Tad grinned up at the house. “Missy, can I call your brother-in-law a wiener?”
“You want to take this a little more seriously, love?”
“Cocktail size, I’m guessing.”
“Tad, please…”
Keil and Heath stood between the two, forcing Doug and Tad to face each other across a distance of ten feet. Keil nodded to Tad once, then spoke to Heath. “I want to observe from the ground in wolf. You may join me.”
Hell, yes, Keil had gotten the message. Now came the hard part, convincing the Beta to agree. Tad was sure it wasn’t proper etiquette.
“A little encouragement right now, Missy, if you please. Heath needs to say yes.” Tad concentrated on making sure positive, peaceful feelings emanated from himself and Keil. Nothing tricky happening here, la-di-dah.
Heath nodded, and the two of them stepped aside to strip off their clothes. Tad couldn’t help noticing Keil was far more impressive nude than either of the Whistler wolves.
And wasn’t that just not what he wanted to notice right now.
“You got an issue I need to know about?” Missy’s thoughts laughed at him.
“Just tell my sister she’s a brave woman.”
“Bad boy. Please be careful, Tad. I love you so much.”
He took note of where the men left the arena to be sure his backup plan was in place before facing Doug. There was still time for one last chance at solving things in a civilized manner. Tad held out his hand.
“Hi. I’m Tad. I understand we’re kind of related since Missy and I mated—”
Doug growled and bared his teeth. His canines extended past his lips.
“You sure you want to do this? I mean, both Missy and I are Omegas and—”
“You’re a fool. You have no idea how to use your skills, which is why I’m going to kill you now. You’ve spent so much of your life as a human and an unwanted half-blood, you have no idea of the power of a full-blood Alpha. You’re even too sensitive to fuck a woman who is already mated. Oh yes, I know all about you. I looked into what kind—”
Tad socked him. Hard. Twice.
Someday the bad guys would realize monologues were a bad thing.
While Doug staggered back, Tad ripped off his coat and tied it in a quick knot. There were no other weapons at hand and when Doug shifted he wanted something to beat the shit out of the beast.
Tad wasn’t inexperienced in fisticuffs. He had fought training bouts with his pack mates for the last two years. He was smaller than a lot of other wolves and knowing how to defend himself in a quick and vicious manner had stopped some of the in-pack ranking fights. He had also trained with some excellent Arctic games competitors. He just needed the opportunity to put that training into effect.
Doug came at him, swinging hard. He appeared soft but the danger in him rolled off in waves, his evil driving him hard. Tad was smaller and quick, and he dodged most of the blows, but enough landed that he knew he would be black and blue when it was all over.
As long as he wasn’t dead.
There was no sense of time as the fight continued. Under the glaring lights there were only swinging shadows and pain. Tad dodged another murderous attack from his opponent, dancing away from all but a few strikes. Inevitably his body protested more and more. Blood clung to his lips and his legs grew weary.
“You’re slowing down. No one is coming to save you,” Doug taunted. He wasn’t without his bruises and cuts, and he seemed surprised by the furiousness of Tad’s counterattack.
Tad waited on the ground where he’d fallen after the last bone-crunching blow. The snow was kind of soft and gentle on his aching limbs, and it was nice to rest for a moment.
Besides, Doug needed to take one more step. Tad arranged his hands carefully, bending one leg under him and keeping the other loose and ready.
Then, glory be, Doug not only swaggered forward, he leaned over Tad to gloat. “You really are pathetic—”
Tad kicked him. He used the Alaskan High Kick method, pressing down into the ground with his extended arm while he forced his free foot up as hard and as fast as he could. Tad drilled the bastard right smack in the middle of his face. Okay, Tad cheated a little by not hanging on to one foot, but he figured the boys at the gym would forgive him for the slight error in technique.
Doug struck the ground four feet back from where he’d started. Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and he casually wiped his hand through it. Staring down at his bloody fingers, he cackled, a wild and maniacal sound.
“Well. I’ll admit it. You’re a stronger man than I am. I don’t know if I would beat you if we continued for much longer.” He rolled to his hands and knees, and sat back on his haunches for a minute. “It’s been interesting but I’ve had enough playing. Missy’s mine and you can die knowing I’m going to make her life hell.”
Doug shifted.
His human body wasn’t very impressive, but his wolf more than made up for it. Here was why the man was Alpha. He was huge. He was also a dirty brown, one of the few brown werewolves Tad had ever seen. Tad leapt to his feet, grabbed his coat and got it swinging, the heavy knot whistling through the air.
Doug lunged and Tad whirled aside, smacking the coat onto Doug’s head. There was no use in bashing him anywhere else on his body with the thick fur protecting him. Besides, if Tad thumped his brains often enough the ass might get knocked unconscious.
Tad danced toward the edge of the arena, wanting something at his back. Doug could strike too far and too fast, and if Tad got stuck in the middle of the space it would be like tossing a marshmallow into a fire.
Doug’s teeth snagged the coat and his claws scrambled over Tad’s leg. He forced himself to remain standing on a limb that burned with pain while with the other he kicked at Doug’s groin, trying to slow the monstrous beast a little. Blood dripped as they backed away from each other, Doug favouring his hind left leg, Tad limping as well.
A silly little thing caused the turning point of the fight. Tad wore the clothes he’d borrowed from Shaun’s room, and they all fit loosely. Doug snapped at him, captured a pant leg in sharp teeth and shook like he had a rabbit in a death grip. The motion pulled Tad’s pants over his hips and trapped his legs so he couldn’t escape. Doug let go and watched with a wolfy grin as Tad scrambled backward crablike toward the very edge of the arena.
This was not the way it was supposed to happen. Dying with your pants around your ankles was a joke, for heaven’s sake. Tad hesitated for a sheer second and Doug was on top of him, forcing him to the ground. Fiery darts shot through Tad’s body as razor-sharp teeth fastened on his upper arm and snapped it in two. He screamed in pain and anger, watching the wolf retreat to the middle of the arena to gloat.
Sweat ran into Tad’s eyes, stinging, and he gasped in air.
“It’s time, sweetie.”
A wash of cool flowed around him, numbing his arm and clearing his mind. Missy’s touch was assuring and comforting. She was still confident he knew what he was doing.
Holy crap, he hoped he knew what he was doing.
It wouldn’t be pretty but he had to try. He kicked off his shoes and dragged himself to his feet, letting his pants fall to the ground. He paced the perimeter of the arena, his gaze tracking Doug as the wolf snarled and stalked toward him. Tad leaned back on the tree nearest where Keil and Heath had left the arena and prayed the message had gotten through.
“Kill the lights now.”
The lights blacked to nothing, leaving ghostly auroras on his retinas. Reaching blindly behind him, Tad slipped his good hand into Keil’s vest where it had hung since the start of the challenge. It had to be there. Keil always wore the damn thing. He spun around and dropped to his knees cradling his broken arm as he held the gun procured from the vest. He heard Doug sniffing, trying to track him. It would be normal for the wolf to gain the advantage under these dark conditions.