Challenged (18 page)

the house, sounding like a wild pack descending on them.

Jason walked into the living room with an all-important look on his face, looking

like a miniature version of his sire.

“Dad. The phone is for you.”

Ali walked away from them. This was making her nuts. It shouldn’t matter to her

so much that her parents approved of Stone, but it did. She knew some of the bitches

ran off with Cariboos that they’d howled after as soon as they’d graduated. None of

them had cared what their den thought.

“What?” her sire screamed into the phone behind her.

Ali jumped, her heart exploding in her chest, and turned around quickly. Her sire’s

face had turned beet-red and he looked ready to crush the phone in his hand.

“Yes. Thanks for telling me.” He threw the phone onto the couch so hard that it

bounced to the floor. He turned on her, looking like he was ready to charge.

The spicy smell of anger filled the room, while he slowly raised a fist, his muscles

growing while his short gray hair on his head became bushier.

“Jonathan. What is it?” Audry approached him slowly, her hand extended.

Gently she touched his chest, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“That Cariboo of yours was starting fights down at the tavern. Cook risked taking

him on just to prevent his place, your place of employment, from being destroyed.” He

turned to his mate, looking at her as if she could explain all of this to him. “And you

approve of this werewolf for our daughter?”

“Why was he fighting?” Suddenly Ali’s den seemed like a cave closing in on her.

“Who else was involved?”

And where was he now? Too many questions flooded through her while the urge to

bolt out the door, go find him, seemed suddenly more important than making her

parents see the qualities in Stone.

Her Cariboo was wild. But Ali knew he had convictions. His heart was good. And if

he fought, it would be because someone pissed him off for doing something wrong. She

frowned, shaking her head.

“I need to find out what is going on,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone

else.

“I’ll be damned if you’re going to go sniffing out that Cariboo.”

There was a knock on the door and Ali hurried to it, aching for Stone to be on the

other side of the door when she pulled it open. She could smell that it wasn’t him

though before she had the door open.

“Sorry to bother your den at this hour.” Tip Rochester filled the doorway with his

massive frame.

“Is Stone all right?” Ali blurted out before she remembered her manners.

“Ali,” Jonathan barked behind her.

Ali stepped to the side, allowing the pack leader to enter.

“Obviously you’ve heard what happened down at the tavern?” Tip nodded to

Audry, and then turned his attention to Jonathan. “I’m here for a couple of reasons.

Stone McAllister is the main reason. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Ali’s littermates had gathered in the living room, curiosity filling the air around

them.

“Scat. All of you,” Ali snapped.

Audry turned to her cubs as well. “All of you to your rooms,” she ordered.

Multiple groans followed but Ali ignored them. She needed answers. And she

needed them now.

“Tell me if Stone is okay. What happened? Where is he now?”

Tip smiled at her. A fairly large Cariboo, he was several years older than she was.

They hadn’t gone to school together and she’d never known him that well, but the pack

consensus was that he was a fair werewolf. He’d always been friendly to her. And

although she didn’t know his mate that well, she’d heard he had a happy den. She

smiled in return, praying her sire wouldn’t make a scene and keep her from learning

what had happened.

“I’m pretty sure he’s just fine.” He turned to her sire then, straightening as he

cleared his voice. “I smell your anger, Jonathan. But we need to talk.”

“What is it?” Her sire looked like he was ready to explode.

“There has been a challenge.”

“A what?” Again her sire roared loud enough to rattle the pictures on the wall.

“A challenge?” Ali couldn’t breathe.

She looked at her pack leader, and then at her parents.

“Mickey Reginald confronted Stone McAllister in the tavern. Apparently he told

Stone to stay away from Ali here. A few words were exchanged and from what I hear,

they almost broke into their fur right there.”

“Who said they would fight for me?” Ali was almost afraid to ask the question.

“Stone did.” Tip looked at her and then to her parents.

“I’ve got to go.” There was no way she could stay here any longer. She had to find

Stone.

“You aren’t leaving this den.” Jonathan pointed to the hallway. “I want you in your

room now.”

“Father. No.” She had to fight to stay calm. But it was high time her sire saw that

she was no longer a cub.

Blood rushed through her veins too fast. Stone was willing to fight for her. He

wanted her. More than she needed to breathe she needed to be with him. There was no

way she could wait. And the last thing she would allow was to be sent to her room like

a cub. So many emotions rushed through her that her hair prickled down her neck and

spine. Her muscles tightened, the sweet pain of the change quickening in her gut.

