Chapter Eighteen – True Alpha
They were both counting the seconds. Danny knew that a good way to spend their anxious waiting would be to stare at a clock on the wall, but he didn't have any such thing in his tiny apartment. Therefore, they were left with the self-imposed torture of checking their phones now and then.
Ryder had a dark look on his face. That wasn't the face of someone who was about to meet his fated mate soon. Danny still couldn't think of those words without feeling the need to snort at their pretentiousness, but, given the circumstances, he wasn't in the mood to feel amused.
No, his guest looked like he was about to go to war for his soul. Theodore Pembroke must have gotten the message by now, provided that the security to the Pembroke tower hadn't prevented him from completing his mission. Since Jack hadn't called yet, they hadn't learned what had happened.
Danny's phone went off, making them both jolt.
"It's Jack," Danny said, as he looked at the new message.
"It's done. If the bait works – as it should – Ryder will get a message soon."
Danny looked at his guest. Ryder was already on his phone, staring at the screen, his eyebrows knit together. They were doing this; they were really doing it. That meant that these were the last moments he would get to spend with Ryder. After today—
"I will go meet Theodore," Ryder announced.
"I know you said you wanted to go alone, but it doesn't feel right." Danny still hoped he would convince Ryder to reconsider.
"I will not put you in danger," came the harsh reply.
"Hey, I know he's the very definition of power in Glasstone," Danny began to argue, "but it's not like he could get away with murder." Actually, if he thought about it, he wasn't so sure. Theodore Pembroke was a ruthless businessman who did what needed to be done so he could rake in more money and power. Would murder really be off the table?
Danny shivered as those strange thoughts crossed his mind. If that were true, Ryder would be in real danger. And he would never forgive himself for allowing this man to enter his life only to suffer at the hands of an asshole, only because Danny couldn't make up his mind about what he truly wanted.
"I will do this alone," Ryder said. He began walking toward the door.
It hit Danny like a ton of bricks that this was it. He would never see Ryder again after today. In the best-case scenario, he would, actually, but it would be in the pages of glossy magazines covering the amazing wedding of Theodore Pembroke with his fated mate.
"I wish you all the best," he said in a weak voice.
Ryder looked at him and stopped. Then, with evident determination, he crossed the few steps between them in the blink of an eye. He took Danny in his arms and kissed him with so much tenderness that it was a wonder they were still standing moments later.
"I will always remember you," he said.
Danny nodded feebly. They didn't say goodbye. He only watched as Ryder opened the door, walked out, and closed it behind himself.
He let out a long sigh. And then, he grabbed his phone. "Are we really letting Ryder do this alone?" he asked without any preamble.
Vince laughed at the other end. "Glad you called. I was on pins and needles."
"Are we?" Danny insisted.
"No way in hell. Once an asshole, always an asshole. And Theodore Pembroke is the biggest known asshole in the universe."
"Then what do we do? And where's Jack now?"
"On his way to the meeting point."
"Jack is Ryder's friend. How does he feel about all this?"
"He wants to bite Pembroke's head off. Somehow, it's gotten really personal for him. I don't know the details, but rest assured I'm going to make him spill everything sooner or later."
"Vince, be nice to Jack."
His bestie let out a groan. "Okay, I'll try. But tell him to be nice to me, too. He's like a hedgehog, all sharp spines when you try to get too close."
"I believe this is a story I want to know more about, but all in due time. Where are we meeting?"
He listened closely. Ryder was not going to confront Theodore alone. His friends were coming to the rescue.
***
The kiss he had given Danny still lingered on his lips. No matter how hard he tried to get the attractive human out of his thoughts, his efforts were in vain. At the same time, he needed to face Theodore and convince him that they were fated for each other. Even before it was time for him to speak those untrue words, they turned to ashes in his mouth.
Ryder looked gloomily at the tall building in front of him. The construction wasn't finished, and he would meet Theodore on the top floor. Because of the state of the place, neither of them would be able to conceal an extra army, ready to come to their rescue.
Jack had been smart to suggest a place that belonged to Pembroke Industries, as it was a concession made to Theodore, so he understood that Ryder wasn't threatening him.
