We all retired to our apartments for a brief respite. Even Uncle Louis. I think all our wolves needed soothing.
"I can't believe you asked Grandma Luna out after all that!" Savy said the moment we were alone with Mum and Dad in our apartment.
"I felt bad for Grandma." I said.
"You should be feeling bad for your Dad." Mum said. She was still stroking his back.
"Yeah, but Grandma looked so lonely." I said.
Killion and Mate emerged from my room. Mate had changed to training gear. My pretty mate. Hahahaha.
Mate lifted a brow at me, but otherwise said nothing. It was Killion who informed us with a smile, "Luna Bell is going to spar with Alpha Andre in the training all now."
"Andre." My dad shook his head.
"Should I hold back?" Rebel asked.
"No, no need." Dad said, "He's not going to take losing well though."
Rebel shrugged, "I'll give him a chance to practice then."
"A practice fight?" I asked.
"No princess, to practice losing." Rebel smirked. And the two guys left.
"Wait for us!" Savy and I got up to follow.
Dad got up too.
"You're going to go too?" Mum asked.
"I don't want to miss seeing my son beat up my brother." Dad explained.
Hahahaha.
We met all my uncles at the training hall. The mat had been set up.
"You brought your daughters down to watch?" Uncle Pierre asked Dad.
"Why not?" Dad asked.
"Well, they might be frightened." Uncle Louis said, "You know how Andre is. He doesn't hold back."
Dad shrugged, "It's fine."
"Do your best, young man." Uncle Pierre said.
"Go Bell!" I cheered happily. The best matches was when neither side held back.
{Cute}
Eh what?
Bell turned away from me.
Uncle Louis decided to referee. "Let's have a clean fight! Start!"
We had no whistle. Not that Bell would have paid attention to it.
"Heh heh, boy, do you know what I'm known as back in the other continent?" Uncle Andre boasted as the two men circled each other in on the mat.
"I was known as the Hell's Hound and my name is feared to the furthest corner of the continent."
Bell smirked. Oh no... Hahahaha.
"Never heard of it. But I'm sure you would know my fighting name." Mate said. He peeled off his shirt and threw it, showing off the black discs patterns on his torso. His silver bangle gleamed on his arm.
He shook out his swept back hair so that it stood wildly. Running his hand through the wild curls he gave Uncle Andre the most arrogent smirk.
Uncle Andre eyes widened in recognition, "Sorry to say, but I've never heard of you!" He charged forward, his hand transforming into claws, his fangs protruding...even his body bludged and black fur sprouted down the back of his neck. He was a monster.
"He's merging from the get go." Uncle Pierre observed aloud.
"He'd have to." Dad was pretty proud of his 'son'.
"Do I get furry when I fight?" I whispered to Savy.
She cackled softly at me, but to my relief, shook her head.
"So the pretty Luna wanna play, huh?" Uncle Andre goaded, "But this is a real fight, not a fight cage show."
For someone who 'never heard of' Rebel, Uncle Andre sure knew a whole lot.
Bell dodged the blow pretty easily, and flung out a leg, that made contact but Uncle Andre was a monster, so it barely made a dent.
Ooooo.... now I wanted to fight too. My hair flared out in anticipation.
Uncle Andre laughed, it came out as a half snarl. Rebel looked determined. I think he realised that he was up against a formidable foe.
I wonder whether it would be okay. As Uncle Andre threw out the punches, I worried. Rebel was barely able to avoid them. This wasn't a fight cage, there was no strutting, no taunting. It was an Alpha to Alpha fight, and Uncle Andre was the type who fought like a rabied dog.
Uncle Andre's claws caught on Rebel's shoulder.
"I got you now, pretty boy!" He snarled, sinking his claws further in. I heard a gasp escape and covered my mouth. My wolfie was furious.
{Mine!}
{Mine! Mine! Mine!}
Dad caught me by the back of my sweater in case I ran out. But he didn't take his eyes off the match.
