The Alpha's Prey [Alpha-series (I)]

Chapter 29

My hands froze in midair, still clasping the plate I was about to wash up. I blinked and turned to my mate in surprise, then comprehension slowly dawned on me.

“Oh, did I say that out loud?”, I asked even if the answer was obvious.

“Loud and clear”, he laughed, the deep, warm sound wrapping around me like a tender hug.

I flushed. When I was alone with Caleb, I felt completely at ease – so much so that at times, my thoughts just left my mouth. I didn’t mind much since there was nothing I wasn’t ready to share with him, but that he had anchored himself so deep within me that there was no telling anymore where I ended and he started … It was a level of intimacy that would take some time to get used to.

“Warriors. Why twelve warriors? Why not five or six?”

“An Alpha is not only superior when it comes to physical and mental strength”, he started to explain while drying the plate I had washed before. “We have some other tricks up our sleeves as well.”

He put the dried plate back in the cupboard and I handed him the next one.

“If I call upon my wolf and concentrate, one look at another person moving their body in any kind of way, even if it’s only walking past me, will tell me what their strengths and weaknesses are. What is their dominant hand? How experienced and fast are they? What part of me would they target first? That way it’s easy for me to predict their every move and counter them.”

“And other wolves can’t do that?”

“Warriors can, but on a much smaller scale than an Alpha. I was already born with this ability, could sharpen it all my life, while a warrior has to learn from scratch.”

My brows furrowed.

“Then how come I managed to hit you with a showerhead, Mr. I-can-predict-every-move?”

“Concentration is key”, he emphasized. “I panicked when I smelled your blood, acted on impulse. My emotions were in the way.”

His eyes darkened as he relived the memories of that day.

“That won’t happen during our claiming ceremony. So, to make the fight somewhat balanced, the number of my opponents has to be able to distract me. Taking on five, six, seven, eight men at once? Even if they are warriors, they are still no match for me. It has to be at least more than ten men to make it challenging for me.”

“A challenge …”, I mumbled, couldn’t shake off the awful picture in my head of Caleb being surrounded. Of Caleb being hurt.

Two strong arms engulfed me. I sighed and leaned back into my mate’s embrace.

“You of all people should know that I am a merciless predator”, he growled, going all Alpha. “And I always catch my prey.”

When the first warrior launched an attack, immediately followed by half of his brethren, my heart skipped a beat. The crowd screamed in excitement, so it obviously was a heated battle worth its watch. Not like I could judge for myself. Their speedy movements raised the dust from the dry floor, and with my wolf under lock, it was impossible for me to see what was going on. Damn wolfsbane!