Sly as a Fox {Book One}

Chapter 47

Chapter 47

A/N: This chapter may be too graphic for some readers. Violence and gore ahead. Reader discretion is advised.

Indelible

adjective

-(of ink or a pen) making marks that cannot be removed

-that which cannot be removed or forgotten

Without speaking in either mode of communication, Blithe and I silently exchanged emotions as Raphael's supporters huddled some thirty feet in front of us. The flash of cameras from the sidelines was disorienting as I looked out at their faces, feeling something prick at my skin as their eyes narrowed and their lips curled at my acknowledgement. I briefly wondered how many of them had volunteered to fight us out of a political duty and how many had done it simply to resist being ruled by a female Volpe. A bit of both, I thought with a deep inhalation of stinging breath.

A hauntingly feminine voice echoing through the clearing had all of our gazes turn to find its source, "This is certainly...unprecedented."

The bodies of our allies parted until Blithe and I stood in front of them defensively. Though they would fight on our behalf, it was unspoken that we wouldn't allow them to face the threat for us. Stepping into our roles as Alphas, we would stand before them and be the first line of defense.

On the opposite side of the clearing stood a woman dressed in all black, her presence intimidating even from this distance. "But as the reigning Northeast Alphas, it's our duty to oversee such exchanges of power," she paused for a moment, "especially considering that my mate and I came to power in much the same way." She hooked her arm around the man that came to stand at her side and I licked my lips as the realization of their identities fully sunk in. The Northeast Alphas ranked above the Tri-State Alpha position, only second to the National Alpha himself. They would be - for all intents and purposes - our bosses. Seemingly coming out of nowhere without an Alpha lineage to speak of, the mated pair challenged the previous Northeast Alphas a decade or so ago and won.

Their approval of Blithe and I would either make or break us as Alphas.

Like the careful stalk of a predator, she began walking towards the gathering. Alpha Zhang's icy timbre was somehow colder against my skin than the snow that clung to my clothes. "We will remain impartial to either party out of sheer respect for the challenge, but I will remind everyone that no matter who is defeated and who wins, they will have to be drug tested because of the accusations made today. Failure of the drug test will cause the opposing party to automatically win the title. Do not base your judgement off this accusation because either way, the strongest, most honest Alphas will win." If it wasn't for her emotionless, political demeanor, I would have taken her statement to be in support of Blithe and I, but her opinion of us was questionable at best.

Her head turned to the group of Lupos that sought to tear us down and she held out her hand expectantly. "To fight on behalf of Raphael Talon or for yourself, you need to prove your affiliation with the pack. Only Lupo members of the Madawaska Tri-State Pack may fight today."

I just barely heard the outcry of one of the Lupos when they yelled back, "That's not fair! They get to have anyone fight on their side!"

As Alpha Wei Zhang grew closer, I saw the side of her red lips curl back at the Lupo, causing the runt to visibly shrink back at her authority; the deadly imagery of her red, pointed nails and matching crimson lips perhaps intentionally so. "You are correct." She regained her composure and spoke into the microphone held within her perfectly manicured grasp, "Blithe Talon and his mate are allowed to have any ally they choose, but that is the nature of allies." Though she didn't use my name, her acknowledgement of me as Blithe's mate was more than Monroe had done during the entire challenge. "Since you are disputing their positions as your rulers, your allies have to come from within the pack as their positions scarcely impact outsiders." In a cutting, sickeningly sweet way, she turned her head to the heckler and smiled, "Does that clear things up?"