their movements were a blur to Sarah. Conor moved with them, pulling them apart when he had to. She had moved over to where Alicia and Catherine stood to watch the match.

“How can you see their movements?” She pitched her voice to Catherine.

“Don’t try to focus on the strikes. Listen to the strikes and notice how they move across the floor. Use your heightened senses to create a picture for you.”

Sarah nodded. She did as Catherine recommended and she was able to keep up with what was happening. They were amazing to watch. Max’s attacks were precise, quick, and inflicted damage that Blaine tried to ignore. Max hit Blaine twice as often as Blaine hit him. Max wasn’t even breaking a sweat yet, but Blaine showed wear and tear. He was moving slower. The constant strikes were getting to him.

Max did a leg sweep that took Blaine off his feet. He lay where he fell for a few seconds before jumping to his feet.

Sarah noticed the large gong being brought to her. She checked her watch. The moment five minutes was up she swung the mallet against the disk.

Blaine must have been waiting for the sound because he had shifted before the sound of her strike finished its echo. If he thought his size was going to intimidate Max he was mistaken.

Max shifted next. This was the first time anyone here, outside of his pack, had seen his wolf. He was much larger than Blaine. The moment he saw Max as a wolf his jaw dropped.

***

When the hell did Max get so big? Blaine thought. He could hear the crowd murmuring that he should give up now before he got really hurt. Max was not getting the best of him. There was too much at stake. He heard the gong sound again and welcomed the much-needed break. Max didn’t even look winded where he hurt in places he didn’t know could hurt.

His son offered him water and a cloth to wipe his face with. The gong went off a second time and the match was on again. He needed to get the upper hand but didn’t know how to get it.

***

“I can’t believe they’re still fighting.”

Sarah turned to Alicia who was watching the men. “Max looks like he could go on for hours, I can’t say that for Blaine.”

Max, in his wolf form, still had a shiny well-groomed coat. Blaine’s coat on the other hand was matted and had large patches of blood covering it. He hadn’t done any damage to Max where Max had done quite a lot.

“Why won’t he surrender?” Alicia asked.

Sarah knew she was worried about her mate, but he didn’t seem to be having any trouble. He was having too much fun.

“That stupid rule about losing face?” commented Sarah. “They all live by it.”

“Blaine isn’t trustworthy. He has a calculating look in his eyes.”

“I think you’re worrying about nothing. Look at Max. There are no wounds. Then look at Blaine. He’s favoring his right side and his coat is mostly red. He won’t make it to the third round.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Sarah was going to answer her, but she needed to give them their second break. The sound of the gong vibrated through the area. Max came over to them, heading straight to his mate.

“You okay?”

“You heard me.” She ducked her head. “I know you will beat him, but he’s going to cheat. I can see it in his eyes.”

Max shifted to his human form so he could take her into his arms.

There was a blur of fur as someone went straight for Max.

Sarah saw the wolf charge Max as she howled no. Blaine leaped into the air to sink his teeth into Max’s shoulder, but he slammed into something and stopped dead. Sarah tried to figure out what was making him just hang there whimpering.

Max turned and Sarah realized he had Blaine by the throat. That one move showed Max’s power. The wolf dangled from his grip like he was nothing.

“I told you he would cheat,” said Alicia. Anger poured out of her. “How dare you sully this event.”

Sarah watched in awe as Alicia pulled her arm back and punched him in the snout. Did she start a new trend of women punching the challenger when they did something stupid?

Blaine fought Max’s grip for a few moments before giving up. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

Jacques came and took Blaine from Max. Patrick brought Max the pants he had on before the match started.

Sarah took a big breath. “Blaine, you are banned from our pack. You are no longer allowed to be near any member of our pack. Any hint of you sniffing around the pack will have dire consequences.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be.” The smile she gave him was meant to send a chill down his spine. “I will make your life a living hell.”

“What about me?” asked James. “Or my mom? Are we banned because of the actions of my father?”

“Good question,” said Sarah. “Where is your mother?”

The woman stood.

“My question is do you feel obligated to follow your mate? If I were to allow you to stay, would you go with Blaine anyway because he is your mate?” Sarah waited as the woman stared at her with fear in her eyes. She was too afraid of how the pack would treat her if she did stay. That could be fixed. “Blaine, you are dead to this pack. Your mate is now a widow.”

“She will do her duty.”

“We shall see. You strike me as an abusive mate. Berating and shaming your family to make yourself feel better.” Sarah looked back at the woman in question. “Your mate is dead. Now you need to make a decision.”

“If I stay, I will be shunned.”

“Why? Your mate is dead. You’ve been a good mother and mate. If anyone shuns you let me know. You are under our protection.” Sarah looked at the crowd, making sure she had their attention. “If anyone looks at you cross-eyed they will have to deal with me.”

