My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

correctly,” I said, catching Drake’s eye. “They will all be commended for carrying out the same acts that I did, but I will be punished because I have ovaries?” I asked.

“That’s a very barbaric way of putting it, but yes,” he answered, sitting back down.

“Tell me, Drake. What exactly has to be done before a female can gain a little equality here?” I asked, feeling my anger start to burn up my chest.

“Female’s are equal. The laws are set in place to protect them,” his tone was clipped as he answered me.

“Bullshit! The laws are set in place to repress them.”

“I’ve had enough, Ailith! My ruling is final.” I stared at him for a moment, but he wouldn’t even look at me. Bastion caught my eye and I stared at him for a moment. It looked like he was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t get it at first. That is until he gave a pointed look at Asher, who was standing just a few feet away from me.

Then I remembered a conversation we had had a few weeks back. If I was right it would have been right about the time that Drake thought I had stopped. It was after my lesson, just the two of us stood at the back wall, getting a drink of water.

“So how does the whole enforcer thing work?” I had asked out of nowhere. It was a curiosity that I had been keeping to myself for a while. He gave me a long look, as though debating on if he should answer at all.

“Once a wolf finishes his training, he challenges the alpha for a position as an enforcer.”

“How does that work? I mean, I thought that if someone challenged the alpha it was always for control of the pack.” He shook his head.

“No, only an alpha can challenge another for the pack. And only if they have a mate to back them up, except under certain circumstances.”

“Asher’s a commander with you right? How did that work?”

“Yes, he is. But he didn’t have to challenge Drake if that’s what you’re asking.”

“So he got it by default?”

“Not necessarily, we can only have so many high ranking enforcers, otherwise we wouldn’t be enforcers, just commanders. A weak alpha will never keep the position for long. He was the best in his class when he graduated. And he knew that he would have to face challenges until his son is old enough to start.” I remembered thinking that it wasn’t really a bad way to go about it.

“So how did you become the only commander?” I asked, and he smiled fondly at the memory.

“I challenged Drake when we were younger, we weren’t much older than you and Asher are now. Drake was the best, the best at everything, he earned his position as alpha. But I managed to pin him. He married Becca and inherited the pack not long after that, and I’ve been his beta ever since.”

“Has anyone ever beat Asher?” I asked, ecstatic that someone was finally answering my questions instead of telling me that I wasn’t allowed to know.

“No, not yet, but someone has come close.”

“Who?”

“Sadler.”

“Sadler’s a commander?” I asked, it was something I had never known. Sadler always seemed to just be following Drake’s orders.

“Yes, he’s the only one that ever managed to get Asher in a draw. Why do you think they’re so tense around each other? Neither one was proven to be the best, so they’re stuck at a stale mate, neither one better than the other. You’d be surprised how heavily that can weigh on a man when strength and position mean everything. Especially, when they‘re alpha.”

“But what if one had better training than the other?”

“Sadler was trained by the same person as Asher. But if you’re asking about in different circumstances, it wouldn’t matter.”

“Why not?” He looked at me hard then, as though trying to ingrain something in my mind that I didn’t understand at the time.

“Because a challenge can only be met in wolf form. And training for that doesn’t begin until after your rank is secured.”

Back in the present I eyed Asher. No one seemed to notice but the enforcers in the room. I had yet to reach my first shift though, and I didn’t know if I could manage it at a moments notice like this.

‘I think we can manage,’ she whispered at the back of my mind. She had been quiet lately, letting me handle my world the way I saw fit. With the exception of that fight. Then she forced me into the back of my own mind.

‘Are you up to the fight?’ I asked.

‘I’ve been waiting for it.’

‘But do you think we can win?’

‘He’s arrogant, believing that we’re no match for him. It’ll take some ’persuading’ to get him to shift. If you can get him to comply with our wishes, I would love to come out and play. But you are the rational mind after all.’

‘If we fail, Drake will almost certainly feel like he has to send us off the territory,’ I warned, but she chuckled.

‘Then let’s not fail.’

“Fine,” I said aloud, looking at Drake. As I grabbed Asher by the back of his shirt, Dalton opened the garage door, just as I tossed Asher through it.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Drake yelled, moving to stand. I gave him one last glance before following Asher out the door.

“Following custom.”

