Chapter Twenty-One: Darius

Dawn came sooner than Darius wanted.

Rays of sunlight poured into his home. His eyes to fluttered open and then clamped shut in an attempt to keep the sun out of his eyes. For a moment, Darius had no worries in the world, stuck in those glorious few waking seconds where all he knew was that he had slept well and that he could still sleep for a little bit longer.

But then his stupid little grin soured as his memory of the previous day came back to him, and he pried open his eyes. He couldn't afford to waste any time, despite how his body groaned for more rest. Today was the today Darius fought Ulrick in a duel to the death to decide whether Ulrick would keep his place as top dog, or if Darius would replace him and lead their clan in the right direction.

Strangely enough, as Darius rose from his bed, he didn't feel daunted by the prospect of death at all. The previous days, the fear of death had secretly filled his head, and the fear of never seeing Amara again filled his heart. But as the time drew closer to the moment that would decide everything, he found all his worries began to fade away. He needed to focus; this was the Alpha he would be fighting, and despite Ulrick's ability to treat pretty much anyone like a filthy mutt, he was plenty strong enough to easily win any battle that came his way.

Looking across the room, Darius spied Amara in a bed, laying on her side, her face aimed at him. Darius looked on her with affection, wanting to snuggle up to her. But instead, he merely watched her until she wriggled and stretched awake.

Sitting up in bed, Amara stretched her arms above her head, giving Darius a great view of her figure. Amara yawned and looked at Darius, smiling, but then that smile faded as the realization dawned on her as well.

"Hey…" she said.

"Hey."

"I take it you're ready?" She blinked at him, clearly expecting only one answer to part from his lips.

Darius grinned. "Of course I am. But we need to hurry; can't keep Ulrick waiting, or else he's bound to come straight to us."

Amara nodded, and they both jumped out of bed.

As they prepared themselves for the morning ahead of them, Darius glanced around the room, Gavriel's faint scent just barely lingering. His father must already have gone to Gray Creek. Darius was almost glad he didn't need to speak to his father; it would be another distraction to think about. Darius' reward, besides simply living, would be to speak to his father about his mother. Darius couldn't die until he at least learned that tale.

Amara opened the front door, leading the way into the Oldwood. As always, travel from his home to the central hub of Gray Creek was a short trek, but this time it felt like an eternity. While Darius didn't feel any fear when he woke up, the closer he got to Gray Creek, the more anxious he became. He gulped as they came up to the archway that signaled the main entrance.

Walking under the archway, Darius noticed a crowd already forming. Shifters were everywhere, chatting and walking about, waiting for the fight to begin. Members of the Pack hushed each other as Darius and Amara pushed their way through. Darius received a wider array of expressions and directed looks than he ever had before. Some shifters smiled at him, a few expressed worry, others frowned, some leveled glares, and more just stared in awe at the shifter who dared to challenge the Alpha. Darius wasn't used to this kind of attention. A week ago, most would either ignore him, or look down upon him like he wasn't worth their time; but now, Darius felt like a hero, or at least an important member of the clan. It felt good to be needed, he supposed.

Eventually, they made their way to a wide open circle, ringed by endless wolf shifters. The area was set around the large pond that marked the center of gray Creek. On the other side, Darius caught the glare of Ulrick, who's meaty, toned figure rested with his rump on the ground, cross-legged, in the middle of a smaller ring of shifters. The shifters surrounding him included Nyssa, Remus, and Gavriel. Ulrick said something, and each member looked up at Darius and Amara in surprise, as if they hadn't expected Darius to show.

Gavriel hurried over, and after a moment of hesitant glances between her father and Darius, Nyssa came as well. Remus crossed his arms and frowned in Darius' direction; Darius could only hope that his relationship with Remus wouldn't be smashed to pieces because of his choice to challenge Ulrick.

"Just in time," Gavriel said as he jogged to a stop before them. "And not a moment too late. Any later and we would have canceled the duel. Ulrick was complaining about how he thought you had turned tail and ran for your life."

Darius grunted and peered over Gavriel's shoulder at Ulrick. "Only one of us is a coward, and it certainly isn't me."

Gavriel chuckled. "He might be a coward in regards to approaching the difficult choice of siding with the Pride, but as his former closest friend, let me warn you now, Darius…" Gavriel placed a hand on Darius' shoulder. His grip was firm and confident. "Ulrick is no slouch when it comes to battle; if you let your guard down for a second, he will kill you."

