"You're joking." Tatiana sighed.
"No. I am not joking." Alexei informed his sister as we followed the Pack members gathering on the fields.
"Seems like everyone wants to see." Alexei muttered, taking in the increasing gaggle of people.
Kian and Aella were set to duel against the Bennett twins. Nevertheless, their matches were set to occur at the same time. There were more people ready to observe Aella's fight against Ace, compared to the humble crowd surrounding Kian's section.
"This is my first time seeing a duel play out." Sascha admitted as we approached the reserved areas for the duels. "I don't know what to do. Who should we watch?"
I glanced over the crowd gathered near Aella's side. Tatum and Allison were already there, holding hands as Aella spoke to them. She was dressed in her fighting skins, with her hair tightly braided down her back in a detailed fishtail.
She caught my gaze and instantly made a run for me, startling both Tatum and Allison in the process. "Pen!"
I caught her before she rolled us into the grass.
Before she could speak, I grabbed her cheeks, squishing them. "You're going to kick ass today Aella Spades."
"Of course, I am." She grinned, wide. Aella quickly glanced behind her, hearing the whispers grow. Jude had just made an appearance amongst the group that gathered to observe Aella's fight. There was a quiet but knowing look on his face as he shared a look with his mate before he broke off into the direction of Allison and Tatum.
"Wow, that was intense." Sascha whispered beside me.
Aella's attention swept to Alexei's younger sister, "Hey, I'm Aella."
Sascha gaped, blinking. "H-hello. I'm Sascha. Alexei's sister."
"Nice to meet you." Aella introduced herself. "You have gorgeous hair."
"Oh, thank you." Sascha patted her head, smiling self-consciously. I wanted to grab her cheeks and squish them too since she was just adorable.
"I'm Tatiana." The older Vasiliev woman held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you too. You look like Alexei."
"She gets that a lot." Alexei chuckled when Tatiana couldn't hide her scowl fast enough.
"I didn't realise a lot of people would come today." Aella piped up. I followed her gaze, nodding.
"I think Kian is nervous." Aella whispered. "I saw him earlier. He looked like a mess. I tried to lift his mood, but he can't quite hide away his feelings, or at least, the pretending."
"I'll talk to him." I assured her.
Aella took my hand, glancing at the Vasiliev siblings. She gave them all an apologetic look, "I'm just going to steal away my friend away for a few minutes, is that alright?" She asked.
"Ask Alex." Sascha replied.
"Pen can make her own decisions." Alexei flicked his sister's forehead, "You on the other hand still need to come to me for permission, particularly if it involves this Rayne boy I've heard so much about." He muttered.
"How do you know about Rayne?!" Sascha gasped, horrified.
"Ah, it may have slipped." Tatiana winced, rubbing the length of her elbow.
As the siblings ventured off elsewhere, arguing back and forth, Aella dragged me away until we were a fair distance away from the accumulating crowd.
She peered over her shoulder several times, I was beginning to wonder why she was being suspicious. She did this two more times before I grabbed her chin, stopping her from doing it a third time. "You're being weird. Spit it out." I demanded.
"Icannntspeakwithhhhmynkuth."
I released her jaw. She pulled back, pouting as she pressed her fingers along the pinkened skin. "You sure have a good grip there. You almost pulled my whole face off."
"Sorry, now tell me the real reason why you pulled me away. Your mate keeps glancing over here and I don't want any issues with the Alpha."
"He won't do anything to you. He knows you're my girl. If he messes with you, he messes with me, and my man does not like to see me upset."
"Ok, cool. Now spill. Why are you being suspicious?"
Aella took a deep breath.
I waited.
"I think I'm going to shit myself." She exhaled, covering her chest with a quivering palm. In fact, she appeared as if she was going to faint soon. There was barely any colour on her face as she tried to control her breathing.
"What?"
She frantically nodded, "And I'm pregnant."
"WHAT?!"
Aella clapped a hand over my mouth, "Shhh, Jude doesn't know yet."
I shook her hand away, "What the fuck are you doing trying to fight Ace?"
Her face paled even more, if possible, "I don't know. When I accepted, I didn't know I was growing baby Jude in my belly. I can't just walk away now. I committed-"
"Yes, you are walking away right now. You're not going to fight Ace. Jude will be furious if you put your baby in danger. This is a duel Aella. People can die from these duels. People can get seriously hurt in these things. What if Ace pulls a dirty move on you and does something that may make you lose the baby altogether?"
Aella bit her lip. "There's no one to duel-"
"I'll do it."
