The Mark of an Alpha (10 page)

Marsdon stepped into the circle. He held the other alpha's gaze as he walked across the trampled down grass. When he stood directly in front of Bennett, he leant forward and brushed their lips together.

"My mate. My alpha. My pack.” He smiled and walked across to the other side of the circle.

"But—” Alfred began behind him.

"Bennett has nothing to prove to me,” Marsdon bit out. He took his position on the other side of the circle, waiting for the other members of his new pack to see sense and join him.

Steffan would be first. Marsdon had no doubt about that. Alfred talked a good game, but he wouldn't have the balls to step forward until he knew Bennett was exhausted after his fights with the other wolves.

They all stood there, waiting for another wolf to make his move first, until Steffan finally stepped into the circle to face Bennett. The two wolves slowly began to circle each other, assessing each other for any sign of weakness.

Without warning, Steffan lunged. Bennett side stepped him. Marsdon could see in Bennett's eyes that his mate wasn't going to rush into anything. He had more patience than Marsdon would have had, more understanding of strategy.

Steffan lunged again, then feinted and changed direction at the last moment. Bennett wasn't quite able to dodge out of his way. The first blow landed on his temple. Falling to the ground, he rolled as he landed and was back up on his feet in seconds.

Marsdon's hand clenched into a fist at his side as the fight began in earnest. He knew Bennett hadn't needed to be told that he needed to take care with his pack—but he had needed to know that Marsdon believed he was strong enough to hurt them if he didn't hold back. Marsdon took a deep breath. It had been the only thing he'd had to offer Bennett.

And now Bennett was doing exactly as his master said, holding back, taking blows when he couldn't deflect them without doing the other wolf injury. Bennett minded his own actions, waiting and hurting until a chance came to take his opponent down safely. Forever passed before, in a rush of limbs and a sweeping kick, Steffan fell. Bennett dropped on top of him, pinning him down as he twisted one arm up behind Steffan's back and used that leverage to hold the larger man in place.

"Accept,” Steffan gasped, when it became obvious that there was no way he could get out of the hold. Bennett instantly released him. Stepping back, he held out his hand and helped the newest member of his pack to his feet as if he had no reason in the world to bear the other man any ill will.

Bennett turned to Marsdon. His lip was bloodied, his temple bruised but pride shone in his eyes. Marsdon nodded to Steffan echoing Bennett's acceptance of him and the gamma crossed to Marsdon's side of the circle.

"Anything that won't heal?” Marsdon asked, his gaze flickering quickly from Steffan to Bennett as he tried to watch over his mate and look after his pack at the same time.

Steffan shook his head.

"Anything urgent?"

Steffan shook his head again, keeping his eyes down.

Marsdon forced himself to look away from Bennett for two seconds in a row. He turned to his cousin and he saw the unease in the wolf who'd never had cause to doubt his acceptance before.

"Sit and rest while the other idiots find out that they are idiots,” he ordered. As easily as that, he saw something settle inside Steffan.

It was easy for a gamma wolf, even for one who had been marked out as the potential beta for their pack. Steffan had his alphas and his pack and his orders. That was all it really took to make everything well with his world. If only Marsdon could have said the same for his mate. Bennett was good and quick, but if anything he was far too cautious with the other wolves, far more worried about hurting them than himself.

Limbs lashed out, paws replaced hands as bodies fought to shift into wolf form when they discovered that their human form couldn't win against an alpha. Claws raked against Bennett's skin. His blood fell into the fighting circle.

Wolf's teeth bit into Bennett's body and Marsdon watched his mate keep himself human, keep his head full of human thoughts so that he would be better able to look after his pack and see that they were not hurt by their alpha's actions.

Knowing that the whole tradition was about letting the others see what sort of wolf the challenged alpha was, as well as what sort of fighter he could be, didn't help Marsdon keep his temper.

His nails bit into his palm as he forced himself not to launch himself into the circle and protect his mate. One by one he watched the members of their pack make their attempt at dominance over Bennett. He watched them judge his willingness to help them to their feet as well as his ability to pin them down. And, one by one, he saw them accept him as their alpha.

