Kay tried to put the thought out of her mind when Gideon, Brett, Tyler, and Hatten came into the kitchen, laughing and grinning and high-fiving each other.

“Where are the others?” Kay asked.

“I thought it best if we keep watch the rest of the night,” Brett said. “Hatten and Tyler and I will go out and relieve some of the others as soon as we clean up.”

“Good idea,” Greta remarked, noting the blood stains on their clothing.

Gideon sat at the table, listening as the men bragged about their kills. Greta poured coffee for everyone, including Gideon. She grinned sheepishly when he lifted one brow in amusement.

When Tyler and Hatten finished their coffee, they excused themselves and went to get cleaned up. Brett and Greta followed a few minutes later.

Gideon remained silent as he watched Kay rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher. She wiped off the counter and the stovetop, emptied the dregs from the coffeepot, and refilled it with fresh water.

“Kiya.”

“What?”

“Sit down.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.

“Just come and sit down.”

She dried her hands, placed the dishtowel on the towel rack, then sat across from him, her hands tightly folded on the tabletop. “What?”

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing’s bothering me.”

“You can’t lie to me, Kiya.”

“Then why ask? Just read my mind.”

“You’ve got every right to be worried, and no one would blame you for being afraid. It’s not easy, making decisions that affect the lives of people you love, people you’re responsible for.”

“They could have been killed tonight. All of them. How could I ever face Greta again if Brett had been killed?”

“If your aunt was Alpha, she would have made the same decisions you did.”

“How do you know that? Did you read her mind?”

“No, I read Brett’s.”

“We need to end this now. I don’t want it to drag on, never knowing when Rudolfo will strike again. And now that we’ve killed three of his men, he’s going to want vengeance more than ever.”

Gideon shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”

“It’s the only way to end it.”

“Dammit, Kiya, you can’t challenge Rinaldi! There’s no way you can beat him. He’s older than you are. He’s got years of experience. And he’s twice your size.”

“Have you got a better idea?”

“Just one,” he muttered. But she would never forgive him for it.

As it turned out, they didn’t have to wait long. Rudolfo Rinaldi sent a message to Kay the next night. The message was brief and to the point. Either she would fight him to the death on the night of the next full moon, or she would surrender leadership of the Shadow Pack to the Green Mountain Alpha.

Kay read the message three times. She told herself it was what she’d wanted, that if Rinaldi hadn’t contacted her, she would have contacted him before the night was out whether Gideon approved or not. But now, seeing the words in print, she knew she wasn’t ready to face Rudolfo in a battle to the death. She hadn’t planned it ahead of time when she defeated Victor. When she knew that her aunt’s life was in danger, instinct had taken over. She had been as surprised as everyone else that she had won the battle. But this, meeting Rudolfo at an appointed time … knowing only one of them would survive the fight … it was scary beyond words. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready. Gideon was right. She didn’t have the skill or the knowledge to defeat an Alpha werewolf.

“Kiya?”

She looked up to find Gideon watching her. Wordlessly, she handed him Rinaldi’s message.

He read it quickly, then crumpled it in his fist. “Looks like you’re about to get what you wanted,” he muttered.

She didn’t say anything, just looked at him, her eyes wide and scared, her face pale.

Muttering under his breath, Gideon drew her into his arms. He had been doing his best not to read her mind. She’d had him convinced that she was itching to take on Rinaldi, that she was confident she would win. But he didn’t have to read her thoughts to know she was terrified.

She melted against him, clinging to him as if his arms were the only things keeping her on her feet.

“You were right,” she whispered. “I can’t do this.”

“Does it have to be one-on-one?”

She nodded.

“I don’t suppose you’d consider just walking away.”

“I can’t. It would shame my father. It would shame my pack.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t live with myself afterward. I brought this on myself and now I’m honor-bound to see it through.”

Gideon brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “And I’m honor-bound to protect the woman I love, whether she likes it or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re my wife and I’m not about to stand by and watch you get torn apart by some werewolf on steroids.”

“Gideon …”

“There’s no use arguing with me, Kiya. We’ve got a few weeks until the full moon. There’s got to be a way to preserve your honor and your life.”