Rebel snarled as Uncle Andre's claws sank into his shoulder. I bet Flynn or Hank would be whistling their heads off. I thought this was a friendly spar.
It was rather unfair. Uncle Andre had claws and teeth while Rebel was unarmed. He didn't even have a shirt on his back, not that it would help...
And then Rebel grabbed Uncle Andre by his wrist with both hands and squeezed. At the same time he kicked hard at Uncle Andre's pants, exactly where it would hurt the most.
Uncle Andre howled. He released Rebel's shoulder and bent forward. Rebel didn't let go of his wrist, he leap-frogged over the monster man's immense back, bringing his arm along for the ride.
There was a sickening crack followed by a terrifying roar. Rebel landed on his feet. Uncle Andre snarled and spun around. His broken arm being dragged along.
"Rebel wins." Uncle Louis said.
"You mean James." Uncle Pierre corrected.
"Yes, James wins." Uncle Louis corrected.
Uncle Andre snarled in anger, "Again! That didn't count."
I raised my hand, "Me! I wanna go!"
Mate made a face like he had just eaten something bad. Dad simply gripped my sweater tighter.
Killion had passed Mate a bottle of water and wet cloth to wipe off the blood. I noted with some relief that his shoulder was already healed.
Uncle Andre was still pacing the mat, shoulder dislocated. The pack medics had arrived.
"Andre calm down. Let the medics set your shoulder." Uncle Pierre said.
"No! I'm not done yet!" Uncle Andre snarled, "Again!"
"I'll just break your other arm." Rebel told him in between drinking his water, "I'm not wasting any heal on you so I'd stop if I were you, Hell Dog."
"It's Hell's Hound!" Uncle Andre snarled. I doubt he could talk without snarling. I was beginning to think he couldn't unmerge too.
"I know." Rebel smirked. He drank more water.
"You're just a pretty fight dog!" Uncle Andre snarled.
Rebel raised a brow and made this really arrogant expression, you know, the one that always made me feel like punching him, "Not that you've heard of me, of course."
Uncle Andre swung a punch at Rebel with his good hand. Rebel dodged and kicked the guy on his crotch again.
"Will you stop doing that?" Uncle Andre screamed-snarled at Rebel.
"Me!" I said, "I wanna."
Dad shook his head, "Think of your mother, Sam."
Way a go at being a wet blanket, Dad.
Rebel glared at me, "Stay out of this, Princess."
I crossed my arms, "I could probably win."
"No without blood shed and a lot of luck." Rebel said.
I considered it.
"His shoulder is dislocated. Would you fight an old wolf with a dislocated shoulder?" Rebel asked me.
Well, not if he put it this way.
"You want to fight me, girl?" Uncle Andre laughed loudly, "I could beat you with both hands tied behind my back!"
Challenge accepted! I grinned and wriggled out of my oversized sweater. Dad looked at the now empty sweater in his hand in dismay.
Rebel growled, "Princess, get off the mat."
I grinned even more, "Make me!"
Rebel growled low and warningly. Hahahaha. It only put my wolf further on edge. I straightened my fingers and clenched it. I had to focus just so I didn't let my claws out too.
I cannot express the adrenaline rush the moment I stepped up to Uncle Andre. He was taller and broader and crazy big.
Rebel was right, I would definitely be hurt at least a little bit. But I wanted to do this, because Uncle Andre was scary like hell, and there was no way I could not step up to face my fear.
"I should have broken both his arms." Rebel muttered to Killion who simply smiled and gave him another bottle of water.
"I don't stop fighting till I win!" Uncle Andre shouted.
Me too. I just smiled, I was ready, so ready, the adrenaline coursing through my veins like some kind of magic rush.
Uncle Andre barged forward. I dashed forward too.
Savy covered her eyes and hid behind Dad. Mate and Killion both watched unmovingly as if transfixed. Every pair of eyes was on me, and my wolf knew it.
{I am the alpha!}
Uncle Andre struck with his arm, I stepped up on it. He threw me but I reached out grabbed at his face, my claws extending my grip.