It seemed to take aeons, but eventually there were only two wolves on the other side of the circle. Alfred stepped forward. Marsdon's gaze flickered from him to Bennett and back again, hoping his mate remembered his advice.

He fights dirty. Bennett pushed his hair out of his eyes and stared across at the other wolf. His whole body ached. His heart raced, adrenaline flew through his veins, but even with everything else he had to think about, there was a part of his brain that kept repeating over and over again that he was going to hurt like hell when this finally stopped.

He could feel Alfred's eyes on him, watching his every movement. Bennett took a deep breath and tried not to show he was favouring his left leg as he circled the other wolf.

He fights dirty, he repeated inside his head. Marsdon had told him that. Marsdon had done everything he could to help him. He couldn't let his mate down now. Marsdon might not have challenged him in the circle, but Bennett couldn't help but hope seeing him in there with the other wolves would make his mate finally accept his status as an alpha, as an equal.

Alfred feinted to the left, then spun around, lashing out at Bennett's already injured leg. Twisting to the side, Bennett felt his ankle give way. Alfred pounced on him the moment he landed face first in the dirt, pinning him down. Wolfs claws broke his skin, seemingly for no more useful purpose than the other wolf's amusement.

Bennett tested Alfred's hold on him. The other wolf was smaller, weaker. More importantly, his technique was sloppy. All Bennett had to do was summon up the energy, and it would be easy to shake him off.

"Marsdon was right,” Alfred hissed in his ear. “Nothing but a pathetic little pup."

Bennett launched himself up out of the dirt. Before his mind had really registered the word, something primal inside him had Alfred's back pressed hard against the floor. He loomed over the prone wolf, a growl building in the back of his throat and rumbling through his whole body.

Alfred scrabbled at him, paws reverting to entirely human hands in his panic, but Bennett held him down, barely giving him room to breathe, let alone fight.

That was his master's name for him—and Alfred's lips were tarnishing it just by touching it.

"You don't say that word again,” he bit out.

Alfred pulled at his hold on him. Their eyes met and Bennett saw the moment when the other man realised for the first time that the wolf who had him pinned down could very easily kill him if he wasn't holding himself back.

He dropped his gaze.

"Yes, alpha."

"Don't use a title you have no right to,” Bennett growled. “You are not my pack. I am not your alpha. You heard what Marsdon said. You are in limbo."

Alfred's breath faltered in his chest.

"If you are to be part of our pack, you will take your place in it and you will accept both your alphas—no doubts, no reservations. I won't accept a wolf who might stab me in the back the moment I turn around."

Alfred glanced up at him, real fear in his eyes for the first time.

"Are you to be part of our pack?” Bennett asked.

"Please?” Alfred tilted his head back, showing his neck, offering him the deepest form of submission he understood.

Bennett pulled back to crouch over him. Alfred stayed exactly where he was, waiting, maintaining his display of his submission until Bennett held out a hand and helped him to his feet.

"Go to the others."

Alfred looked across and tried to meet Marsdon's eyes as he walked across to him. Marsdon ignored him completely. Bennett saw the other wolves look from one alpha to the other, holding their breath, waiting to see if Marsdon would accept Alfred back into the pack.

"See that he has no injuries that won't heal,” Marsdon ordered the others.

Bennett nodded, guessing that was as accepting as Marsdon was going to be right then. Alfred might not be a nice wolf, but he deserved to feel safe in his place in the pack. Every wolf deserved that. Bennett would talk to Marsdon about that later. Right now, he had other duties to attend to.

He was so damn tired, but he turned back to the other side of the circle regardless. Only one wolf was left. Talbot. Fuzzy headed from so many blows, Bennett crouched down for a moment, resting one hand on the floor in front of him as he fought to get his breath back. For a full minute he didn't look towards the far side of the circle, didn't invite another opponent.

Talbot. Marsdon had said something about him. Bennett lifted his gaze and looked across to the last wolf before his minute's rest could become something the other wolves might see as a weakness.

