An Alpha Torn (Nights Of Lust Book 1) Page 18

  Kissa nuzzled his cheek.

  "You want a bath and to return, don't you?"

  Kissa looked up, her stomach rumbling. "I didn't eat much before you arrived. Now," she patted her stomach, "now I've grown and have more energy."

  “The pack has been lost.”

  “For such a very long time. Wolves do better with a proper pack hierarchy and you’ve restored that. Now we have purpose, rather than waiting for our time to end. They will show their gratitude eventually.”

  Joséf nodded.

  “You have a purpose now too. It’s greater than you, don’t you see?”

  He didn’t respond, but Kissa was right. He only needed to fully embrace who he was becoming, rather than what he once was. He’d been avoiding this defining moment, forcing himself to stay the same when he really needed to change. Why had he avoided it?

  Heroes didn’t go out like punk bitches. Kissa gave him clarity. The pack gave him definite purpose.

  Livía gave him support.

  Joséf looked at Kissa, took both her hands in his and stood. Pulling her to her feet, he kissed her sweetly. "Let's go.”

  10

  By now, the midday fire seemed comforting. Joséf strolled into the camp with Kissa at his side. Istvan stood at the front of the fire pit.

  Embers smoldered, producing a light smoke while the fire cooked the day's kill.

  "What's up, Joe?"

  "John spoke in my head."

  Istvan stiffened visibly before kicking a log into the pit. "You sure?"

  Joséf nodded. "Yeah. It was John all right. He offered me the world on a platter, if only I'd give in and ditch my responsibilities. I'd wager he's the reason the vampires are distracted in America and have more problems."

  "You think he's starting fights?"

  "He offered Kissa some promise of freedom, too, but we all know he'd never give her any such thing. Factions in America are worse than they were here because we have traditionally been a land of free will. The legalization of vampires as a race and wolves as a species changed nothing. People simply accepted their existence, though some groups tried to boycott us both."

  "I imagine that wasn't any fun.” Kissa slid her hand in his.

  "No. But that all happened long before I'd been born. The earlier part of the 40s, during World War II required more American soldiers to fight and more people at home to support the economy. Vampires took up jobs as did the Lupine, and as an act of kindness, the US Government granted them freedom and recognized them as citizens."

  "But what happened to cause the violent feuding?” Istvan stroked his beard and pulled off a piece of meat from the fire. He bit into it, slurping the bit of blood dripping down.

  "The factions among each group. Both want a dominant factor, a leader, and both species think the other is inferior. Having a vampire lover has shown me a lot I did not know about them."

  "Such as?"

  "Livía makes her own choices and is…interesting.” Kissa let out a giggle.

  "And her other lover," Joséf groaned at the thought, "has kept tabs on me. She's seen me, been worried over my stay here."

  "So this isn't some ploy to get their favorite toy back home and then bring a wolf who might have sway?” Dave bit into the hunk of meat and spit out a bone.

  Joséf glared. "No. This pack has been in ruins too long for Kissa's status to matter as it should. Even Sapporo's presence has helped little. By the way, where is the Ancient?"

  "Nowhere to be seen for the last few days, Joe. Makes me a little nervous when she's around."

  "No kidding. But she's sick, so I suppose she's tending to herself.” It still amazed Joséf to know the oldest among the Ancients was a woman, yet she’d hid herself as a man for as long as he'd known about her existence.

  Why? What purpose did that serve? And how did vampires get sick? Wasn't she beyond all that?

  Too many questions remained.

  "So what are we going to do?” Dave yawned.

  "Kissa's helping me to create a mental block so I can sleep without interruption and I’m spending time learning to multitask with magic. That'll hopefully lock out John from my head."

  "What about her? He did get to her, after all."

  "Right when I woke up. I hadn't slept so peacefully in so long.” She stroked Joséf's back and smiled. "He caught me off guard. No more."

  "Okay, fine. But what about the rest of us? I'm not a real wolf, I'm a lycanthrope."

  "I don't know, Dave. Can you even hear our thoughts on the pack's line?"

  "No, not generally."

