I am so lost in my head I have not heard one word of the conversation going on around me. Candice is beside me talking with her father. Vivian is at my other just observing. Bruno and another Were are behind us as back up. I barely noticed the six other Weres that arrived with Alexander Hull, Candice's father, second in command of the Huron Pack. I am brought back to the moment when I hear the word mutt.
"... this mutt? You would degrade yourself with someone who associates with Immortals?" her father is badgering her.
"You killed my mother," it comes out a whisper but clearly everyone hears it. Every eye in the room is now on me. Alexander looks at me. I see the shock in his eyes the moment he realizes who I am but he quickly covers it with a snarl.
"Possible, I rid the world of pollution and if she lay with Immortals she deserved the death." My eyes blaze fire at that moment. He may be good at schooling his features but I see his uncertainty for a millisecond.
"She was innocent, hunted because of someone else's fear."
"So you say. I follow the orders of my Alpha; she clearly had broken some law."
"So you don't remember her?" He shrugs. "You murder women and children so often you can't recall them all, does your daughter know this about you?" He cannot mask the hate at this moment. I look over to see the confusion in Candice's eyes.
"So my reputation precedes me," is his answer. His crew snickers. "I am the enforcer of the Huron Pack. It is my job to punish those who break our laws."
"Her only crime was giving birth to me."
"Then you should blame yourself for her death not me. Mutt spawn should be put down immediately." I take a step toward him. I could care less if he has about a foot on me, probably a good fifty pounds too. All I know is this man is responsible for my mother's death and my close brush with it. He stands tall and glares down at me. "Should I be scared of a runt like you?" he laughs. His pack joins him in it. I just stare at those eyes for a minute, hearing the whispers in my head, suggesting, urging for his blood. A calculating smile graces my lips.
"Why should you be afraid of the Heir to the Loch Diergeirt Paca? Blood decedent of Arden Connor, son of Deja Jacques, the woman you beat then raped and murdered." I have stepped closer with each response. My eyes never leaving his, my grin widening at the understanding I see in them. "You should have checked for a pulse or did you purposely leave me alive? Hated to see the way the Were community was changing. No longer first born mated sons, only Alpha challenge born male heirs elevated to Alpha status. Thousands of years' worth of traditions being destroyed by one greedy fuck. Not even a true Alpha, his status stolen through underhanded means..."
"Enough," a younger male beside him cuts off my rant. A quick glance and I see Candice's fiancé stepping toward me, one of the bastard sons of the Huron Alpha. I barely register the movement as my hand slashes out at his neck. His mouth moves wordlessly as his hands reach up to cover his shredded throat. Blood is pouring though his hands as he drops to his knees. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion but in reality was only seconds. My clawed hand is clutching a bloody chunk. I hear Candice's screams and others shouting all around me. I turn back in time to see Alexander launch himself at me. We are on the ground instantly. My hands clawing at him as his fists connect with my body.
Revenge is the only thing that matters at this moment. Mentally I relinquish control to Rodrique. He has harbored the hate for this creature far longer than I. An inhuman roar rips from my throat as I shift. Another Were, Candice's brother tries to pull her father away from me but he is taken down by Bruno. Alexander is knocked off balance. He gets to his feet at the same time I do.
"Still a runt even as a Werewolf, pathetic," he laughs. "Let me show you what a real wolf looks like son." I don't wait for him to finish shifting before flying at him. We hit the ground rolling, fighting for top position. He may be bigger and stronger than me but nowhere near as quick. I see his fists coming moments before they can connect. If I could smile in this form I would at the moment I see his eyes register my fist connecting with his face. He shakes it off and we fight. It is brutal and bloody. He can't resist taunting me with things about my mother.
"She was the worse fuck I ever had," he growls.
"Your daughter is phenomenal," I laugh back. Our voices are so strange and gravelly sounding in hybrid form. As the fight progresses the taunting continues. When he tries to insult me or my mother I come back with things I have done to his daughter. His only daughter.
