Chapter 259 – Owned by the Alphas Novel Free by Jen Cooper

Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel

They were bickering back and forth for a couple of minutes when I saw my opening.

I let my shadows out, discreetly running along the forest floor to swarm the elk.

They moved it slowly for me, bringing it away from my alphas.

They were still arguing when I got the elk.

I grinned and went to turn.

Derik was there with a smirk, shaking his head.

“Hmm. It seems I was wrong. This is going to be fun,” he said quietly.

I grinned and started walking, my shadows bringing the elk with me.

“You’re not going to try and steal it?” I asked Derik.

He shook his head as he walked next to me. “I don’t participate in The Hunt. I lose this one every year,” he said softly.

“Why?” I wondered as we walked.

He helped me over a thick tree, lifting me over it. The elk bumped over it, my shadows staying low so Brax didn’t sense them.

“I don’t like the idea of killing the creatures here. I know it is part of survival and nature has its course, but I prefer not to be directly in it. Just a preference thing. I’ll beat the other two in the next event,” Derik shrugged.

I grinned at that. “You’re so sure?” I raised my brow, looking back at my elk.

He grinned back and nodded. “Of course. Kai is afraid of heights, and Brax is surprisingly clumsy. I win every year,” he grinned.

Hmm, that was interesting. And something I wanted to change.

I was about to say that when there was a roar. “Luna!” Kai’s voice echoed.

I laughed loudly then took off in a sprint.

Derik stayed trailing behind me as I used my shadows to drag the elk faster.

He chuckled and let me go as I ran.

I heard Brax and Kai coming after me.

“You’re in trouble, Spitfire,” Brax warned in the link.

“Lucky me,” I taunted back.

“Go left, Beautiful. Kai’s on your right,” Derik said, our links separate. I laughed and went right.

Kai was fast and almost had me, Brax behind him, but I broke through the forest, sending my shadows faster.

I pushed the distraction images I had given Kai into him again, Brax too. It made them stumble enough to give me the few seconds I needed.

I ran onto the podium, my shadows dragging the elk into the place where my name was.

Taylor was already there with a boar. Garett too.

But they were both smaller than my elk.

Derik had nothing as he casually jumped onto the platform.

Kai and Brax were arguing, coming through with a quail and a pheasant.

I cupped my mouth to hide my laugh.

They glared at me, putting their catches by their names.

“And our luna takes the win for biggest catch!” Derik called. The watching crowd cheered, and I grinned. “Cooks, take away the catches, we look forward to the feast.

In the meantime, let’s move onto the next game, vine swinging!”

3. The Forest

DERIK

Our luna is playing dirty. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. She was headstrong and pursued the things she wanted. And she wanted to win.

I enjoyed winning and in this particular event, I was confident I could. But in truth, the games just warmed me. It was my favorite time of the year. It was fun and after the last year the pack had endured, we all deserved the break.

The humans being here too, that was new. But the pack wasn’t hostile about it. It seemed to bring out another side of them, reminding them of their humanity, their fragility that was usually hidden behind an ego the size of Kai’s.

My grandfather, Dorian Achlis, introduced vine swinging as a pastime in the forest pack back when he was Alpha and the packs weren’t joined.

So when it came to doing it, it wasn’t about winning. It made me feel closer to him.

It gave me his strength.

And it amused me to see Kai and Brax attempt something they did not have the talent nor build for.

Kai was brawn, he could fight, he could brawl but he got too nervous climbing the trees. Brax was a contender but he was not stealthy, grabbing the vines with too much pressure, they usually snapped.

I looked down at Lorelai as we walked toward the forest where the tallest trees were. I had no idea how she would fare.

But I would make sure she was safe. That was my main goal, winning be damned.

My eyes went to the curve of her stomach beneath her flowing shirt. She was mine and she carried my child.

I hated the idea of her being in harm’s way. But she was determined. So, I’d protect her. Even if it meant losing.

I was still going to enjoy the event though. It was something fun, something to engage in outside the realm of survival and war.

“You’re excited for this part?” Lorelai asked.

I nodded. “I enjoy this event.”

“I’ve never been vine swinging before,” she said. Something I knew. But she knew me well. That innocent act did get to me. But I also knew she was playing dirty.

“Nice try, Beautiful. I know you can climb. I will catch you if you fall but I will not be falling for the tricks you played on Nikolai and Braxton.” I smiled, kissing her softly before sealing my mind off from her.

I wasn’t entirely sure what she had done to their minds to get that elk in the last event but I knew it was potent.

She grinned then looked at Brax and Kai. They were not looking at her.

“So, what’s the plan this time, Spitfire? Without access to our minds, how are you going to play dirty?” Brax scowled, looking up at the tree he had to climb.

We each had a tree to climb, then we had to swing using the vines, touching each tree down to the podium.

“You’ll find out, Brax,” she teased.

The horn blew from the podium, and the event started.

I climbed quickly, easily finding footholds that could hold me, pulling myself up.

Every time I did, I paused to check on Lorelai.

I saw Brax behind her and raised a brow.

He nodded once at me. He had conceded this one. Like I had last event.

“I’ve got her, D. Go, have fun,” he said in my mind.

I nodded in thanks, feeling how much he meant it. He knew what this event meant to me.

So I listened and went swinging.

I saw Kai cursing and swearing at the tree as he climbed up one, then swung to the next.

<< Previous Chapter

 

Next Chapter >>

---