Kiernan
"Are you going to shoot me, Mr. Waite?" Kiernan asked, staring down Jamison and his gun.
"I was rather hoping we could settle this like men, actually." Jamison looked past Kiernan's shoulder. "Wake him up."
Kiernan turned around and saw Matthew lying on the ground just where he'd left him. "That might not be easy."
"Try," Jamison said.
Alec walked over and grabbed Matthew by his hair. He slapped Matthew's cheeks. "Wakey, wakey. Daddy wants you."
Matthew groaned and blinked his eyes open.
"Matt, I need you to come over here and take care of your sister. See that she doesn't interfere. She's becoming prone to rebellion." Jamison frowned at Carly.
"What's going on?" Matthew asked. He looked Alec up and down as the Alpha dropped him back on the ground.
"You lost, but your dad's still trying to hold onto his little kingdom. That's what's going on," Alec informed him.
Matthew looked around. "Shit."
"Matt, get up here now!" Jamison's tone was like a whip crack.
Matthew got up, got his legs under him, then walked onto the porch. "Dad, what are you planning to do?"
"If she moves, or they move, shoot her," Jamison said, handing Matthew the gun. Then Jamison strode down the three steps to the farmyard.
"You know you're no match for me, right?" Kiernan sighed, looking at Jamison. The man must have been in his fifties.
Jamison pulled out a silver Bowie knife. "That's what your father said to mine."
Kiernan growled. "Let's do this, then."
"Winner walks out of here with Carly," Jamison said.
That gave Kiernan pause. "I figured Carly would walk out of here with whomever she chooses."
"That doesn't sound particularly fair to my side, now does it?" Jamison raised an eyebrow at Kiernan.
"So, let me get this straight. The stakes are, I walk out of here with Carly, you walk out of here with Carly, or Carly gets shot?" Kiernan asked.
"Now you're getting it," Jamison said.
Kiernan ground his teeth. "Gee, since you've left me so many choices..."
"I thought you'd see things my way." Jamison began to circle Kieran.
'I'll kill the brother if he kills Carly,' Alec said. 'Whether you live or die.'
'Thanks.' Dying was not an option today. If he died, Kiernan knew there was no guarantee Alec would go after Carly again, no matter how much he might want to. The death toll of this foray had been high. Alec had to make those kinds of difficult command decisions, and the smart choice would be to protect the pack.
That meant Kiernan had one shot at getting Carly to safety. He wasn't about to blow it.
Jamison took a stab at Kiernan, but Kiernan jumped back. The older man was faster than he looked.
Kiernan knew he'd have to get close enough to Jamison to do damage, but he wasn't going to underestimate Jamison's expertise with the knife. Not now that he'd seen Jamison move.
Jamison slashed at Kiernan again. "You just going to fiddle around, boy, or are you going to do something?"
As Jamison said, Kiernan had to do something, or they'd be circling each other like this forever. With a hiss, he dove at Jamison.
* * *
Carly
Carly gasped as Kiernan launched himself at her father. He got a slice down his back for his trouble. "Matt, this is madness," Carly said, looking at her brother.
"This is war." Matthew's hand did not waver.
"You don't think you're really going to shoot me, do you?" Carly asked.
Matthew blew out a long breath. "I don't think I'll have to. Either way, you're going home with somebody."
Carly hoped it would be Kiernan. She honestly didn't know what would happen if her father won. He'd probably shoot her as he promised. Still, it was difficult not to be torn. Jamison was her father. Kiernan was her mate. She'd rather neither of them died. "Can't you stop this, Matt?"
"I really don't think so," Matthew said.
Jamison and Kiernan grappled with each other, Kiernan's fingers elongated and clawed, both of them drawing blood.
"Oh God," Carly groaned, her hands going to her cheeks. She would have covered her eyes, but she was too worried she'd miss one of them dying.
"Are you hoping he kills Dad?" Matthew asked, sounding bitter.
"I'm hoping nobody else dies today," Carly said.
Jamison kicked Kiernan down onto the dirt, pressing a silver-heeled boot to the naked man's shoulder. There was an awful hiss.
"Stop!" Carly pleaded. She started forward, but Matt's firm grip on her shoulder stopped her.
"Listen to your 'mate,' begging for your life." Jamison sneered down at Kiernan. "You weak, pathetic thing. Even your father put up more of a fight."
Kiernan growled and twisted Jamison's ankle with an awful crack. Jamison cried out and tumbled to the ground. Kiernan pinned Jamison, his knee on Jamison's knife hand, his hands around her father's throat.
"Oh God, Kiernan, please don't kill him!" Carly said.
Kiernan stared down hatefully at Jamison for a long time. "You're lucky your daughter loves you, even if you don't love her. Yield!" Kiernan ordered.
"Fuck you," Jamison spat.
Kiernan punched him. "Yield!"
"Dad, just... live to fight another day, okay?" Matthew said.
"Please," Carly added.
Jamison was quiet a moment. Then he let go of his knife. "Fine. Since Matt seems so adamant about keeping me alive, I'll yield."
Kiernan nodded. "Good." Kiernan stood and kicked the knife away.
Jamison sat up and rolled his shoulders. Then Kiernan hauled Jamison up by the arm and began duck marching him over to Alec.
Matthew removed the gun from Carly's temple with a shaky breath.
Just as they were about to reach Alec, Jamison turned suddenly, a knife slipping out of his sleeve. "I'm not in the business of leaving werewolves alive," he snapped as he plunged the knife into Kiernan's chest.