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  “Death.”

  I broke both all of his legs in several places, then went over his body and broke every bone I could. He screamed nonstop, bleeding out of some open wounds, so I dragged his face in as much shit as I could find. Getting tired of messing around with the puke, I decided to put an end to it, and ripped him into two parts. Blood splattered everywhere as I roared my victory. Nobody moved or talked. All that could be heard were the sounds of vomiting. I went over and threw the two pieces of the shithead at the feet of Sophia and Tia, staring at them for a few moments, then turned to the other pack.

  Shit, I didn’t want this.

  “Crimson Nightstalkers, you now have a choice. I know you didn’t have one with half-wit there, so I will give you one. Leave if you want or stay and join the Berenger pack. If you stay, the rules will be given to you, and if you don’t follow them, you’ll end up like shithead here. Sophia, Tia, and the betas will provide the details.”

  I walked off as the crowd parted away from me with fear in their eyes. That was fine, maybe it meant they would leave me alone for a while. I looked around and saw Gordon, Sean, and the others who had been at my fire, white as ghosts.

  “Gordon, Sean, I’m going to get cleaned up and rest. Could you please handle this?”

  They didn’t speak, just nodded. I bowed my head and left to find a stream or river.

  ‘Reap, Herc, any water nearby?’

  ‘Yes, further into the woods. It’s a riverbed I believe from what the mages said,’ Herc answered. ‘I am astounded by your strength young one, it was glorious how you dismantled those idiots.’

  ‘Damn, Max, that was magnificent. Changing from wolf to your original form, that was a stroke of genius,’ Reap said.

  ‘Yeah, the alpha was stupid, but can’t do anything about it now. All right, I’m headed that way.’

  ‘We’ll join you,’ Reap said, and we left for the riverbed.

  I shifted back to my human form on the way, hoping it would be easier to clean myself up. When we got there, I ran and jumped into the river and went under to clean my full body. I had to scrub hard to get the dried blood off of me. When that was done, I walked up naked to a nearby tree, and sat against it. I had forgotten my clothes, but my brain advised me that I would be staying there until late that night. Laying my head against the trunk, I went to sleep.

  Later on, I was awoken by a voice.

  ‘Max, someone’s coming.’

  I knew who it was before I opened my eyes. Tia and Sophia were walking my way, so I closed my eyes again and waited.

  ‘Max, are you awake?’ Sophia asked.

  ‘Yes, what do you need, Sophia?’

  ‘A chance to explain.’

  I sighed and replied, ‘I’m listening.’

  “Please look at us, Max.”

  I opened my eyes and got up. They both held their heads up in a defiant manner. I hadn’t known them for very long but knew these two women were proud and independent.

  “Okay, what can I do for you?”

  “I’ll explain, after we have asked for forgiveness. Our intention wasn’t meant to harm or hurt you in anyway. I guess I got caught up with talking with Tia about certain things, then that jackass and his pack came in to disrupt things. After that I had one thought, taking that bastard down.”

  “Why did you put me in that situation?”

  “I don’t know why, we were talking about a future with you, then fuckhead came in the camp, and messed everything up,” Tia said. “Sophia asked me to help with her scheme, and I went along with it. I shouldn’t have, but hearing the story of abuse, rape, and slavery won me over. Like Sophia said, it was meant to get him to challenge you for the pack.”

  I bobbed my head a couple of times and looked at Soph then whispered, “So, all this fiasco was your idea.”

  She nodded.

  “My plan was to send the dumbass packing or kill him, for the way he treated women. I wanted you to kill two birds with one stone. Kill him and take over the pack. Now, I’m in trouble with you. You’re mad because I didn’t tell you and for good reason, but if I had told you, then who knows what the outcome would’ve been. He might have just left and went to harass others. I needed for you to take him down and you did in a spectacular way. All that said, it was my idea, not Tiatha’s. Don’t punish her. I will take my lashing with a smile on my face, Alpha.”

