Page 14 of In Your Eyes
“Yes?”
“That means Korban Keller has the right to be Alpha once his father steps down. His father’s fight has nothing to do with his claim.”
“But if I beat the Alpha, I win the right to lead his pack.”
“If you beat the Alpha, you have aclaimto lead his pack. But the presumptive Alpha has a claim too. That means when you beat Dirk there will be two claims to lead Miancarem. You can choose to walk away, keeping Yafenack and leaving Miancarem to Korban Keller.”
I paused and tried to catch my breath.
“Or?” my father said impatiently. “There is anor, right?”
“Yes. In order to take over Miancarem, you’ll either need Korban to acknowledge you as Alpha and give up his claim—”
“Nobody would ever do that.”
“Or you’ll need to fight him in the same way you fight his father.” My chest ached and my stomach rolled over. “To the death.”
“I see.” He remained quiet for several long moments, his expression thoughtful. “And this fight will take place when?”
“Immediately after Dirk is defeated. If you seek to take over Dirk’s pack, the presumptive Alpha will step into the ring and take over the battle. You’ll continue from the exact same spot. You’ll remain in the same form, and the council member will restart the clock from wherever it stopped.”
“I’ve met Korban Keller on a couple of occasions, but I don’t know him well.”
“He’s strong, Dad,” I said hoarsely. “He’s a strong wolf and a strong man.”
I was having trouble thinking, sitting, breathing. To my horror, my eyes burned. I never cried. Never. And I wouldn’t allow myself to start at that moment, even if my chest felt like it was ripping in two.
“So my choices will be leaving Miancarem to Dirk’s son or battling him after I’ve been fighting with his father for who knows how long, even if I’m injured?”
I nodded, unable to formulate words.
“And if I lose?”
By that point, I was pretty sure he’d surmised the answer to that question. I cleared my throat. “The same rules apply. Korban can keep his pack, and if he wants Yafenack, the presumptive Alpha of our pack can step into the ring and continue the fight.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
No additional words needed to be said. We both knew I could never step into the ring, because once I shifted into my wolf form, I’d be unable to shift back in the time required. If I managed to shift back at all. Never in my entire life had I felt like more of a failure. I lowered my gaze in shame.
“It’s okay, Samuel.” My father patted my knee.
“I’m sorry.” My voice shook, and I hated myself even more for the display of weakness.
“Don’t be sorry for something you can’t control.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, it won’t come up. If I’d wanted to be Alpha of Miancarem, I would have challenged Dirk long ago, right?”
That made sense. I raised my gaze hopefully.
“I’ll beat Dirk in this challenge. And who knows? Maybe this newest Miancarem Alpha will be better than the others.” He stood up. “Either way, it isn’t our problem.”
Those words were so unlike anything my father had ever said or taught me that I knew he didn’t mean them. He wanted to help all shifters, not only those in our pack. That was part of what made him such a great Alpha. But Yafenack came first, and he wouldn’t risk losing our pack to an outsider.
Defeating Dirk Keller was a sure thing. Beating a man nearly two decades his junior immediately after that battle wasn’t as certain. I had no doubt my father would have tried it anyway and risked his life for the good of both packs. But to do that, he had to have faith in his backup—me. And we both knew that without being able to shift smoothly, I would fail the challenge.
Chapter 5
INORDERto prevent a riot or unsanctioned fighting among the crowd, the interpack council had the right to limit the number of people who could attend a challenge. Heath Farbis, the council member sent to witness the battle between my father and Dirk Keller, limited the number of people to ten—five chosen by each Alpha. I would attend, of course. My brother and sister were too young to go. And despite the fact she would rather have been anywhere other than watching her husband fight, my mother insisted on coming to the battle.
