HIS Young Mate: "Sequel to Her Young Mate"

Part Thirty Nine: Pushed

Everyone is quiet except Frea.

"Owen!" She exclaims as she runs to him, and starts checking him. No one else moves, except for Daniel and I, as our eyes meet and my chest heaves from the effort I had to put forth. Blood is still dripping down my nose and my head is ringing. I hear Durst's heart beating erratically behind me when I try to focus on him, but he doesn't speak a word or even utter one in his mind towards me. I know he probably wants to check me, make sure I'm alright, but my wolf is pacing inside of me in a way that clearly says "stand down". I know Daniel must sense it too. I feel a very protective energy emanating from him, but it's not directed towards me in a protective way, it's directed at me, as if to protect the others. I don't let the thing trying to consume me lately show. I can't. I need Daniel to know that I only want to be Beta, no more. I'm not sure if this proves I deserve it, but it's the message I want to send.

I need him to trust me, because this is what I need to push these other thoughts and feelings away.

I take a knee, the knee that I just hit Owen with, and bow my head to Daniel. I had risked everything challenging Owen, but winning the fight wasn't the real challenge, as difficult as that was. The real challenge was convincing Danny that I still wanted to be part of the pack, under his guidance. Which I did, I would always want to be respectful to my brother, and for now I wanted to become a Beta. Long term what I want is to be an Alpha. Not a Luna, an Alpha of my own pack alongside Daniel's pack. At least it's what my heart is telling me now. This land is huge, and for a long time this pack had taken care of it, but it's evident that with the human population growing so is the wolf population. With more wolves comes more rogues. I wanted to combat that and not grow this pack, but grow my own alongside my brother. I needed freedom and I hated being told what to do, so it would be the only logical solution. My first step, though, is this. I need this to work.

Owen is coming to, at first with a bit of difficulty, but when he does make a coherent sound he makes some of the others jump.

"WOOOH! What a rush!" He yells excitedly.

"Shit! You scared me." Kaylee yells as she throws a clump of grass at him in my peripheral.

I don't move. I don't flinch. I barely breath.

"Alright, round two," Danny says as he steps closer. I look up and he's got into a relaxed fighting stance. I'm on my feet instantly. "If you need to, Owen, Frea can tend to you in the bunk house."

"I'm fine, I'm gonna watch!" Owen's excited, and I'm glad I didn't hurt him too much, but I'd be lying if I said I was excited for fighting Daniel. He's stronger than Owen, and I barely got Owen down. He knows my strategies, because he's taught me all of them. If I do get him down I'm gonna shake up more than I already did. There's really no winning. I don't want this, but I can't back down now.

"Let me, Sir." Durst is in front of me, before I can even reply. "I won't let her fight you. She can't beat you, and you know it-"

"Durst." I say his name begrudgingly, but he doesn't even look at me this time. I watch his muscles flex and tense, and his wolf's energy is defensive.

"The point isn't for her to win Durst, the point is that she wants to be tested. That's what I'm going to do." My brothers eyes narrow as he looks back at Durst as he steps closer.

"I said no." Durst says in a voice that I've never heard from him. Ever. Durst had always been a big teddy bear. Strong, but rarely confrontational. I had heard him with a raised temper at Beckett a few times, but even then he didn't sound like this. There was a finality in his voice that sounded like he would kill for me, and I suppose he has.