Aella froze, blinking. "W-what?"
"Let me do it. I want to do it."
Her eyes grew wet. "Pen-"
"I'm doing it. Tell Jude there has been a change of plans."
Before Aella could reply, Jude crept up on us on silent feet. The man moved like a ghost. Up close, he towered over the both of us. His worried gaze landed on Aella, who still looked like she was on the verge of spilling tears. Protective mode instantly kicked in as he held her shoulders, "What's going on Tinkerbell?" He asked in the softest tone I'd ever heard.
At this, Aella burst into tears, pushing her flushed face into his chest.
Alarmed, Jude glanced at me as he pulled in his mate into a tight embrace. Clearly, the man was confused. I definitely wasn't going to ruin the surprise either, so I kept my lips clamped shut.
"Hey, stop. Stop baby." Jude leaned back a little so he could examine her face. He studied her intently, trying to gauge why she was sobbing. "Look at me." He gently directed.
Aella sniffed but met his searching gaze.
"Tell me what's going on here Aella. You're scaring me a little."
She opened her mouth, but her words disappeared into a mess of gibberish and sniffles.
Jude patiently dabbed the corners of her eyes until she could manage to breathe and form proper words.
When she settled, she held out her hands. I noted they were trembling. Jude's brows wrinkled but he eventually held her hands, uncertain as to what to do. Biting her lip as more tears flowed, she took his hands and guided it on her belly, right above her bellybutton. The whole time, her gaze didn't stray from his as Jude quickly made sense of everything. It didn't take him long to figure the news out. His gaze snapped up to confirm his discovery and when Aella relented a teary nod, the big man immediately crushed her into an embrace that had me melting. Aella clung onto him, hiding her sniffles into the nape of his neck. He was shaking too, I could feel the emotions rolling off of him as he hid his face in Aella's neck, whispering her name over and over like a fervent prayer.
I quietly extracted myself from the couple and found Alexei hovering near Kian's spot. When he spotted me, he took a quick sweep of my expression. "You okay?"
"Just happy."
Alexei nodded, drawing me in so I stood in front of him. He didn't waste any time curling his arms around my waist from behind while he rested his chin on the crown of my head. I heard him breathe deeply, stealing my scent.
I relaxed into his gentle hold and tilted my head back. He stared down at me. I tangled my fingers into his hair and pulled him down. Alexei offered no resistance. He came easily, smiling against my lips as I took his mouth.
I swallowed his growl, memorising the soft lines of his lips and the way his stubbled chin rubbed along my skin. He tasted like honey. I drank in his heady scent of sandalwood and jasmine, drowning in its familiarity as he dipped further towards me, pulling me closer. A flare of heat ignited my body as I bit his lips, earning a quiet moan from Alexei. His fingers tensed around my hips as he rocked my ass into his front-
"Children, this is a public area. Please continue this scandalous activity behind the privacy of your bedroom door." Kian's voice interrupted my thoughts.
I tried to pull away, but Alexei nipped my lips twice before he reluctantly released me.
Kian raised a dark brow, "Was that necessary?" Mirth made his gaze sparkle.
"Absolutely." Alexei slowly licked his lips. It took all my willpower not to react.
Before the two could continue, I squeezed myself between them, "Good luck on your duel today Kian. We'll be cheering for you."
"I know." Kian smirked. Despite his confidence, I saw that he was fidgeting with the leather bracelets dangling from his wrist.
"We'll be watching." Alexei held out his hand. Kian took his hand as they patted each other on the shoulder.
"Appreciate it. I'll see you guys after." Kian nodded and left.
From my peripheral, Jace had entered the field, alone.
This was when Jude approached me. He hadn't quite gotten rid of his watery eyes. Alexei made no comment on it either as the man drew closer.
"Are you ready Pen?" Jude asked.
"Yeah."
"Thank you for doing this." He whispered, holding my gaze with sincerity.
"I wanted to do this." I cast a small smile his way.
"The duel will commence soon. Three more minutes." Jude informed.
As soon as he was out of sight, I felt Alexei's palms grip my biceps. I turned around, catching his gaze.
"You're duelling?"
"Yes." I replied.
His jaw rippled as he glanced somewhere beyond my shoulder.
I was reminded that I hadn't told him. I inwardly cursed myself.
"Don't be worried for me." I tried to alleviate the hard look on his face.
"That's like asking me not to breathe Solnishko."
"I can do this."
