"I am here to take back what is mine," Darren said, standing tall and unwavering. His tone was cold and his aura spread out suppressing and subduing everyone around him making sure that no one dared to interfere. "And I am not leaving without it."
"You have to go through me first," Lucas said, trying his best not to show that he was intimidated. Only a fool will say that he was not afraid of the Darren before them.
"I have no problem with that," Darren said. His eyes turn dark showing that his beast was on the surface which took everyone by surprise again.
So he was a late shifter. they all thought as soon as they saw the color of his eyes. Now they wondered what his wolf would be like. They started anticipating without even knowing it themselves.
"According to the rules, whoever loses will die. If you lose, you die. If I lose, I die. This is the law of our people and we will follow the same law. Unless...."
Darren said and paused half a sentence and looked at the pack members and then back to Lucas. "....Unless you renounce your position as the alpha and step down, then you will be banished from the pack."
"Do you all agree?" He asked the pack members again. "Do you agree?" he asked Lucas.
"I agree, and I accept your challenge," Lucas said through gritted teeth. "Everyone present here will be our witness."
Lucas didn't want to believe Darren could beat him. As intimidating as his presence may be, he refuses to believe that he could be beaten by Darren. So he accepted the challenge.
*******
They stood in the middle of a large courtyard at the back of the pack house, Lucas had already shifted to his beast while Darren remained standing in his human form and stared down at the beast before him without fear.
The stalemate went on like that for a while, it seemed like they were waiting for Darren to shift but he remained in his human form, and that made them think he was all talk and no fight. Seeing this, the black wolf charged at him with aggression and leaped forward.
Before he could connect his claws he was pinned to the ground with a hand on his neck. It happened so fast that they didn't see what was happening. They looked at Darren like they had seen a ghost. They looked at the creature before their eyes with shock.
A black beast was pinning their alpha to the ground, his long claws piercing the skin of his neck, his fangs bared, and his eyes crimson. They gasped out loud. They have never seen a wolf like that. what exactly is he?
Was this even considered a fight? It ended faster than it started. Nothing happened yet a winner has already emerged.
"He is a monster!" someone exclaimed as they looked at the scene in shock and awe, they watched how he easily twisted alpha Lucas's neck and breathed his last.
"No, he is a Lycan." an old man among the witnesses said as stepped forward to take a proper look at the creature before them while the others took a backward step. They have heard and read a lot about the Lycan and how powerful and ferocious a Lycan was but they have never had the privilege to see one. It was almost as if the Lycan was just a myth among supernatural creatures. But here was one standing before them and they could not deny the truth.
"I never thought that I would live long enough to see a Lycan, that too, to be you, Darren." the old shifter said. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke. He then turned to the pack and said, "According to the law, Darren McCain is our alpha. He has won the challenge."
Everyone who came to watch and serve as witnesses looked at the pitiful state of Lucas and shivered. He didn't even get a chance to fight and died as soon as it began.
Darren finally stood up and looked at the faces of those standing before him and snarled, baring his teeth at the people igniting fear in them. He was still not shifted so this gesture had a different impact on them. The old shifter turned back to face Darren with a smile.
"Welcome back, alpha," he said. "Let's all head inside and talk. I am sure there are a lot of things that we all need to talk about." he turned to a guard and said, " Get some clothes for him to wear." the guard left immediately and soon came running back with pants and a black T-shirt. Darren picked up the pants and put them on.
They all went back into the pack house, led by Darren as they followed him watching his bareback. By now all the pack members had gathered inside the pack house.
"Williams! " Darren called.
"Yes, alpha?" the old shifter who spoke earlier answered and came forward.
"You were my father's beta, right?"
"Yes, Alpha," Williams answered with a nod of his head.
"I won't ask you to be my beta, but I will ask for all that has happened in and to this pack after his passing," Darren said.
"Understood, alpha."
"Good," he said and turned to the people." you will all pledge your loyalty to me and acknowledge me as your alpha. Whoever does not will die," he said and scanned the room that was filled with people. He spotted two people who seemed eager to meet him and smiled inwardly. They were the only people who were happy to see him.
He averted his eyes from them stretched out his right hand and said, "Come one after the other, bite and taste my blood, and pledge your loyalty to me and this pack."
The two people he saw earlier were the first to approach him and then the old shifter, Williams. Everyone else hesitated and kept their heads low. No one wanted to be the first.
"Don't make me force you." his voice boomed in the room. They hurried and started walking toward him and did what was needed.
It took a while for the entire process to finish and only two men were left standing away from the others. They were the beta and gamma to Lucas and they were not willing to accept and acknowledge a new alpha.