Mated To The Alpha: A Standalone Wolf Shifter Romance, стр. 28

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. At least how I've heard it told. Challenges are open to everyone, and there was a third challenger, but he didn't win. He was a lower pack member, just trying to step up. Unfortunately, he was also killed by humans, not but a year or two later, but yeah, your mom kicked both of their asses, but good."

"Did she do anything unexpected? Like turn into a bear, like you did?"

He laughed. "No, nothing like that. She just surprised everyone by her intensity, that's all. The way I heard it, she went after the other wolf first. He was going after Thomas, trying to knock out the stiffest competition first, before saving his leftovers for your mother, I'd guess. But boy was he surprised. Your mother had a protective streak a mile wide. And someone going after her brother set it off big time, even though she herself was to fight her brother. Poor guy didn't even know what hit him. He was out pretty quick. Then it was just your mom and Thomas."

Emma didn't interrupt, but she did enjoy a quick snorting laugh at the idea of her mom tearing up anyone for going after her family.

Elam continued, "Your mother just had a bit more, that's all. She had more stamina, she had more speed. They were pretty evenly matched, but she just had a bit more. Anyway, soon it was over, and there Reine stood- the first female Alpha."

"And that pissed Ziva off to no end, huh?"

"I think she felt like she'd somehow let her old pack down, since she was mated to Thomas, the supposed next Alpha, in part to unite the two packs."

"She mentioned something about that, when she was getting Camphor for Thomas. I thought Ziva was human. How did she come from another pack?"

"The histories of werewolves is not a proud thing."

"Neither is the human's."

"Good point. Many years ago, humans were sacrificed to werewolf packs for protection, amongst other things."

"I take it Ziva was one such sacrifice?"

"Yes. Her human village chose her to give to the wolf pack that provided them with protection. It wasn't this pack, but a pack that adjoined this one. Every so often, sometimes yearly, sometimes every few years, a human girl-child was given to the wolves to raise. As a slave, usually.”

Emma shivered at the mere thought of it.

“I’ve heard of boys also being sacrificed on occasion,” he said, continuing. “I think that may be where your stories of Tarzan-types may have originally come from, but boys were rarer as a sacrifice. They made for stronger slaves, physically, but females could serve double duty, eventually become used for breeding as they got older. Somehow humans have better luck carrying a wolf cub than female wolves do. Plus, it kept the bloodlines fresh, and provided protection from the pack, for the village that gave her up. How the village decided who- I have no idea. Thankfully, all of this is a tiny bit before my time. We don't do that here, in this pack. But some still do, I've heard."

"So Ziva was handed over to live with and serve wolves? When? How old was she?"

"Five-ish, is my understanding."

"Wow, that's just..."

"Barbaric?'

"Sure. I was going to say shitty, but barbaric works. For starters."

They sat in silence for a beat, thinking their own thoughts.

"So, she was slave traded to a nearby pack. How did she end up here?"

"Thomas's wolf claimed her. They were at a meeting, some kind of a treaty meeting between this pack and the one that used to share our borders. Aiden was Alpha, and took his son, the presumed next Alpha, and a few others, to a meeting spot between the two packs. Thomas said his wolf recognized her as his mate the instant he saw her. He made it known as well, much to Ziva's dismay.”

Emma couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her.

Elam grinned back at her before continuing.

“My understanding is that she wasn't all that happy to be claimed. Her pack gave her up rather easily though. Which makes some sense, I guess. They were probably expecting to fight and hammer out some kind of treaty, and here instead all it took was the Alpha's son claiming their human slave to keep the peace. Hell, they didn't even have to give up anyone of any importance to them."

"Holy crap. Traded twice, to two different packs? How old was she then?"

"Twenty, I think."

"And she didn't want to go?"

"Her pack was all she'd known. But she went willingly enough. Her pack practically shoved her out the door, but she stepped up, a lot. She went from a human slave, basically, to the mate of the next Alpha. So, it couldn't have been too bad, right?"

"You are seriously asking me that?"

"No." He said with a self-depreciating laugh. "No, our heritage is not a proud one, like I said."

"I'm torn between going all women's lib on you and stating how unfair it is to not mate for love, and asking you about your personal heritage. You were found wandering in the woods, were you not? All these rumors about you, since the whole bear thing..."

"Ah yes, the shape shifter talk."

"What is a shape shifter, exactly?"

Before Elam could answer yet another of Emma's questions, they were interrupted.

Galen approached Elam, asking to speak to him in private.

He looked pained, to Emma's eyes, but she couldn't blame him. He'd lost his place, and his father, both in such a short time period.

As Galen led Elam off, after Elam had said a goodnight to Emma, all Emma heard as they walked away was Galen's rushed, "I know of only one way to fix this, brother. I mean, Alpha."