My Peculiar Mates

Chapter 8: Duel

    Rheya’s heart broke again and again for Lia. She knew the pain of losing a parent, but she still had her dad. Lia had lost both parents in the span of two days, and now she had more responsibility and no time to mourn.     The pack had decided to host the funeral for their Alpha and Luna the next morning. They lit a funeral pyre and sent their souls back to the Moon Goddess in silence. After their short vigil, Lia and Danny stood up in front of the pack.

    “Alpha Paul and Luna May will be deeply missed by us all,” Lia said, her voice amplified by the hush over the crowd of wolves and people. “They put many hours into this clan, and many sacrifices were made to ensure our safety and freedom. I never planned to inherit the pack title this way, but I hope to carry on their values and make you all just as proud of me as you were of them.”

    Many of the pack members howled in agreement, but some others looked displeased. The crowd parted as Pierre made his way to the front and stood in front of Lia. She stared back at him, stone-faced and showing no emotion. 

    “Hear me, Clan Oslo,” he called out, his shoulders squaring confidently. “Our pack was attacked for a reason. We’re all aware of the laws that the Council put forward. Fae kind and their dark magics are forbidden, and cohorting with their breed is equally as punished. Yet this girl,” he pointed at Rheya, “This… Abomination was brought onto our land. And because she was tracked here, the Council confronted the Alpha and Luna. It is because of her that our Luna was attacked and died.

    “And yet Lia wants to continue to harbor this fugitive in our home, endangering all of our lives. Why should our pack suffer and die on behalf of this girl?”

    Instead of addressing Pierre directly, Lia turned to the pack. “I understand it is much to ask of all of you, and anyone who doesn’t wish to get involved will not be subject to that pain. But, I will not allow the Council’s tyranny to go on any longer. My mate, and many other fae, are innocent. They have no malintent, and they haven’t for centuries, since the great war between wolf- and fae-kind. I refuse to let someone who would otherwise be welcomed as family be sent to a concentration camp for our prejudice.”

    “Speaking of family,” Pierre interrupted again. “How are you supposed to have an heir to continue your Alpha lineage if you’re married to a girl? Wouldn’t your parents be happier if you decided to marry someone eligible?”

    “Do not speak so lowly of your future Luna again,” Lia’s eyes burned black. “Whether we decide to have children or not is between us and us only, and if we do decide to be blessed with a child, we will love them no matter their background.”

    “But surely they won’t be properly raised by two -”

    “Calme-toi,” said a scratchy voice in the crowd. A little old lady hobbled to the front, glaring at Pierre.

    “Audette, I’m-”

    “You know better than to insult your future Alpha. Either challenge her or be done with this bigoted nonsense.”

    Pierre grit his teeth. “Fine. I, Pierre Lascelle, challenge you, Lia Monet, to a duel for the title of Alpha. If I win, I will take over and your precious mate will be handed over to the Council.”

    “And if I win, I have earned the right to keep her here,” Lia held her head high. “Does anyone object to these conditions?”

    The crowd murmured, but no one raised their voice. “Fine. The duel will be at dusk. No weapons allowed, and if you don’t show up, it’s an automatic forfeit.” 

~~~

    Rheya paced inside Lia’s room, Lia sitting on her bed. “I wish you didn’t have to do this. What if he kills you? What if he cheats and brings a weapon?”

    “I won’t get killed, I promise,” Lia smiled. “And besides, if he does cheat, the clan will turn their backs on him. No one is willing to give an Alpha title to a traitor.”

    Rheya turned to her sadly. “But that means that you have to kill him, right? A duel is to the death.”

    Lia nodded solemnly. “Yeah, but he knew that when he challenged me. I promise I won’t let him suffer… too much.”

    Rheya shook her head and bit her lip. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

    Lia grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, until Rheya was sitting in her lap. She combed her fingers through Rheya’s hair. “Stop worrying so much, Sunshine, or you’ll wear a hole in my floor.”

    Rheya sighed and dramatically flopped back on the bed. “What if they don’t accept me? If they don’t accept, you know… us?”

    “My clan is better-mannered than Pierre acts. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t have paired us together if we weren’t meant to be. And believe me, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side than you.” Lia kissed her shoulder, then her neck. Rheya got shivers, but backed away.

    “Are you okay with this?”

    “I need to be okay,” Lia looked down and traced lines on her hands. “I need to show them that I can be the Alpha my father was.”

    “But you don’t need to be that way with me. You know that, right?”

    Rheya tilted Lia’s chin up, her eyebrows creasing when she saw that Lia’s eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. “Someday, I’ll talk it all out. But right now, I’d rather just pretend it didn’t hurt.”

    Rheya nodded and hugged her. “I’ll be right here with you, no matter what you want to do.”

