AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After having witnessed her mate and his friend eat over the last week, she could definitely see the reality of no leftovers.
They talked while they ate cookies and drank wine. China was tempted to keep drinking after the first glass, to fully drown her sorrows in wine and cookies, but she wanted to be alert for the upcoming battle. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t run out into the thick of things if she thought Oz was in serious trouble, even though he’d made her promise that she would stay with Angel and Teresa and not try to help him.
It had left her with a bad taste in her mouth.
Oz had killed for her. Why wouldn’t she face off against the alpha contenders for him? Or at least try?
When she’d finished her wine and cookies, she took the covered plate from Teresa and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you at the battle.”
“I hope I got your mind off things for a little bit.”
“You did. It was great.”
“Everything will work out.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“Let’s hope you don’t ever have to find out.”
China said goodbye and hopped down the steps. She headed down the path in the woods, her thoughts on Oz and the battle that waited for him like a nightmarish monster, all sharp teeth and claws.
* * *
China saw something purple out of the corner of her eye and stopped, realizing it was a patch of flowers a few yards off the path. She was a sucker for flowers and decided to pick some. Even though Oz didn’t have a vase in his kitchen, a coffee mug or glass would do fine and brighten things up.
The little flowers had dark green leaves and were interspersed around a shrub that was growing next to a tall tree. She squatted and picked several flowers. Then she heard someone say Oz’s name.
Reaching for her lion, she let the power of her shift bleed into her body and enhance her hearing.
“How long should it go?” a male asked.
China looked around for the source and in the distance saw males standing in a loose group. She couldn’t tell who they were, so she stayed low to the ground and moved forward, using the trees and shrubs as cover. When she drew closer, she recognized the six males who were participating in the alpha battle.
“He trusts Drager the most,” Tolis said. “So you two can battle it out for a few minutes. The rest of us will grapple but not in a serious way until Drager takes out Oz.”
“Right,” Voll said, nodding. “When he’s dead, we can battle for real. Winner becomes alpha.”
“And we’ll arrange ranks according to how everyone falls so we will all have a place of high standing in the pride,” Dennis said.
“We all agree that Oz is the only one who dies, right?” Frank asked.
“What about his mate?” Tolis asked.
“She can die too,” Drager said, “who the hell cares? We have to do this. The pride will never follow an alpha who didn’t legitimately win a battle, and that means Oz has to die. It’s too bad the female does too, but that’s the way it goes.”
China barely held in a growl.
“Well, well, well,” a masculine voice spoke from behind her. “Snoop much?”
China stood slowly, clutching the flowers and plate to her chest, and faced the speaker. It was Justin. She realized she’d been listening so intently that she hadn’t seen one of the six leave the group. He’d come up right behind her.
“I…” she said.
“Shut up, bitch.”
His fist flew at her face so fast she didn’t even register that she’d been hit until pain exploded in the center of her face, and everything promptly went dark.
* * *
