Twenty-One

Fitz stood there, hissing at his father. Mandy had Jeremiah pinned down, and Enoch stood still with magic fire sparkling around his fingertips. Kinsey stood, legs spread, braced for a confrontation with Daniel who stood there beating his chest like a crazed lunatic, never taking his eyes off Kinsey.

“Don’t just stand there, you idiot!” Jeremiah screamed. “Use your damn magic and blast them.”

“Yes, please,” Adira snarled from the open doorway. “Try it.” She raised her hands, her own blue magic’s fire dancing around her fingertips.

Dimitri’s panther padded into the warehouse, moving over to where Mandy stood over Jeremiah. I’ve got him, he assured his sister-in-law. He’s not going anywhere.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fitz watched Mandy slide off Jeremiah, nipping at his face without actually biting him. The man shrieked as he tried to shove himself into the concrete.

Lainie walked in, but she wasn’t alone. “Johnson and the others are rounding up the men outside. The plane took off, but I doubt whoever was in it will be returning anytime soon. Luckily, no one was hurt this time.”

Dimitri sat on his haunches, one paw on Jeremiah’s chest. I think it’s time this one joined his grandson.

Lainie just nodded.

“Daniel, what the hell have you done?”

Fitz watched as his father stiffened at his wife’s voice. He slowly turned around, his eyes narrow slits as he stared at Jenny Everest standing next to Lainie and the sheriff, Chet Einstein. “I’m doing what I always do. I’m taking care of business.”

Jenny moved further inside the warehouse, her hands down at her sides, her head tilted slightly. “What business has you putting Kinsey in a cage? What business has you working with the likes of Jeremiah Prescott or Stella Fletcher? What business has you hurting my children?”

Daniel laughed, but it sounded deranged coming through his twisted lips. “Your children need to learn their place in this family,” he snarled. “Your children need to learn who the alpha of this family is and what it takes to keep us in our position of power.”

“What power, Daniel?” Jenny asked. “What have you done that makes you think you have power? You own a paper mill for crying out loud. You’re not alpha of the panthers. You don’t sit on the Council. You don’t have power. The way you’ve behaved, you don’t even have a family anymore.”

Fitz moved to the center of the warehouse, his back straight, his head held high. I’m taking over as alpha, Father. You can either step down quietly, or I can challenge you right here and take it from you. Either way, you’re done ruling this family and our business.

Daniel sneered at his son. “You think you’ve finally grown some balls, son? You think you’re ready to take on dear ol’ Dad? Give it your best shot. You’ve always been a follower. That’s your best trait. You’ll fail if you’re ever in charge.”

Fitz took a few more steps as the other animals entered the warehouse, each moving to different sides of the empty space, creating a ring around Fitz and his father, all except Wes’ bear, who moved to take Dimitri’s place at Jeremiah’s side.

Dimitri moved to the edge of the circle of animals, his neck straight, head high. You’ve been challenged, Daniel Everest, for the alpha position of your tribe. My tribe stands as witnesses.

Daniel turned to his wife. “See? See the insubordination of your children? See why they need a hard hand to lead them?”

Jenny slipped her arms over her chest as she stared at her husband. “You must answer the challenge,” she said, ice in each word.

Daniel just glared at her. “You ungrateful…”

Kinsey moved to go past Daniel, to stand by her mates, but Daniel lunged at her, gripping her by the scruff of her neck and jerking her panther to its side, slamming her down on the cold concrete floor. “You! You did this to me.” He snatched a long sliver of the splintered wood from the cage’s bottom off the floor and with a growl of desperation brought it high and aimed it for Kinsey’s neck.

No! Fitz and Mandy yelled as one as they both raced to intercept Daniel’s attack. Fitz went high to topple his father over while Mandy went low to protect her mate.

Daniel swung his arm downward, aiming for Kinsey’s neck, but connecting with Mandy’s shoulder, instead.

Mandy’s wail filled the warehouse as Fitz barreled into his father, knocking the man backward against the cold floor. Fitz didn’t hesitate, he grabbed his father’s arm, jerking it until he heard a snap of bones.

Daniel screamed as he rolled over, his body already shifting, bones popping and snapping as he shifted into his panther, his clothes shredding from his body. He got to his paws, one front leg bent at a gross angle. You’re pathetic, he hissed at Fitz. Even with a broken arm, I can still whip your scrawny ass.

Fitz turned to look at Mandy, but Kinsey was already there, licking around the stick protruding from Mandy’s shoulder. Lainie, Chet, and Alanna were moving across the floor to help the wounded panther. Jenny didn’t move but remained where she stood facing Fitz and his father, her arms still over her chest. She glanced at Fitz and nodded once.

He dipped his head once and then turned to face his father.

Daniel hissed and then lunged into the air at him, his aim off due to his broken front leg. Fitz leaped into the air, catching his father in the chest and bowling him backward, slamming his back into the floor. Daniel hissed as he swung his good leg out to roll Fitz over, his back paws clawing at Fitz’s underbelly. Blood oozed onto the concrete floor as Daniel rolled to his feet, only to be caught in the side by Fitz again and brought to the ground. Fitz snapped at his father’s face, pain ripping through his stomach from the claw marks. This man tried to kill his mates. There was no way Fitz could permit him to live, even if he was his father. Even if Daniel lost the alpha challenge, he would just plan some sort of sneak attack. There was no quarter to be given here and trusted. Yet, Fitz hoped beyond hope that his father would relent and do the right thing before it was too late, before Fitz had to do something he truly didn’t want to do.

