Wanted by the Alphas(47)
“So you love him?” Lucien says harshly.
Her tongue is frozen.
Who do I love?
The question has never really occurred to her until now, because she was never given an option.
Until now.
Lucien turns to Kirk, whose face is flushed.
“I guess you have your answer. She doesn’t know if she loves you. Or me. But when we are finished with each other, she won’t have a choice. Because there will be only one of us left standing.”
With that, he walks out of the restaurant, leaving everyone to stare – stunned into speechlessness – after him.
PREPARATION
They are back in Kirk’s bungalow, where he is seeing to a few things and his affairs.
“Kirk, don’t do this,” Shannon pleads.
“I have to. I want to.” His mouth is set in a determined line. “He can’t just demand to be back in your life this way and expect me not to have a say in it.”
“You’re fighting over me? I’m not worth it!”
She tries to put her hands on him but he wards her off.
“On the contrary,” he says, his steadfast green eyes taking her in, “I think you are worth every bit of it. But this is not just about you. He insulted me in front of a room full of people. He tried to make a play for my woman.”
“I am not your woman, Kirk. I have a mind of my own, feelings of my own!”
“Then are you his woman? He seems to think so. He is asking you to make a choice to be with him.”
Tears sting her eyes.
She drops her voice to a whisper. “Then if I choose one of you . . . now . . . will you both drop this stupid duel to the death?”
He smiles sadly at her. “I think it’s gone beyond that. Like I said, this is not just about you. You are part of it, yes, but this is about everything that has gone between the Fitzpatricks and the Walkers. This is the fight my cousin Bob wants me to have. I have to live up to my family’s expectations. It’s just one slap in the face too many.”
He turns from her.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Shannon. I have to prepare.”
“But he’s a powerful witch! You said it yourself. He will kill you!”
“If I was an ordinary werewolf, yes. But I have a few tricks up my own sleeves. Kirk isn’t the only one in this duel who knows witchcraft. How did you think I was able to keep ahead of all my cousins who are champing at the bit?”
His eyes are as sad as his smile.
“I love you, Shannon. I’m sorry you had to hear it this way . . . under such circumstances. If you must know, I have left instructions to my lawyer to leave you something in my will so that you’d be taken care of. If I should die, I want you and your brother to pack up and leave this place, because my cousin, Bob, will not be so magnanimous.
“And to Lucien’s credit, he has left everything for you. I know the Walkers. Once he makes such a public stand, they would not forgive him for insulting them so readily in front the Janssens. So I know it will not be easy for you, Shannon, to make a choice. But you might not have to. By tomorrow, only one of us will be left, and you can help him pick up the pieces and build a new life.”
“Where and when are you going?” she says, the fear bolting to her throat.
He purses his lips.
“I can’t tell you that. I don’t want you to see us. I don’t want anyone to see us, because they might be hurt in the crossfire. I have already called your brother, Jared, to come pick you up in ten minutes. Be safe, Shannon. And remember always that I love you.”
With that, he grabs her arms and pulls her to him fiercely. He plants a savage kiss on her mouth. It is a kiss which is full of regrets and misgivings and hopeful promises. She has never seen him so charged up before. Prior to this, he has always been a watchful and careful alpha – more content to keep the uneasy peace than to act with force and aggression.
But now . . . it is as if a spirited and furious entity has taken over his body. His passion astounds her.
The sound of a car engine rolls to a stop outside.
Jared.
Kirk leaves off his kiss.
“Now go,” he says urgently. And he turns from her.
*
Once she is in Jared’s car, her brother says, “What the hell happened?”
She tells him.
“Damn.” He grins. “That is a fight I wouldn’t mind seeing.”
“It’s not funny, Jared. They are going to kill each other.”
“Over you?” He tsk-tks. “Whoever would have thought you’d be such a prize?”
“I must go see Lucien to stop this!”
“Why do you think you can even stop this? You heard Kirk. This is not just about you. If either of them backs down, they would lose status in front of their respective communities. And for both of them, it’s personal.”