This time, Volan paced along the edge of the wolf circle, his black fur glistening with sweat except for the patch of blood at his shoulder. He paced like the reds who couldn’t beat her mate.

Devlyn stood still, watching him, wary of the next move, but seemingly in complete control. His chest heaved with exertion, but she sensed he wasn’t tired yet. Not with the adrenaline coursing through his body. Not with the knowledge that he wanted her more than he wanted anything else in the world.

She glanced over at Vernetta, who was watching not the fight, but her, as if to say it was Bella’s turn next. Bella lifted her head higher and turned to face Devlyn.

Volan conserved his energy this time. He didn’t jump into the fray but instead trotted across the circle and again attempted a frontal assault.

This time he managed to bite Devlyn’s cheek. The blood dripped from his face and Bella bolted into the circle. Instantly, Vernetta charged her. Before they could clash, several males forced them back out of the circle. The position of alpha male had to be determined first. The females’ fight would follow.

Now Bella wanted to pace, but she couldn’t unless she did so outside of the circle. Then she couldn’t see the fight. She forced herself to sit.

Devlyn and Volan had separated again, like boxers returning to their own corners of the ring.

Volan charged Devlyn again, not waiting such a long while in between this time. His action disheartened her. Worse, when he struck at Devlyn, her mate fell. She nearly died. Intent on protecting her mate, she dove into the battle, risking the grays’ wrath.

Devlyn’s cousin, Tanner, slammed into her from the sidelines, knocking her off her pads. The brief distraction allowed Devlyn time to get to his feet, and at once he lunged at Volan. Tanner snapped and snarled at Bella to get her to move to the outskirts of the circle. She growled back at him, the lowest, angriest growl she could manage, and then trotted back to her place.

The grays were too big for her to handle. How could she even think she could deal with Vernetta successfully?

Devlyn had managed to catch Volan’s cheek with his canines and ripped a chunk from his face, the fur-covered skin hanging loose, covered in blood.

Devlyn lunged again. He grabbed the gray’s thick neck and held on for dear life. Volan snapped his jaws in an attempt to get loose. He finally shook Devlyn off. The two parted company.

But this time... Devlyn paced.

By jumping into the ring, she’d shaken him. Seeing his cousin tackle her and the powerlessness she had against the grays... undoubtedly, Devlyn worried about her ability to fight for the place of the alpha female.

Her heart sank. She couldn’t help it. When he was hurt, she had to protect him. She had to.

Okay, she wouldn’t do it again. Just quit pacing, Devlyn, damn it!

Volan leapt through the air and knocked Devlyn down. She could almost hear the breath in his lungs whoosh out. She waited, breathless, while Tanner watched her. She gave him the evil eye. Apparently, he thought it his place to keep her in line, but she wasn’t having any part of it.

When Volan dove for Devlyn’s throat, Bella went for Tanner’s. She couldn’t hurt him, and he wouldn’t risk harming her or face whoever was the victor as the alpha male, but for the moment, she would be the distraction.

As soon as she sank her teeth in Tanner’s neck, he yelped. Volan snarled at them. He wanted the show centered on him, but she wouldn’t release Tanner’s neck despite his attempts to break free from her. Another of Devlyn’s cousins bit at her backside. That did it.

She swung around so fast, he didn’t have time to retreat. With her teeth snarling, she quickly bit his leg. He yipped and scurried off.

Devlyn made it to his feet and attacked Volan again, but instead of trying for his throat, he jumped against his back. With a powerful snap, he bit into the back of Volan’s neck, crushing the bone instantly. Volan didn’t make a sound, and his body fell to the pine needle-carpeted floor. Volan was the alpha leader no more.

Vernetta didn’t waste anytime in attacking Bella, but Bella’s blood still boiled from Devlyn’s cousins having attacked her. She wasn’t in the mood for giving in to threats from anyone. Least of all from a female who lusted after Bella’s mate.

Bella grabbed Vernetta’s leg, biting only enough to make the female bolt away and limp off. Bella didn’t want to kill her, just show her she wouldn’t take guff from any gray female, not now or ever.

She hadn’t even time to see how Devlyn fared.

Vernetta turned and bolted for her. Bella jumped out of her path and bit her broader backside. Vernetta yelped, but she turned around and charged again. There was no waiting it out, no resting between bouts.

The image came to mind of the black bear that Bella had faced years ago when she’d run away from the pack. She didn’t back down then, and she wouldn’t now. Vicious perseverance was the key.

