Claws // Colby Brock

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"Finish off the bloodline?" Tara repeated quietly in confusion. I barely looked at her to convey now wasn't the time. Amira could tell them about Dickwad's mistreatment another time, not when they were at the cusp of fighting.

Dickwad weighed it in his head for a few long seconds, and it was at that moment I realised Blake hadn't done anything to reign him in; no effort to shut him up, no effort to diffuse the situation, no effort to take control of his own pack. I didn't even know if Dickwad was a part of the pack, but even if he wasn't, Blake could be doing something. And he wasn't. Amira was right, he wasn't fit to lead.

I couldn't help myself from getting involved, even a little. "I didn't know alphas are so passive."

From my position, I could just about see Amira's lips twist up slightly, as Blake's murderous gaze was turned to me in offence. He parted his lips to speak but my stunning smart-mouth One got there first. "It's almost like he was given the position instead of winning it properly through a challenge."

"Blake did win the challenge," Anna defended instantly, as if she'd had to do it before.

"Doesn't mean he wasn't allowed to win by Dickwad," Amira pointed out. "Did you know that although both parties are gifted the power of an alpha to make it fair, the one with stronger leadership skills has an advantage? It's what makes the traditional challenge mean so much in the Goddess's eyes, but of course, it can still be rigged. If one side doesn't try..."

"That's a load of bullshit, it's a battle of physical strength," Kian spat, as frustrated as his brother now.

Amira snickered. "No, it's not. It's a battle to determine the next alpha. Brutes don't always have the mental capacity or skills to lead." She specifically turned her head to Blake. "As is visibly clear."

Anna frowned. "That goes against everything we've ever been told about it, where'd you get that from?"

"Luna," I answered, just to see their reaction at my casual reference to a woman they worshipped almost as much as the Goddess herself. It bore just the fruit I was hoping for, when a dozen wolfish faces started glaring or gawping at me.

"You went to see Mama Luna?! With him?" Anna whispered in astonishment. "Amira, that's sacred ground!"

"I asked permission," she replied simply.

"You know I don't care that you're with a vampire but to take him to Mama Luna even with permission... and did he just call her Luna? That's-"

"That was her request," I interrupted smugly.

Anna narrowed her eyes. "I find that hard to believe. No one calls her Luna, not even her closest advisers, why would she tell you to call her that? It's not even her actual name."

"Imagine if it was," Amira mused. "Imagine if a vampire got to call her by her real name."

"Now who's playing mind games?" Dickwad growled as he finally left the security of the pack's presence. He walked further afield toward Amira, but didn't quite get close enough that she could swipe out and actually hit him. Whether or not he thought he was stronger than her, he was being cautious not to put himself in any danger. We'd seen plenty of vampires who were just as insecure about their abilities and trying to hide it.

If he wanted to square up to her, he should've done it properly.

"You're itching for a fight, right, Andrews?" he asked, tilting his head slowly to one side. "I'm sure that can be arranged, even if it's not with one of us."

"Fighting you would be teaching you a lesson," Amira muttered, before lowering her head. As Dickwad gave her a half-assed response, she whispered so only we would be able to hear her. "Someone's coming, I can smell them. And the scent is familiar."

I glanced over our surroundings but couldn't hear or see much. Whoever was coming didn't have a heartbeat, which meant either vampires were in the area, or Blake had somehow called his allies, which was a big problem.

Amira replied to Dickwad while the rest of us tried to find the incomers. How she was able to smell them when we couldn't even hear them was extraordinary, but slightly worrying. Not knowing where they were coming from could mean they were coming from behind us, and it just so happened the weakest of us were back there. As if reading my mind, Mike and Kevin subtly slipped to the back of our group and Amira glanced back at me before waving her hand mid-sentence in what looked to be a random direction. Whoever it was, was coming from the right.

As I caught the slightest leaf crunch, Anna took a few steps ahead of the pack, putting them all on edge, and called out, "Amira, please. Can you just let this go and back off? I don't want to be against you over something like this. It isn't any of your business, anyway."

Amira considered her for a long moment, though I knew we weren't going to abandon the rivalry against Aiden just because of the magic of friendship. Eventually, as the leaf crunch was accompanied by another, she said, "No, I'm not letting this go." She took a step back and simultaneously, two figures strolled casually from the trees. It had been a while since I'd seen either of them, but their faces were ingrained into my mind.

I didn't think, I just zipped up to Amira's side and straightened my posture, watching our two biggest enemies for years taking their place beside people Amira used to be able to trust.

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