“When is the challenge?” she asked Tip.

“They set it for midnight tonight, up the mountain in the first clearing with the

waterfall.”

“There will be no challenge.” Jonathan ran his thick hand through his hair.

Audry went to him, smelling his outrage, and wrapped her arms around him. This

was tearing her parents up. Ali didn’t want that. She wished she could make them see

how she couldn’t live without Stone.

“Tip, you’ve got to find a pack law that backs me on this. Neither one of those

werewolves has proven themselves to me. My daughter here is the catch of this pack.

Anyone will back me on that. I won’t have two hotheaded mutts killing each other over

her. Because whoever wins, I’ll take down myself.” Jonathan sliced the air with his

hand.

“Dad. I want Stone. You might see him as hotheaded, but you aren’t the one who

would mate with him.” Ali sighed, fighting to control her emotions and try one last

time to reason with her sire. “I know I’ve always obeyed you. And I don’t want to do

anything without your blessing now. But you’ve got to see, I love him. I can’t sit here

and just wait to see what happens. I’ve got to go to him.”

“He’s not even a member of this pack.” Her sire stared at her, his anger blinding

him from seeing how strongly she felt about this. “He’s way too wild for you.”

“I’ve told him before all of this that he had a week to join the pack or leave.” Tip’s

comment hit her hard.

Ali hurried to the door. “Don’t stop me, Dad. I’m going after him. You’ve raised me

well, given me a good den, but now you’ve got to let me go. I need to be with Stone.”

“Jonathan,” Audry said quietly. “Let her go.”

Jonathan didn’t say anything, and nor did anyone else. Ali stared at all of them for

just another moment, and then hurried out the door, shutting it quickly and running

down the walk before any of them tried to stop her.

It was a really cold night, and she hadn’t thought to grab a jacket, but Ali welcomed

the chill in the air. Her body burned with emotions that clung to her no matter how fast

she walked down the street.

There was only one issue that she and her sire saw eye to eye on. The challenge was

ridiculous. Mickey was an idiot if he thought he could take on Stone. And she didn’t

want Mickey anyway. She never had and she couldn’t believe he didn’t have enough

sense to see that.

Lost in thought on how best to deal with the matter, and more than anxious to be

with Stone, the walk to the tavern didn’t take as long as it usually did. A fair amount of

cars were in the gravel lot, most of which she recognized, but none of them were a pale

blue truck. Stone wasn’t here.

Her heart sank. There wasn’t a damn soul she wanted to see other than Stone. Her

body tingled every time she thought about how he’d announced a challenge for her.

Every beat of her heart pulsed through her, straight to her pussy. Damn. She needed to

find him.

She pushed open the tavern door, noticing immediately that the conversation in the

place was louder than usual.

“Well, if you aren’t the talk of the hour,” Maggie, one of the other waitresses, said

with a wink as she paused with a round platter loaded with dirty dishes. “You’ve got

that new fighter of a Cariboo howling for you, you lucky bitch.”

Ali smiled, trying to make light of it. “Have you seen him?”

Maggie shook her head, turning toward the counter. Ali moved among tables,

noticing Cook watching her from the kitchen.

“Nope. Cook chased him off when he about took out Mickey right here in the

tavern.”

Ali slipped behind the counter, her ears buzzing from the chatter that all seemed to

be about the fight that had almost taken place here earlier.

“Tell me what happened,” she demanded of Cook as she entered the kitchen.

Steaks frying on the large grill filled her nose with their rich smells. But Cook’s

concern crept toward her when he looked her over. Grabbing a damp towel, he wiped

his hands on it.

“Mickey told Stone to keep his paws off you. I reckon that Cariboo of yours has a bit

too much fight in him. You sure you can settle down a werewolf like that, Ali?”

Cook had known her since she was a cub. And she knew he had a good heart. She

smiled at him and gave his arm a squeeze.

“I can definitely handle him. Help me find the number for his den. Cook, I’ve got to

see him.”

Cook didn’t say anything, but turned to his desk, a pile of papers and remnants of a

meal covering its surface. With surprising ease he found the pack directory and handed

it to her. Ali grinned at him and hurried to the phone.

“Hello.” Pamela answered after a couple rings.