“Thank you. I would like to stay.”

“You are my mate,” shouted Blaine.

My mate is dead.” She looked right at him. “I am a widow, and my James is all I have.”

“James, we do need to decide what to do with you.” Sarah turned her attention to James who ducked his head. “Max has made a suggestion. He wants to take you to the states. Train you the way you should have been. He believes if you work with him you might be able to find your way.”

“I don’t know what to say.” He looked from Max to Sarah. “I’ve fought you taking over because of my father. He tried to kill Nana without telling me a thing. Why would either of you want to help me?”

“I’ll be honest, James. I haven’t liked you. You came with Nana and said Conor was beneath me. You tried to get between Conor and me every chance you could. There were a few times when I wanted to punch you too, but I’m willing to forgive and give you a chance to prove to me that you’re not your father’s son.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sarah looked at Max. “Sir, do you wish to speak to everyone before they are released?”

Max turned toward the people. “For those of you who question our abilities, I hope we showed what we’re capable of. This wasn’t to frighten you into following us, but to show we are capable of protecting you.”

Max stepped back. He gave her a nod so she could release everyone.

“I want to thank you for coming. You are my witnesses to my champion beating Blaine. That’s why we invited everyone. When you go home remember all of this was done to protect you. You are dismissed.”

The crowd began to thin as people gathered their things and headed home. Nana came over and touched her arm. “Why don't we reconvene back at the castle?”

Sarah looked around. Most had already left with Patrick and Jacques helping the rest so the area could be cleared. She kissed her grandmother’s cheek then went to Max. After she spoke to Max for a moment she then went to James.

“Come to the castle with us. Bring your mum as well.” Conor came to her side and led her to their car.

“You were wonderful.” He helped her and her grandmother into the limo. Once they were seated their car pulled out behind Max’s.

Sarah rested her head against the back of the seat. She knew she had to be the heir for Nana until she and Conor were safe in their room. There was so much still to do. They arrived at the castle too quickly for her, but she pasted a smile on her face and took Conor’s hand to climb out of the vehicle. Moira greeted her and Nana.

“I have coffee and tea ready in the dining hall. If anyone wants something stronger there is the family whiskey on the sidebar. I’ll bring sandwiches and snacks there in a moment.” Moira bowed, then headed to the kitchen.

Conor headed straight to the sidebar and started pouring drinks. Alicia was the only one to have tea. The rest went right for the hard liquor.

James and his mother were the next to arrive, then Patrick and Jacques. The three always-present guards stood against the wall near where their client sat. Once they were all together Max raised his glass.

“To Sarah. You were thrown headfirst into our world knowing you had to sink or swim. You rose to the occasion with grace and style. You also didn’t hide behind the fact you didn’t know our world that much.”

“To Sarah.”

They took a sip of their drinks.

“I want to know where that backbone came from. I don’t remember it when she was my grad student,” quipped Catherine.

“I had asked myself the same question,” mumbled James.

That made everyone laugh.

“It runs in her blood,” said Nana. “She just didn’t know it until she found out she was a shapeshifter.”

Sarah wanted to change the subject badly she just wasn’t sure how to do it. James, however, was too stupid to be afraid.

“Did you mean what you said?”

That quieted everyone. No one questioned Max.

“James, you better hope Max lets that slide and remember this, Max never lies,” said Sarah. “There is no reason for him to. He sees something in you, and you should be honored that he does or you would be with your father right now.”

“I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect. I asked because I’m worried about me mum staying behind. Will I be able to come home from time to time to make sure she’s okay?”

Max looked at him for a moment before he turned his attention to his mother. “Evie, I know you’re worried about how your pack will treat you. How would you like to accompany your son?”

“Oh!” She looked at him in shock. “I would love to have a change of scenery and watch my son become the man he should be. He’s a bit of an artist. Something his father frowned upon.”

“Really?” Max turned his attention back to James. “That would explain a lot. I’d like to see some of your work.”

“My father destroyed all my paintings.”

“No, he didn’t.” His mother, who sat beside him placed her hand on his arm. “I knew I couldn't hide all of them or he would have continued to search. My favorites I hid. They're in the back of my antique armoire.”

“The massive thing no one can move?”

She nodded.

“Love you, Mum.” He hugged her.

Max looked at Nana and Sarah. He finished his drink and put his glass down. “I’m sure Nana, Sarah, and Conor are tired. Why don’t the rest of us go to Evie’s home and see his work as well as help them pack?”

Everyone nodded as they stood and said their goodbyes.

The moment the door closed behind the last person Sarah sighed her relief. Nana shooed them to their room. They didn’t have to be told twice.

Sarah walked into their room with Conor hot on her heels. He closed the door and then turned around to smile at her.

“So, what would you like first, a spanking or foreplay?”

“I thought the spankings were foreplay.”

The End.