It took nearly the whole trip back to Colorado for Bella to realize that, although she wanted to show her independence and to run her life her own way, she wanted Devlyn more. She knew in her heart that he was meant to be an alpha male. Now that Devlyn was part of her life, her mate, and bound by wolf law to protect her, she had to give him the chance to prove himself worthy, or else she would forever damage his pride. She loved and admired him for being a male lupus garou. The good and the bad.

For humans, male pride only went so far, but for wolves, it was the whole basis of their familial existence. A part of Devlyn would never be satisfied unless he took over the pack in the wolf way, through brute force and resourcefulness, ousting Volan forever.

No matter how hard that was for her to concede, she had to give him the chance to show he could do it. To her, it didn’t matter if he was the alpha male. It only mattered that they loved one another, but he needed more. The reassurance that he had the legitimate claim to her, that she was his and no one else’s. He had to prove he could do this — to protect her from Volan, ultimately, to kill him, and to lead their pack. And she prayed he’d survive.

Devlyn and Bella finally arrived in the Southern Rockies, midday. The pinyon junipers and pines scented the air, calling to them to take their fill and romp through the woods as they had done as youngsters.

Bella’s eyes moistened to be home finally. She stared at the log cabin home, with its steep roof and wraparound porch. “This is your place, Devlyn?”

“Plenty of room for a bunch of kiddos,” he said, reaching over to pat her belly. “Five bedrooms and three hundred fifty acres of prime wolf land. A stream runs right through the middle of it.”

“The stream where we fished when we were little?”

“Yep. About a mile from here, my leather goods factory sits on two acres. Tanner and some of my other cousins are running things while I’m away.”

“Oh, I should have asked before if you could support me in the fashion I’ve been accustomed to.”

“Yeah, Bella, and all the little ones, too.”

“Good.” She climbed out of the Escape, weary of all of the traveling, glad to stretch her legs and to be home. “That means I don’t have to spend my money.”

He joined her on the porch and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re independently wealthy?”

“Are you sure you didn’t already know?”

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Here I thought I knew all about you.”

“Not everything. Some secrets should be left that way, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely not.”

She smiled and then noticed a note fluttering on the door. “Someone left you a message.” Already dread filled the pit of her stomach.

Didn’t think you’d have the nerve to bring her to me after all. Argos said you were coming home. See you soon. Volan

She touched Devlyn’s neck where the red’s canines had wounded him. Thank heavens, the area was completely healed, with not even a trace of a scar.

“Come on. We’ve tried your bed, the couch, the rental SUV, motel rooms, bathtubs, and showers. It’s time to christen my place now. Plus rest up for tonight’s big adventure,” Devlyn said, crumpling Volan’s note in his fist.

“Fighting Volan.”

“Yep. The time has come. Well, in a few hours, but the notion is making me a little tense. Got something to relieve the tension?” The glint of devil flashed in his eyes.

“Now who’s got a one-track mind?”

“Only... when you’re around.”

They’d barely walked into the house when Devlyn’s phone rang. Answering it, he glanced at Bella.

She knew from the look on his face, Volan had called the pack to meet in the glade. The time had come to decide the leadership of the pack once again.

Chapter Twenty

Despite loving her wolf form,Bella thought she could live without it forever if it meant she and Devlyn would not have to face Volan’s wrath; after all, keeping her wolf form meant that she could possibly lose the gray she dearly loved.

As before, she would be the dutiful mate and sit on the sidelines, relaxed and quiet, giving the illusion that she didn’t worry about Devlyn’s strength.

But as soon as the grays gathered for the evening spectacle, her heart sank. Crickets sounded their raucous tunes, frogs riveted from near the stream, and a breeze stirred pine needles with a whooshing sound. Cold and crisp, the smell of an expected snow touched the air. She wished the whisper of frost would harden Volan’s joints and make him unable to dodge Devlyn’s lunges. That Volan’s teeth would fall out from disrepair. That his eyes and hearing were not so keen and he would make fatal mistakes, giving Devlyn the advantage. But he was not an old wolf, only in his mid-thirties, and he was a threatening figure.

Vernetta inched toward her in her wolf form, her dark brown hair standing on end, warning her the move wasn’t a social call. Suddenly, the idea dawned on Bella. If Devlyn succeeded in beating Volan, Vernetta would want to be the alpha female and his mate. Bella had been so worried that Devlyn would win, she never considered she might have to battle a bitch for the female alpha role. Especially since she had already mated with Devlyn, and she figured it was a done deal.