~~~

    It was almost sunset. Lia and Rheya made their way out into the yard, towards a designated training area. There was a crowd of people gathered around it, loudly discussing amongst themselves who they thought would win. According to Lia, some wolves liked to bet on these duels like a sport. 

    Rheya stood back on the sideline, while Lia stepped inside the circle. Pierre hadn’t arrived yet. She nervously gave a thumbs up when Lia turned towards her, earning herself a few smiles from the others beside her. 

    “If Pierre doesn’t make his presence known in 5 minutes, the duel will be considered forfeit,” Lia said to the crowd. At first, no one stirred. Then, one by one the crowd opened to reveal Pierre being pushed through by his friends. He no longer looked confident, but was dragging his feet. He slowly stepped inside the circle, and many of the pack members growled and jeered at his lack of composure. 

    “Last chance, Lascelle,” Lia taunted. “If you apologize and admit how wrong you are, I might consider letting you leave and never come back.”

    Pierre steeled himself and spat at her feet. “Wouldn’t you like that, Goudou?” 

    Lia’s eyes turned black at his homophobic slur, her voice deepening to her wolfish self. “I’ll see to it that you regret ever opening your hateful mouth, dog.”

    Audette appeared on the circle edge opposite Rheya. “As soon as the sun sets, the fight may begin. No weapons allowed, and may the Moon Goddess give her blessing to whomever wins.”

    The crowd went silent as the sun slowly dipped down the horizon. Lia and Pierre locked eyes, and when the last sliver of light dipped below the crest of the hill, they lunged forward. 

    They both grappled each others’ forearms. Pierre pushed Lia off first, being slightly bigger; and swung a fist at her jaw. It connected harshly, making a thudding sound. Lia let out a growl, ducking the next punch and driving her fist into his neck. 

    He choked and backed up to buy himself time to breathe in, but Lia showed little mercy. Rheya remembered what she said, it was easier to kill when your opponent was in human form. She circled around and kicked his knee, sending it sideways and causing Pierre to swear up and down. He circled around and faced her, keeping his tender leg behind him to prevent further damage. 

    They continued trading blows, until Pierre managed to get a nasty punch to Lia’s left breast. She bent    down in pain, but quickly recovered, glaring in his direction. She then shifted, and Rheya was in awe of Lia’s powerful wolf. The beige fur blended in with the sand when she stood still, but she could tell that her head stood at around her shoulder height. The wolf bent down on all fours and sprung at Pierre. He shifted at the last second, but his smaller brown wolf toppled over at the contact.

    Lia’s wolf kicked at his belly, drawing blood, while snapping and snarling at his face. He rolled out from under her and ran away, his weak leg slowing him down. Lia stalked him, growling lowly, and Pierre’s wolf whimpered, showing his teeth as she got closer.

    In one last clash of fangs and claws, Pierre bit Lia’s shoulder and Lia pinned him on the ground. She hesitated, panting heavily, before grabbing his neck and killing him swiftly. She then dropped his body on the ground and howled, her clan howling with her.

    Rheya was still slightly queasy at the sight of blood, and she tried not to cry when Lia’s wolf walked over to her, her snout covered in red. But to her surprise, the wolf bent down, resting her head on Rheya’s feet. The rest of the clan turned to her, and Audette stepped forward, smiling. She held Rheya’s hand and held it up to the moon that was making its way over their heads. “To our new Luna, Rheya!” The crowd howled, and Lia’s wolf licked her face in affection before changing back into a very naked Lia.

    Rheya looked away, blushing red hot, but Lia seemed unphased. “Please take him away and bury him with his family,” she said to a few of the wolves watching. “I will not disrespect the dead, he was a worthy opponent.” They nodded and picked up the lifeless body, and Lia turned back towards Rheya, catching her with a searing kiss.