His Worst Behavior

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN - TIME TO DIE

"No!" Roarke snarled, as soon as the surprise disappeared. Maurice retreated to the corner of the kitchen as he moved towards me. He grabbed my upper arms, squeezing them, and roughly shook me to the point that my brain bounced around in my head. "Do you know what you're asking?!"

I winced. "You're hurting me."

There was a flicker of regret in his eyes and he loosened his grip, but kept holding me there. He shook his head, the anger being replaced with desperation. "Don't do this. Don't make me do this. Please, don't do this."

"I challenge you, Roarke."

He looked torn. "Don't make me do this."

"Do what? Kill me?" I responded, coldly. "You can submit." Alarm crossed his features when he realized that I knew of the other option. Submission. "You can kill me or you can submit to me. I know I can't win against you - my life truly depends on your decision."

"I can't submit," he growled, eyes narrowed. "Do you see what you've done? You just declared your death!"

"You can submit," I argued, scowling. "You can let me go."

"I'm a Farkas," he stated, his jaw ticking. "A Farkas has never submitted. I will not be the first." I squirmed my way out of his hold, folding my arms across my chest. I tensed when he dropped his face, his lips an inch from my cheek. "Just take it back. Don't do this."

"I can't," I whispered, avoiding his heavy gaze. "I want this."

His nostrils flared. "You want to die?"

"I want to be free."

A long moment of silence drifted in the kitchen. Maurice was lingering in the corner, covering her mouth with her hand. There were tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. Roarke appeared conflicted and hurt as he stared down at me. I rocked back and forth on my heels, hoping my trembling hands weren't noticeable.

"I can't do this," Roarke declared, glancing over at Maurice, his grandmother. "I'm not doing this."

Maurice hesitated. "Denying a challenge is just as weak as submission." Her gaze shifted to me, not as warm as before. "You must accept her challenge."

He centered his attention on me. "I can't kill my female."

He kept staring at me, pleading with his eyes for me to take it back. I wasn't going to. Maurice shook her head with a sad expression. She didn't like seeing her grandson in such a terrible situation. And, the warmness that lingered around her was gone. All she felt towards me was anger and disappointment.

Roarke squared his shoulders, then without another word, stomped out of the kitchen.

I looked at Maurice who instantly narrowed her eyes. "What have you done?"

My stomach dropped.

-

If you thought the challenge wouldn't happen, you were wrong.

By the end of the week, after much pleading from Roarke and many warnings from Maurice, I was finally challenging him. The fight was happening in the forest, in a large clearing, and several members of the Farkas Pack lingered to watch. My heart was hammering in my chest as I was led to a separate area to prepare by Blake.

He peeked over his shoulder at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"I guess I was wrong about you," Blake said, almost too quietly. "I really thought that you would stick by his side. I really thought you were the one."

I frowned. "I learned who he truly is - and he's awful. He's cruel. How can you follow him?"

"He's never failed me," he answered, calmly. "And, even though his ways are hard for you to swallow, he's a great Alpha. I only have respect for him." A chill traveled down my spine and I hugged myself, stumbling over a root. "Why did you go snooping in the first place? What did he do to make you lose trust in him?"

I gulped loudly. "I just got a bad vibe, that's all."

"Uh-huh," Blake replied, unconvinced. "If I had to guess, somebody tipped you off."

Panic overwhelmed me. "Who would do that?"

"Scarlett," he said, suddenly stopping. I held my breath as he whipped around, facing me. "You requested to go visit her at Rudy's house only days before. What a coincidence." 

"She didn't tell me anything," I lied, curling my upper lip. "I thanked her for trying to save me the night the Monclaw Pack attacked the house. I asked her how she was doing and how Rudy was doing. It was a normal conversation - I've been trying to be her friend."

Blake huffed. "Scarlett is a conniving little bitch. She enjoys making people unhappy. It's only a matter of time until she's caught for her twisted games."

"She's your female's best friend."

"She could have better friends," Blake muttered, turning away from me. "Okay, do whatever you have to do. Meditate. Pray. Let's get this challenge over with." He dragged his hands through his dark hair, inhaling deeply.

The nerves were appearing. "Can I ask you something?"

He tensed. "What?"

"Do you believe we go somewhere peaceful after we die?" I asked, taking him by surprise. Blake faced me, his eyebrows furrowed together. "I mean, I'm a werewolf now. I've changed. I guess what I'm asking is - do you think there is a peaceful place for our kind, too?"

For a second, I thought that I saw sadness in his gaze. "I think you will find peace."

Relief washed through me. Peace. That was what I had been wanting all along. "Okay, I'm ready."

Blake hesitated. "For what it's worth, I think you've chosen a good ending to your story." 

I was confused by his words as I followed him back through the trees. The cheers and claps became louder as we got closer and closer to the clearing. My heart was pounding in my chest, I was sweating profusely, and my knees were wobbly. I wasn't going to chicken out - I wasn't going to back down. This was what I wanted.

When I reached the clearing, the Farkas Pack silenced. 

Roarke emerged from the trees, his jaw tightened. He skimmed his pack members, then focused his attention on me. I stood still as he approached me, several pairs of eyes on us. I was trembling when he stopped directly in front of me, lowering his face to mine. "You can submit to me. We can forget this ever happened."

I raised my chin. "You can submit to me."

He growled. "I won't."

"Then, let's do this," I said, bouncing on my heels. There was a flicker of regret in his eyes as he backed away from me. I'm not going to lie to you - I was terrified. I was scared out of my mind. 

As Roarke shifted into his massive wolf, I inhaled deeply.

This was what I wanted.

I crouched down and began to endure a painful transition to my wolf form. Everybody was watching me, all of their eyes filled with anger. Nobody was happy with me for doing this. I spotted Josephine standing off to the side, hugging Blake. A tear slipped from her eye and she wiped it away, giving me a sad grin.

As for Scarlett, she lingered in the crowd, her arms folded across her chest. Her red hair blew softly with the breeze and her brown eyes were narrowed at Roarke. When she turned her head, meeting my gaze, she gave me a single nod. 

Go get him, her eyes read.

In my wolf form, I looked across the clearing with stronger eyes at Roarke. He snarled at me, hoping to scare me into instant submission. That wasn't happening.

I snarled back.

Then, with a memorable howl, I charged at the Alpha himself.