"I know you can. I'd rather not have you be the one fight that asshole." He said. His expression softened when he took a closer look at my expression.
"I'm sorry I didn't speak with you first. Aella's pregnant and I can't have her fighting." I explained quietly, keeping my voice low so no one could hear.
Surprise lit my mate's face. "Wow, that's amazing."
"And that's why I'm doing this." I shared. "Trust me to do well."
"I know you'll do well Penelope."
"Good, luckily I wore my fighting skins today." I gestured to my dark outfit, "It'll be easier to move around. Wish me luck, mate of mine." I tugged his collar, trapping his gaze. His hands took hold of my waist, massaging me there with his fingers.
"You don't need it." He grasped my shoulder, pulling me into his chest. His scent of jasmine and sandalwood enveloped me whole as I rested my cheek against the firm, repetitive beat of his heart.
"I mean it Alexei, don't worry about me."
"I'm not worried for the thing you're probably assuming. I just want this over and done with so we can go home."
I blinked, staring up at his face. "Home?"
Alexei studied my expression, "Yes, home. You know, where either you or I am. However, preferably my place."
"Home." I whispered, "Never really had that before."
"Anywhere I am Solnishko, you have a home with me." He pressed the words against my forehead, eyelids, nose, and lips. Although it was a brief brush of his lips, I felt the sea of butterflies scatter in my belly. I still felt the warmth of his satiny lips when Jude motioned for me to enter the makeshift ring, prepared for the duel.
Ace was already waiting for me when the crowd parted to let me in. I sensed Alexei behind me, but he stopped when I continued on to the middle of the field, meeting Ace in the centre.
"I didn't realise I was going to go up against you Rogue."
"Scared Ace?" I taunted.
"No, fascinated actually." He remained.
"Because I'm pretty?" I fluttered my lashes.
"Solnishko, don't taunt the boy." Alexei sighed from the side lines.
Ace turned his head. I watched as he stared to the right. I knew the minute he spotted Alexei. His lips pinched together. When he faced me once more, he clicked his tongue. "Your mate?"
"That's none of your business."
"True."
"Let's get this over and done with Ace."
"Agreed." Jude called out, "Now, do you both consent to using your wolves or not?"
"I consent to using my wolf." Ace answered.
I flattened my expression, "I consent to the use of my wolf too."
Ace raised a brow, "Really?"
"Really."
"Then, let the duel commence." Jude slashed his hand in the air.
Ace morphed into his wolf in an instant, baring his teeth.
My heart dropped.
"Shift Pen!" Some people yelled.
I didn't shift.
I ran.
Ace followed in his wolf, snapping his teeth. I felt his teeth pierce the material of my fighting skins near my ankle. I tripped but snatched my foot away just before his teeth could sink into anything else.
From my peripheral, I caught Alexei standing on the side lines, observing the match with a tight jaw.
I forced myself to focus on the duel at hand and Ace's wolf, rather than the uneasiness I felt staring right at Ace.
I tried to feel for my wolf. I wasn't surprised that I couldn't feel her at all. Not even a flutter.
Ace pawed the grass beneath him, preparing to move.
I watched his paw hit the ground beat after beat.
I reigned in my focus, honing it to each pat of his paw.
The air shifted as he pounced again.
I rushed towards him, angling my head away from his gaping mouth as I wrapped my arms around his thick neck. I felt the puff of hot air against my cheek as I swung my legs around him, using the momentum to swing myself up onto his shoulders. Once I was sitting upright, I leaned over, jamming my fingers into his eyeballs.
His wolf whined.
I did it again, adding more pressure.
Ace whined again as his legs buckled. He tried to shake me off, but I quickly grabbed fistfuls of his coat, hanging on as I gritted my teeth.
Focus Pen. Focus.
Ace bucked, thrashing his head back and forth. I made sure my left hand retained a firm grip on his thick fur as I stabbed two fingers into his eyes once more. This time, it sent Ace to the ground as he lost footing, crashing to the earth.
I toppled off him, finding my feet.
My adrenaline shot up higher, stealing my breath.
It didn't take long for Ace to rock back onto his paws. When his sharp irises landed on me, I instantly had a flashback.
The air rushed from my lungs as I experienced the powerlessness I drowned in while in the Weeping Forest.
I suddenly couldn't breathe.
I was choking.
In some tiny corner of my brain, I pictured myself swinging from a tree. I couldn't scream or yell for help. My wrists had been roped together, as well as my ankles. I could only see the vast field of nothing, while I hung in the air, feeling the rope around my neck tighten with each creak of the tautening rope.
