Due North by Kelsey Gamble

1

Paxton

Six weeks later…

This man, Bryant’s prized fighter, is nothing. His muscles are artificial, built by gym equipment and narcissism. He won’t outfight me. My body is built on survival and hard labor. Bryant hopes to embarrass me in the circle with my first fight, but the man they call Oren is nothing. A pawn in the way of me getting what I want.

Once I deal with this man, my hope is that Bryant himself will step into the circle with me. I’ve heard of his skill, and I know he would normally never step up against new blood. I’m counting on pride to be his downfall.

Because once I beat Bryant in his own ring, the Alpha of the Anchorage Lake Pack will have no choice but to see me for himself. No matter how closely I’ve watched and waited, I haven’t managed to find any other angle to earn face time with the Alpha.

He’s a hard man to corner.

“You sure about this, kid?” One of Bryant’s guys snickers as he gives me a dismissive once-over.

I don’t respond. Not even when the guy growls at the lack of respect I’m showing by ignoring his pointed question. Everyone here thinks I’m cocky. They think their prized man will make a fool of me. It’s the reason the other new bloods have fought fighters barely above their own speed. Meanwhile, Bryant is throwing me in with the big guy.

I have an attitude, and everyone here smelled it on me the second I stepped foot on their land. The difference between cockiness and confidence is skill. I’m about to show them I have it in spades.

I don’t bother hiding my smirk as I take in the crowd. They have no way of knowing the stealthy way I’ve watched them all fight. I know Oren’s best moves. I also know he’s slow as fuck. Even if I didn’t have the drop on him, I would take him down easily. All I have to do is strike first. Throw him off his game.

I study my surroundings closely enough to see the moment the energy of the crowd changes. It calms and distorts itself to seem more respectful than the backwoods training ground that it really is.

Oren is already approaching, but Bryant has stepped away, so I’m safe enough to shift slightly. Enough to see what’s going on behind me without letting on that I give a shit.

Fucking bingo.

For once, I’m a lucky bastard. My mark has come to me on his own—and even better, he’s brought the Luna with him. Her brown hair falls in waves around her shoulders and her blue eyes are wide with interest, making her look soft compared to the man beside her with his short cropped hair and mouth set in a grim line. I set my sights on Alpha Dominic assuming I would never get close to his Luna. Now she’s so close I could almost reach out and fucking take her.

Looks like we don’t have to wound an old man’s pride after all.

“What the hell do you look so cheery about?” Oren grunts. He sounds like a Neanderthal when he speaks, his mouth opening wide and letting spittle fly.

“Just thinking about how good it’s going to feel to lay you out in front of your new Alpha.” I’ve heard all the talk about Oren being called up to join the pack soldiers here. The stupid son of a bitch really thinks the greatest honor would be to die for a man who probably wouldn’t bother to remember his name.

I don’t care much for the politics of pack life. Which is exactly why it’s perfect that my mark has brought his sweet woman right to me. I’ll waste a lot less time this way.

“Don’t even fucking look at the Alpha.” More spittle flies. “You think you’re hot shit. Ain’t no respect for muscles you can’t use.” He eyes my biceps, really taking in that they’re as big around as his. He doesn’t see the difference between my cut and his. He thinks his pretty boy muscles and the ones I’ve worked my ass off for are one and the same.

I’m not just going to beat him in front of his new Alpha, I’m going to fucking bury him.

“Whatever.” I wave Oren away from me and chance a quick glance over at where the Alpha and Luna stand among the other new shifters that have come to train here. Unlike me, their motives are pure. They’re looking for something greater than themselves. Poor bastards.

The Luna watches me with a keen eye. I’m careful not to let my gaze linger on her for more than a split second. Tales of Alpha Dominic’s jealousy have spread like wildfire. I have no interest in taking his woman.

Tess Jarreau just happens to have something I want.

“Take your positions!” Bryant shouts, his voice ringing out over the muffled sounds of talking. In a proper fight, the spectators usually offer up silence, but these wolves don’t understand that. Most of them have probably never seen a real fight in their lives. They sign up to be soldiers without having ever seen true violence.

Poor bastards, my wolf echoes my own sentiment.

Bryant’s already given me a run down of how his fights work. One fighter nods first to signal their readiness, and then the second nod starts the fight. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give an opponent the upper hand, but in this case, I nod first to keep Oren underestimating me. It doesn’t matter to me who marks the start of the fight as long as I’m the one finishing it.