"ARUGGHHH...." Uncle Andre grabbed his face.
Opps, I hope I didn't take out his eye. I'm not being sacarstic, I really hope I hadn't. I was actually aiming for his neck, but he had shot me off his arm like I was a rag doll, so I had grabbed at whatever I could reach.
My hands were wet with blood.
"Stop! Enough!" Uncle Pierre thundered, "Andre, that's enough."
But Uncle Andre barreled forwards, his large mouth enlarging. He was going to bite me? As he approached he shifted fully wolf. He was a huge black wolf, the size of Dad.
Well two can play that game! Grrr... But before I could shift, Mate lifted me off my feet and put me out of the way.
"Idiot." Mate muttered.
What? How dare he! Oh wait, he meant Uncle Andre. (I was stupid, not idiot.) Grrr! As if that would make me feel better! I flared.
Uncle Andre's wolf landed and stumbled. Tumbling heavily down, there was another cracking sound. At first I thought he was shifting back, but it was only the sound of his leg breaking under his weight.
The bigger they were, the harder they fell. His dislocated arm had turned into a dislocated front leg which couldn't take his weight when he landed.
Mate walked over and kicked Uncle Andre's wolf in the face, "If you fight with only your wolf and not your brain, you won't win anything bigger than you."
"Think about your mate, Andre." Pierre reprimanded. Uncle Andre's wolf looked like someone just threw a pail of water over him.
I could understand the feeling. I went back to Dad to retrieve my sweater, but Dad held it out of reach.
Killion came over with another wet towel, "Better wipe up first."
I wiped the blood off my hands and arm... the smell stuck though, and even though my pants was black, I was quite sure Mum would recognize the smell of blood on my clothes.
Dad handed me my sweater. Pulling it over my t-shirt, I asked, "You're not telling Mum are you?"
"Not unless she asks." Dad admitted.
I grinned, "Savy and Ki will distract Mum so I can slip into the shower and change for dinner and take Grandma for a walk."
Dad nodded curtly.
Killion handed me a bottle of water. I realised I was rather thirsty and drunk it.
Uncle Andre had calmed down enough to shift back to his proper human form. The medics were putting his arm in a cast.
I wondered if my fight counted as a win. I did draw first blood. But only because Uncle Andre was fighting with a dislocated shoulder. I mean, it wouldn't have been possible to reach him the way I did if he could use his other hand to block or attack.
"We are going up first." Dad said to Uncle Louis.
"Yes, sure. You always just do what you want anyway." Uncle Louis answered.
To Rebel he said, "Good fight. There are not many wolves who could fight Andre and live, much less win."
And they let him? Did my uncles not care that my mate could have died?
Rebel took my hand to follow Dad up. Killion closed in behind us.
"Thanks for the water, Ki." I said belatedly.
Killion smiled his usual beautiful smile, "I live to serve you goddess."
Rebel leaned close to my ear and said, "That's why you're the Alpha."
Eh, why? What's why I'm the Alpha?
"Because Ki follows me?" I asked.
We had slowed along the corridor outside our apartment as the others went in.
"And Harvey, and Ben, and many other wolves." Rebel answered, "You asked me if I wanted to be the Alpha. And I am the stronger wolf, I could certainly defeat more wolves, but winning a fight and winning an allegiance is not the same."
We reached the door of our apartment, but Rebel had stopped. He took off his bangle and slid it over my arm so that I was wearing both bangles.
He picked up a lock of my hair, watching the blue sliky strands slide between his fingers as he always did. I knew he was about to leave.
"Princess, you have my allegiance too. My whole heart, I give to you. So let me fight your battles." And then he kissed the lock of hair in his grasp, and disappeared.
Oh. My heart. It was beating.
Wait, that was a stupid thing to think! Of course my heart was beating.
"Hurry up and come inside. Dad is distracting Mum!" Savy popped out of the front door, "Where's Bell?"
"Gone." I said, "He woke up."