Get Up! Get Up!
I vaguely recalled the familiarity of the voice.
Get Up baby girl! Up!
The urgency and power of the call sent me into focus, just as Ace appeared in front of me in his wolf skin. I was too late to escape the sharp sting of his teeth as it grazed the length of my right elbow. I spun away just in time to prevent the whole brunt of the attack.
Ace's wolf prowled around me in a circle. His teeth was stained with my blood. His tongue licked up the red coating his lips as his eyes remained focused on me, sparkling with challenge.
He was mocking me.
I stared at my elbow, feeling the breeze slide along it. It stung but I was overwhelmed by the memories from the Weeping Forest.
Ace snapped his teeth, snarling as his spit dribbled from his mouth.
My ears rang as I made sense of my surroundings. From my peripheral, I caught sight of Alexei watching me with stark concern, but he made no move to enter the ring. I knew every atom in his body was resisting the urge to enter the duel, but this was my fight.
I switched my complete focus to Ace. I could do this.
I felt the change in Ace's wolf as he watched me adjust the cuffs of my sleeves. Despite the chaotic beat of my heart, I tamed the feeling, focusing my efforts on how to take Ace down.
Ace crouched low, ready to pounce.
I took in his position, watching his hind legs stiffen. When the muscles slackened, I moved. Ace pounced. I took three lunges towards him, leaping mid-air. I had placed enough force against the ground, I was able to fly higher than Ace's wolf. I hurtled through the air, feeling his fur skim my side as I braced for landing. My heels took the impact as I twisted, grabbing Ace's tail. I yanked hard. His weight stumbled back from the sudden force. I used the opportunity to swipe my foot across his hind legs that hadn't yet straightened for balance. Ace yelped, trying to regain equilibrium, but I tugged on his tail once more. Ace couldn't help but fall flat. I straddled his middle, holding a firm grip on his neck as he struggled. His paws knocked against me. Each strike split skin since his claws weren't sheathed. I winced, keeping my hold firm.
"She's got him!" I heard Sascha's voice over the whoosh of blood I could hear in my ears.
Jude began to count. However, at the last second, Ace flipped us around, pressing me against the dirt. His jaw opened against the pulsing vein in my neck until I felt the points of his teeth press against the bared skin.
I felt my limbs stiffen.
I blinked, capturing the night sky above me.
That voice was telling me to get up again.
I didn't know where it was coming from but it instilled strength into my bones.
Ace's teeth punctured skin. I didn't feel much. Just abrupt heat before I felt the effects of the shift overtake my body.
At some point Ace had stumbled away. Now, I was staring at him, with my wolf's eyes.
Ace's wolf took a wary step back, mostly puzzled about the abrupt change of the duel.
I watched from my wolf's eyes as I darted towards Ace. My wolf landed Ace on his back within seconds, without resistance. I was sure Ace was still in shock to do much. I watched my wolf move us on top of Ace, holding him down as we emulated the same move he had done to us with our jaw hovering over the weak spot of his neck. Ace writhed beneath us, but my paw added pressure to the juncture of his neck, forcing him still.
Jude began to count.
When the three seconds passed, Jude sliced his hand through the air, ending the duel.
Alexei's hand was on my neck when Jude announced my victory. I could barely hear him over the violent whoosh of my beating heart. My wolf surrendered control back to me as I felt the shift overwhelm me again.
"I have you." His voice brushed against the crown of my hair as I lost footing.
I grasped his arms, relieved to have him close. I felt him wrap me up into something warm that covered my skin from the night breeze.
"Then let's go home." He suddenly ducked down, scooping me into his arms without warning.
"I can walk Alexei; the duel didn't incapacitate me. Just made me tired."
"I'm not doing this for you. It's for me." He continued to walk, ignoring the people who approached us.
"We're being rude ignoring them." I chuckled into his chest. His grip tightened on me. "They're rude trying to talk to us when I'm attempting to not allow my mate bleed to death in my arms."
"I have a few scratches that hardly equate to me bleeding to death-"
"One scratch too many. I think I need to get the healer-"
"Don't even think about it. The healer has more important things to tend to."
"You're important to me. That's more than a good enough reason to go see her."
"Later. Please, I just want to rest. I'm tired." And confused.
I could tell he struggled with a reply because he had gone silent.
"Alexei."
"You have to compromise with me then. You get some rest, then you'll see the healer. Do you agree?"
"Wholeheartedly."
"Thank fuck. Let's get you resting."