Eliza slept better than her moms did, which was pretty surprising since she was the one that would be fighting that morning. But she woke up with a smile, and jumped into the shower to help wake herself up by keeping the water a little cold. That also helped other things,  because she was thinking way too much about Kenzie and what they might do once they had a chance to be together, and she needed to keep her eyes on the prize. Defeat Rodney, and then Kenzie was hers!

Well, if she would forgive her for killing her father of course. That was a big if. But at a minimum, she would hopefully keep her away from being stuck with Rodney.

After her shower, she got dressed in a loose fitting pair of grey sweatpants, a white sports bra with matching boy shorts, and a light blue Florida hoodie with a manatee on it. She set aside a second set of underwear and another sports bra, just in case the current ones got shredded during the fight, which she expected. She'd take off the hoodie and sweats beforehand, but the odds were high that she'd be shifting into Cobium's bipedal wolf form to kick Rodney's ass.

When she got out to the main room of the suite, Karano and Hazel were already there waiting for her. "Hey, are you holding up, okay?" Hazel asked as she took her daughter in for a hug.

"Yep. I got a good night's sleep, and now I need some food so I can crush Rodney." She was trying not to be cocky, but Cobium was excited about the fight, and she was feeding off of his energy. She trusted her wolf with her life, and knew he'd get her through this.

"Well, you have about two hours before the fight, so let's go eat," Karano suggested. "That will give us time to find the volleyball court and let you stretch."

"Perfect!" Eliza was out the door in the flash, leaving her mothers to catch up with her. There was no hesitation in her steps, she just headed for the buffet, and smiled as the scent of Kenzie grew stronger along with that of the food. She was there! Eliza almost skipped down the stairs with Karano and Hazel right behind her and scanned them into the restaurant with her room card for breakfast.

It was easy to see a sad looking Kenzie in the corner eating breakfast with Rodney and another man that Eliza didn't recognize, though he was a little older and might have been a teenager when she was a kid. If that was the case, she wouldn't have known him well, as the teens never really associated with the younger kids. He narrowed his eyes at her, so he obviously knew who she was though. She stood still for a moment, trying to decide what to do. She was happy to see Kenzie sniff, then look over at her with wide eyes and a shocked smile. Yeah, she'd obviously just found out they were still mates!

Karano took Eliza by the arm and steered her down the line to get food. She and Cobium would need that for their upcoming battle, and Hazel and Karano were hungry too, so they all filled up their plates. Eliza sat at a table facing Kenzie, who had stopped eating and was just picking at her food now. Feeling sorry for her mate, she cast out her mind, feeling for the mate bond.

"Kenzie? Are you okay?"

Kenzie's head snapped up as she looked back at her with sad eyes. "Eliza! No, I'm not. He's going to kill you today! Why didn't the rejection work?"

"You weren't 18 yesterday, so our wolves couldn't communicate. The rejection won't work unless that happens. But Rodney isn't going to kill me, I promise. I've grown a lot since I left, and I have an amazing wolf."

"Shit. Meet me in the restroom?"

"I'm on my way!" Eliza turned to her moms with a grin. "I'll be back in a minute, I just need to go talk to Kenzie." 

"Be careful!" Hazel just didn't want any fight to start here, and it was hard for any of them to trust the other two Black Tooth members.

Karano sighed while watching her daughter's mate pull harshly away from her Alpha and his friend, and then head for the bathroom. "Let's hope that goes well."

Eliza hurried to the ladies' room, and found Kenzie waiting for her, leaning back against the sinks. As much as Eliza's face was filled with a smile, Kenzie's was equally filled with worry.

"Eliza, this is crazy! You can't fight him! He always wins!" she cried out immediately.

But Eliza didn't answer, she just pulled her into a hug, savoring her scent. "Shhhh. I'm so happy that you're my mate. I was dreading finding some smelly dude as my mate, and instead I got my best friend."

"I'm happy too," Kenzie sniffled as she fought back tears. "But I can't let Rodney hurt you. I have to do this." She pulled away, her lips quivering as she spoke again. "I, Kenzie Dillon – "

Eliza didn't let her finish as she tangled her fingers in Kenzie's hair and pulled her into a kiss. Kenzie gasped, then whimpered as she melted into the kiss. Both wolves howled together, and Kenzie gave up thinking that she could ever reject this. No, she had to let Eliza try to win her away from Rodney. How could she have ever thought otherwise?