Asher was just getting to his feet when I walked into the garage. The doors were open thanks to the clear weather and I needed to get him out into the yard. I heard everyone start to follow us, but I tuned them out. Asher tried to grab my arms, to contain me no doubt, but it was easy to break his hold,. Taking a step back and delivering a straight kick to his chest, sending him head over feet through the doors. Now all I had to do was get him to shift. Which really shouldn’t be that difficult, he had a quick temper.

Once we were out in the open he tried to back away. I followed him step for step, delivering blow after blow. He managed to block several of them, but in his determination to believe that I was an inferior fighter, he didn’t have the time to block all of them. After hitting him in the jaw with a roundhouse, he flew almost fifteen feet back, giving us ample space between us. He tried to get up, and he couldn’t, his wolf was taking over, trying to force him into a shift.

I crouched down, waiting, watching, until finally he sprouted fur and claws. I had never seen a shift before, and I was slightly surprised to realize that I recognized him. He was the same wolf that used to watch my balcony at night. He stood up on all fours, reaching my chest easily. His snarl showed all of his very pointy teeth as he started to circle me, keeping his distance. My wolf howled in my head, anxious to join the fight.

‘Not yet.’

‘Now.’

‘No, wait for it.’ I watched him, waiting to see the signs that he was going to charge. In order for this to work it had to be a challenge met head on. Finally, his shoulders bunched, his head lowering to the ground, he was getting ready to pounce.

‘Now,’ I whispered, launching my body forward to meet him. In mid air I let go…of everything. My physical control, my mental control, and especially my emotional control. Allowing all of the anger that had been building in my chest for years to break free. She grabbed hold using it to speed the change. By the time we collided with the large male, I had four inch canines to sink into his shoulder.

I didn’t bother trying to help her in the fight. She knew how this body worked, I didn’t. He yelped, swinging his front paws trying to find purchase on our smaller body. He managed it, bringing one large claw down our front right leg. We broke apart, sizing each other up. He had about three inches of height on us, and at least a hundred pounds.

She was in for a bigger fight than I had been. Asher had underestimated me, his wolf wasn’t making the same mistake. But his left shoulder was hurt and bleeding, something we could exploit if we got the chance. However, he had experience.

The next time we collided he drew us into a roll, taking advantage of our weaker front leg. He landed on top, his jaws around our neck. At first I thought it was over, that we had failed, but she brought her hind legs up under his, using our smaller size as an advantage. Once she had a stable position she started to claw at his stomach, he gave a loud yip of pain and tried to leap off. As soon as he let her go she clamped her own teeth on his throat, tossing him over so that we were on top.

He struggled, trying to roll this way or that, and each time he moved she tightened her grip. Eventually, he couldn’t breath, we could taste his blood as he tried to bring his hind legs up under us, the same way we had done to him. But he was too big, and we were too small. He was pinned. It took several moments before he finally gave up, and laid still underneath us. She gave one last squeeze acknowledging that the fight was over, and then limped off of him.

We limped several feet away, before she gave my emotions back and we shifted into my form. It happened between one step and another in a such a way that I ended up crouched on the damp ground. The cut on my right arm was nothing more than a whelp thanks to the shift, but I was breathing hard and sweat coated my body.

Bastion let go of Drake, it looked like he and the guys I had trained with were holding the rest of them back. Giving me a chance to finish the challenge. Bastion put a jacket around my shoulders. Which brought my nudity to my attention. The clothes we had been wearing were shredded and scattered all over the yard. I nodded my thanks as I moved to stand.

“Very well done,” he murmured in my ear before moving back to Drake, who was checking Asher over. Drake stood and looked at me, he was livid, but Bastion blocked his view.

“She won the challenge, Drake. She earned her rank.” Drake looked back and forth between us, before finally letting out a long breath. He looked me in the eye before addressing me.

“Welcome to the enforcers…Commander.” Then he spun on his heel, walking back inside.

The enforcers that were now under my command jumped and yelled, a few even rushed in for a hug, or rather to swing me off my feet. They were all so happy, despite my being female. Asher, now in human form and wearing a pair of sweat pants limped inside, holding his stomach. Sadler caught my eye. He simply smiled, gave me a nod and then left.

Me? I was exhausted. I was happy and felt like celebrating, just at a later time. I tightened Bastion’s jacket around me after the guys finally put me back on my feet. After smiling at everyone, including the beaming females who had watched the fight, and made my way up to my bed.