44. Challenged

Eric

Lilith came walking down the main road that left the pack property. I thought she had taken one of the cars, I didn’t understand why she was walking. She looked to be in good spirits, and it seemed like she had a good day. Suddenly someone burst from the woods in front of her. I heard the male, it was one of the elders, he was challenging her. I had told the pack they could if they felt it was necessary. Lilith looked him in the eye. “If you want to fight old man let’s, get this over with, I kind of want to fuck my mate, seeing as it would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

I smiled at her. He nodded. I heard over the mind link. “Everyone go to the training field, there is a challenge.” I ran up to Lilith who smiled at me. “I guess this fucker wants to play, but I really don’t know what consists for a challenge so please explain.” Lilith asked. “Okay, I can explain it on the way to the training field.” She raised her eyebrows and spoke. “So, it is happening now?” I nodded and said “Once someone asks for a challenge the whole pack must watch and it happens immediately. And as far as the actual challenge it is to the death.” She didn’t even blink. Which surprised me.

“So, I have to kill that guy, or I have to die.” I spoke. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t mention it when I told you that I gave permission to the pack that if the wanted to challenge you they could. I thought no one would be stupid enough to actually do it.” Lilith shrugged. “Well, maybe if Grey Crest Pack saw what I can do, or what Kali can do, they will start seeing the reality of how things are.” She was so calm. “So, you are really okay with this?” Lilith nodded. “But Eric when I do win, because I will, I plan on fucking for the rest of the night so just be prepared for that.” She smirked.

Lilith was acting like this was no big deal. She planned to have no remorse, I understood. Or at least I thought I did. She had been challenged which meant the opponent wanted her dead so she could justify it as it is me or him. I hoped that was it at least. I walked with her to the field my arm around her waist. She seemed totally at ease. “Can I shift or is in human form?” She asked me. “It is whatever the challenger wants.” She didn’t say anything as she walked up to Ferris.

Of course it would be that elder. He had been vocal about what he thought of Lilith and her wolf. He insisted they were bad for this pack. With Noel announcing she would officially be in the pack link. I knew it had drove him to this. This was his hail marry to get her out and, in his opinion, protect those here. She was already the Luna, and I had given her authority but her being part of the pack link, it wouldn’t just be my word or hers. The shifters here would be compelled to follow her orders like they were with me. It was just how shifters worked. “Okay how do you want to do this?”

Lilith asked and I could tell she was not really caring about this. I didn’t expect her to, she was far more advanced than this pack. “We are using knives and in human form.” Ferris said. He thought her small stature and how he towered over her would give him the advantage when it came to fighting.

“Fine, but I need a knife.” Lilith said. Ferris I could tell was getting angry at her apathy over everything. Ferris handed her a knife. He had been prepared for this. Lilith touched the blade and then said, “It is dull.” She then stretched out fast and was able to touch Ferris’s blade despite him trying to pull it away. Her finger had hardly touched it, and she sliced her finger open. Then she did a bizarre thing, she laughed. She could see the pack assembled along the sides of where Ferris and she would fight.

She addressed them all. “One of your own wants to cheat, giving me a dull blade but his is sharpened. I just want you to all know this before I kill him, that he is a cheater. One of your own is a cheating old man.” I looked at Ferris who was red in the face. He was furious Lilith had just called out his behavior to everyone, making him look bad. But not only that she said it didn’t matter that she would kill him regardless. I backed up to give the two space. There was no calling to start a challenge, it was just when they started moving, it began.

Ferris lunged first and Lilith easily outmaneuvered him. Her red top showed her perfect creamy skin. Her breast had a ton of cleavage and the way her black ripped jeans molded to her body, she looked erotic, and she was fighting with ease against Ferris. He was older and moving too slow to keep up with Lilith. The way she moved was flawless, and I had to keep myself from drooling watching her. Her being so strong and powerful was sexy beyond belief. She was not even swinging her knife.

She had dropped it almost as soon as this began. I didn’t know if she had a plan in mind how she was going to beat Ferris, I thought maybe now, she was playing with him. One thing I knew was she was making him angrier and erratic. She suddenly stopped and stood still as Ferris lunged. I was sure she would be stabbed, but as he got close enough, she ducked from his outstretched arm and punched him in the kidney. He was momentarily distracted that she had hit him, since up until this point she was dodging him. She got behind him and kicked in the spine, so he stumbled.

She moved back fast so she could have space. Then I watched as she pushed up and leapt, she brought her legs around Ferris neck squeezing him. Lilith brought him down to the ground keeping her legs locked and they both crashed hard, but she never let her legs loosen around his neck. Ferris still had his knife in his hand, and he went to stab her leg to get her off of him. He did manage to get it into her.

Lilith didn’t scream or anything instead she bit into him. Ferris made a groan as she ripped her human teeth from him, taking a chunk of Ferris and spitting it on the ground. Ferris went to stab her again, but she released her legs. Both had wounds and she moved in a blur so fast it was hard to see her. She threw herself on top of him. So, the front of her body collided with the old man. Her hands wrapped around her neck. He began to stab her side, but she didn’t stop. Then again, she bit him but this time it was above where her hands were chocking him. She ripped a massive hole into the side of his neck, and I watched as his arm went limp and the knife, he used to stab her fell to the floor. She let go of his neck and grabbed the knife.

Lilith the stabbed him straight through the head. He was dead and my mate was injured. But she rose from his body. Her mouth covered in blood. Her leg and side bleeding but she was standing. She had left the knife in Ferris head. The pack was silent at what they had just witnessed. “Anyone else want to challenge me?” She yelled. Opening her arms. Looking at the spectators. “No one else?” She yelled out again. No one responded, Lilith then walked over to Ferris dead body pulling the knife from him and walked up to me. How was she upright? She whispered. “I need medical help, the knife cut deep, but I know it didn’t hit any vital organs, Ferris was an idiot.”

Lilith continued, “he didn’t even know where to stab to kill, everyone knows it is below the ribs and then twist the knife. He didn’t even hit the artery in my leg. But I will need stitches.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek, and I felt the wet blood on my face. “Please send someone, or at least get me supplies and I can sew it up myself.” She then was making her way back to the packhouse with Ferris knife in her hand. I turned to see her walking away. I expected a limp, but she stayed up right. I knew she was fighting to keep herself from limping.

But she was making a point to Grey Crest that she was stronger than all of them. I turned to the pack who were staring at their dead elder. Some of them where crying. I had to address them. “Ferris challenged his Luna; this is what happened. He knew this could have been the outcome. He was wise, but today he was not. I recognize he was a good man, but it didn’t matter in the end. His thoughts and prejudice killed him. I caution all of you to not be like this. Please make arrangements for his funeral or if his family chooses a pyre for him.”

That is all I could say on the matter. I had liked Ferris as a boy, but as I had aged, I found him to be more controlling than I thought of him as a kid. He should not have challenged Lilith, and he knew it. He had tried to cheat but even with that he had failed. I was sorry for his grandkids, but I was not upset with his death. This was his own making. It had made a point. Lilith was a strong Luna and should be respected for what she was capable of. I ran up to the doctor. “I need you to get your bag, your Luna needs stitches.” He paused and then nodded.

I could tell he was not scared but impressed with everything he saw, hopefully this would be a turning point for the pack. Shifters recognized strength and Lilith had just shown it. She was strong and once she officially joined the pack; she would be tied to all of us, not just me. If anything, I hoped this showed the pack that Lilith was strong enough to protect them. I hoped this had earned their respect.