"Her mother was my boon for taking your life and your mother's." That response makes me falter. "You do realize your mate would have never been born if I would not have killed your mother," he tries to grin but in hybrid form it is more like a sneer. I know he is trying to goad me and I fall for it. He expects it when I launch myself at him, he twists to the side and I go skidding past. I shake my head to clear it. This man definitely has decades of fighting experience on me but he is having a difficult time beating me. I briefly wonder why no one is getting involved in the fight but soon realize the significance. He is not an Alpha but is one at a functional capacity. I have to prove myself as a capable Alpha. At this moment I understand that this is a battle to the death and I accept that. If only for the sake of my mother. The state of the supernatural world has no bearing on this moment. If I die here all hope may be lost for the end of the war but I could go in peace knowing I tried my hardest to avenge my mother.
I am trying to recover when he hits me in the side and we go down. Claws slicing and teeth ripping. Pain and blood. His teeth are in my arm as an image flashes into my head. I wonder if Vivian will be able to survive my death. She is bound to me by blood and spirit. As if by thought alone my gaze is drawn behind me. I see the anxiety and sadness on her face. Can feel her willing me the strength to defeat him. I howl as pain shoots up my arm and something snaps inside. My other hand is a blur of blows. His eyes flash surprise the moment my claws pierce the soft skin under his jaw.
"No!" Candice screams. I withdraw my hand and her father collapses onto me. His body shudders as blood pours from the gaping wound in his neck. I shove him off and slowly get to my feet. "Father," she runs over to crouch beside him. "Oh no, no, please.." she is pleading. My anger over takes me. I do something I never thought I was capable of. I grab her by the hair and yank her away from him. I look around the room to see four remaining Weres from the Huron pack bloody and battered. They are alive but restrained. Everyone was waiting to see the outcome of my battle. Candice's brother must have chosen to fight to the death because he lies crumpled not far from her dead fiancé.
"The ally of our enemy is our enemy as well. The Huron Pack has proved to be in league with Roderin Connor." I yank Candice's head back and make her meet my eyes. I let her see my intention in them clearly. I look at her father and see him struggling to remain conscious. "You will denounce your allegiance to the Huron Pack and acknowledge me as your Alpha," I demand meeting Candice's eyes again. Her eyes move between me and her fathers. After her reluctance to mate me and her uncertainty now I lose it. I drag her up by her hair, pulling her back against my body. I realize my other arm is useless and shove her back down to the ground, right beside her father. He is struggling to move but a swift kick in the side and he ceases his struggle. I kneel down and begin to tear at her clothes.
"Your daughter may be the product of my mother's death but she is going to be the vessel that ensures my future. The next generation of Connor Heirs will come from her womb. I have spent weeks already working on it." I am behind her naked body, forcing her up on her knees. "Denounce the Huron pack and acknowledge me as your Alpha or your father dies now." Alexander tries to shake his head but only succeeds in making the blood gush from his wounds. The remaining Huron Weres growl. They are quickly silenced by their captors. "Should the four of them die as well? It is your choice Candice," I growl into her ear loud enough that everyone in the room hears.
"No," she chokes out after a moment. He father is gasping, trying to get her to look at him. She tilts her head to the side, looking away from everything as she answers, "the Huron pack is dead to me. Rodrique Connor is my Alpha and my mate." He father groans his disapproval at the same time I shove Candice down and ram my hard cock into her. She screams and he begins to struggle again but his strength is diminished. We may heal faster than human but the damage to his neck is severe. Only immediate treatment would save his life now. I demand Candice to proclaim her loyalty over and over again as I take her roughly in front of her father. I am disgusted by my behavior at this moment but also empowered. This is how it feels to an Alpha, when one claims victory over another pack, making a female submit is symbolic of the whole pack. I know I have not defeated the true Alpha of Huron but this small victory does a lot for my wolf's confidence. My teeth pierce her flesh as I mark her again before her father. Roderin enjoys the pained look on Alexander's face; Candice's scream is like music to his ears.
