Alpha Due’s lip curled back in disgust. “You’re a real dickwad, aren’t you?” he remarked idly, making Gwyar sputter. “Considering Raff was to meet me yesterday evening at the conference, I knew something was wrong and spent some time trying to search for him. I assumed he had merely returned to his pack for an emergency. Then I got a call from one of my loyal wolves” —he growled the words toward Syaoran who flinched— “at the desk who recognized Raff when he checked in here. I knew I’d be needed back, so I took a chopper. Since I know he said not to allow anyone in his room, I damn well know he didn’t call you here.”
Gwyar shrugged, all traces of the affable male gone. “Be that as it may, the challenge has been issued. Stop healing him. Now.”
“No.” I shoved command into the order, though I knew it wasn’t needed.
Alpha Due sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Alarick, I’m sorry, but—”
I smiled at him, shaking my head. “There’s a problem with Gwyar’s challenge, Alpha Due.” Gwyar froze, going over everything in his head as he searched for what he might have missed. Shaw pushed past her brother, color high in her cheeks as she glared at me.
“You’re just a pup,” she hissed. “What would you know about the laws?”
“Plenty.” I shrugged. “However, this isn’t a problem with the law. It’s a problem with the alpha.”
“Alarick,” Alpha Due said gently, tugging on the collar of his shirt, “challenging him when he’s injured like this is wrong, but it is legal.”
“We’ll ignore the fact that he challenged him after poisoning him with vervain.” I waved a hand as if that meant nothing.
Alpha Due gasped, his eyes widening as he sputtered before turning to Gwyar. “You did what?”
“He wasn’t at the conference,” Gwyar blustered, puffing out his chest as his face paled. “He makes baseless accusations.”
“We can sense the vervain in him, you ass,” Pixie growled, not even looking up. “And since there’s no other way you’d know he was dying so you could have a chance at beating him—because believe me, I think he could still take your pathetic ass out—the only logical conclusion is you’re the one who poisoned him.”
Raff’s chuckle was weak. “You’ll make a good daughter-in-law,” he whispered.
“Okay, not going there yet,” she told him, a pretty flush coloring her cheeks, “but you get a pass cause you almost died.” Goddess, she was cute when she blushed.
Alpha Due let out a rumbling growl, the sound humming across the room. “I understand your logic, Beta. Unfortunately, without immediate proof, the challenge must happen.”
“The challenge would have happened,” I corrected him, “if he had challenged the Alpha of Lupine Hollow.”
“Liar!” Gwyar snapped, thrusting a finger toward Raff. “You’re simply trying to buy time for your healers to finish and for your father to transfer his powers to you.”
I smiled, though there was no humor in it. “He already has. If you took one minute to actually pay attention to your senses, to feel anything around you, you’d notice it. But just like you never noticed Penny’s powers, you didn’t notice my father’s passing to me.”
“No!” Gwyar howled, slamming his fist into the wall. “Impossible! You just got here. He couldn’t have made the transfer.” He was shaking now, his wolf riding him, encouraging him to lash out.
“If you make a move, I will end you,” I whispered. There was no need to raise my voice, not with the room quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Alpha Due stepped toward me, breathing deeply, his eyes on mine. I didn’t back away, didn’t try to hide as his wolf pushed forward, searching for mine. I pushed my magic to the forefront, similar to the way I had when Pixie and I had faced off for her first challenge. It didn’t take much, just a small shove, and he gasped. “Well, hell,” he exclaimed, his face going nearly as gray as his hair. “That’s going to take some explaining.”
“Lies!” Shaw hissed. “I demand proof!”
I whirled on her, my lip rising as I let my magic out in a wave, crashing over the wolves in the room. The Starlight Woods wolves whimpered, cowering and crying out as if struck, flinching away from the lash of power. My packmates shuddered and a moan slipped from Pixie’s lips, her eyes flashing up to mine. “Not helpful right now,” she hissed at me, though a small smile played over