Page 66 of Rescued By the Beast
I laugh dryly. A guttural, threatening sound, meant to expose the foolishness of his words. His eyes flash with irritation, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
"You invaded my territory twice. Did you think I would let that slide?" He spits out the words with disdain.
"I didn't invade," I growl. "I just passed by."
"Don't play dumb. I know exactly what you were doing. You tried to provoke me, to test my authority. As Alpha, I cannot let this go unpunished. My territory, my leadership," he roars, the tension exploding.
I take a step forward, and the wolves behind him stiffen, watching my every move. Liam narrows his eyes, clenching his fists. Sharp claws protrude from his fingers.
"Do you really want this?"
"I do." His voice is firm. "On the first night of the full moon, in the central clearing of the forest. Duel with me."
I hold back a laugh, but the wild gleam in his eyes tells me he's serious. I look up at the crescent moon, already halfway through its cycle, which means the duel will be in four days.
I look back at him.
"It's a deal." My teeth bare in a menacing snarl. "Don't regret it later."
Liam smiles cynically, a hungry gleam of violence in his eyes.
"You'll be the one to regret it, you mongrel bastard," he says, arrogance overflowing from his words. "Let's seal the deal with a promise of blood and moonlight. Unless you want to back out..."
Before he even finishes his sentence, I press the tip of my claw against the palm of my other hand, piercing the skin just enough for a trickle of blood to drip onto the moonlit ground. Liam does the same, extending his arm so that his blood falls next to mine. The drops cross the barrier and meet, mixing together, and the pool sparkles for a brief moment — the pact is sealed.
"Done," I murmur, feeling the bond of the promise tie a knot inside me.
The full moon will be our reckoning.
Chapter 23
Sandra
I peer through the window, my eyes fixed on Mark's silhouette, which stands out imposingly outside. They are a little distant, but I strain my ears to hear the conversation.
A duel... with his half-brother.
The challenge has been issued, and my body tenses just thinking about it. I know what this means... Rumours speak of duels between wolves, and usually one of them doesn't come out alive.
But as I look at Mark, all imposing, strong and fierce, something stirs inside me. I can't help it. He looks like a force of nature. Even knowing the horror it will bring — duelling with his own brother — I can't help but feel a warmth invading my body. It wouldn't be so bad if Mark wiped out that jerk's race. Every time I crossed paths with the alpha, he and his wolves mistreated me. The alpha wolf is horrible.
And Mark...
A sigh escapes me, thinking about how well he treats me.
How he protects me.
How he moves, the way his posture exudes power...
Even when he transforms into his hybrid form, he's... sexy, in a wild way. His presence, so colossal and full of power, all muscle and strength, is so intense and...
I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to push these crazy thoughts away.
For heaven's sake, Sandra, this isn't right!
I watch the wolves disappear into the darkness of the forest. Mark resumes his human form and walks back into the cabin. I jump off the ledge and run down the stairs, rushing towards him. As soon as I cross his path, he takes me in his arms and presses me against his chest.
His breathing is heavy.
