Alpha Challenge

Logan
I paced around the small room that Giselda had been in two days ago while she was waiting to be called down to the arena. Now it was my turn. I wondered if anyone would come to talk to me before the challenge took place. I was furious that my father and uncle were purposely trying to keep me away from Giselda. They knew it was the only way to distract me efficiently: make me worry about my beta’s safety. Every time I tried to link her, she had been too busy to talk, which infuriated me even more, even though I was happy that she had at least responded. I spun toward the door as it slowly opened behind me. When I saw who it was, I immediately relaxed as she approached me.
“How do you feel, cousin?” Giselda asked.
“Worried,” I answered honestly, knowing that if anyone would understand how I felt, it was her.
“Why? Talk to me,” she encouraged.
“I’m afraid that I can’t win. I think I challenged him too early. If I fail, everything ends. And I don’t just mean our sleuth, you, or me. I literally mean everything. Our entire species will die.” I took a deep breath. “It’s terrifying knowing that all rests on my shoulders.”
She sat down at the table before gesturing for me to join, which I did without hesitation. “Listen to me, Logan, we are so close. I have no doubt in my mind that you will win, and when you do, we can get everything together faster. After you win, we will imprison everyone who tried to stand in our way. We will change our laws in the ways that they need to be changed, and in the end, our sleuth will be better for it.” She reached across the table to take my hand. “I know that facing your father is a big deal, but you and I both have known for the longest time that he is no longer an alpha that is worth any type of salt. It’s time for you to take over and undo all his wrongdoings.” She squeezed my hand. “And I promise you that I will be there right by your side to keep you from making the same mistakes. We just have to do this one last thing, and then it’ll be me and you. The rightful Alpha and Beta of the Havana Sleuth.”
I sighed as I lowered my head. “But he’s my father, and unlike you, there is no way to save him.”
She got up to move around the table to wrap her arms around my neck. “I know, Logan. I will be here to help you through everything, I promise.”
I reached up to pat her hand. “Thanks, Gizzy.”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Get this done, Logan, and we will be one step closer to getting your mate.”
My heart started pounding as I thought about the emptiness that I had been feeling. If this was what I needed to do to find out who she was, then I was going to do it. Or at least fight harder than I ever did before. I had no clue who this woman, or hell, even if it was a woman, was, but I wanted them more than anything anyway. I nodded as Luge pushed forward, growling out his need to get a name. Giselda patted my shoulder before leaving the room. I got back to my feet, immediately following her out of the room on my way to the arena. I was ready to be done with this already. I wanted my mate, and if this was what was keeping me from them, then it was time this barrier was removed.
I stopped in the entryway of the arena as my eyes moved over the people inside. Alpha Falcon, his Alpha Sow, future Alpha Osprey, and his mate sat beside my mother, aunt, and uncle while my father stood in the middle of the arena, obviously waiting for me to arrive. I growled loudly as I walked in, shedding my clothes before allowing Luge to shift on the way to the middle of the arena to stand in front of my father, who narrowed his eyes on Luge.
“You have one last chance to forfeit,” he said loudly. “Forfeit, and I will let you live.”
The thought of our mate egged us on, and we let out a loud roar of anger as Luge reared back on his hind legs before swiping at our father once, letting him know that we were not backing down. He bared his teeth at me, hissing just as angrily as Luge had roared.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way,” he snarled as he began to disrobe in order to shift before standing on his hind legs also.
He swiped at me with his claws extended, and Luge jumped back before jumping at him. When we landed on the ground, we began to bite each other, easily tearing large pieces of flesh out of each other. When Luge finally managed to gain leverage over him and clamped his teeth down around his throat, my father’s aura blasted out of him, forcing us to let him go as we tried to fight his aura off. As my father’s aura grew stronger, pain in our head caused Luge to back away from him, shaking his head as he desperately tried to clear the fog from his mind.