  "Kissa talks to him.” Istvan didn’t look up, but he continued prodding the fire.

  "Kissa," Dave stuck his tongue out, "taunts me."

  Joséf snorted. "Somehow I doubt that. Time to get down to business.” He looked straight at Istvan. "Did you weed out those who could fight from the weaklings?"

  Istvan turned, nodded. "I did. We're left with Gabor, Mikhail, Karl, and the four of us."

  "Great.” Joséf sighed. "So there is a pack of about twenty and we have shit."

  "That about sums it up. And the few you've seen milling about our lands on the way in. You’ve pretty much scared the others into finding work, as you ordered. None of them want to mess with you. They fear you."

  Joséf let out an exasperated breath. This was not what he wanted. "What's it going to take before they fucking get it?"

  Dave leaned forward, "No one knows. This pack was great once. The reason we have Sapporo's favor has to do with an old legend about our connection to the gods. I don't know it, and Kissa's too young," he grinned, "and none of our elders are alive to tell us."

  Joséf sat down on the edge of a log, drawing Kissa down to sit on his thigh. "This I didn't sign up for, either."

  "No.” Dave ripped a piece of meat from the fire and stuffed it in his mouth. After he'd finished chewing, he blinked. "You can't fight for dominance, because you're already the strongest. You've been brutal, stopping well before in some cases, but others…"

  He alluded to killing Fang. Not that Joséf could blame him, but it still pissed him off.

  "You've scared the lot of us, Joe."

  "Even you two?” Joséf clenched his hands together.

  "Yes.” Istvan looked Joséf dead in the eyes.

  "Good. I only stopped because she begged.” He wrapped his arms tighter around Kissa. "You should all be grateful to Kissa for saving your lives. This entire pack would have died, and I would have killed Sapporo last night, if it would have given me a moment's peace."

  Fear registered across Istvan's face. His hair hung low over his forehead, blocking out the view of his eyes. "You're still a foreigner. I follow you because you've proven you're worthy, but the blood lust cannot be used to rule this pack. If I have to renounce—"

  "Istvan, shut the fuck up."

  All eyes looked at Kissa.

  Kissa straightened against Joséf. "He is my lover, but not my dictator. He has done the one thing many of us have refused to do. He's embraced our violent nature and tried to make it work with his humanity. He's not turned his back on who he is. He has embraced the difference between man and wolf. The only difference is, he stopped when the time was right."

  Joséf wanted to agree, couldn't. Couldn't face watching Kissa stand up for him, but she was so wrong. His addictive personality would eventually get in the way and would have caused the death of yet another pack member if she hadn't stopped him. Killing Ishmael only satisfied his addictive urges for so long until Kissa distracted him with sex. "Kissa, I—"

  "No," she put two fingers against his mouth. "You did things none of us would do. You challenged the old vampire, you killed my bastard of a brother.” She paused, bowing her head for a few seconds before lifting it up again. Her eyes held his, an angry stare capturing his attention. "You came for me, you vowed to protect me. Your vampire lover has already accepted me. These two buffoons can do the same. Or they can rot."

  Feeling the anxiety in her words, he r
ealized she’d started dancing on the precipice of frustration. The tiny head of a pin of sanity was something he’d clung to each time he neared that breaking point.

  Kissa danced on that same tiny ball right now, thanks to all the shit she’d taken from the pack over the course of her life.

  Joséf only knew what he’d seen of her treatment, but judging by how the pack operated until he’d stepped in, the way they treated Kissa wasn’t kind.

  Istvan stood, fist clenched. "You are just a girl, know your place before me!" He took two steps forward, closed in to Kissa and Joséf.

  Kissa stepped forward, cocked her fist and landed it square against Istvan's jaw.

  Istvan stumbled back a few feet, reared up and before he knew it, Kissa stood before him, snarling and ready for a fight.

  Joséf still didn't know how to react. He started for Kissa.

  Dave set a hand on Joséf’s shoulder, shaking his head. “They need this. She needs this.”

  Fuck. Understanding registered in his mind, but it still sucked a fucking nut.