Amara clutched Darius' hand in hers and squeezed tight. Darius grinned. "The same goes for him. A cocky attitude like his will just makes things easier for me."

Gavriel stared into his son's eyes but nodded. "I'll let him know you'll be ready when you step into the middle of the ring. Be safe, Darius, I can't afford to never see you again either." With that, Gavriel turned his back and marched back over to Ulrick.

Nyssa came up to him next, not saying a word, and shooting a glance at Amara holding Darius' hand. Without warning, she jumped forward and embraced Darius, tears welling in her eyes. "Don't die…" she whispered. Nyssa backed away and ran back over to her father before Darius could respond to her. Darius exchanged a sorrowful look with Amara.

She turned to him, still gripping his hand, but stared him in the eyes. "Remind me why you're risking your life today?"

Darius cocked a brow. "Why would I forget, Amara?"

"Just, tell me! I need to know you're truly ready for this fight."

Darius eyed her for a moment before speaking. "I'm fighting for the right to lead our people in the right direction." Amara nodded, casting her gaze to his feet. "But, I'm really doing it for you. I don't think I could go another day without you, and if I need to become the Alpha to change our law, then so be it."

Amara's stark, hazel eyes drifted upwards, the most beautiful pair Darius had ever seen. He took a lock of her tawny hair that hung over her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She leaned in and placed a single, dainty kiss on his lips, and then smiled. "Win, and you get more of that."

Darius' adrenaline pumped through his veins, his mind whirling at the prospect. Fear left him, and confidence began to overflow. Flexing his muscles, he made sure he was limber enough to start the fight; and with that, Darius marched off towards the center of the circle. Ulrick immediately stood and followed suit, walking to the middle of the ring, his gaze fixed on Darius.

The crowd quieted as the two came within a few feet of each other, the only noise that penetrated the silence was a soft wind that whistled on by. Ulrick grunted as he looked Darius up and down.

"Ready to die today, boy?" Ulrick said.

Darius grinned wickedly. "Funny, I was going to ask you the same question."

"You are a fool, Darius," Ulrick said. "Your path will lead our people to destruction."

Darius shook his head. "No, it'll lead us to victory. I'm sorry you can't see through your blind rage."

Ulrick looked like he wanted to rip Darius' head off. "Enough! Let the fight begin."

Both Ulrick and Darius backed away without breaking eye contact with each other. Tension filled the air so thickly that Darius swore lightning crackled overhead. Ulrick shifted to his wolf form, growling and pawing at the ground as his body elongated and dirty blonde fur sprouted from his body, his jerkin ripping apart, unable to hold his massive frame. He slammed a paw down on the ground when he was fully formed and howled at Darius, his voice making the earth shake.

Darius shifted into his gray wolf form as well, shaking out his mane and snarling as he padded forward, howling back at Ulrick with enough force to create a massive gust of wind. Ulrick didn't budge under Darius' power, but the shifters behind him had to hold on to each to keep themselves from toppling over.

Gavriel appeared at the side of the circle, waving his hands up into the air. "Let the fight for Alpha supremacy, begin!"

Ulrick padded in a circle, snarling and barking at Darius. Darius did the same, the two wolves circling. The crowd was on the edges of the ring, trying to peer over each other to see who would act first. Suspense built inside of Darius, his mind racing to figure out when Ulrick would attack. Surely Ulrick would strike first, being the Alpha, but Darius couldn't be sure.

Darius found his answer sooner than he expected, as Ulrick howled once more before suddenly exploding towards Darius, moving faster than Darius had ever assumed the old man could move. Ulrick was already halfway across the field when Darius finally reacted, snarling and leaping forward to try and collide with Ulrick.

But he underestimated the Alpha's power. Ulrick collided with Darius, but instead of stopping Ulrick right there, Darius was forced backward, slamming into the ground and rolling away as Ulrick leaped on him. An immediate flurry of swipes, bites, and yaps penetrated Darius' thought process. The pain of Ulrick's attacks made Darius' mind go blank, and so instead Darius resorted to thrashing about as wildly as he could, and ended up successfully cutting open Ulrick's cheek and kicking him in the stomach, forcing Ulrick to jump off and cough as Darius rose to his feet. Using the same tactic as Ulrick, Darius howled and rushed forward, hoping to barrel into Ulrick while he was preoccupied getting a second wind. But Ulrick dodged Darius at the last second, snapping his jaw around Darius' hind leg and causing Darius to cry out. Ulrick then used his hold to swing Darius through the air, slamming him into the earth a myriad of times until Darius began to feel sick and dizzy.