He climbed the concrete stairs at a steady pace. Could it be that Theodore was there already? What if he attacked Ryder, as he had last time? It would be difficult to carry on a conversation, especially one of this importance, if they were busy trying to overpower each other.
Although Ryder believed in his superior strength, he wouldn't make the mistake of overlooking that Theodore was an alpha, just like him. If they went head-to-head again they might end up hurting each other.
Theodore was either looking for a rematch or he was curious about what Ryder had to say to him.
The top floor was moments away. Ryder remained standing on the stairs, looking up. He couldn't see anyone on the landing above him. The wind was strong here. He could hear it wrapping itself around the unfinished edges of the building. Ryder blinked to get rid of the dust kicked up by the same wind.
He climbed the last stairs and walked slowly toward the center of the large space that was surrounded by pillars of metal and cement. His steps sounded hollow as he walked to meet his destiny.
There were no walls or windows, anywhere he looked. It would be easy to throw someone to their death from up here. But Jack had been right to choose this place. Ryder needed to show Theodore that he was willing to meet him somewhere that was familiar to him as the owner.
"What is the alpha of Luna's Sentinels of Pinemoor doing in the city his kind abhors so much?"
Theodore's voice, full of venom, made him turn on his heel. His fated mate was standing at a good distance from him, close to the edge. How he had gotten there was beyond Ryder's comprehension, since he hadn't been able to see Theodore until now. The wind made the hem of his long coat move. Theodore kept his hands deep in the pockets of his coat, something that put Ryder on edge right away. His mate was hiding something, and it couldn't be anything good.
"Looking for you," Ryder replied, moving slowly, not directly toward Theodore, because he believed his mate wouldn't appreciate his approach, but circling round.
"Why?" Theodore smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Everything about him was perfect, carved in stone. Ryder couldn't stand his face.
"You are my mate," he replied.
"Your mate," Theodore repeated slowly. "I thought your kind was honest to a fault. Yet, your mouth spews only lies."
Each time Theodore said the words 'your kind', it sounded jarring to Ryder's ears. He might not have adjusted to the way city people loved to talk, their words dripping sarcasm and ill will, but he understood as much. Theodore Pembroke despised Ryder's pack for reasons he kept hidden.
"It is fate," Ryder said. "I must mate and bond with you before the following full moon."
"And why is that?" Theodore asked, showing his teeth.
"Because if it doesn't happen, my pack will meet its end. The dark prophecy will engulf Pinemoor and everyone in it."
"It sounds like you should advise your people to move somewhere else then," Theodore said, letting his eyelids drop while inspecting Ryder with the same shrewdness as before.
"You are an alpha. You know the strength of a prophecy."
Theodore nodded and jutted his chin out, examining Ryder with eyes filled with disdain. "Well, it sounds like a personal problem then."
Ryder took a step toward Theodore, gripped by rage. He stopped before he ended up doing something he'd regret. "Don't you feel the same way about your own pack?"
Cassandra had told him many things about Theodore, but less so about the wolfshifter family he belonged to. Ryder hadn't read much into that lack of information at the time; he had believed that Theodore would tell him everything he needed know once they got to know each other better.
"My pack," Theodore said slowly, while moving to one side, "has been gone from the face of the Earth for decades now."
Ryder stopped dead in his tracks. Theodore had no pack? But that didn't make any sense. "You're powerful. This city belongs to you. How--"
"We're here to talk about you, not me," Theodore cut his words down. "Who told you I was your fated mate?"
"A clairvoyant," Ryder replied.
Theodore scoffed. "That little weasel who delivered your message? I can tell that the light of knowledge is weak in him. I told him as much, and he turned feral. Since I wanted him to deliver my response, I spared his life. But once I'm finished with you, I will hunt him down. Clairvoyants without a gift are nothing but troublemakers, nothing more."
"No, not him." Ryder felt his anger growing. Theodore still believed that they had to fight. He would have to make his mate surrender by defeating him, and such a thought didn't sit well with him.
"Who, then?" Theodore continued his interrogation.
"Cassandra. She lives in Pinemoor."
Theodore licked his lips, while his fangs began to grow. "Cassandra. I know of the name. So, she must have sent you to finish the job."
Ryder narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Theodore quirked an eyebrow while he moved one hand slowly, taking it out of his pockets. "I have a personal beef with clairvoyants. I know, I haven't mentioned it before. But now, it's evident why she sent you here. Catch!"