  "You ever doubt our alpha again and I'll kill you.” She slugged Istvan again and landed a kick to his ribs.

  She was close to crossing that line. He saw it in her posture. Blood would be spilled unnecessarily if he didn’t stop this. "Kissa, no," Joséf shouted.

  Istvan stumbled back, regained his balance.

  Kissa looked back at Joséf, her eyes red with anger, fire burning in her pupils. "Leave this to me.” Her voice didn't even sound like her.

  Regret filled Istvan’s eyes, along with the predatory stare he'd used to hunt, rather than defend himself. "Joséf, forgive me.” He cocked his fist back, but the big man was too late.

  Kissa spun around him, extending her foot with the full weight of her body behind her and kicked him square in the center of his back.

  He grunted and fell to his knees, his hands slamming on the dirt.

  Kissa moved again, so quickly it almost appeared as though she were moving as fast as Livía. Before Joséf knew it, she was in front of Istvan again.

  He wiped blood from his mouth. She kicked him in the side of his head. He reeled back and landed on his ass. His eyes spun and for a second, it looked like he wasn't tracking.

  Kissa growled, dropped her human illusion and roared loudly. Move, and I'll kill you now.

  Terror flashed in Istvan's eyes. His jaw opened, eyes widened. Sweat broke on his forehead. Istvan stood, backed up a few steps and dropped his own illusion. Staring back at Kissa, the predatory look disappeared, replaced by a desire to defend himself.

  Joséf felt the power flow over him, felt his hair rise on the back of his neck. He knew instinctively what Kissa was about to do. "No! Don't Kissa!"

  Before the transformation was complete, Kissa jumped on Istvan, knocking him down onto the ground. Growling, she snapped her jaws around his neck. Treat me like the pack baby all you want, but know this. I can and will kill for my alpha. He is our leader. He is my lover; he is the one I will follow willingly under any circumstances. You will obey. Or you will leave this pack.

  Istvan kicked against Kissa.

  She didn't budge. Instead, she tightened her grip around his throat.

  Dave's stare seemed just as paralyzed as Istvan's.

  Kissa why? Istvan whimpered.

  I just don't give a shit. I'm tired of dealing with losers who can't think for themselves. Who rely on old ways that clearly divide us. You are the second strongest in this pack. You have all, at one point or another, abused me and this is my show of force.

  Istvan stiffened beneath her. He didn't move. For payback? I’ve apologized numerous times.

  Never have you done it in front of the pack. Afraid to lose your manhood if you did so. All of you.

  “Kissa…” Joséf understood where she was coming from, but wasn’t this the habit he was trying to change?

  Give in. She made sure to talk on the open pathway. By now, others had come from their shelters to see the struggle.

  Make no mistake, if you do not give in, I will kill you now. You who have talked about pack loyalty and politics. I will not have you disobeying any further. That includes me.

  "Kissa.” It was a command. Joséf's blood boiled, fear ran hot in his veins. He took a cautious step forward.

  Growling, she didn't look back.

  Joséf knew the second she looked back, Istvan would do what came naturally and take her out. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her, but if pack politics dictated action now, he was going to stand behind it and punish those who deserved it later.

  Give in, Istvan.

  Istvan didn't move or respond.

  Kissa dug her teeth into his flesh.

  Joséf watched blood pour from the wounds she'd created. He knew what she'd do next if she had to. "Kissa, no."

  This is pack law, my prince. If he does not respect your authority, all you have gone through will be a waste.

  Shit. She was right. Still, losing Istvan would be bad for them. They needed an impressive show of force against Sapporo, but more for John.

  Joséf spat. "Fuck…"

  Give in, Istvan. I don't want to kill you.

  Joséf swore he saw the total lack of humanity in Kissa's eyes. Though in Istvan's, he saw pleading. Begging through pride.

  Istvan struggled beneath Kissa.

  She ran her claws across his chest.

  He barked, screamed.

  She dug her claws in deeper.

  He howled in pain.

  I don't want to make this hurt. You are my pack brother. But you directly challenged my alpha. And my lover. Just acknowledge your faith and I won't kill you. Her jaws tightened around his neck.