Oren stares me down intensely, trying to fake me out and get the upper hand. He’s a stupid fuck for playing games. A fighter with confidence doesn’t need to bullshit. All it does is rile my blood having him think he can toy with me.

The second he nods, I’m on him.

I strike his weak left side, cracking a rib before he can even throw a punch. Then, with an easy dodge, I let him throw himself off-kilter before delivering a hard uppercut to his chin. He’ll be lucky if I haven’t broken his jaw with the impact.

He’s dazed as he throws aimless hits, not making contact once. It’s almost embarrassingly easy to get in my next few hits. The left side again. Just above his right hip. Face. Chest. Left side.

The whole thing is over so fast that Bryant nearly chokes on his own tongue trying to call the fight. The shifter that so easily dismissed me walks into the ring to check for Oren’s pulse. He still has one. I know how to take someone out without killing them.

It’s more fun to kill them.My wolf is bloodthirsty. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to fight in shifter form. If I don’t find an excuse soon, my wolf is liable to take matters into his own paws.

“Alpha?”

Annoyance pricks me at the interruption. Of course someone would dare to interrupt when I’ve finally gotten within a stone’s throw of the Alpha and Luna. I force down the impending growl until I see how much of an obstacle the newcomer plans to throw in my way.

The Alpha steps in front of his Luna, guarding her despite the fact that the interruption has clearly come from his Beta. Luca. I recognize him from all the work I’ve done studying their pack, though this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on him. And now I guess I understand why.

The Alpha doesn’t like his Beta too close to his Luna. Interesting dynamic.

I step through the crowd to draw closer. Everyone has quickly lost interest in my win as they wait with bated breath to find out what caused this breach in protocol. An Alpha, Luna, and Beta all at the training grounds at one time. Surrounded by unfamiliar shifters that have only had initial vetting.

It’s not safe for them to meet this way, and we’re all drawing the same conclusion. Whatever brought the Beta here is big.

I keep moving stealthily past the other shifters until I can nudge my way into a spot beside the Luna. If I could get close enough to talk to her, I could—

“A new Luna Sovereign has been chosen.”

I jerk my hand back to my side as the Luna sucks in a sharp breath. Everyone turns from the Beta to the Alpha and his Luna, waiting to see how they’ll take the news. I don’t respect the outdated politics of wolves, but even I understand the role of the Luna Sovereign. While Alphas exist to fight wars, the Luna Sovereign is a symbol of peace and vitality.

Her role in maintaining shifter history keeps our kind alive. Without her, we could all easily be thrust into chaos. If no Luna Sovereign exists to keep a modicum of peace between the packs, they could all implode. Bringing the kind of attention from mankind that wouldn’t be welcome.

Humans don’t respect that which they don’t understand. The safety of us all depends on staying hidden. Only fighting the most necessary of wars—as sanctioned by the Luna Sovereign.

I went and saw the woman myself not long ago. How the fuck did I not know she had fallen? And a new successor already chosen? This new information makes me uneasy. I don’t mind the succession of power—it has nothing to do with me—but news like this will make even the biggest packs lay low. With no Luna Sovereign, shifters basically exist in anarchy.

Already, the Beta is spurring his Alpha and Luna forward, desperate to get them back to inner pack land. I can feel my moment with the Luna already slipping through my fingers like empty air.

We were so fucking close. My wolf snarls, tempted to just grab for her.

I know better. Should I lay one hand on the Luna, everyone here would go up in arms to protect her. If she didn’t turn on me herself first. I’ve heard those rumors too. I don’t know if her powers live up to the hype, but now isn’t the time to find out.

If I scare her—easy to do for a brute like me—I might never catch her ear again.

I have no choice but to stand and watch as she’s ushered away from me. Back to a pack house I have no hope of getting close to. Outsiders don’t get invited into the pack’s house. No matter how many fights they win.

Fuck.

* * *

If I thought taking out his pet would earn me any favor with Bryant, the housing arrangements prove otherwise. I hold back a scowl as he smirks, waving his hand at all of the empty ground around us.