Ryder jumped back as Theodore threw a large piece of burning incense at him. How was that possible? When had he lit it? And what was all this talk about clairvoyants? If he put two and two together, he felt tempted to believe that clairvoyants like Cassandra had something to do with Theodore's pack's demise, and that made no sense. Clairvoyants were never that powerful.
Even if he had managed to get out of the way, the pungent smell of the incense hit his nostrils, and he inhaled a breath of the offending scent before he could stop himself. The world before him tilted as dizziness seized him. He fell to his knees, retching helplessly.
He could see Theodore coming closer. His polished shoes stopped in front of Ryder. Then, he felt his chin tipped upward. Even though he couldn't see the object Theodore was holding and was now pushing against his throat, he knew what it was.
The same object that had been able to hurt him when he'd been in that store selling expensive scents. Somehow, Theodore had gotten his hands on that weapon. A weapon that could hurt alphas or do something even worse.
How was it possible that an alpha was even able to touch such a thing? It should have burned his hands, making him drop to the ground and howl in pain.
"You are most likely wondering why I'm able to wield such an extraordinary weapon. Or how I came to have it," Theodore said, guessing his thoughts.
Inches away, the fragment of incense was still burning, making Ryder's eyes water and his throat feel like it was on fire. If only he could move and push it away. His weakness was growing, and he could feel his life leaving his body. He wouldn't allow this to happen. He had come this far, and he needed to convince Theodore that they had to mate. Wasn't he aware of that at least?
But how could Ryder even begin to believe such things? He himself felt no attraction toward Theodore. And it looked like Theodore had only bloodlust in his heart when it came to Ryder. They were no fated mates.
Thoughts, odd ideas, began circling his weary mind. Theodore blamed the clairvoyants for something. He had heard of Cassandra's name; he knew of her, as he had stated in his own words. And now, Theodore, an alpha with no pack, believed that Ryder had been sent to kill him. Under those circumstances, things made sense, but Ryder wouldn't allow himself to succumb at Theodore's feet.
"You don't fight like an alpha," Ryder said through his teeth. "You use trickery and ancient weapons. A true wolf doesn't need a weapon to prove his power."
Theodore laughed harshly. But he removed the weapon from underneath Ryder's chin. A wave of relief washed through him, and some of his strength returned. To convince Theodore that he wasn't an enemy, he first needed to defeat the other alpha in battle. It had to be a fair fight, or else their names as wolves would be forever tarnished.
"I suppose you want me to show you what a proud, justice-loving wolf I am," Theodore said. "I'll make a few concessions, but don't expect any more." He made a show of throwing the weapon several feet away. The thing glided across the floor and stopped right when it was about to slide over the edge.
"See, alpha," Theodore added in a scathing voice, "I am nothing like one of your wolves. I am powerful on my own, and I don't require a pack to prove my worth. I am the king of this city and each day I become more powerful. Everything humans love, I have in spades. And I use it to dominate them, as any other wolf should desire. Not that I desire competition, of course. Once I'm done with you, my power will increase. Do you understand now?"
Ryder pushed himself to his feet, even if he was wobbling. "You don't deserve to be called a wolf." He was transforming, his fangs growing longer and longer, while the fur on his back stood on end, as his entire being was getting ready for battle.
He side-stepped and kicked the incense fragment away from him.
"Ah, do you think I can't defeat you without that so-called trickery?" Theodore had wasted no time, either.
Before Ryder stood a majestic white wolf, with eyes as blue as an ocean in winter. But the purity of his fur was marred by barely visible red tips. When Theodore moved, his fur seemed to spray blood everywhere around him.
It was only an illusion. Ryder growled and rushed at his opponent. The battle between them had just turned inevitable.
***
Jack squeaked when something dropped from above, right in front of him. He caught Danny's arm and bent over, retching miserably.
"It's that crap," Jack complained. "That shitty--" He had to interrupt his string of expletives as another heave caught him in mid-sentence.
Vince crouched and picked from the ground what appeared to be a piece of incense. It was still smoking. A short sniff convinced Danny's bestie that it was at least half as bad as Jack made it out to be. Funny thing, he himself couldn't smell it at all. Or maybe he just wasn't bothered by it.