  Sophia looked straight into my eyes. Hers were gold now which meant her wolf was present.

  “Tia, come over here beside me.”

  She walked over and just stared at my downstairs.

  “You’re still involved with this and I’m still angry but have calmed down. Do not put me in this situation again.”

  “I won’t, at least not intentionally.”

  I grinned when I noticed her checking me out. “Why are you staring at my junk, Tia?”

  “Because I want it, it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen. Maybe not today, but I want the chance to be with you. I vow to try to never knowingly hurt you. My goal is for you to be my mate. Can you forgive me?”

  “Sophia, you feel the same way?”

  “Yes, I desperately want your love and companionship.”

  “Okay, listen up, both of you. I’m only going to ask this once. Are you sure that you want me to be your mate?” They nodded, so I continued, “As I’ve said before, you’ll have to convince the other women in my life to allow you into our family. At this point, you are on probation. You will have to prove to me that you are dedicated to me. No more deceiving or lying, got it?”

  They both nodded and I opened my arms to invite them in for some bonding time. They jumped and squealed when I picked them up off the ground.

  “Do either of you have my clothes?”

  “Maybe,” Tia coyly smiled.

  “Can I have them, please?”

  “Aww, I like this outfit. Can we just see you in it for a little while longer?”

  I shook my head, and she pouted, but handed me my clothes. We stood there holding each other silently for a few minutes, but I figured I needed to know about the other pack. I got dressed and we sat down to continue our discussion.

  “What is the outcome with the other pack? Did they leave?”

  “No Max, they are waiting for you to come back. They want to talk with you,” Soph replied.

  “Why would they want to talk?”

  “Because you took out their cause for pain and suffering. They are shocked to say the least, but grateful to you for giving them a choice. The pack has known no other way for a long time, but you will lead them the right way.”

  I groaned loudly, “This is getting ridiculous. How many want to stay?”

  “A little over a hundred, I believe.”

  I grumbled and was hesitant to ask about her pack.

  “And the total in yours?”

  “Two hundred twenty-five, last I counted, but that was before all this shit started.”

  I shook my head at that total, plus the ones out of the mine.

  “That’s a lot of weres in one place.”

  “Yes. The Berenger Pack here has doubled in one day, and don’t forget some of the others want to stay with you,” Tia said, as she put her head on my shoulder.

  “Yep and I’m tired. Wake me when it’s time to go.”

  They each gave me a kiss and lay down with me. Their arms, legs, and bodies were up against mine in a vise grip. I suppose they didn’t want me to get up without them knowing. I slept a dreamless sleep the entire night and woke up with two half bodies lying on top of mine. My hands were gripping their butts. Both of them had great asses, toned with the right amount of curves. Opening my eyes when the morning sun came up, I found two pairs of eyes gazing back at me.

  “Good morning,” Soph whispered, her tongue licking her lips.

  “Good morning.” Tia grabbed my hand off her butt to settle on her breast. She moaned when I squeezed, so I brazenly took my other hand to Soph’s breast. I sat up and pulled their backs to me; the
y both panted, moaning my name as I kneaded their breasts, and tweaked their nipples. I moved my hands down their toned stomachs to their valleys below. They weren’t wearing trousers, so I pushed my hands inside, and found both with no under clothing on. I rubbed slowly and carefully on their hot boxes, listening to their whispered gasps. I decided to punish them a little. I got them good and flushed, then just stopped completely. Without any warning I pulled my hands out, got up, like I was going to walk away.

  “That wasn’t right darling, leaving us hanging there like that!” Tia bellowed.

  “Max, you can’t just get us all hot for you, and walk away without finishing.”

  I turned to see Soph’s eyes become yellow, letting me know her wolf was surfacing.

  If she wanted to have a show of dominance, then I would gladly be her Dom. I let my animal to the surface, eyes glowing bright orange, and growled.

  “Don’t move llllittle ooonneee. I will have to sssspank that tight llllittle assssss.”