Daniel screamed as he shoved with his back paws, trying to jerk away from his son, but Fitz clamped down on his father’s neck tighter, holding him in place. Stop! Fitz ordered his father. This is your fault. Yours!

Tell yourself that if you must, his father sneered even in his agony. We both know you needed it, needed my control to guide your pathetic little life. I could have made you something great.

Fitz looked up and saw his mates huddled on the floor, one wounded and the other tending to the wound, surrounded by family and friends. I am something great, he said.

Daniel struggled again, fighting to get away so he could either escape or kill his son.

Fitz bit down harder on his father’s neck again. Please don’t make me do this, Dad, he pleaded. I love you. I’ve always loved you. Just surrender and make this right.

Daniel laughed. I knew you didn’t have the stones to do what was necessary. Admit it, Fitz; you need me to show you how to be a real man. You need me to do what needs to be done because you don’t have the stomach for it. You’ve always been nothing but…

Fitz clomped down even harder with his massive jaws and gave his head a hard shake. The warehouse resounded with the snap of Daniel’s neck and the silence that followed it.

Fitz dropped his father’s head back on the floor and then shifted. As soon as he had arms, he threw them around his father, crying, saying how sorry he was and asking why his father made him do it. “I’m so sorry.” Fitz’s sobs filled the warehouse.

Everyone started to shift then, Kinsey first as she left Mandy in her father’s care and walked over to Fitz, wrapping her arms around him as he leaned over his father’s corpse. “It’s all right,” she whispered, her arms on Fitz’s shoulders as she held his head, pulling him away from Daniel’s panther and into her arms. “It’s all right. He couldn’t have had it any other way. You know that.”

Jenny knelt down beside her son, her hand on his back. “Fitz, it’s not your fault. This is how your father was, and you know it. He drove this encounter, taunting you even to the end.” She stroked his bare back. “Now, take a deep breath and pull away. You need to claim your place as alpha of this family. Allow the witnesses to acknowledge it.”

Fitz nodded, wiping his face with his arm as he pushed away from his father’s body.

Kinsey and Jenny backed away from him, stepping a few feet back toward the others as they watched him rise. Mandy lifted her head to him, still in her panther form, afraid shifting would make the wound worse. The others stood, all except Josiah who kept pressure around his daughter’s wound. Dimitri and Lainie stared at him, their faces somber, still.

Fitz took a deep breath as he stared at the gathering. “I am now alpha of the Everest Tribe,” he said as strongly as he could with his emotions wreaking havoc within. “Are there any who challenge my claim?”

Some shook their heads, some just stood there, staring. Dimitri was the one who spoke. “As alpha of Bull Creek,” and then he smiled, “and as a member of the Everest Tribe, I acknowledge Fitz’s claim as alpha.”

“As do I,” Lainie said.

And I, Mandy said, her voice strained with pain.

“I acknowledge it as well,” Kinsey said, smiling.

Fitz smiled at them, then turned to his mother, tears pooling in her eyes as well as his. She left her spot, walking over to him and placing a hand on his upper arm. She nodded once. “As do I,” she whispered.

Fitz straightened, smiling at her as he nodded back.

His mother squeezed his arm and then motioned with her head toward Mandy. “Go take care of your mate. I’ll handle this.” She pointed to her husband on the floor. “It’s my job as his wife.”

“Thank you,” Fitz said before leaning in and kissing her cheek. He then rushed over to Mandy, taking Kinsey’s hand as he passed her, squeezing it.

The warehouse busted out into commotion then as Lainie flipped Jeremiah over and handcuffed him, then handcuffed Enoch. Adira started passing out the clothes she had stowed in Lainie’s sheriff’s car, and everyone started to get dressed before walking out among Jeremiah’s remaining men, most of whom had already been hauled away.

Fitz dropped down beside Mandy, looking up into her father’s eyes. “How is she?” He heard Kinsey kneeling down beside him.

Chet glanced up at him. “She’s lost quite a bit of blood and is in a lot of pain, but Doc Henderson’s pretty good at these types of things. I think we should leave her in her panther form until we get her to him.” He gave a tilt of his head and shrugged. “Can’t exactly call an ambulance for this.”

Fitz nodded, then turned and screamed, “Lainie, I need your car.”

“You got it,” she replied as she started moving for the door.

Fitz went to slide his hands under Mandy and carry her when Chet stopped him. “How about I carry her out to the car while you two get dressed?” He smiled and then gave a soft laugh. “We’ve given the locals enough of a show for one day.”

Fitz felt the blush creep up his neck as he settled back a little. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said with a chuckle of his own. He then reached out and stroked Mandy’s stomach. “Hold on, girl. I need you to make this all work. We have a company and a family to run.”

It’ll take more than some stick to get rid of me, Mandy said with a grimace.

Kinsey reached out and petted Mandy’s leg. “Thank you for coming for me,” she said, her voice choked with tears that threatened to fall. She touched Fitz’s shoulder. “Both of you.”

Fitz placed his hand over hers on his shoulder. “That’s how a family behaves,” he said.

“Amen,” Chet said. “Now, get dressed and let’s get the hell out of here.”