Wolf Camp (Bear Naked 2)

Chapter 19, part 2

"You're lucky challenges aren't to the death," Mitch called by way to greeting the next morning over breakfast. "You'll be coming home a loser tonight, but that and a few bruises should be the worst of it."

"Yeah, well you know all about being a loser," Erica called back to him, "after your miserable showing in the canoe race."

Mitch just shrugged her comments off. "We aren't in last place," he said. Erica scowled but didn't answer.

"Don't listen to him," Tanner advised.

"Hmm?" Connor said, looking up from his breakfast.

"Mitch," Tanner said.

Connor looked over and shrugged. "I've got more important things on my mind," he said.

As soon as they were done eating, they started the hike to the elder's camp. The other packs were set to working on set up for the council and challenge. Connor and pack were excepted from labor.

Packs were arriving all morning. By noon, this council had swollen to several hundred, as big as the second council had been. Some wolves came to check on Connor, to either congratulate him, warn him, or tell him he was a fool for trying to take on Arthur Sage. Others steered clear but gave them guarded looks.

Connor ate nothing for lunch. Amanda barely picked at her food, her nerves little better than Connor's. At two, the bell was rung in the old church and the crowd began to gather to watch the challenge unfold.

Connor stood alone in the ring. Arthur and Darlene stood a few feet away. All three were in gray sweats, clothes would not matter once the challenge began. One of the elders was attempting to argue that Darlene must step aside. As Jameson predicted, another elder argued just as heated that she be allowed to stay.

Jameson silenced both with a hand. "What say you, Arthur?" he asked. "Will you consider letting your mate stand aside?"

"Alpha mates have always stood challenges together," Arthur said.

"Are you afraid to meet the boy alone?" a voice jeered from the crowd. Arthur scanned the faces, looking for the talker.

"No," he replied, "but I do not set aside tradition lightly either. Alpha mates have always faced challenges together. Where is the boy's alpha?"

"She can not control her transformations," Jameson snapped, "you know this well enough."

Arthur shrugged. "Why the Leidulf boy would saddle himself with such a mate is beyond me."

Connor snarled and glared at him.

"What?" Arthur said, "you wish to challenge me again? Perhaps we should see how your first challenge goes for you."

"Fine!" Connor barked, "let's see." He crossed into the center of the ring.

"No, no," Jonathan whispered at Amanda's side. "He's bating Connor into giving up on the debate."

"It won't matter, the elders will stand by tradition," Tanner said, "and Connor's going to kick his ass anyway."

There was a commotion to one side and Karen Leidulf broke through the crowd. Fight of our life, that's what she had said. Amanda stared at Karen in shock. One eye was black, a long red streak ran down the left side of her face. Her right arm was wrapped in gauze and bandages from the shoulder to well below the elbow. Her left hand held her ribs as she walked.

"What the hell is this?" Karen shouted at the elders. "First, my pack is waylaid by treachery, then my son is thrown into a challenge with a wolf twice his age and experience and now I arrive to find he must face, not one, but two wolves? Where is the Leidulf sense of fairness?"