"Throw it away!" Jack demanded. He stopped heaving and then turned abruptly toward Vince. "Wait, how is that thing here?"
"It fell from the sky," Vince said, unfazed.
Jack waved his hands like he was fighting an entire beehive. "I know, I was here. How the hell did it get, you know, in the sky?"
The three of them looked up at the same time. The top floor of the tall building before them, still under construction, was where Ryder was supposed to meet Theodore. It gave Danny the willies only to stare up at that desolated place.
"Do you think Theodore brought it to use against Ryder?" he asked.
Jack nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure that fucker doesn't plan to fight fair."
"Fight?" Danny asked, alarmed. "I thought they were going to have a mature conversation. Like adults." Although it was true that Theodore had tried to hurt Ryder before, so nothing was off the table.
***
Theodore missed his throat by the skin of his teeth and turned to attack him again. Ryder knew himself to be a strong alpha, but Theodore was a force of nature. There was something dark about him, like an evil aura, and he could feel it, although he couldn't describe it or even understand what it was.
Without the incense sapping his strength, he was almost as powerful as ever. He dodged Theodore's attacks nimbly but, whenever he attacked, he struggled against himself not to hurt his mate. His plan was to tire him enough to overpower him; then, he would make Theodore see sense.
As Theodore got him in a hold and they rolled across the cement floor, they ended next to the alpha-killing weapon. Ryder could transform into his human shape and grab it. Then, he would be able to strike, but he would never do such a thing.
"Aren't you going to pick it up?" Theodore growled at him from above. "It would be so easy."
"A true alpha would never do something as dishonorable as that," Ryder grunted.
Theodore had him pinned down, and his icy-blue eyes were burning. "Then don't mind me if I don't consider myself that sort of alpha."
Ryder moved faster than he thought possible. He pushed the weapon over the edge.
***
"Things keep falling from the sky," Jack commented as something landed at their feet again. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed as he picked it up from the ground.
Danny stared curiously at the object. It was a crude wooden weapon looking like a small, curved sword, although he could say that it also looked like an odd boomerang. Its surface was carved and darkened by symbols. It looked like the sort of thing people went to gawk at in museums.
Jack held it by what had to be its hilt while scrunching up his nose.
"Do you know what this is?" Danny asked.
"That stupid shopkeeper hit Ryder in the head with it," Jack explained.
That wound at Ryder's temple, Danny was remembering it. He had helped him dress it, and then Ryder had seemed fine.
"Give it to me," Vince said and grabbed the wooden weapon from Jack's hand.
***
"You fool," Theodore hissed at him, "do you think I can't defeat you?"
"You're not doing a very good job so far," Ryder grunted. "You will have no choice but to listen to me and do as you are told."
Theodore's laughter was harsh, just like the rest of him. "Your clairvoyant friend must have thought that I'd enjoy the idea of meeting here. And he's right, I do, but unfortunately for you, not for the reasons he believed."
Ryder followed Theodore as he dashed around, attacking him, but the white wolf was too fast to be caught.
"Wolves are hard to kill." Theodore moved around, dancing on his paws with the elegance centuries of good breeding provided him. "But what if you couldn't be a wolf anymore?"
Ryder didn't know how Theodore ended up behind him. He only felt the long fangs sinking into his shoulder. His entire body was transforming back, he could feel it. But he was also losing his strength. He fell to his knees, with Theodore's fangs still latched in his shoulder.
When they released him from their hold, he fell forward.
"You wanted to mate with me?" Theodore taunted him. "There. I believe I have marked you for all eternity, alpha."
Ryder didn't have the strength to protect himself as Theodore pushed him from behind.
Right over the edge.
***
"You know," Jack continued chatting, "first that piece of crap fell, and then that weapon also fell, and in all the stories, things come in three, right? I wonder what the third thing will be."
They were going round the building to find the stairs. It was a long way to the top, and hopefully, Ryder wouldn't get into too big a fight with Theodore until they got there.
A loud thump from behind them made Danny's hair stand on end. Jack's ominous words about things coming in three must have come true.
His blood rushed to his feet as he saw Ryder's body sprawled on a large pile of bricks, unmoving.
"No!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty building, to the very top.
TBC