He released her and stepped back. “That depends.” Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he guided her toward the side of the clearing. The bodies of the traitorous wolves had been carried away while she’d been getting cleaned up and, except for the blood staining the ground, there was no sign there had ever been a fight.
She dug her heels into the ground, bringing them both to a stop. He was evading her question. More than once she’d noticed the way he looked at the forest around him. There was sorrow and longing and so many more emotions mixed together in his face. Alex knew this homecoming was hard on her father, but it was what he needed. She sensed he was more at home here than he’d ever been in Chicago. The wildness of the forest and mountains suited him.
She stared up into his golden brown eyes, wanting him to know that she understood what he was feeling. “If these past few days have taught me anything, it’s that life is short. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want.”
His face was sober, his hands gentle as he cupped her face. “You’re all grown up, aren’t you?”
She smiled at him. “Yeah, I am. You did a heck of a job with me.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “I guess I did.” His expression once again became serious. “Are you going to follow your own advice? Are you going to fight for what you want?” He stared past her and she followed his gaze. Joshua was standing across the yard, his stance seemingly relaxed, but his eyes tracked her every move. “It won’t be simple, you know. He won’t be an easy man to live with.”
Now that was an understatement if she’d ever heard one. “I know.”
The wryness in her tone made him chuckle. “I see you know what you’re getting into.”
“I do,” she whispered softly.
Her father nodded. “So be it. Stay by my side until the time comes.”
Before she could get him to answer her question about what was going to happen, Joshua stepped to the center of the circle. All the people who had come gathered around. When everyone fell silent, Joshua began to speak. “Our pack has come under attack from the outside and from within.” There were shouts and general mumbling, but he raised his hand for silence again. “Our leader and his mate have been brutally slain by people they trusted. Justice has been carried out and those men are no more.”
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife and Alex stood like the rest, waiting for Joshua to continue. He was a natural-born leader—an imposing figure with his tall, muscular build and his dark, piercing eyes. It wasn’t so much the way he looked, she decided, but more the way he carried himself with complete confidence and composure.
“We all mourn their loss.” Men nodded, while many of the women wiped tears from their eyes. Alex hadn’t known these people, but even she felt their loss.
“But we must have a new leader,” Joshua continued. “The pack cannot be left vulnerable.”
Several men stepped forward, placing themselves in the ring with Joshua. Alex watched, wishing she knew what would happen next. Joshua nodded at each man in turn. She recognized one of them as Donovan Brody, the werewolf who’d had to slay his own kinsmen.
“We will challenge you for leadership.” She didn’t know the man who spoke, but he was tall and hugely built, not like the lean, muscular builds of most of the others.
Joshua shook his head. “I am not challenging for the leadership.” The crowd sucked in a collective breath. Voices were raised in protest. Even the two men standing across from him appeared stunned.
“If you’re not running for pack alpha, then who is?” An older man across from her shouted.
Her father stirred beside her and took a step forward. “I am.” All heads turned toward him. Alex could see the wonder and disbelief on some faces.
“You abandoned that post years ago,” the older man countered.
Her father nodded. “Yes, I did. I was young, I was angry and I was lost. I am none of those things now.” His eyes swept over the challengers. “It is still my right as a member of this pack to challenge for leadership.”
Alex stared at her father, amazed he would do such a thing. But then, he’d always been a protector, she realized. And now that their home and neighborhood were lost to him, he needed someone or something new to focus all those protective instincts on. When she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anyone better for the position, except maybe Joshua.
“What say you, Striker?” Donovan Brody took an aggressive step forward.
Joshua looked toward James. “The Striker family has always supported the LeVeau family. That has not changed.”
“You’re only supporting him because you want the woman.” Another man strode angrily into the circle.
Joshua shrugged, but didn’t deny the accusation. “That is a separate issue, Gavin, and will be dealt with after this one is settled.” The other man glared at him, but took a step back.
Alex’s stomach was churning. What would happen if her father wasn’t accepted as leader? What if he had to fight? What if he were killed? Her breathing was getting shallower, so she forced herself to breathe deeply. She had no idea what a challenge entailed, but it couldn’t be good. These were a brutal people.
Her thoughts brought her up short. She might not know what would happen, but her father did. These were his people. God, she was so confused.
Her hands were clamped into fists at her sides as she watched the drama unfold. A part of her wanted to run to be with her father, but her instincts told her that that would be a mistake.
“Don’t worry.” The words were a mere whisper beside her. She flicked her gaze to her side for a moment and was surprised to see Joshua’s younger brother, Simon, standing next to her. “Everything will be fine.”
“How do you know?” Her words sounded angry and belligerent even to her own ears, but he seemed to take no offense.
“I don’t really know your father, but I remember how things were when he was leader of the pack. I was just a young man when he left. But I do know the legends of James LeVeau. He’s not the sort of man who would start something he couldn’t finish.”
Alex forced her fingers to unclench. Simon was right. She had to trust her father. “Thank you,” she whispered back to him. Simon nodded and they both watched as several men stepped back until only four remained in the circle—Joshua, her father, Donovan Brody and one other man.
The crowd was growing restless as the younger men stared at her father. He stared back at them, waiting patiently.
“What will it be?” Joshua queried both men. “Do you fight or do you accept James LeVeau Riley as alpha?”
The larger of the two men, the one that was unknown to her, nodded at her father. “I will accept James LeVeau. My father always spoke very highly of you.”
Her father nodded back at the man. “Grady.”
Donovan shook his head. “I will challenge.”
Joshua nodded. “So be it.”
Alex bit her lip to keep from crying out as both men stripped off their shirts, tossing them aside. She could feel the growing excitement in the crowd as they began to circle one another. They were both exceptional specimens of manhood, but only one of them was her father. She tried to swallow but her throat was too dry. She twisted her hands in the tails of the shirt, unable to pull her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her.
Donovan lunged first. Her father easily sidestepped him and waited while the younger man gathered himself once again. She wanted to yell at her father. He seemed so relaxed and unconcerned. Then she saw his eyes. His body might be relaxed, but his eyes told another tale. There was death in those eyes. The other man would back down or her father would kill him.
Oh, God. What was happening to her world?
Alex stifled a scream as Donovan attacked again. James met his lunge this time and the two of them grappled, neither able to gain the upper hand. Dust flew around them as people began to chant in a language she didn’t understand.