Ulrick let go of Darius, allowing Darius' own weight to carry him to the edge of the circle, his heavy landing cracking the earth beneath him and causing the shifters at that section to leap backward in howls of fear. Darius tried to stand, but the world spun, and his body burned, waves of pain hitting him hard. The crowd began to cheer and chant, and Darius even thought he heard shifters calling out his name. Urlick howled in victory as Darius finally got to his feet, and Darius swore Ulrick grinned evilly at Darius' state.

Darius spied his father gazing wide-eyed from across the way, and next to him stood Nyssa with a look of utter fear on her face, and Remus, who's blank expression was unreadable. But it was Amara that caught his attention last, and as Ulrick loped toward Darius, he watched her, a single tear stinging her eye.

Darius was dumbfounded. Amara stood alone, but tall among the wolf shifters around her, and despite the thrashing Ulrick was giving Darius, she still managed to control her outward appearance. She was staying strong...for him. The more Darius watched her, the more frustrated he became. He wouldn't die at the hands of Ulrick! He wouldn't die after finding someone he could truly love! He wouldn't allow everything they've fought for to go to waste!

Lifting himself from the ground, Darius snarled as Ulrick approached. Mustering all of his strength, Darius unleashed a howl that stopped Ulrick in his tracks, shook the earth, and silenced both the crowd and the Oldwood. Readying himself, Darius rushed forward, intent on paying Ulrick back for the pain he'd caused him all his life. Ulrick howled what could only be considered a laugh, and he charged as well. The two met in the middle, ramming into each other and rising to howl in each other's faces and snap at each other's throats.

They swiped and snapped, kicked and headbutted, dodged and barreled into each other. Every time they touched the ground, the Oldwood shook in fear, and the crowd watched as history was being formed. Darius mustered the strength to force Ulrick to crash into the shallow pond, water splashing everywhere. Ulrick bled profusely, and the water around him quickly ran red. Without waiting for Ulrick to get a foothold, Darius leaped in after, ducking under a swipe and chomping down on Ulrick's neck. Fear passed through Ulrick, and he began to batter Darius to let go, but instead, Darius only bit down harder, tearing through flesh.

In one last attempt, Ulrick howled out for mercy, but it was too late as Darius gained leverage, and turned his jaw so he could snap Ulrick's neck. A sickening crunch followed, and Ulrick's wolf body went limp in Darius' maw.

Darius waited for a while, to make sure Ulrick was dead, before dropping his body into the water and backing away. He panted, looking at the blood-soaked water before him.

He had done it...Ulrick lived no more. Darius had slain the Alpha.

The crowd erupted in cheers and hollering, with most shifters jumping up and down and rushing forward. Darius looked around in awe as the feeling set in. Joy and relief swept through his body as he shifted back into his human form. The crowd surrounded him within seconds, touching him and screaming in his face. A broad smile naturally formed on Darius' lips, and he threw up his fists in triumph.

In the distance, Darius saw Amara standing just where she had been during the fight. She remained unmoving, her eyes wide and her hands clenched together to her chest. Impulse drove Darius to shove through the crowd; the very sight of his love sent shivers of ecstasy down his spine, and all he wanted now was to rush to her side. She smiled slowly as he came towards her, and shortly after he sprinted over, Darius embraced her, picking her up and spinning her in his arms, putting his mouth to hers as his emotions overflowed.

Putting her down and grinning like fools, they held each other, oblivious to the onlooking crowd. Soon enough, Darius forced himself to let go and stared out at the group around him. He stepped forward, Amara's hand in his.

"My name is Darius, son of Gavriel, and I have just slain Ulrick, the Alpha of the Pack!" The crowd appeared mesmerized at the mere sound of his voice. "As is tradition, I take the title and status of Alpha!"

The crowd cheered as Darius raised his fist once more.

Never before had Darius felt such a rush, and never again would he doubt his abilities.

Darius was Alpha of the Pack. Now there was no stopping him from saving his home.

But right now, all he wanted was Amara…

Scooping Amara up in his arms, he bounded away into the trees.