“What is going on here?” I asked, astonished, as a nurse led Bess away to an examination room.
“They’re from Kray’s pack. Lucille, the woman that you saw me with, helped create a distraction so they’d be able to escape, and they came here seeking sanctuary.”
“But that means he’s going to…”
“Issue a death challenge. Yes. He already has. He’s called for the Council of Elders to bear witness. It’ll be the day after tomorrow.”
Chapter Fifteen
The thought of Max entering the Death Arena sent a wave of fear rushing through me. Still, I reminded myself, this was Kray. I’d seen Kray back down from two Challenges.
“You’ll win, won’t you? From what I’ve seen of him so far, he’s not that tough when he comes up against a real Alpha,” I said.
Max guided me over to a chair, and I collapsed into it. I was starting to feel better, although my legs still felt shaky.
“No, most of the time he isn’t. That’s why he always backs down when an Alpha challenges him, but then he’ll come back and issue a challenge later. That gives him enough time to take magic enhancing drugs, and enter the Death Arena when the drugs are at their peak,” Max said. “He has to time it perfectly, because the drugs only last for a few hours.”
“What?” I gasped. “No! You’ve got to be kidding me!” How could that be? Whenever there was a formal Death Challenge match, both Alphas were tested by a specially designated shaman. To cheat would be a death penalty offense.
Max’s expression was grim. “Think about it, Josephine. He was a nobody before. He wasn’t even an Alpha in his pack. Then there’s a convenient disaster that wipes out not just the Alpha, but the Beta, the Alpha’s oldest son who was also an Alpha and expected to inherit, and everybody who’d oppose him-”
“Wait. There was a landslide that buried the house,” I protested.
He shrugged. “That’s the story that was put out, anyway. From what I’m hearing there was a rather large explosion on the hillside above the house, and also in the house itself, on the night of the disaster. With Kray taking over as Alpha, nobody dared challenge his account.”
“My God.”
“Then he starts issuing death challenges to smaller packs, and he never loses. He’s in his late forties. When have you ever heard of an Alpha rising to prominence at that late age?”
“Well, there was…no, he was in his late twenties. But then there was…okay, never,” I mused.
“He started out challenging the Alphas from smaller packs because he didn’t want to arouse suspicion,” Max continued. “He knew he’d be tested before the matches, but he blackmailed their shaman, Felix, into faking the tests. He worked his way up, taking on more and more powerful Alphas each time. Now he’s after the Timber Valley pack. He wants our land and everything that we own.”
“How did you find out about all this?”
“From Lucille. She snuck off the compound to tell me what was happening. She was desperate, because Kray was becoming more and more abusive, killing pack members merely because he disliked them or because he wanted their women, and she’d just overheard him saying he wanted to claim Camille as a third bride. One of his brides had already disappeared, and it’s pretty likely he beat her to death and hid her body on their property. That’s why I approached Kray and proposed to marry Camille immediately, in exchange for an alliance.”
“Would you really have married her?”
“Certainly, and I would have honored that marriage. As I said, an Alpha expects to marry for duty, not love. I just got lucky when I married you.”
“But I…” I was stunned. “You said you didn’t love me.”
“I never said that. I said that an Alpha can’t count on love when getting married. That doesn’t mean that it never happens. My father and mother married for political reason, but as time went on, they came to love each other. As for you, I wanted you from the minute I first laid eyes on you, and I’ve been falling in love with you ever since. My instincts are good, Josephine. I knew you were the one for me the minute we met.”
“I don’t bring anything to the table,” I protested.
“Yes, you do, you just can’t see it. It’s simply that you’re a genuinely good person, and you’re fun, and people want to be around you, and you speak up for what’s right no matter what the risk. What more could an Alpha ask for in a wife? I mean, other than a great sex life, and we’re good there, obviously.”