Devlyn cast a wary glance at Vernetta while he waited in the center of the circle alone, the grassy clearing surrounded by thick pines and a smattering of oaks shivering in the chilly breeze, a peaceful meadow any other time. Volan was the only wolf of the pack not in attendance. Now it was she, Bella, who had her mate worried. Not the other way around. He feared for her safety. Then alarm filled her soul. Would he give in to Volan, concerned that, if he did not, Vernetta might rip her to shreds?

Vernetta stood two inches taller than her and was heavier besides. Bella had never tangled with her, or any female before. Well, except for the time Vernetta had knocked Bella’s baby teeth out, but Bella had been so much younger and smaller it really hadn’t been a fight. For the first time that a wolf had tackled her in years, the red male had sufficiently pinned her down, but Vernetta wouldn’t just wrestle her to the ground. She’d want blood to ensure Bella got the point. No lupus garou but her would be Devlyn’s mate.

The smell of Volan pelted Bella before she caught sight of him. Turning, she found he’d sneaked up behind her, sniffing. She was sure he tried to see if Devlyn was still keeping her well satisfied. She snarled at Volan. He shoved his way between her and Vernetta, his black fur standing on end, his neck just as thick as she’d remembered it, his body hefty and deadly.

He glanced at the gray and then gave Bella a look of menace, the same kind of evil look that he gave Devlyn the day he’d kissed Bella so long ago. Vernetta wouldn’t fight Bella to have Volan as her mate. This was clear in her posture when she slinked away, her tail tucked between her legs, but what disheartened Bella most was the way Devlyn’s ears flattened slightly.

She wanted to scream at him not to give in. She’d fight the bitch with tooth and claw, but damn him if he gave up the fight before it even began.

His ears rose, and she bowed her head to him, trying to show she would fight for him as well as he fought for her. That she wouldn’t give the matter a care when it was her turn to wage war, just as she’d struggle to keep her own emotions in check while he fought his battle.

Volan swung his head around and licked her face. Instantly she bit him, nipping his cheek. A love bite, that’s the way he treated it. If a wolf could smile, he grinned at her. She snarled at him.

With a heavy lope, he ran into the center and confronted Devlyn.

Now was the moment of the face-off she’d dreaded all her life. Larger than most wolves, Volan was heavier-set than Devlyn, although Devlyn stood taller.

The hair on the backs of both wolves stood erect, as did their tails. They held their heads high and sniffed the air, attempting to sense signs of fear. They twitched their ears back and forth, listening, each anticipating the move of the other.

The standoff continued, and although most of the wolves remained tensed, waiting for the clash to begin, everyone kept deadly silent. Bella sat down, her back aching from holding it so laboriously taut, worrying that, if she didn’t relax, she would cause her body to stiffen so much that she’d be unable to take on Vernetta.

Volan waited for Devlyn to make the first strike. Was that the reason Devlyn had waited for the reds to attack him? Because he’d learned it from Volan?

Never having witnessed fighting for the alpha male position between grays, she wasn’t sure of the best way to win. She’d only seen the aftermath of the kill, when Volan had finished with the rogue wolves years earlier. Bella panted hard, trying to contain her nervousness, hoping that Volan would collapse and die right on the spot before either of them did anything.

Once she sat down, several others did, too, as if she’d clued them in. To her surprise, the old pack leader was watching her. When Argos caught her eye, he bowed his head slightly and then lifted it.

Taking a deep breath, Bella faced Devlyn and Volan, more confused than ever about pack politics. She’d been away much too long. Living with humans had caused her to forget some of the pack ways, and now she regretted it. She would raise her children in the pack and never again forget where she came from.

Devlyn flattened his ears again slightly. She wanted to bite him in the butt and make him quit it, but before she could think any further about it, Volan lunged for him, his canines extended viciously.

Devlyn dodged his action, swung around, and bit him in the shoulder. Volan yelped. She wanted to cheer Devlyn on, to jump up and down, but the battle had only begun.

The two parted and ran away from each other for a moment, gathering their wits and readying themselves for the next confrontation. Devlyn glanced at her, and she bowed her head to him again. He turned quickly when Volan flew across the center at him.

Had it irritated Volan that Bella showed her favoritism for Devlyn? It did. She’d rattled him. Yes!

What else could she do?

Volan hit Devlyn so hard with a frontal assault that each raised up on his hind legs and snapped and snarled at the other’s muzzle. Bella jumped to her feet; then, not wanting Devlyn to see her worry, she lay back down. Neither of the males won. Both dropped to their paws and separated.