  She shuddered and looked like she was having an orgasm, but maybe I was wrong. I turned my attention to Tia and growled. I pulled her to me, “Same goes for yyouuu.”

  She jumped up and landed with her legs around my waist. Her lips met mine hard, and our tongues battled for dominance. As our lips parted she let out a content sigh. I let her go and she landed on the ground gracefully.

  I started to walk away but was tackled by a she-wolf who had no intentions of stopping playtime. She fought me and wouldn’t give me any ground, so I pinned her face down in the grass. She was panting, so I nipped at her neck, shoulder, and ears. After I finished, she was gasping, whimpering, and didn’t want me to stop.

  “We have to go and meet up with the others, Soph.”

  I kissed her head and let her up.

  ***

  She lay there for a few moments as I walked away, then got up.

  She walked over to Tia and whispered, “Damn, that was hot, I had a couple of minis. You?”

  Tia replied, “What’s that?

  “Orgasms.”

  “Oh yeah, I had a couple myself, but wanted more. I think he’s punishing us,” she mumbled.

  “I thought the same, but we’ll have to make it up to him. We will need to prove our dedication to him,” Sophia recommended, and Tia nodded. They got their gear together and left for the camp.

  ***

  I walked back to the camp with the two ladies, Reap, and Herc. Physically I was good, but was fried mentally, needing a couple of days rest and to figure how I was going to take care of all these people. We would need to build some housing and living areas.

  The camp came into view, people talking, laughing, and some doing training exercises. When we came up to the outskirts, the sentries bowed to us, and let us through with no issues. People saw us arriving and stopped talking when we walked by, heading straight to the were side of the camp. When we got there, everyone jumped up and all went down on one knee, heads bowed.

  ‘What is going on now?’

  ‘They are recognizing and showing respect to their Alpha,’ Herc responded as we walked through the crowd.

  ‘Damn, Soph. Do I need to bow to you too?’ I chuckled.

  Soph replied, ‘What are you talking about Max? This is for you. They know who the Alpha is, and they are showing their loyalty to you.’

  I stopped walking and glared at Herc, Soph, and Reap.

  ‘What do you mean for me? I didn’t ask for this. All I did was what needed to be done. Someone better start explaining this to me. Now!’

  ‘The actions that you have taken the past few days haven’t gone unnoticed by these weres, especially last night. When you took out the degenerates from the rival pack, your approval rating went through the roof. I’m not sure if everyone stayed or not, but I would say at least eighty percent remained to join your pack,’ Reap answered as we started walking again.

  ‘Alpha. I don’t even really know what that means, except leader.'

  ‘I will help, as will Sean, and some of the other betas,” Sophia responded. ‘We will need to go through them to make sure they are capable for their rank. The hierarchy will expand and change in the next couple of weeks. Our people are proficient enough to take care of themselves though. They will take care of food, water, and protecting our pack.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about that. We aren’t just a pack or a clan, since we have other races with us. We need to have another description for our group. Think on it and get back to me. Also, how am I supposed to respond to this gesture?’

  ‘Show them why you’re their leader,’ Reap suggested.

  I thought about what he suggested and did the only thing that came to mind. Smiling, I let my beast come out to play and he didn’t disappoint. I could feel my eyes glow brighter, he let loose with an ear-splitting roar that set off a chain of howls, roars, and screeches, answering my call. It was strange. I didn’t know how I felt about the title Alpha, but the beast in me told me to suck it up and he would show me the way. The bastard also chastised me for not fucking the wolf and elf earlier. I didn’t even respond.

  “That was awesome, Max. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that,” Tia gushed.

  “That’s our Alpha, you did well, baby. My whole body tingled with that show of strength,” Soph said.

  “I agree, the strength of this pack, clan, or whatever we are, is amazing. Mages, humans, weres, elves, orcs, and dwarves together are astonishing,” a familiar voice said beside me, and I looked over to see Gordon, Sean, and the others walking next to us. I smiled and nodded at them. Where did they come from? I must have been too wrapped up in my own drama to notice them.

