Hunting Midnight

Chapter Four: Alliance

I let go of my arrow, holding my breath as it sails through the air. The packs go wild as my arrow lands dead center, splitting Ruhn's arrow in half.
"Yes!" I exclaim, pumping my fist in the air as I turn around and look back at my pack. "We win!"
Caleb and the rest of the pack run up to me and house me up in the air to celebrate. When they finally put me down, Caleb envelopes me in a giant hug. "You saved us, Kenna! That extra land will feed us all for years to come."
Unable to hide my excitement, I turn to Ruhn who stands off to the side. His muscular arms are crossed over his chest, looking very much like a sore loser, and yet his eyes tell a different story.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" I ask, making my way over to him with a grin.
Suddenly, Ruhn steps close to me; his sharp gaze searching my face. I raise my brows and put my hands on my hips.
"Congratulations," Ruhn says, his voice monotone. "That shot was one in a million."
"Not really," I shrug. "I could make it again."

The night air is cool and crisp as we follow Chief Gavriel back to his tent. The tent is only large enough for a few wolves, so the rest of us stand out in the cool air. However, torches and fires have been kindled while we were gone, so the packs huddle around them.
"Congratulations to the Gévaudan Pack for winning first place," Chief Gavriel announces. "They will get the honor of leading the packs in the war against the wolf hunters, and also win the precious twenty-five acres along the river."
My pack cheers with pride.
"And congratulations to Kenna," Chief Gavriel adds. "She scored the most points out of anyone in the five packs."
Chieftess Brianna steps forward, holding a golden trophy. A wolf-head is carved into the golden plaque in the center, and a wreath made of gold encircles the stand.
"Thank you, Chieftess," I say with a bow of my head, gratefully accepting the trophy.
"No need to thank me," Chieftess Brianna says quietly with a proud smile on her face. "You earned it. I'm proud of you, Kenna." Then, she hands Ruhn a second-place metal.
"Even though the Faoladh Pack lost, Ruhn was second overall in individual points," Chief Gavriel says, and then looks back at the crowd. "This concludes the tournament. We will celebrate tonight, but tomorrow, we prepare for war. But," the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile as his eyes fall on me and my pack, "I know we will be victorious. Now," he claps his hands together, "go prepare for tonight's full-moon celebration."
The packs begin to disperse, everyone racing to shed their tournament uniforms, but Ruhn hangs back next to me.
"It's hard to celebrate with my enemy," I say, holding my trophy close to my chest as I slowly begin walking in the direction of my tent.
"Kenna," Ruhn says sharply, grabbing hold of my shoulders and forcing me to look up at him. "I'm done with your accusations. I had nothing to do with your Alpha's death."
I swallow hard as I look up at him, my eyes narrowing. "This isn't just about that," I counter. "Your pack has been stealing from ours for years! You have hunted on our land and purposely hurt our crops."
"And your pack has done the same," Ruhn shoots back. "Don't think you guys are innocent." With that, I pull out of his grasp and quickly take off toward my tent.
"Kenna, stop," Ruhn's voice calls out, and I hear the sound of his footsteps quickly approaching once more.
I ignore him and keep walking. And yet, he quickly catches up to me and takes hold of my arm. As soon as he touches me, heat floods my body.
"Are you going to apologize on behalf of your pack?" I demand.
Ruhn's eyes slowly roam over my face. "We should call a truce until the war is over."
My eyes widen slightly, surprised at his words. "How can I trust you?" I ask slowly.
Ruhn leans in, and I know he's breathing in my scent. My inner wolf growls with pleasure, and I instinctively step closer to him. His grip on my arm gentles, but he doesn't let go.
"Get your hands off her!" A shout startles both of us, and I turn and see Drakon stalking towards Ruhn and I. Before Ruhn can turn, Drakon pushes him from behind. Ruhn lets out a low growl, keeping himself between Drakon and I, not moving an inch.
"Drakon, calm down," I say to both of them quickly. "There's no need to fight."
"Shut up, Kenna," Drakon snarls, his eyes narrowing on me. "His hands were all over you."
"No they weren't," Ruhn scoffs. "And don't you raise your voice to her."
At that, Drakon pushes Ruhn again, but this time, Ruhn pushes him back. "Touch me again, and I'll knock you out."
The commotion begins gathering attention of the Chief and other pack members who step out of their tents to watch.
"Ruhn kissed Kenna!" Drakon roars, looking around at the crowd of onlookers furiously.
"No I didn't," Ruhn says, his jaw tensing as his voice drops low and deadly.
"I saw it!" Drakon continues, now turning and looking to his father for support.
"Liar," Ruhn snarls, grabbing Drakon's shoulder and forcing him to look at him. Ruhn towers over Drakon, his body like a mountain compared to Drakon's figure.
"And how do we know this was their first kiss?" Drakon continues his rant, "Ruhn may have tried to kiss her earlier."
With that, Ruhn shoves Drakon back and looks over at Chief Gavriel. "This is ridiculous. If I kissed Kenna, I would admit it."
"You've been following her around since this morning!" Drakon continues to yell.
I look between the two men, unsure of whether to say something or keep my mouth shut.
"So you're lying because you're jealous?" Ruhn says with a scoff.
"Kenna is my fiancé," Drakon growls, placing a hand on my waist. "You think you can disrespect me just because I'm not the Chief yet?"
My body tenses at his grip, his fingers digging into my side. I can't remove his hands, though, or it will look even worse for Ruhn.
"You've done nothing to earn my respect besides being born to the Chief," Ruhn replies, his eyes now on Drakon's hand on my waist. "You sat out of the tournament even though all the other wolves played."
Agreements are murmured throughout the crowd. Drakon looks around with wide eyes, then pins Ruhn with a menacing glare. "I'll challenge you right now. You and me– no weapons."
The packs– and myself– gasp aloud. It's a wolf tradition that once challenged to a fight, no wolf can back down.
Ruhn looks at Chief Gavriel, silently asking for permission, and Chief Gavriel slowly nods his head. "Ruhn and Drakon will fight."
The tension among the packs is palpable as Ruhn and Drakon take to the center of the bloodball field once again. The night air is growing cooler, and I wrap my arms around myself, standing beside Caleb on the sidelines. As soon as Ruhn and Drakon get set, Drakon makes the first move, darting forward and landing a swift blow to Ruhn's jaw. The crowd cheers with excitement, but I stay silent.
Drakon's a great fighter. He's been training in combat for years in preparation for becoming Chief Alpha.
"How come you're not cheering for Drakon?" Caleb asks, looking down at me with a confused brow.
"Because he lied," I answer quietly so that the packs don't overhear. "Drakon knows Ruhn and I didn't kiss."
"A good leader doesn't lie," Caleb says with a shake of his head, his eyes falling back on Drakon, now angry. My gaze lands on the two men once again, watching as Drakon pins Ruhn to the ground, his fist pulled back to strike.
Just when it looks like Drakon has the upper hand, Ruhn twists out of his grip and rolls to the side, jumping to his feet and giving Drakon a swift kick to the back of his head. Drakon falls to the ground with a thud. He tries to get up, but then lays back down in pain.
"Ruhn wins!" Chief Gavriel calls out over the cheering packs.
Drakon struggles to his feet, clearly dazed, glaring at Ruhn. "Just wait until I'm Chief. I'm going to remove you as Alpha the first chance I get."
"Drakon," Chief Gavriel says sharply, "you've said enough. Now go back to your tent."
With a low growl, Drakon stalks off like a dog with his tail between his legs, rubbing the back of his head. Chief Gavriel and Chieftess Brianna share a look, then turn to address the packs as Ruhn makes his way over to my side. Caleb looks up at him with narrowed eyes, but says nothing.
"The wolf hunters are right across the border, and they've already sent spies into our territory. This tournament was to prepare you to go to war against them in the coming months."
Chief Gavriel turns his gaze to me and Ruhn. "The Géveaudan and Faoladh Pack's land are on the lake directly across from the wolf hunter's territory. The fighting between your packs has made the border vulnerable, which we cannot afford. Therefore, I am merging the Faoladh and Géveaudan Packs together."
"Merging?" Ruhn and I say in unison as a collective gasp echoes across the field.
"Kenna," Chief Gavriel says slowly, "you are now released from your marriage contract with Drakon..."
Relief rushes over me at not having to marry Drakon, even if it means I don't get to be Chieftess.
Sorry, Moranna.
"...And you'll be marrying Ruhn instead."

