Mated To The Alpha: A Standalone Wolf Shifter Romance, стр. 42

Reine hadn't planned on winning the Alpha Challenge, in fact she was as surprised as anyone when she came out on top. Going into the challenge she fully planned to give it all she had, but she was also prepared to acknowledge Thomas as Alpha when it was over. But now, in the deep middle of it, she really didn't want to lose.

Her rarely seen competitive streak came out once she had taken care of the wolf attacking Thomas, and it was only she and Thomas in the thick of things, as she enjoyed sparring with her brother immensely.

She had just taken Thomas down with an extra little twist as she had the back of his neck in her grip, and had backed off to let him get up so they could go at it some more when she realized from all the cheers and yells from the coliseum that she had won.

She didn't even have a full moment to process what that meant before a wounded and bleeding wolf from the adjoining pack burst on scene, shifted, and called for help for his pack.

The entire pack took off, aiming for the adjoining lands, but it became very obvious as they neared the other pack's den that they were too late.

Humans and wolves alike lay dead everywhere. They were scattered at first, and then more and more bodies were seen as they reached the center of the other pack's den.

The wolves had defended themselves well in the places that it seemed were fair fights, but in the center of it all the human's scents and footprints were very heavy, along with the sharp tangs of gun powder.

The humans had come prepared, well-armed and with many of their women along to boost their numbers. The wolves took out great numbers of their attackers, even as they were shot themselves. Human bodies outnumbered wolves by an average of two to one. The villagers had obviously meant business.

Once it was determined that the entire pack was wiped out, and no wolves were found alive, the pack headed to the village for vengeance.

Vengeance was not to be, though, for the only people still in the village were women, children and teenagers that had been left behind during the attack.

Yes, the humans had managed to take out an entire pack, all but the one wolf who had run for help, but they had also lost all of their men, and a very large percentage of their own women in the attack as well.

Reine could feel the rage and indignation rolling off of the younger wolves in her pack. They wanted to finish the job, to take out those who had hunted their kind, but Reine, in her very first duty as Alpha, wouldn't have it.

She shifted into human form to be able to speak with the huddled and scared villagers that were still alive. Thomas and a few of the other wolves stayed close to her, for protection in her human form, as Reine shouted for whoever was now in charge of this village.

The women looked around at each other, most of them huddled with small children, until the oldest woman still among them reluctantly stepped forward.

"Why have you done this? That pack protected your village." Reine's tone demanded an answer.

"Protection, at the cost of our people. You take our females as slaves when they are young. You take them from their mothers in exchange for this protection. We needed protection from your kind more than we needed you to protect us from outsiders. The world is changing. Your kind became our greatest danger."

"I agree that the world is changing. Our pack does not take humans for slaves, although I understand that some packs still do. You attacked first. We came for retribution, but we will not kill women and children, even if it is our right. As Alpha of my pack, I offer a truce. You leave us alone and we will leave you alone. If any human breaks this pact, we will kill every last one of you. Do you agree?"

"You say your pack does not trade children for protection? We are now only women and children, it seems. Can we work out a protection agreement that is fair to both sides?"

"You wiped out an entire pack of my people. No, we will not protect you. But we will ignore you. That is as much as I can give you. You are on your own. Do you agree, or no?"

The villager nodded.

"We agree."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Reine shifted back into her wolf form and led her new pack into the woods once again.

They came across Ziva on their way back to take care of the dead. She was on her knees, rocking herself in grief, beside a small group of both dead villagers and wolves.

Thomas went to her, and shifted to hold her and speak to her.

Reine watched as Ziva let Thomas comfort her. Reine heard Ziva cry out, "They were all my people, the villagers first, and then the pack. Whether I liked them or not, I now have no one left!"

Thomas rocked her sobbing body in his arms, murmuring to her that he was here for her now, and always would be.

"You belong in our pack, with us. I'm sorry for your loss, Ziva, I truly am. It is our loss as well. But you belong with me, now. I will take care of you. I will always take care of you."

"This was not how it was supposed to be!"

Reine nodded at Thomas, offering to leave them alone for a bit, and she continued on to organize some wolves to take the human bodies back to the village, for them to bury or burn their dead as they saw fit, and to begin to take care of their own kind's bodies as well.

As Reine walked away she heard Ziva carry on, "She wasn't supposed to be Alpha, you were. I've never even heard of a female