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“No,” she screamed, trying to pull away from Branson as he locked his fingers around her arm and dragged her down the steps. She hadn’t even looked at me yet, her gaze fixed on the bloody scene.
“Here’s my submission for the Contention.” Branson sneered. “Good luck with her.” She gasped and spun, jerking her arm away, which made her lose her balance and fall to the ground at my feet. Her knees hit hard, and she caught herself with her hands, staring in horror at the gore mere feet away.
That’s when she lost it. Sobbing, she scrambled backward as fast as she could. “No,” she screamed, her voice raw, tears streaming down her face. “I won’t go. I refuse. You can’t make me.”
I glanced at Branson, confused why he’d choose someone so opposed to participating. Young women typically volunteered. Some even fought over the opportunity. Branson scoffed at the young woman in disgust.
I took a step toward her, holding my palms out. “I’m not a threat to you.”
She looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine for the first time, and it was like all the air was knocked out of me, leaving me stunned and disoriented. I couldn’t say whether it was the pure hatred in her gaze or the fierce passion that emanated from her, but this woman was unlike anyone I’d ever met.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she hissed. “But I won’t be part of your stupid competition.”
Her blatant refusal—in defiance of her future alpha—heated my blood, the primal instinct to subdue spreading through my veins. I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to figure out how to deal with this firecracker without escalating the situation further.
I stuck with the truth. “That’s not an option. The Contention is mandatory. Pack law states that those selected must compete.”
“Refusing the future alpha is punishable by death, Kayden,” Branson chimed in, staring down his nose in disgust. “Why am I not surprised that yet another member of your family fails to fulfill their duties to their alpha?”
Kayden made a strangled sound, her chest heaving as a fresh round of tears streamed down her face. But even Branson’s claim didn’t quell her fire. She glared up at me.
“Then I choose death.”
Shock kept me rooted to the spot. She’d rather die than be entered into the Contention? It wasn’t punishable by death—the fact that Branson would insinuate I’d kill someone for not wanting to compete to marry me was insane. But as far as I could tell, she meant what she’d said. Did the girl have a death wish?
Was this more of Branson’s elaborate scheming? He didn’t want to submit a contender in the first place. If I chose the woman from his pack as my future wife, our packs would be tied together indefinitely. Perhaps he’d selected her because he knew she wouldn’t survive any challenges. However, her spirit and the fight inside her said differently.
I turned my back on them, putting aside my thoughts for another time. Time to wrap up here. “Restrain the woman, Garrett. No one else will be dying today.”
Garrett shifted and collected the enchanted manacles that would prevent Kayden from shifting.
Branson disappeared inside his office building, leaving his soldiers to watch over us as we waited. Jax and Cal shifted back, keeping an eye on Kayden as she sat sobbing on the bottom step, wrists bound.
I watched her, a strange feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. Unease and something else I couldn’t quite identify. This girl was bound to be trouble. I might be better off insisting Branson submit someone else.
But when she looked up, almost as if she sensed me watching her, something stirred inside me. My wolf perked up, taking notice of Kayden. I hated to admit it, but I was intrigued by this fiery beauty. Part of me wanted to see how she’d fare in the Contention.
“I want to see my sister and say goodbye,” she said, her voice strong as she addressed me. Determined.
“We don’t have time,” was my only reply. I wanted out of this territory as soon as possible in case Branson had other challengers waiting in the wings. There’d been enough bloodshed already. “Watch her,” I told my men before walking away to call for a helicopter to come pick us up. Then I called my father. I needed privacy to update him on everything that happened when we stepped foot in Branson’s territory.
“Hmm,” he said, and I could picture him rubbing his chin like he did when he was thinking. “I don’t know what Branson is up to, but I want to speak with that girl when you arrive.”
“I’ll have her taken to the confinement chamber. Just to be cautious.”
Father chuckled. “There’s one way to win a woman over.”
I snorted. “Pretty sure this one will be out of the Contention before it’s barely begun. She doesn’t want any part of it.”
But even as I said it, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I glanced back to where she stood, still shooting me a death glare. She might have been vehemently against coming with me, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t weak.
The Contention had always been a formality in my mind. A routine protocol that every alpha went through. Even though I was supposed to pick a bride—something I didn’t take lightly—it was still just one more step on my way to becoming alpha. I’d never gotten overly attached to the outcome of the competition, knowing I’d choose a wife who would best serve the pack.
Surprisingly, though, I now found myself more interested than expected.
4
KAYDEN