  “Well, whatever we are, it’s gonna be interesting to say the least.”

  Gordon laughed and said, “Man, if someone told me when we first met that you would lead a group of different races, I wouldn’t have believed them. Now, look at what we are a part of.”

  He looked admiringly around him.

  I smirked and replied, “What do you mean ‘we’? Eventually you will have to go back Gordon, I don’t know how long my mission will take.”

  “No sir, I will be by your side through this. I can relay my intentions to my father, and he can let the king know. This is more important than getting you to the palace,” Gordon insisted and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I slowly nodded and accepted his claim.

  “It will be hard work, and everyone will have to pitch in. I only have a cabin. We will need to build some living spaces, and barracks I suppose. Shit, with this many, we may need to build up a keep.”

  I shook my head at that thought, everything was going so fast, and didn’t seem like it would slow down anytime soon.

  “I don’t shy away from hard labor, you know that, I just want to help anyway I can.”

  Hmm, Lord Gordon doing some manual labor, that should be interesting to watch.

  I shook his hand and responded, “All right, welcome aboard, sir. We have a lot to get done today, and it just started.”

  He indicated that Sean needed to speak to me.

  “Max, can we talk to you for a moment?” I nodded and he continued in a nervous manner, “We would like to join your pack. What do we have to do for that to happen?”

  I tapped my finger to my chin acting like I was pondering his request. I could tell he and the others were getting worried by the minute, so I smiled and countered, “I thought you were already part of my pack?”

  They smiled and the relief on their faces was palpable. “Did you think I would say no?”

  “We weren’t sure, but were hoping that you could take us in. After you took out the entire infrastructure of the intruding pack and left, we didn’t know if you were going to take up the torch so to speak.” Rachel grinned as she explained her reasoning.

  “Yeah, man, that was disturbing, yet awe-inspiring. I didn’t know them personally, but heard of them, and their reputation preceded them. When you left, everyone was concerned you wouldn’t come back,�
�� Marie said.

  “We got to know them last night and most are curious as to why you gave them a choice, but were happy you did so. They seem like good people, but will have to learn your ways,” Sean said.

  “Do you all think I’m your Alpha?” They nodded, so I responded with, “Why?”

  “Are you serious?” I nodded and Sean continued, “Well, you challenged an alpha and won, but that’s not why we will follow you. It’s because of your attitude, leadership, and the fact that you’re not afraid to step in when we need you.”

  “Hmm… I will delegate to those who can handle things regarding ranks and getting the day to day to work done correctly. We need to find out strengths and weaknesses to put everyone in the right group. Blades, hand to hand, bows, and magic. We will need to determine groups quickly, and it doesn’t matter about race or species. Training will start when we get to my lands and will be nonstop for days. Each group will have a leader who will communicate to Cass, Sasha, or Val. They will provide details to the leaders of each unit of our battle group.”

  “Umm, who are they?” Rachel asked, smiling at me with her intense brown eyes.

  Gordon cackled and I glanced at him wondering what was so funny. I smiled back and replied, “Those are my mates, and they have been waiting for me to come back for a week. Actually, six women are waiting. Cassie is an avian shifter mage. Sasha, Leena, Lashane, and Shaila are wood elves. Valencia is a lioness shifter.”

  One of the ladies spoke up abruptly, “Wait! Did you say Valencia? As in Valencia Amcottes?”

  I glanced at her not knowing how she knew Val, but I didn’t show her that we were talking about the same person. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  She shook her head no, then bowed and responded, “We have not met, Alpha. My name is Tina, and I was one of the weres you rescued. We were captured a couple of months ago and brought to the mine. I am a lioness shifter, and when I heard the name Valencia, I was hoping it would be her. We were in the same pride, as was her sister Misty, and the others with us. She will be ecstatic if Valencia has been found.”