The announcement sent a ripple of excited murmurs through the gathered pack.Malcolm barely heard them, his attention still fixed on Larissa.
As the pack began to disperse, heading back down the mesa, Malcolm lingered.He watched Larissa accept water from a pack member, her movements graceful even in exhaustion.
Damn, but she was something else.
“Quite a fight,” a gruff voice said from beside him.Malcolm turned to see Anders, the pack’s pragmatic voice of reason, standing there.
Malcolm nodded, still catching his breath.“Larissa’s…impressive.”
Anders raised an eyebrow at that.“High praise, coming from you.You two have been at each other’s throats for years.”
“Yeah, well.”Malcolm shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement.He’d have some serious bruises tomorrow.“Maybe I underestimated her.”
“Or overestimated yourself?”Anders suggested, his tone dry but not unkind.
Anders might have a point.
Malcolm had gone into this challenge confident—maybe overconfident—in his physical superiority.But Larissa had matched him move for move, her quick thinking and adaptability making up for what she lacked in raw strength.
“You know,” Anders continued, his gaze thoughtful, “there’s more than one way to be strong.To lead.”
Before Malcolm could respond, Anders walked away, leaving him to mull over those words.
Larissa approached, a slight limp in her step.“That was…wild.”
Malcolm nodded, suddenly aware of every ache in his body.“Yeah, it was.You fought well.”
Larissa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.“Is that a compliment from the great Malcolm?I’m shocked.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” he growled, but there was no real bite to it.“I still plan on winning this thing.”
“We’ll see.The diplomatic round is my territory.”
They stood there for a moment, and Malcolm found his gaze drawn to a smudge of dirt on Larissa’s cheek, his fingers itching to reach out and brush it away.
Before he could act on the impulse, Larissa spoke again.“You know, for what it’s worth… I think you’d make a good alpha, Malcolm.”
The admission clearly cost her something to say.“You too,” he said.“I mean, you’ve certainly proved you can hold your own in a fight.”
Larissa smiled, a genuine expression that transformed her face.“High praise indeed.But don’t think this means I’m going to go easy on you in the final round.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Malcolm replied, returning her smile with one of his own.
As Larissa turned to go, Malcolm called out, “Hey, Larissa?”
She paused, looking back at him expectantly.
“Good luck,” he said, meaning it more than he ever thought he would.
Larissa’s features softened.“You too, Malcolm.”
CHAPTER 10
LARISSA TOOK A DEEPbreath, inhaling the crisp desert evening air as she made her way toward the Old Packhouse out on the edge of town.
It was a perfect night for a patrol—quiet, clear, and cool.
Nick had offered to let her out of patrolling tonight, but Larissa had refused, of course.After all, pack duties didn’t end simply because she was in competition for the role of alpha.