My chest tightens as gasps and growls move among the packs who had gathered to watch Ruhn and Drakon fight.
"When will the marriage take place?" Ruhn asks, not missing a beat.
I look up at him with raised brows, surprised he's being so calm about all of this.
"I will visit your pack house in one week to perform the ceremony," Chief Gavriel answers, although his face is hard and cold.
"One week?" I raised a brow, my eyes widening.
"Why the rush?" I added, ignoring the fact that it is bad enough that they are speaking about me as if I'm not even there. I guess at some point in my life, I had gotten used to everyone dictating my next step and how my life should turn out, so it doesn't bother me much either. But would it kill them to ask for my opinion on the entire ordeal?
"We need to protect the border on the lake at all costs," Chief Gavriel explains. "We don't have the luxury of fighting among each other anymore. The quickest way to ensure a strong border is for you to marry."
I take a step closer to the Chief so only he and Ruhn can hear me. "With all due respect, our packs will never work together. The hate runs too deep." I resist the urge to include that my hatred for Ruhn ran deeper, knowing that each word that shows resistance to this is me disobeying the order of the chief. 
"I refuse to accept that answer," Chief Gavriel says with a swift shake of his head. "You need to let go of the past and look to the future. If our border is not secure, the packs may not survive at all." With that, Chief Gavriel turns away from me and Ruhn to address the packs. "My decision is final. The Faoladh and Gévaudan Packs will merge as one. Anyone who goes against my decision will face death."