4
**Requiem POV: **
“Darling you are working too hard, please eat something”, I heard my fiancé Alexa say as she and my mom walked into my office with a tray full of food.
“Alexa, I have to work hard, right now I am working on making our defenses stronger”, I say as I take a bite of the sandwich. I know if I don’t eat, they both will gang up on me and I won’t win that fight.
“Our defenses are strong and secure sweetheart”, mom says.
“Yes, they are mom, but it won’t hurt for them to be stronger”, I replied.
“Alpha…. there is a massager with a letter for you waiting at the border”, my Beta Marcus said.
“Who is he and where is the message coming from?”, I asked.
“Jace, he is the Beta of the Gladiator Moon Pack”, he says.
“Fine, let him in”, I said as I cleaned up my messy office.
My mother and Alexa are wearing out my office rug by walking back and forth with worry. They need to stop it before he gets to the office. I don’t want him to sense their fear. I told them to leave while Marcus and I waited for Beta Jace. Both of us are wondering what he wants or most likely what his Alpha wants. Finally, he arrives and bows in respect.
“Beta Jace, what a surprise”, Marcus says.
“Alpha, I come with some papers from my Alpha Lycian”, he says, ignoring Marcus.
“And what is that”, I asked, the tension in the room, enough to drive all our wolves insane. The wrong world said it could start a fight here.
“This”, he said as he handed me a document.
Gladiator Moon Pack
Alpha Requiem Ames, for centuries our pack have been at war; a war that neither of us has started nor did our fathers. But unfortunately, it is now up to us to end it. Instead of passing this burden to our heirs, I propose that the two of us put an end to our pack’s century-old feud. In war no one really wins. Both sides have losses, both sides will have orphaned children, widowed wives, and dead warriors. Therefore, I challenge you to a fight to the death. The winner takes everything; the loser's pack, property, money, all that the loser owns. If you accept my challenge, the fight will commence during the next full moon, which is a month away, in the clearing between our two packs. Just for formalities;
I Lycian Kuten Alpha of Gladiator Moon Pack, hereby challenge you Requiem Ames Alpha of Stone Moon Pack in a fight to the death.
Alpha Lycian Kuten ***
I must say a one-on-one fight will eliminate unnecessary deaths. Both of us have no mates or children. It is an honorable thing to put our lives on the line instead of our pack members. So be it, I wrote a response and sent it with the Beta. Once he left, mom, Alexa and Marcus bombarded me with questions. I need a fucking minute they are making my head hurt. I growled loudly and everyone shut up. Collecting myself I decided to tell them, then go for a run.
If Lycian and I were not enomies, would might have been good friends. He is smart and a strong Alpha. He value the lives of his pack members. And puts their welfare first. Something all Alphas should do.But some don't.
“It was his official challenge and I sent him my reply saying I accepted. In a month during the next full moon, Alpha Lycian Kuten and I will meet in the clearing between our two packs and fight to the death”, I said, looking at them.
“WHAT, NO! you can’t”, Alexa said.
“And why can’t I? It is better than my pack members losing their lives in a full-out war”, I said.
“What was in the letter Alpha”, Marcus asked.
"How can you accept it without even talking to me about it? I am your fiancé”, Alexa said, pissed off. It's not like she cares if I live or die.
“Last time I checked I am the Alpha. I answer to no one but my mate, who you are not”, I said. Which caused her to run out of my office crying.
“You didn’t have to talk to her like that. You don’t think she deals with a lot too”, mom said.
“And what does she have to deal with? She is engaged to me, which means she lives a life of luxury. And once I marry her, she will become Luna, which gives her access to money, power, and respect", I said to my mother, upset that she does not understand my side.
“You think she cares about that? Every day she is reminded by the mated she-wolves that she is your second best. You chose her because you don’t want to wait for your mate. What happens when she meets her mate after you marry? She will have to reject him and become depressed”, my mother said, holding her tears in. Her and my dad were fated mates, but he did reject each other because she came from a poor family. Eventually the mate bond won and he took her as his fated mate.
“If she doesn’t want to marry me, she should never have said yes when I asked her. And it’s not like I just picked her up out of a hat. I have been dating her since I was twenty-one”, I said, annoyed.
“Did you tell her she could refuse”, my mother asked.
“Mom, I do love her, and I know she loves me. I will apologize to her later, I promise”, I said as I kissed her forehead.
"So, you are for real about this", Marcus said.
"Yes, it is my job as an Alpha to protect my pack, so a fight to the death will save countless lives of our pack members", I said.
"Okay, we will start training tomorrow", he said as he left the office. I need to find Alexa and apologize.