The small wolf stood waiting, watching him. He looked bloody terrified. Talbot. Marsdon hadn't told him anything more than he already knew. Talbot was a true omega. Bennett managed a small smile.

"Come here, Talbot."

The wolf approached very cautiously, as if ready to take to his heels and run at the first sign of attack.

"It's okay. You can come closer."

Finally the younger wolf stood in front of him.

"You can make your challenge,” Bennett told him, softening his voice so the other wolf might see an alpha's care rather than an opponent's threat when he looked at him. “I won't hurt you."

Talbot shook his head, he dropped to his knees in front of him, as Bennett remained crouched down on the ground. “I know you're an alpha. We all do. It was just that..."

"Just that?” Bennett asked, wondering how bad it really was.

"Alfred said the packs lied to everyone so you and Marsdon could be together,” the smaller wolf blurted out.

"What?"

Talbot swallowed. “You didn't meet on the mating day the way they all said you would. You met before. You were a love match. Everyone could see that."

Bennett stared at the younger wolf, with no idea what to say to him.

"Alfred said that Marsdon fell in love with a wolf who wasn't an alpha—that's why he was so sad before the mating day. And then he found out that everyone had agreed to call you an alpha, that's why he was happy when he realised what was going on. And Alfred said he overheard you talking and that Marsdon said... and it all made sense. You're so in love and..."

Bennett swallowed, no words came.

"I know you're an alpha,” Talbot repeated.

Bennett nodded, but he couldn't process all of that right now. He had to concentrate on the challenge.

"All the tradition requires is that you lay a hand on me and accept me as your alpha.” He looked at his body. There wasn't any part of him that wasn't bloody, bruised or just plain dirty after hitting the ground so many times. He somehow managed another smile for the younger wolf. “Try to find a cleanish bit."

The omega carefully placed his fingertips on the back of his hand.

"You accept me as your alpha?” Bennett asked.

Talbot nodded.

"Then it's all settled. That wasn't so scary was it?” Bennett teased.

The omega shook his head, offering his alpha a small smile in return.

"Go and join the others,” Bennett told him.

It took almost all the energy he had left to drag himself to his feet and turn to face them all.

Marsdon smiled, but Bennett could tell he was seething beneath the forced calm. Still, Marsdon held out a hand to him, welcoming him properly back to the pack. Bennett somehow managed to step forward without hobbling. One painful step at a time, he made his way across to the pack—to
his
pack.

Bennett put his hand in Marsdon's and turned to the rest of the pack. “Go back inside. Clean yourselves up and get to bed. There's been more than enough excitement for one day.” He looked to the omega. “Talbot—you're responsible for coming to us and reporting on any serious injuries that are discovered when the dirt is washed away."

The younger wolf nodded and went with the other wolves as they all turned and made their way back into the house.

Marsdon was staring at him. Bennett ignored that, watching his pack walk away.

Steffan, purely because he had required more strength to take down, appeared to be the most bruised out of them. Even so, Bennett noticed that he was the one who helped Francis to his feet and made sure the smaller wolf had no injuries that would be made worse by a walk back to the house.

They would have to talk about making his place as the beta official. It would be one more thing settled in everyone's minds. It would be one more thing to show them that they were the part of a good, strong pack. Once that was done, they could set about looking for a breeding pair to join their packs. Or perhaps it would be best to find mates for some of the other wolves first. Perhaps if Alfred had a mate that would distract him from making trouble. He would have to speak to Marsdon about that when his mate was less furious with him.

"I was right to accept the challenge,” Bennett said when the other wolves were all out of sight and he couldn't put off facing his mate any longer.

Marsdon's grip on his hand tightened when Bennett tried to retrieve it. “Can you walk into the house?"

"Of course.” Bennett turned to the slope that lead back to the front door of their new home, but Marsdon made him turn back to face him.

"The truth,” his mate demanded.

"It's just a few aches and bruises, nothing serious."

It didn't improve Marsdon's expression. He slipped his arm around Bennett's waist.