"As you pointed out yourself, there's no reason to exclude me because my father decided to whelp me on my mother."
Dakota narrowed a look at him. “If you've got some
noble
idea of saving the rest of us from ourselves, stuff it. In the first place, you don't know you'll win—I sure as hell intend to win this contest myself. In the second, I know what I want. I don't need you or any-fucking-body else making any decisions for me."
"I issued a counter challenge,” Balin said coldly. “You don't have the right to question my intentions."
"This ‘knowing’ doesn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that you spent the day in bed with her?” Jared growled. “Balin's already marked her once, and Con had a chance to—except he had his mind on something else at the time."
"If you're asking if I like that—not worth a fuck. On the other hand, that's history. I've got mine. She has hers. If you're asking if I'm thinking with my dick—maybe—probably. But I still know I want her. I did before I spent the day with her. That's
why
I marked her—not because I wasn't thinking straight, but because I was. Maybe it'll take. Maybe it won't, but I plan on that being my problem."
"Well, you can make your fucking plans after the contest
if
you win!” Con snarled. “Five of us, then. How are we playing it?"
"Strictly speaking, Con and I ought to be the challengers,” Balin said. “As Jared pointed out, we were first with her."
"That's only because of the underhanded trick you two pulled, circling back around while the rest of us were busy kicking rogue ass!” Xavier said indignantly. “I don't see why you should get first position because of an underhanded trick!"
"What difference does it make when we'll all be participating?” Con growled.
"Balin makes it uneven,” Xavier groused.
"You have a problem with me participating,
cousin
?” Balin asked coldly.
"I do,
cousin
,” Xavier snapped. “Aside from making it an uneven contest, we're playing for keeps and I know damned well you aren't!"
"You read fucking minds now?” Balin growled.
"He has a point,” Dakota said tightly.
Balin studied him assessingly. “Then I'll even it up. Two for me in the first round."
Jared scowled at him. “That's fucking insulting!"
"I also claim sovereign right,” Balin added.
"Suit yourself!” Dakota growled after a pregnant pause. “I'm second challenger."
"That would be my right,” Con ground out.
"You didn't even mark her!” Xavier said indignantly.
"She could be carrying my pup, though!"
"Or mine!” Dakota pointed out grimly.
"Or mine!” Balin said coolly.
"Fuck!” Jared snarled. “Don't start that shit again! It pisses me off. Me and Xavier are the only ones that've been playing by the fucking rules, gods damn it! If anybody should be issuing the gods damn challenge it should be me and Xavier as the wronged parties!"
"Or we could even up the playing field,” Xavier suggested a little hopefully. “She's still a free female. I don't see why the hell we shouldn't—just because Dakota's now decided nobody else should have a chance with her now that he has!"
"Like hell!” Con, Balin, and Dakota said almost at the same time.
"We'll draw straws,” Balin said irritably, glaring at the hopeful look Xavier sent him and adding sardonically, “to pair off for the match. At this rate we're not going to get anywhere. Two and two, the winners of each match off for the next round. Full shift and nobody gets stupid and tries to make it to the death, fucking it up for everybody else when the council gets wind of our illegal match."
"Which means somebody gets left out and it sure as fuck isn't going to be me this time!” Xavier snarled.
"I already agreed to take two challengers,” Balin pointed out.
"Fine. Together? Or one at the time?"
"Either way."
Dakota couldn't find straws. They settled for match sticks.
"Now that we have our personal business out of the way,” Balin said sardonically when his opponents had been selected, “maybe we should spend a few moments on council business?"
Dakota shrugged, moving to find a clean pair of jeans in his bag since it didn't seem he would be fighting right away. “I caught his scent and went to investigate. He challenged me. We fought. He tucked his tail between his legs and took off."
"Where did all this take place?” Balin asked curiously.
"I caught up with him at the entrance to the trail."
"And where was Dani when all this was going on?"
Dakota straightened and fixed him with a hard look. “I see where you're going with this. She was in her cabin. I told her to stay put when I caught Claude's scent."
"And of course she obeyed,” Balin retorted dryly.
Uneasiness flickered through Dakota. “I didn't see her come out,” he responded tightly.
Balin fell silent.
"But you chased him?” Con asked.
Dakota's face tightened. “For a short distance, yes—until I got the feeling he was trying to lead me into an ambush."
"A counter trap?” Balin mused.
