Alpha

Chapter 14

Konrad pushed Colin further onto the mat. The referee didn't know what to do. Colin was still standing, but it was clear that he could not fight with an arm that was probably broken in several places. It also didn't help that Konrad was still doing his passive approach to the fight.

There were actions, he was technically fighting, but it was nothing like what it should be. Anyone else would have been giving Colin a thrashing, but Konrad merely returned to his side of the mat. With his arms clasped behind his back, he waited. All the while, there was a smirk on his face as he watched Colin stumble around.

It was obvious that he was delirious from the pain and the blood loss. The once white mat was now a crimson mess. Colin turned, and I saw the gash that was bleeding profusely.

"If he doesn't yield, he's going to bleed out," I muttered.

"But if he yields, he'll become an outcast. Look at his Alpha."

The Alpha was front row, center. There was pure doom on his face, and I dreaded what he would do after the fight was declared over. It was obvious that Konrad was going to win.

"There is only one way Colin can get out of this fight now and still save face with his pack."

The reality of the situation was that all it would take was for someone to press a finger on his body, and Colin would fall over. He was staggering around, muttering something that I couldn't decipher.

The referee was watching him closely.

"Can he enforce something medically related?"

Alec shook his head.

"Yield, unconscious, dead. Those are the options, and the referee cannot intervene once the fight has started. Although if he got too close and sneezed, he might just send Colin to the floor."

I chuckled, even if I shouldn't have.

It looked as if Colin's legs collapsed underneath him. The movement was slow at first, but once the knees started to bend, he dropped to the mat quickly.

The referee called Konrad over with a flick of his hand. With the fight won, Konrad stood proudly with one hand raised by the referee. He was shouting that Konrad had won and that the fight was over. Once he'd done that, it was a free for all, and everyone rushed onto the mat to congratulate him.

I watched as the women gathered, clinging to him as if they were drowning in a vast sea. It made my stomach curl to watch one whisper in his ear.

Standing, I caught his attention.

"We should congratulate him," Alec said softly. "That is customary in all packs and regardless of the prize. You are an Alpha, and it is expected that you act with civility. So pull up those big girl panties and congratulate Konrad."

I didn't want to approach him when he had so many women hanging around. As I approached, I could see the haughty smiles on the women. Like they enjoyed taunting me, one turned and whispered in Konrad's ear.

He shifted slightly, and the woman clearly got the hint. She moved away from his ear but was still leaning on him.

"Congratulations, Konrad. The fight was well fought, and you deserved the win."

"Thank you, Megan. We should make time to discuss the future."

He offered a teasing smile, almost like he was trying to goad me into saying something negative. Instead, I smiled sweetly.

"Of course. You can find me when you're finished with the whores."

It was a derisive term, but it was also one that was fairly common to use in pack life. The term whore was defined as an unassociated wolf of any gender or sexuality searching for a pack by offering sexual favors to the Alpha. This is one of the reasons that I didn't trust any Alpha, not just Konrad. It was common for women like the ones hanging off him to offer sex or favors to buy their way into the pack. As for men offering something to a male Alpha, that was just as common. One way or another, something was given to the leader. In a world where most Alphas had vast wealth, there wasn't much else a newcomer could offer.

Konrad smiled as a round of gasps and sniggers filled the air. I turned and walked away. My little entourage was always a few steps behind me.

"Was it wise to annoy females from other packs?" Joey asked.

"They're not pack associated, Jojo," Alec responded. "No Alpha would let young women attend a ceremonial fight unless it was for their own pack. Those women are searching for a pack and think that Konrad's a prime choice now that he's won the fight. They would have done the same for Colin. The question is, does Konrad realize that?"

"Probably not," he muttered.

"You're such a hot head, Megan. But accurately observant. You've made it clear to Konrad that you know what those women are, and if he's ever listened to you, he will know the path that he has to take to keep you happy. You probably haven't been to a ceremonial fight before, but that out there, it's standard. Everyone congratulates the winner and yeah, the women flock to the men. Has he walked away with any of them? Would you even know what is happening, or have you thrown a hissy fit because you didn't get what you wanted?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, but Alec stood firm.

"And what would that be?"

"Konrad walking over to you and sweeping you off your feet. Face it, Megan. You're in love with him, and no amount of denying it will ever convince your friends."

"And it's okay," Jojo said, putting a heavy hand on my shoulder. "We understand how easy it was for you to fall in love with him. That's the reason that we invited his pack to our chalet. We wanted the other members who are here to see what you see in Konrad. The anger is gone. Sure, there's a bit of it still lingering in our elders because so many of us could have lost our lives if he'd won the territory war, but it will begin to change when this group returns home on Monday and tells everyone how they met and partied with members of the Black Ridge pack."

"Don't hate on him for enjoying a moment of glory just because it didn't fit into your dream."

"You two are shocking, you know that?"

They nodded with crazy grins on their faces. Alec and Jojo were like two peas in a pod, and if Jojo ever decided to change teams, I knew he'd have Alec chasing him.

"Come on. I'm tired, and it's been a long day."

It wasn't even the first day of the meetup, andalready so much had happened. I dreaded what the next two days would bring.