“Guess you should have gotten here on time this morning with the rest of ‘em.” He pats me on the back and starts off toward his own nice cabin on the other side of the training grounds. He has a lot of nerve for a man with graying hair and sallow skin. Soon, someone younger will come along and take his place. He shouldn’t be so quick to punish those who remind him of his own mortality. His own day will come.

As much as I’m aggravated by the slight—and the fact that he announced to the rest of his trainees that I would be the sole fighter left to sleep in the yard—I’m not actually put out by being left out here on my own .

At least away from the noise, I’m able to think. The plans I had for letting my reputation lead me to the Alpha are out the window. With a new Luna Sovereign being announced, I doubt he’ll think twice about the new blood fighter he watched today.

All of the work I put into this plan is as useless as every other failed plan I’ve had for months now. Every time I think I’m close, there’s a new barrier put in my way.

Maybe I should have risked trying to grab the Luna after all.

As if I’ve conjured her out of thin air, a feminine form stalks toward me from the shadows of the forest. Her small stature gives her away immediately. There aren’t many wolves her size that move with such an intense grace about them. I’m certain she must be the shortest Luna to ever serve her pack—or any other, for that matter.

“Get in the circle,” she commands breezily, stepping out of the dark and sashaying right past me without a care in the world. It’s a brave move leaving her back open to an unknown shifter.

I glance back to see if her mate is keeping watch, but the woods she came from are still. As if not even the creatures of the night would dare follow her.

Every sense I have is heightened in her presence. I’ve been waiting too long for this moment to squander it now. I leap into motion behind her, following her to the same circle where she watched me embarrass Bryant’s best earlier.

“You’re not here to train,” she says, walking to the center of the circle.

I stop shy of joining her in the circle. “No, I’m not.”

“You were hoping to impress the Alpha?” she guesses.

“I was hoping to impress the Luna.” I study her body language as she stiffens. I know her peculiar scent has brought a lot of unwanted attention her way, and I can see the way she misunderstands my interest. “You can come back to me tomorrow with the Alpha by your side if you would like.”

It’s a calculated risk, one that pays off when she narrows her eyes.

“Step into the ring with me, and then tell me if you still think I need a chaperone on my own land.”

I’m not exactly looking to spar with a female, but I’m not in a position to turn her offer down either. She came here of her own accord to seek me out. If I’m lucky, her curiosity might loosen her tongue.

I slink across the line that marks the training circle. I would worry about her sanity coming out here alone with me if I hadn’t already noted how thin the cabin walls are. All she would have to do is raise her voice and every trainee Bryant has would be out here to protect her.

“Did you come out here looking for me?” I already know the answer, but I’m curious to know why. I expected to leave an impression, but not the kind that brings a Luna out alone at night to scope me out.

She nods.

It takes me a second to realize she’s not answering me. She’s gesturing for me to start our sparring match. I return her nod and then make a big fucking mistake.

I underestimate the Luna of the Anchorage Lake Pack.

In the brief second I hesitate, she moves her hand like a whip. Light flows from her grasp and hits the ground, making the earth shudder. The land beneath my feet cracks, unexpectedly knocking me on my ass.

I blink up at her as she strolls over with a calmness I’ve never seen in the ring. Hell, I’d be calm too if I could do… whatever the fuck she just did.

I press my palms to the ground and start to stand. She puts a hand out, but she’s not offering me a hand up. Vibrant green glows up from her palm. I don’t know what the hell it is, but I definitely don’t want it touching me. I freeze in place.

“You’ll have to check that ego if you’re planning to join our pack.” There’s a margin of respect in her eyes. I earned that today in my fight, but she’s happy to put me back in my place now.

I climb to my feet, careful to avoid her outstretched hand. “I’m not interested in your pack.”

The thought that I would ever be one of them is vaguely amusing.

“Bryant figures you’re a rogue, not from any pack out west.” She bounces that weird orb of light in her hand. It’s becoming a distraction, my eyes following the motion carefully.

“That’s right.” I didn’t try hard to hide it. I’ve been rogue for a long time.

“So if you’re not looking to join us, what are you doing on my pack land, Paxton Glass?”

She flicks that power source toward me, flecks breaking off to hit the dark skin of my arms like shards of glass. It’s not overly painful, but I recognize the warning for what it is. I’m intrigued by her power but not enough to forget why I came.

“The Anchorage Lake Pack has something that belongs to me.”

She raises an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“Your sister.”