Chapter 17: The Challenge

Calla's POV

Marcus stood by the elevator, and he was not smiling. Infact he looked very grim.

I was still sitting in Darius's lap, my face probably red and blotchy from crying.

"What kind of problem?" Darius asked.

Marcus shifted his weight. "Lucas formally challenged your claim to Calla."

I went cold. "What does that mean?"

"It means he's invoking pack law." Marcus pulled out his phone and read from it. "A rejected mate can challenge a new bond if they believe it's false or coerced. The challenge is settled by combat. The winner takes the mate."

"That's insane," I said, standing up. "I'm not property."

"Pack law doesn't see it that way." Marcus looked uncomfortable. "If the original mate believes the rejection was a mistake, they have one chance to fight for their bond."

"And if Lucas wins?" Darius stood too, his jaw tight.

"Then Calla returns to Eclipse pack as his mate." Marcus put his phone away. "The challenge happens on neutral ground. Full moon. One week from now."

"Absolutely not." I stepped between them. "I'm not going back to Eclipse. I don't care what pack law says."

"You don't have a choice," Marcus said. "Once a challenge is issued, both parties are bound by the outcome."

"Both parties?" I looked at Darius. "You haven't even accepted yet."

"Yes, I have." Darius crossed his arms. "The second Lucas issued the challenge, I accepted. That's how it works."

"Without asking me?" My voice rose. "You're going to fight over me like I'm some prize?"

"It's not about that."

"Then what's it about?" I turned to face him fully. "Your ego? Proving you're stronger than Lucas?"

"It's about protecting you." Darius grabbed my shoulders. "If I don't accept, you go back to Eclipse anyway. At least this way, I have a chance to keep you safe."

"By fighting him? By possibly getting yourself killed?"

"I won't lose."

"You don't know that." I shoved his hands away. "Lucas is brutal. He doesn't fight fair."

"Neither do I," Darius said.

Marcus cleared his throat. "There's more. The fight takes place during the full moon. Both alphas fight in wolf form."

My stomach dropped. "The full moon. That's when—"

"When your wolf will be strongest," Marcus finished. "You'll need to stay inside. Locked up if necessary. If you shift during the challenge, the Council will see it."

"Perfect." I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "So while you two are tearing each other apart, I'll be locked in a room fighting my own wolf."

"Calla—" Darius started.

"Don't." I backed away from both of them. "This is exactly what I didn't want. People fighting over me. Making decisions for me. Treating me like I can't handle my own life."

"We're trying to protect you," Darius said.

"I don't need protection. I need a choice." I pointed at Marcus. "Is there any way to refuse the challenge?"

"No," Marcus said. "Once issued and accepted, it's binding. If either party refuses to show, they forfeit automatically."

"So if Darius doesn't show up, I go back to Lucas."

"Yes."

"And if Lucas doesn't show up?"

"Then you stay with Darius, and Lucas loses all claim to you." Marcus leaned against the wall. "But Lucas won't back down. He wants this fight."

"Of course he does." I sat on the couch and buried my face in my hands. "This is a nightmare."

The elevator opened again. Sierra rushed out, still wearing her pajamas. "I just heard. Is it true? Did Lucas really challenge you?"

"Yes," Darius said.

"That bastard." Sierra came over and sat next to me. "Are you okay?"

"No." I looked up at her. "They're going to fight over me like I'm a piece of meat."

"Pack law is stupid," Sierra agreed. She glared at her brother. "And you accepted? Without talking to her first?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"You always have a choice." Sierra stood up and got in his face. "You could've told Lucas to fuck off. You could've found another way."

"There is no other way." Darius's voice was hard. "This is pack law. I can't change it."

"Then pack law needs to change," I said quietly.

Everyone looked at me.

"What?" Marcus asked.

"Pack law." I stood up. "It's outdated. Treating mates like property. Forcing people into bonds they don't want. Making decisions without consent. All of it needs to change."

"You're right," Sierra said. "But that doesn't help us now."

"No, it doesn't." I turned to Darius. "How long do we have?"

"One week," Marcus said. "The fight happens at midnight on the full moon. North field, neutral territory."

"Then we have one week to prepare." I looked at Darius. "Train me."

He blinked. "What?"

"Train me to fight." I stepped closer. "If I'm going to be there watching you two try to kill each other, I need to be able to defend myself. And if my wolf comes out, I need to be in control."

"Calla, you can't—"

"Yes, I can." I cut him off. "You said I'm stronger than I think. Prove it. Train me like you'd train any wolf. No holding back."

Marcus and Sierra exchanged looks.

"She's right," Sierra said. "If her wolf surfaces during the challenge, she needs to be able to control it. Otherwise the Council will see."

"It's too dangerous," Darius said. "We only have a week."

"Then we better not waste time." I crossed my arms. "I'm doing this, Darius. With or without your help."

He stared at me for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Fine. But we do this my way. No arguments."

"Deal."

"And if I say stop, you stop. Understood?"

"Understood."

Marcus pushed off the wall. "I'll spread the word about the challenge. The pack needs to know."

"Tell them Calla is under Dragonclaw protection until the fight," Darius said. "Anyone who tries to harm her answers to me."

Marcus nodded and headed for the elevator.

Sierra grabbed my hand. "Are you sure about this? Training with Darius is brutal."

"I'm sure." I squeezed her fingers. "I can't just sit around waiting. I need to do something."

"Okay." She hugged me tight. "But promise me you'll be careful. Both of you."

"We will," I said.

After Sierra left, it was just me and Darius. He sat on the couch, his head in his hands.

I sat next to him. "Talk to me."

"I can't lose you." His voice was rough. "If I lose this fight—"

"You won't."

"You don't know that." He looked at me. "Lucas is strong. Brutal. And he fights dirty."

"So do you," I reminded him. "You said so yourself."

"This is different." He took my hand. "This isn't about pack politics or territory. This is about you. And if I lose, you go back to him. I can't—" His voice cracked. "I can't let that happen."

"Then don't lose." I cupped his face. "Train hard. Fight harder. And win."

"What if winning isn't enough?" His thumb brushed my knuckles. "What if you choose him anyway?"

"I won't."

"The bond—"

"Doesn't control me," I finished. "We've been over this. The bond is biology. But choice is everything. And I choose you."

He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me. Hard and desperate, like he was trying to memorize the taste of me.

When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

"One week," he said. "We train every day. Twice a day if you can handle it."

"I can handle it."

"Good." He stood up, taking me with him. "We start now."

"Now? It's almost midnight."

"No time like the present." He headed for the basement stairs. "Come on. Let's see what you're really made of."