Dakota shook his head. “There was no way to determine that. I don't know that it was a trap at all. I sensed it was and broke off the chase. I don't mind taking on three or four, but I'm not stupid enough to take on the whole pack by myself."
"Good point,” Xavier agreed, nodding. “No sense in giving them better odds when we get to a showdown."
"I was more worried about the possibility that he might have a reason for drawing me off other than cowardice."
"The question is, are we giving him too much credit? Or not enough?"
Dakota looked at Balin. “I'd rather not underestimate him when comes to Danika."
"I don't like taking risks with her either,” Con said. “We know he's after her."
"We suspect he is,” Balin corrected him. “There's always the possibility that we're attaching our motives to him."
"Except, according to Danika, he was hanging around here before we got here,” Jared reminded him. “And if Claude is the alpha, he tried again at the diner."
"I'm fairly certain he's the alpha,” Balin said. “He backed down, but I'm thinking that was only because he could see the odds weren't in his favor. He expected the females he'd sent our way to keep us occupied."
"His motives may have changed, though. Or maybe I should say he has
more
motivation to grab her now. I don't think it's escaped him that our interest in Danika is too pointed to be nothing more than an attempt to protect her,” Con said wryly.
"His pack still outnumbers us—and he's expecting more followers once the
weres
go through first transition. There's no reason to think he wants to use her for leverage or to bait a trap for us,” Jared argued.
"And no reason
not
to think that,” Balin said tightly. “He knew me. There's a good possibility that he also knew that none of you were my lieutenants, which means he could've figured out he's up against five alphas—a lot more formidable force than a single alpha and his pack. If he has, then he will also have figured out that we aren't rogues and that it was the council is behind our presence here."
"
Everybody
knows you!” Dakota said tartly. “I've never met you and I knew who you were the minute I set eyes on you. You're the prince. Do you really think just because you never notice anybody else that they don't notice you?"
Balin flushed angrily. “Meaning I sit in my ivory tower and ignore the peons?” he asked coldly. “As it happens, I knew who you were, too—and the others, at least by reputation. Claude, I don't know. I would've remembered the slimy bastard if I'd ever seen him before."
Xavier, who'd been following the conversation, but not taking part, spoke up abruptly. “It would a lot easier to protect her from him and his pack if we kept her with us."
Balin, Con, Dakota, and Jared all turned to frown at him. “Exactly what story do we cook up to get her to cooperate?” Con demanded irritably.
"The truth?"
"NO!” Dakota said harshly.
"She's bound to find out sooner or later,” Xavier said with a shrug.
"Later would be better!” Con ground out.
"Or never!” Dakota agreed.
"That's the
least
likely thing we could tell her to get her cooperation,” Balin said irritably. “And that's assuming she actually believed it, which she wouldn't."
"I can at least agree with Xavier on one point. It would be better if we could just take her with us. We've got a lot to do and not much time to prepare. And it fucking well ain't working to leave one of us to watch her,” Jared said, glaring at Dakota. “I thought it would, considering how pissed off she was the night before, but obviously she was just pissed off with Balin."
Balin glared at him. “We had a little misunderstanding afterwards,” he muttered.
"Yeah, I got that. You went all outraged sovereign on her and snubbed her when she came over to offer to help. You could've handled that better,” Dakota said angrily.
"I didn't see any of you coming up with any ideas to keep her from finding out we didn't need ‘medical attention'!” Balin growled angrily.
"That was your fault, too,” Xavier said indignantly. “She came in wearing your gods damned perfume!"
Balin sought patience and managed to swallow his spleen, although the remark about ‘outraged sovereign’ irked the shit out of him. He'd been angry! He knew he'd behaved like an ass. He didn't need them to point it out, gods damn it!
"We'll leave two men to watch her—and each other,” he said finally. “It would probably be for the best anyway if there's any truth to Dakota's suspicions."
"That would be me and Xavier,” Jared said at once.
Con, Dakota, and Balin all leveled a suspicious glare on Jared instantly. Finally, Balin shrugged. Xavier wanted to get his hands on Dani as badly as Jared did. It wasn't likely either one of them was going to leave the field open for the other. “Don't do like Dakota did and leave your bikes in plain view,” he said acerbically. “If the bastard comes sniffing around tomorrow, kill him and be done with it. That'll be one less rogue to worry about when we manage to pin them down to a confrontation."