My father’s bear, Rodes, started to approach us; each slow, sure step he took spoke volumes about his confidence that he would win. Luge shook his head harder, starting to panic as the inability to shake Rodes’ aura off increased our chances of losing. Moments later, we were tackled, and Rodes sank his teeth into our neck. Luge howled in agony as Rodes began to bite down harder, causing blood to spurt out from around his teeth.
“LUGE, YOU HAVE TO WIN!” Giselda screamed, but I couldn’t even focus on where her voice was coming from as my vision began to swim. “DO IT FOR ANNIE!”
Anger surged inside of me as I realized she was right. If I lost, I lost everything, and that meant losing my mate. Luge growled warningly, but Rodes ignored it as he began to shake his head in an attempt to snap my neck. I forced Luge to shift back, causing Rodes to lose his grip on me as he shook his head, flinging me to the right. I rolled to a stop before jumping to my feet to watch Rodes as he approached me. I nervously licked my lips as I studied Rodes’ movements before slowly moving to my left, still watching him closely. I saw him cringe when he put his weight on his left front paw and knew that when I attacked, it would have to be from his left.
I bounced on my heels for a moment before lunging at him, spinning at the last moment to the left before shifting back into Luge to leap onto his back. Luge clawed down his leg, drawing blood and making it collapse. As Rodes toppled to the ground, Luge bit down into his throat before ferociously shaking his head. A short, loud crack echoed through the arena, making everything go silent while we continued to shake our head, wanting to make sure that he was indeed dead, which I was only sure about when his bear shifted back to my father’s human form. Luge spit him out before moving around his body so he could meet our mother’s eyes as he quickly consumed our father’s body. When Luge was done, he walked toward the sidelines where everyone else was seated to watch the challenge, shifting back moments before he reached the bottom stair that led up to the seats. I covered my pelvic area as I glared from my mother to my aunt and uncle.
“KNEEL!” I roared, my control over my anger finally snapping.
They all rushed down the stairs to kneel in front of me. I gestured to Giselda, who also hurried down the stairs to kneel before me, shakily holding up a pair of shorts to me. I pulled them on as power surged in my veins, assuring both Luge and myself of our new title. I narrowed my eyes on my aunt and uncle.
“You have failed our sleuth. You have failed your beta, and above all else, you have failed me. And for that, the penalty is death.” I turned my head to meet Giselda’s eyes. “You know what to do.”
I looked away as she got up to fulfill my unspoken order, even though pain and tears filled her eyes. She snapped her mother’s neck before ripping out her father’s throat and drinking his blood. After letting her father hit the ground, she pulled her mother up to also consume her blood. When she was done, she took her place again with her head down. I cut my wrist before presenting it to her.
“I, Logan, the new Alpha of the Havana Sleuth, accept Giselda Morales as my beta.”
She looked up at me as she drank from my wrist. Power passed from me to her, and I let out a relieved breath as the bonds between not just the two of us but the entire sleuth snapped into place stronger than they had ever been before. I gently pulled my wrist away from her before pinning my mother with an angry glare as I grabbed her throat, squeezing hard.
“I told you that I felt like I lost my mate, but you ignored me. You said that there was no possible way that I could have found her or him and not remembered. Well, you were wrong, and instead of trying to help me, you stood in my way. As much as I want to kill you for your negligence, I am not going to. You will spend whatever time you have left on this earth in the dungeons with the best possible care that you can receive.” I threw her away from me. “And you will be damned lucky if you live long enough to grovel at my mate’s feet for mercy.” I turned to meet Giselda’s eyes. “Your first job as my beta is to take her to the dungeon and make sure she is comfortable.” I glanced at the shocked faces of Alpha Falcon and Alpha Sow Natasha. “I know that this news must be a shock to you, but I swear to you that I mean your daughter no harm.”
Alpha Falcon jumped to his feet with his hands balled by his side. “You say that, but you are talking about your fated mate like you’ve already chosen her over Annaria!” He snapped.
I held his gaze as I straightened up. “It’s hard to choose one over the other when I believe in my heart that they are the same.” I turned to look at Giselda, taking note of the perfectly emotionless expression on her face. “And now, I’m waiting to hear the next step…”