“I don’t know what it could be.”

Gideon grunted softly. Neither did he.

* * *

Chapter 41

The night after Kay received Rudolfo Rinaldi’s written challenge, Gideon shared his blood with all the female pack members. Kay found it amusing that, from the oldest woman to the youngest, they were all against drinking his blood until he took them in his arms. She fought down a hot rush of jealousy when several of them asked for seconds.

Later, Kay called a meeting of all the adult pack members. Once they were assembled, she read the challenge issued by the Green Mountain Alpha.

When she finished reading the missive, there were numerous responses, mostly from the men. Some thought Kay should surrender to Rinaldi. Others voiced the opinion that she should step aside and let Brett take over as Alpha, citing the fact that he was married to Greta, who shared the Alissano bloodline. A few thought they should all shift at midnight and attack the Green Mountain Pack.

Gideon had a few ideas of his own, but no one asked for his opinion and he didn’t offer it. He remained where he was, one shoulder propped negligently against the doorjamb.

He had to admire Kay. He knew she was afraid of facing Rudolfo, but there was no sign of it now. She stood in front of the pack, head high, shoulders back, radiating self-confidence. Had it been up to him, he would have swept her into his arms and taken her far away from this place, never to return.

He listened intently as Kay dismissed all the ideas that were presented to her. In a clear, calm voice, she reminded all the men and women in the room that there was more to being Alpha than the ability to shift at will.

“Being Alpha isn’t something that can be assigned to another,” she said. “It’s something you’re either born with or you aren’t. We all know that Alphas are stronger, swifter, and usually larger than other members of the pack. They heal quicker. They live longer.”

Murmurs of agreement were heard here and there.

Brett moved up beside Kay when she finished speaking. “So, it looks like we’re stuck with you,” he said with a wry grin.

Laughter rippled through the pack, easing the tension.

Brett slipped his arm around Kay’s shoulders. “Personally, I can’t think of anyone more qualified to lead us, except maybe her husband.”

All eyes swung in Gideon’s direction.

“He’s stronger than twenty men, and swift as lightning,” Brett went on. “He heals overnight, he’s already lived a few hundred years. I imagine he’s picked up some wisdom along the way.”

Gideon shook his head. “Forget it.” He wasn’t cut out to play nursemaid to a pack of werewolves. Nor would he shame Kay by stealing her thunder. He had too much respect for her, both as his wife and the pack’s Alpha. But if the upcoming fight turned against her, he’d take Rinaldi out, and to hell with the consequences.

The meeting broke up shortly after Gideon’s refusal to take over as Alpha.

Later, when he was alone with Kay, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. Was she hurt by Brett’s suggestion that Gideon take over leadership of the pack? Insulted? Knowing how she felt about facing Rinaldi, he had to admire her courage.

Thinking she might like to be alone with her thoughts, he said, “I need to go out for a while. I won’t be long.”

“All right.”

He kissed her lightly, then left the house. Dark clouds obscured the moon and stars. The rising wind stirred the leaves with a low, keening cry. On foot, he made a slow circuit of the fence line, nodding at the guards he passed. As far as he could tell, Jared, Tyler, Brett, and a middle-aged werewolf named Landon were the only men within several miles.

A thought took Gideon to Bondurant. At this time of night, most of the businesses were closed. Strolling down the street, he heard music emanating from a small nightclub on one of the side streets.

Inside, he went to the bar and ordered a glass of red wine. Standing there, he studied the patrons. Pickings were slim—an old drunk tapping his foot to the beat of the music, a middle-aged man and woman slow dancing on the club’s tiny dance floor, or a single man with a bad hairpiece.

With a shake of his head, he drained his glass and decided to look elsewhere.

He’d gone about two blocks when a faint cry reached his ears. Curious, he followed the sound to the edge of town. There, shielded from view by a broken-down wooden fence, he found a woman struggling in the grasp of two men.

From their scent, Gideon knew they were Green Mountain werewolves.

One of them struck the woman when she opened her mouth to scream.

The men were so engrossed in trying to rape the woman, they didn’t realize they were in danger until it was too late.