Chapter 114

Helen POV

Justin kept me on his knee as he announced to the entire arena about the first event. I leaned into his solid chest and he brushed a hand down my thigh, feeling my warm skin as the dress hugged me impossibly tight.

The first duel started in the dirt arena and I pulled from my mate slightly, straining to see the fight between wolves, but Justin ran his hand around my lower back and pulled me back into his chest.

His lips found my cheek, then my shoulder and the inner run of my throat.

I panted and collapsed like putty into his muscles.

He purred a laugh and made out with the mating mark, sending sparks deep into my sex. I writhed in his lap, using his knee to apply pressure onto my sensitive clit.

He snickered and lifted his knee up more, playing into my innocent need to have my mate sooth my heat. I finally met his lips with mine and the wolves around us cheered over the duel.

I couldn’t pull myself away from Justin and he seemed to be having the same struggle.

Tomorrow is the full moon, anyway. He will need me then like I need him now.

Like I need him forever.

“LYCAN!”

I shuddered, breaking our kiss at once. Justin stood fast and urged me to take his place in the golden throne. I sat back, somewhat worried over the new silence that came over the arena.

Randy came to my side in defense but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

A broad, handsome man stood in the arena now, his eyes bright and cold at the same time. I swallowed the oddly familiar look of those eyes and the dirty, light hair. Justin crossed his arms and looked down on the new wolf.

“What do you want, rogue?!”

The new wolf grinned and I shuddered, feeling his eyes drink down the sight of me in this particular dress. I didn’t like my outfit all that much now…

“I want to challenge your title!”

Justin snickered at the rogue in the arena. “You’re not even a member of True Mates pack, nor were you one of Lone Wolf. You’re a rogue and your stench is putrid.”

The familiar set of eyes glazed over me and Justin stepped in his path, sensing the same tension as I had noticed early on as well.

“Don’t look at her,” Justin snarled. “I wouldn’t normally entertain this duel given your outsider status, but I think someone needs to teach you a lesson, rogue.”

Justin jumped from the platform, landing in the dirt below. I lost sight of him instantly and jumped up, staring over the edge of the platform so I could spy my mate below.

Randy pulled for me to sit down but I refused, entranced in those eyes from the rogue.

“He looks so familiar,” I whispered.

Randy came to my side and Russo stood behind me.

“I’ve never seen him before but his scent…” Randy shook his head, adding, “Something about it is kind of familiar, Luna. How would we know this measly rogue.”

Justin stood firm before his challenger, taking his shirt off and tossing it away. I reveled in the sight of his bare, muscular chest. He and the rogue had similar frames and muscles, so it made me a little uneasy to think of them fighting one another.

“I don’t like this,” I panted. “I need to stop it.”

Justin turned to face me at once like he heard my whispering admission. “You stay there, Luna!”

I flinched, his Alpha command striking me down instantly.

The rogue hiccupped a laugh. “Having trouble keeping your little mate on a leash, Alpha?”

The challenge was threat enough but seeing Justin’s reaction to the rogue taunting me in front of him—this wasn’t going to end well. I unknowingly held onto the beta, one of my closest friends and the best warrior here other than Justin.

“Don’t worry, Lycan, when I win the duel and take over the pack, I’ll treat her like my own,” the rogue jeered. I shuddered and he pouted in mock offense. “You don’t know me, Luna?”

I sat in utter disbelief. He was so familiar but I couldn’t pin down how he seemed that way. Everything down to his scent was recognizable and I felt dirty just looking at him, like I wasn’t supposed to or like we’ve met before.

But we haven’t… I know that!

“You do not speak of my mate!” Justin snarled.

The rogue only laughed. “She is only your mate because her first one died,” he snickered. “I don’t think my brother would appreciate you toting his mate around like your own, Lycan.”

Joy winced in my head. She felt the same odd sensation as I had, but we never anticipated this.

“Brother?” I exhaled in shock.

“That’s right, Luna,” he called. “You are the reason my brother is dead and I’ll be damned if you continue disparaging his name by licking on this Lycan Devil all the time.”

“I will kill you for that remark,” Justin gusted.

My mate shifted into his Lycan form and charged forward, clashing with the stark, black wolf that came from the rogue claiming to be Scott’s brother.

I fell to my knees in utter exasperation, confused and furious and scared. Randy sat down with me and so did Russo, both of them watching in the same silence as the rest of the pack.

My palm came over my lips, seeing my Lycan mate and the rogue square off in a bloody, harsh battle to their death. I could hardly watch it, tucking my head into Randy’s shoulder.

“Oh, moon goddess, how is this—how could there be—what is—”

“Justin will take care of him, Helen, just relax,” Russo hummed.

I shivered at the sounds of snarling and growls of battle.

“Did he ever mention a brother before?”

“No, Randy, of course not,” I panted. “He never talked much about his family. He was already kissing my father’s ass and mated with my sister instead of me. He never talked to me about a brother.”

“It’s not looking good,” Russo mumbled, staring over the edge of the platform.

I jumped forward, leaning down to look below as seeing my mate and the rogue drawing blood on one another. I hiccup, fearful of the outcome, but when I aimed to call out to my mate, I instead leaned forward too much and lost my balance.

The world went into a blur until I hit the powdery dirt of the arena below.