When Eliza pulled away, both girls were flushed and breathing heavily. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence. Never say anything like that again, okay Kenzie? Please? You're my mate, and we're meant to be together. I know Rodney will try to kill me even if you rejected me, but it isn't going to happen. I have a few tricks for him." She leaned in, kissing her once more, then pulled back. "But if he does win, you go to my moms. They'll protect you just like they did for me when my mother escaped. You don't have to stay there with him, no matter what."

"It wouldn't be the same without you." Kenzie rested her head on Eliza's shoulder. "If I had known that you were alive, this is what I would have hoped for."

"You know, you don't have to wait until the duel to tell Rodney you're leaving. You could just reject him and his pack now, and you'd be welcome at our pack regardless of anything else that happens."

"I can do that?" Excitement shone in Kenzie's eyes. "Because I don't want to have to sit with them again."

"Absolutely. We'll go do it up in the lobby near the hosts. He won't be able to retaliate at a neutral site like this, so you'll be safe." Seeing the smile light up her mate's face, Eliza knew that this was the right option. Yes, she still had to explain about her father's death but that could wait. Making sure Kenzie was safe, regardless of the challenge, was what mattered."

"You're sure?"

"Love, I will do anything to keep you safe and away from him."

Kenzie blushed, and snuggled into the solid form of Eliza, and let out a sigh of happiness. "I like that. You should definitely keep calling me love."

"Eliza, it looks like Kenzie's packmates are getting antsy," said Karano via the link. "Please tell me you're not naked in there!"

"No, we're fine. But we're headed to the lobby. Kenzie is leaving their pack, win or lose. Take care of my mate."

When Eliza left the restroom, with Kenzie's hand in hers, they immediately attracted the attention of Rodney and his packmate. Eliza flipped them off as the two girls took a beeline for the stairs, though they heard shouting behind them. Karano, seeing the Alpha racing for the pair, discreetly stuck her foot out and tripped him. Hazel stood and walked slowly towards the stairs to delay the third man by keeping in front of him, and Karano joined her after watching Rodney crash onto a table of food, dumping all the meals onto the other wolves trying to enjoy their breakfast. Everyone rose to their feet with cries of anger, and the four women hurried up the stairs, stopping in front of Nicholas, who just cocked an eyebrow at them.

"That sounded like quite the exit from breakfast," he said drily.

Eliza just grinned at him. "Yeah, it looks like the Black Tooth Alpha might want that duel sooner than expected. Oops."

At that point, Rodney made his entrance as he burst into the lobby. "Where is she? Where is my mate?"

"I'm not your mate!" Kenzie yelled back at him, making Eliza proud of her. "I never was, and you trying to force me to be will never happen. I'm leaving your awful pack!"

"No!" Rodney stalked closer and Eliza stepped in front of Rodney to make sure he couldn't touch her mate. The other packmate slunk along behind him, his lips turned up in a sneer. "You're in my pack, and you're my mate. I'm your Alpha, and I make the rules."

Nicholas cleared his throat as a dozen wolves gathered around to watch the scene. "Actually, sir, that is what the challenge will determine."

"Whatever. That challenge will be to the death, and when I kill this bitch, I'm taking what's mine."

"And if she defeats you, then your pack is hers," Nicholas told him solemnly. "Bear in mind, since you said multiple times that it is to the death, the title of Alpha is now on the table too."

"Excuse me?" Rodney looked thunderstruck at the news.

"Wait, what?" Eliza asked. "I get the pack?"

"When one challenges an Alpha to the death, that is what happens." Nicholas had a way of keeping his voice even, even when delivering news like that.

"No little bitch like her is going to get my pack!"

Nicholas leaned forward, staring at the young Alpha. "You might not want it that way, but when an Alpha loses a challenge in a situation like this, the winner gets the pack. If you want to keep it, all you need to do is win."

"I plan to," Rodney growled. He glared at Eliza, who just smirked at him. "When does the challenge start?"

Rodney looked over at a clock hanging behind the desk. "Thirty minutes. If we head to the volleyball court now, then we can get things going."