  Istvan coughed, changing back into his human form beneath the wolf. His face held no color and his eyes rolled back in his head. "Kissa, you're cutting off his air. Stop it!"

  Drool and blood dripped from her teeth. Murderous rage danced wildly in her eyes. She would kill him.

  "Kissa, get off him, now!" Joséf’s fury ran as hot as his fear. Not sure if it was because someone he cared about was in jeopardy or if someone had disobeyed him, but he didn't care. "Get off him or I'll step in."

  Kissa let go of Istvan's throat. Quickly jumping off him, she pranced around him, ears back, tail raised while keeping her muzzle low and her gaze focused on him, waiting for his next move.

  Istvan took several deep breaths. Felt his neck, felt the large puncture wounds in his skin. "Goddamn it Joe…" He gasped.

  Kissa regained her human composure. She sashayed over to Joséf.

  He frowned. Bad move, Kissa. Why did you do that?

  She glowered back. Her pout was visible this time. You are Alpha. They should all respect that. I am your queen; they should all respect me too.

  He understood. She’d been treated like shit by much of the pack and this was her show of strength. Of her being in a place he put her in. The pack needed to respect that. Joséf walked to the fallen wolf, extended a hand to Istvan. "Are you okay, Istvan?"

  Stumbling to his feet, Istvan rose to his full height. Still impressive, he stood tall and muscled even as blood dripped down his neck and shoulders. Open wounds in his chest looked like angry slits through perfect skin. Dirt covered his face, his eyes.

  Pride rushed through Josef. It was quite a feat, that Kissa toppled him so quickly.

  "I'm fine, Joe."

  Joséf sighed. It was time for brutality to take a permanent hike in this pack.

  "Come here, Kissa."

  Uncertainty showed in her eyes, but she walked straight to him.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him. Feeling her body against his, he knew what he was going to do if he was going to rule this pack. Emotions that had been so deeply cut off suddenly burst through him like a tidal wave. The anger that had run him most of his life, and especially when he first came to Hungary, flowed through him, out of his body and into the air, into nothingness. "No iron fist. No bullshit. No more brutal
ity.” He let tears fall into her hair.

  He stifled a sob stuck in his throat and swallowed hard. Staring angrily at the others, he met each one of them dead on. "No more. No iron fist. No more pack laws of old. We shall do things differently. Just…"

  Some of the pack nodded. Others took a cautious step backwards.

  "I mean it. If I have to assert my authority, I will. But I'm so tired of having to fight with you all.” He sunk to his knees with Kissa still in his arms. "I'm so very tired.” He let out a loud, angry sigh. Something soothing settled into him.

  Kissa’s arms wrapped around him, providing desperately needed comfort.

  Pulling away, Kissa moved out of his reach and stood straight as an arrow, staring at the rest of the pack.

  "We all acknowledge our loyalty to Joséf, as pack alpha?” Her voice rang out, strong, authoritative.

  Joséf looked up to see heads nodding.

  She stared at the pack surrounding them with a menacing glare. "And we all acknowledge my place as queen of this pack?"

  He caught the glimmer of power in her eyes, a hint of triumph.

  "We do.” Istvan and Dave spoke in unison. Others followed.

  "Good. Then we have business to discuss regarding operations, and maintaining a sustainable pack. The four of us have to leave for America soon.” Kissa moved back by Joséf and took his hand in hers.

  He pulled her to him and scanned the crowd before them. No one dared show anything other than loyalty in their gazes.

  Everyone would follow him.

  "Together, we move forward. This pack’s future will be in good hands if we start acting with a little more humanity. In time, prosperousness can occur but it will take the hard work of a man, with the wolf’s spirit. Understand that. Before we leave, a system will be set in place to keep us together, and under direction of leaders. Mikhail will decide who his team should be, with the goal of getting us into a better position economically. This pack needs to function in both the human and lupine world.”

  Cautiously, the remaining members lowered their heads.

  "No. I need no sign of fealty other than your behavior. Go out and love your mates, find them for those who have none, live a life you can be proud of both as a human and a wolf. And remember this pack is home. It's a safe place."