The Waitress and Her Alpha

| XXXII - Her Fight |

"Mother?" I call in return. She nods once.

"It's time I make my own name, yes? A fitting end to the tragic story. The son that killed his father, and the woman too weak to kill herself over his grave. Always suffering but never strong enough to take her own life, a terrible example of till death do us part. I've been dead a while, Ares. It's time I take his hand again." Her eyes spill tears, body wracking with pain, "Thank you, Ares. For finding a good one that gave me a last chance."

"I won't do this." My own confusion melts to sadness. I didn't, don't understand what she's speaking of or trying to convey, "No. Recall your challenge. I'll bestow honor upon you, nothing will change."

"I'll never fit into your world Ares. Every time I look at you, I see the man that slaughtered the love of my life. You are no son to me, at least not anymore." I look to Tyson, the Tusk. A notable hole in the mass of women stands out. Her blanket litters the ground, and before I can call out for her, she's standing in front of me, "So you accepted my challenge young one?" She looks at Veronica. Her body is strong and still before me, protecting me. My mother gives her a nod of respect, I grab the shoulder of my mate turning her to look at me.

"What are you doing?" I seethe between my teeth. Veronica gives a sad smile reaching her hand up to my cheek.

"Taking the burden off your shoulders, submitting to this life, and protecting you from any more pain." Her mind is blocked, no thoughts in or out. I'm attempting to put things together, figure out what is unfolding before my very eyes, but there's no time before Tyson is dragging me across the cold ground while I reach for my mate.

"As Luna Gray of this pack, I call She-Wolf Law!" Her voice echoes over the mass of people, "As the previous Luna has challenged, I will end this once and for all. Kneel before me if you accept my challenge!" I can see the burning of fire behind her eyes, the pain cracking over her skin like a broken shield. Her hands stay gripped tightly at her side; hair braided down her back. The blanket wasn't to keep her warm, it was to cover the fighting attire wrapped so beautifully over her unscarred skin. Tyson must keep me back as the pack drops to their knees taking her challenge with stride. Their eyes glaze with respect, and heartache for their Luna. She radiates power. If I wasn't so fearful, I would be in absolute awe.

"This is the only way to guarantee her respect and safety within the pack walls. Killing the previous Luna will instate her in all wolf ways and protect you from having to kill your own mother. Mrs. Gray knows that she's ready to die, but that doesn't mean she'll back down from a fight, and they're fighting in human form." Tyson mumbles in amazement for the woman I've been gifted, "She'll earned respect from the whole damn country. A human has never..."

He doesn't say it. He doesn't have to. A marked human has never won against a true blood, and yet something sings to me in pride. My woman wouldn't have agreed unless she knew she could win. My mother's sick last gift to her. A win in this ring promises a secure future, one where she wouldn't have to worry about walking down the pack streets. I've never explained the dangers that luke in the night, one of them being myself, but she's learned well enough. She doesn't need me to save her from things that go bump in the night or protect her from backstabbing bitches. I've been so blind to the power my little vixen holds. Now I kneel in submission to her, her challenge. If only I'd noticed sooner. I've been looking through blinders seeing her only a human woman that needs a strong man.

How wrong was I?

"We fight in human form. No weapons. To the death." My mother calls out. The two women move to their positions, preparing for the call from Tyson.