Chapter 27
Xander POV
There’s 4
large crowd gathered at the training grounds already. Fhe pack knows about the duel, no thanks to our Father. Xavier looks nonchalant, his eyes scanning the crowd. I know who he’s looking for because my eyes are looking for her too. Regan. She’s nowhere to be seen, but I console myself with the fact that Beta Johnathon is not here yet and therefore Regan is most likely to attend when he gets here. Both of us are longing to see her, our wolves irritated beyond measure by all this chosen mate nonsense that continues to plague and annoy us.
“Xavier are you sure about this” I ask him cautiously, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.
My brother is unusually quiet, studying the crowd, looking thoughtful and pensive. It’s not normal for him. He’s usually the more outgoing, extroverted one. He turns his head to regard me looking amused by the question.
“I’m sure. You don’t think that Beta Johnathon is going to beat me, do you?” he asks incredulously, his lips curving into a smug smile.
I shake my head, I know that Beta Johnathon isn’t going to be able to beat Xavier. I’ve seen Xavier fight and he’s more than just impressive, he’s a force all on his own. Beta Johnathon might have begun to train Xavier in the beginning, but Xavier far surpassed him ages ago. No, I have no doubts that my brother will win this fight and that’s what makes me hervous. Beta Johnathon was so damn cocky when he left, that I have begun to wonder if he has something else in mind or something else up his sleeve. I didn’t like this terrible sense of foreboding I had it was almost instinctual. I also didn’t feel as though Isabelle was just going to let this go either. But what was she going to do? Once this fight was over, Regan would safely be in the pack house with us, whether she liked it or not.
“No” I answer truthfully, turning to look my brother in the eyes but I don’t trust him either. He’s sneaky and he’s manipulative. I don’t think he’s going to accept the outcome of the duel.”
“He won’t have a choice” my brother answers, shaking his head and giving a chuckle, “he knows the laws and rules as we all do.”
“Maybe. But he also has access to Regan” I said quietly, causing my brother’s head to shoot back up as he looked me in the eyes, his jaw clenching at the implication, “and he can manipulate her as easily as anyone. We shouldn’t have left her in his home I added, feeling apprehensive.
We should have had Regan brought to the pack house where we could have kept a close eye on her for her own safety. regardless of what our father and mother had said.
“Father wouldn’t have allowed us to interfere by taking her out of her home” Xavier protested, but his eyes were shrewd. “You think that Beta Johnathon would do something to ensure that everything goes his way?” he bit out.
I chose my words carefully, trying not to come across as paranoid and yet unable to help feeling that I was right. “I think that Beta Jonathon is not above using what he has available in order to get the outcome he desires.”
I didn’t trust the bastard as far as I could throw him in other words. I was just too polite to phrase it that way.
“He’s coming up now and I can see our mate” Xavier hisses, gesturing at me to look.
I crane my head and turn it to look and sure enough, Beta Johnathon is approaching with Isabelle, his wife Heather, and then Regan in tow. I am angry that Regan is following behind them, last, her head staring fixedly at the ground. She won’t meet our eyes, and I know that something is wrong. Xavier shoot me a confused glance, but I stare at him meaningfully See, I want to tell him, something is wrong with our mate. I see Beta Johnathon lean in close to Regan as they halt in the crowd, murmuring something in her ear, before her face goes pale and she nods, biting her lip. What did the bastard say to her? Did he threaten her? I shoot a glance at Isabelle and see that she is smiling, standing beside her mother, dressed up, her eyes wide as she glances around. She appears unbothered by the possibility of the duel her stepfather is about to face, which surprises me. She looks too comfortable, in fact. As though the outcome of the fight does not matter in the slightest. I narrow my eyes.
Chapter 27
“Cat I have your attention please” Our father called out, causing the crowd of pack members to hush and turn towards him with expectant looks on their faces “As you are aware, we are all here today to watch the duel between Beta Johnathon” several pack members nodded “and my son Xavier Dominion” lul claps and yells as the Beta starled at everyone “for the right to choose who they want as their mate. If Xavier loses he looks apologetically at Regan but she’s still staring miserably at the ground “Then Isabelle Ramona will be made their mate, and the twins will reject their faterl mate. However, he hesitated, while Bem Johnathon stood up straight “if Beta Johnathon loses… his voice trailed off as he was interrupted by none other than the Beta himself.
“Not gonna happen” sneered Beta Johnathon as Xavier and I rolled our eyes, not surprised by his arrogance in the slightest.
“If Beta Johnathon loses the duel or fight, then the twins will have the choice of taking their fated mate as their Luna and Beta Johnathon and Isabelle will be banished from the pack house,”
Silence as the crowd glanced between Beta Johnathon and Xavi uneasily. Both of them were good warriors and excellent fighters. I stared at Regan, willing her to look at me, wanting to assure her, if only with my eyes but she refused to look our way. I clenched my hands into fists, fighting back the urge to let gut a low growl of frustration. I just wanted her to look at me. I could see that Xavier was studying her as well, a look of exasperation on his own face. Didn’t Regan understand that we were doing this for her? That we were fighting in order to keep her as our mate? Did she not appreciate the sacrifices we were making?
“I must ask that the two of you get undressed” Alpha Jackson declared, raising a brow and motioning with his hands at the two men about to duel.
I stepped back as Xavier began to strip, looking unfazed, taking his clothes with my hands and folding them neatly as he smirked at me..
“You know they’re only going to get rumpled anyway,” he said nodding at them in my hands.
“Yes but folding them makes me feel better,” I said between clenched teeth and I need to feel useful right about now, seeing as I’m not the one who is going in there to fight.”
I really needed to let off some steam.
“I think you need this fight more than I do Xavier chuckles, standing proudly as Beta Johnathon finishes stripping his clothes and stands at the ready.
This time Regan decides to look at us and I see her blush, her mouth parting slightly as she takes in Xavier, before her gaze hastily goes back to the ground, her ears tinged pink.
“I think she just got a good eye view of you brother” I smirked as Xavier grinned at me “She’s adorable when she’s all rosy, red like that” I added, smiling in her direction.
“She can look at me anytime she wants” Xavier muttered “so long as it’s only us she looks at. Let’s get this fucking duel over with so we can deal with our mate” he growled beneath his breath, looking meaningfully at our father, who thankfully took the hint.
“Into the ring” my father declared.
The crowd parted and moved back as Xavier and Beta Johnathon climbed into the ring, eyeing each other warily.
“No killing, maiming or severely injuring your opponent if it can be avoided.” My father sounded slightly uncertain as he addressed Xavier and Johnathon. “Fight fairly, fight with honor, and fight bravely. You will fight in your wolf forms” he instructed gravely “and may shift at any time now. Good luck to the both of you” he added, raising his hand and then dropping it.
Like the speed of light, I watched as my brother and the Beta instantly changed into their wolf forms and began to circle each other. The fight was about to begin and I knew that the best man was about to triumph. But at what cost?
