Mating Season

Who is Alpha here?

Chapter Eight (Who is Alpha here?)

Amber was thrown off of Gaspard's back onto her ass when he suddenly lunged without warning.

No! her wolf growled, alarmed.

Her Beta went for the jugular. He was going for the kill! Suddenly very afraid and frantic, Amber scrambled to her feet and reached for her guns in jerky movements. But before she could pull them out of their holsters, the black wolf reacted. He moved out of the way in a swift, powerful jump to the side—it seemed to her that he almost floated. Gaspard wasn't daunted that he'd missed, however. He pounced again.

Gaspard, stop right now! she mentally shrieked, but either he wasn't listening or he was purposely ignoring her.

But why was she trying to stop him, anyway? Lucas was the enemy! She ought to be fighting him herself!

The two wolves engaged in a vicious fight the likes of which she'd never seen before. Unable to interfere or put a stop to it, she was made to watch, her entire body tense with worry. It proved to be a bloody, messy battle. The two werewolves scratched with sharpened claws, and bit and barked at each other. They kicked up dirt and tore grass from the soil and flicked it into the air. Suddenly, they disengaged and hopped away at the same time, then proceeded to circle each other like a pair of lions, looking for an opening to attack.

To Amber, they seemed equally matched in terms of strength and speed.

She was wrong.

Before she even realized it, Lucas suddenly pounced and forcefully slammed Gaspard into a tree. The force of the blow shattered the tree, splitting it in half as if it were a twig. Her Beta lay on the ground, unmoving at first, then he stirred. A low rumble escaped him. Amber drew her guns and cocked them, her anger escalating. Unsatisfied, he shoved a paw into Gaspard's jugular, slowly crushing his windpipe.

"Stop!"

She took aim.

His eyes —cold, fathomless black eyes—looked at her, his paw still hovering over Gaspard's jugular. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach started churning and turning. Their eyes held, their gazes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Even in wolf form, he was a sight to behold. He towered over most wolves, even most Alphas.

How could someone who was so beautiful on the outside be so ugly on the inside?

"Get away from him." Her voice lacked its usual conviction and authority. Her hands shook. Her hands shook, dammit!

He pressed his paw deeper into Gaspard's throat. Gaspard started to wheeze, letting out a choked, whistling sound. He was challenging her. She was Alpha in these parts, not him, goddammit!

"What do you want?" she demanded angrily. A droplet of sweat slid down the side of her face.

Was her fear palpable? Did it fill the air with its stench?

Damn that Gaspard! He'd gone and gotten himself beaten, leaving her in a difficult situation where any wrong move by either of them could get him killed. She'd lost the power even before she'd ever grasped it in her hands, even before she'd begun to fight.

Amber was so incredibly frustrated that she wanted to cry tears of blood.

His eyes were an obsidian black that seemed to swallow everything like a blackhole. She was in danger of being swallowed herself. Amber could see her face reflected in them. She didn't like what she saw.

Who is Alpha here?

His voice, deep and husky, echoed in her mind. Even though she desperately tried to suppress it, she visibly shivered, affected by him.

So, he wanted to meet with the Alpha, did he?

It hurt her that he didn't even care that she was here, that he didn't think to ask how she was doing or what she was doing here. Not that she'd expected him to.

She squared her shoulders and raised her chin proudly and arrogantly. Confidently, she answered, "I am."

He morphed back to human form and was upon her before Amber had the chance to react.

He pinned her by the neck to a great tree behind her. She dangled a few feet above the ground. She was eye-level with him now as he pressed her into the tree trunk with such force, she feared that either her spine or the trunk would soon give. Her guns were gone, lying somewhere on the grass. With his strong, calloused hand wrapped around her slender neck, she was quite literally at his mercy.

She wheezed, "L-Let go of me, bastard!"

He only tightened his hand around her neck in response, to the point where she was sure it would leave an imprint that would remain for a few days before healing. Her breathing heavily restricted, she gasped for air like a fish out of water. She grabbed at his hand with both of hers, trying but ultimately failing to pry away his vice-like grip. She was beginning to feel lightheaded. Alarmed, she started kicking and flailing her legs pitifully. She struck his right hip with all her strength, and he finally budged and released her with a pained growl.

Angry, she swiped at his chest with her extended nails, raking his flesh open.

He backed away, but only a step.

They held each other's gazes and glared.

"So, you're an alpha now, huh?"

These were the first words he'd spoken to her since that fateful day six years ago.

She didn't think it was possible, but he was even more handsome than the last time she'd seen him. He had an air of maturity and superiority to him that wasn't there before.

His short crack of laughter was mocking, and it grated on her nerves. His lip curling and his tone edged with scorn, he sneered, "How dare you, a lowly Omega, pretend to be an Alpha? Who gave you the right to claim territory?"

Amber knew she'd regret it. She knew it with certainty. But still, she said, "Screw you." Then, she spat directly in his face like a python spewing venom. He looked away, the way one did when they received an unexpected, unwelcome 'gift', then raised his free hand to the drop of saliva against the corner of his mouth and wiped it. He stared at his hand for a very long time.

Her heart, already hammering painfully against her ribcage, began to beat double the force and speed. She'd done it now. He was going to kill her for sure. Or at least try to.

But she was willing to give as good as she got. She'd rip out those accusatory eyes while she was at it.

Instead of killing her like she'd imagined, Lucas did something that shocked her to her very core.

He chuckled, sounding amused.

His cold black eyes bore into her, pinning her in place. Slowly, very slowly, his eyes started to glow an iridescent amber color that stole her breath away. Then, his eyes dropped to her mouth. Her heart stuttered.

Not this again-

Without warning, he swooped on her like a hawk and claimed her lips. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Nasty boy. You can't have it both ways. 

Amber, the Vipress! Tss, tss, motherfuckers. 

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