Vernetta hit Bella this time with her canines, slicing her neck. The throat. If Vernetta got hold of her throat...

Bella swung her head around and grabbed Vernetta’s neck and bit hard, not enough to kill her, but enough to show her that she was someone to respect. Vernetta tore free and then whipped around and lunged again.

Damn, the bitch wouldn’t yield.

And Bella was quickly wearing out. The size of the gray overwhelmed her, and fighting with Devlyn’s cousins hadn’t helped.

Still, she wouldn’t give up. Devlyn was hers... her heart soared with the realization. He was the alpha leader now!

Vernetta slammed into Bella again, and both rose on their hind legs with the impact, only Vernetta’s bigger size forced Bella down first. This time, Bella aimed low. Get the lower parts, like a wolf pup would do when tackling his mother.

Bella grabbed for Vernetta’s foreleg, but she wouldn’t nip it this time. With a powerful snap, she broke her leg in two. It would heal, but for now, it was the end of the game for the gray. Vernetta yelped, rolled over on her side, and then whined.

Bella turned to face Devlyn. He just stared back at her. Was he ashamed she could be so mean? That’s the way she felt for an instant. Mean and crotchety.

Devlyn stalked toward her and nuzzled her face with his. Their noses touched, and they licked each other’s wet cheeks. The wolves around the circle lay down and bowed their heads.

Devlyn had proved himself the new alpha male leader, and Bella had won her place as his alpha mate.

Epilogue

Five months later,Devlyn cradled Bella in his arms while they nestled on a new redwood porch swing he had crafted for her. She gazed at the beautiful greenhouse situated nearby — twice as big as her old one and already filled with rhododendrons and azaleas from Oregon, now her second home. “Chrissie wants us to come to her wedding in two months. She and Henry moved the date up, afraid I couldn’t travel if they waited too long or, if they delayed it until after the babies are born, it would be harder for me to take them with us.” She smiled up at Devlyn.

He grunted. “I knock Thompson out during my rescuing you at the hospital, and he wants me to be his best man at his wedding? Humans. No figuring them.”

“Hmm, maybe it’s the wolf in you he really likes.”

Devlyn shook his head, his hand caressing her belly, swelling with triplets. She sighed heavily against his chest.

A wolf’s howl in the distance brought a smile to her lips. “The Sinapu sure have made strides to reintroduce the gray wolf in the area.”

“Yeah. No worry about hunters shooting lupus garous anymore or trying to put a wolf into the zoo.”

“And even a few reds have been successfully reintroduced in the Smokies.”

Devlyn ran his fingers through her hair. “Right. Once the humans realized that the reds they set free weren’t wild enough and so were killing turkeys at local farms.”

“Good thing the government’s willing to reimburse farmers if wolves eat the farmer’s livestock.”

“Makes it easier for us to roam the area in our wolf states without arousing suspicion. But it sure was funnier than hell when Tanner got tagged as a successful reintroduction of one of the gray wolves. Nobody will let him live it down.”

Bella smiled. “I couldn’t be happier to be here with you like this, Devlyn, and with the pack again.”

He held her tighter. “To think Argos’s own mate had done the very same thing as you... distracted the pack leader so that Argos had a chance to win.”

She chuckled under her breath and slipped her fingers over his bare chest. “I wish he’d told us sooner.”

“Yeah, I would’ve had you help me out long before this. We’re a team, sweet Bella.”

“I agree. I’m glad Vernetta’s leg healed properly, too.”

“Did she tell you she had first dibs on taking care of the triplets?”

“Yeah.” Bella smiled. All of the females of a wolf pack helped raise the alpha female’s offspring. She couldn’t have been happier to be home again. She’d lost her own red lupus garou pack but found the gray pack and the mate who’d forever be hers. “I guess your cousins aren’t still sore at me for fighting them that day, although they’ve made themselves scarce whenever I’m around.”

“On the sly, they told me that, once they’d seen your reaction, they knew you were the alpha female, even before Vernetta tried to take you down. Tanner said he was glad he didn’t have to deal with that quick temper of yours.”

“And you?”

“Spices life up just right.”

She gave him a serious look. “When the triplets are old enough, they’ll learn the true legend of how werewolves came into existence.”

He kissed her cheek and squeezed her good-naturedly. “Sure, Bella honey. The first was a Scandinavian white wolf. We still have Alfred’s book to prove it.”

She shook her head.

Another howl sounded from the wilds.

“He’s looking for a mate, don’t you think?”

Devlyn stood and lifted Bella from the swing. “Yeah, at least I’ve got mine.”