Olivia didn't have to turn to know who that was. Instead, she kept her eyes on Elliot. "Barba." She was apprehensive of Elliot's reaction. The man had one of the worst temperaments she knew of. And by the looks of it, he still did.
Elliot snarled, turning away from Olivia and stalking towards Barba. "You had no right claiming her!" He remained a few feet away from Barba. He may be irritated, but not stupid. "She is mine!"
"I had all the right in the world." Barba barked. "Your claim means nothing. I told you the first night we met, she would bare my mark."
"She isn't your mate yet." Elliot took a few steps forward, pointing a finger at him. "You think I was just going to step aside and let you take my mate away?!"
Barba growled at hearing the alpha call Olivia his mate. But before he could retaliate, Olivia appeared between them, stopping any advances from both of them. "Elliot please, let's talk this out. There is no need for this."
"I am done talking!" Elliot wailed. "I am done being shoved to the side! Just because you found your supposed mates, doesn't mean shit! I was here first, I earned my right to have you!"
"Your right?" Olivia scoffed. She had never heard him talk like that. "I am not some cattle to be won like a priced meat, Elliot! You don't get to decide who I want. I have made my choice." She pulled her shirt down to show him the mark once more.
"Perhaps, but I can still take it away." Elliot started peeling off his jacket and shirt.
Olivia felt Barba tense behind her. His low growl reached only her ears. "Please don't."
"I have the right to challenge you for her." At that moment Elliot shifted. Where he once stood, his white-colored wolf stood baring its teeth. 'Winner takes Olivia as their mate once and for all.'
Barba was never one to back down from a challenge, and he wasn't about to start now. The only way he would lose his mate was if he was deceased. "Very well." Olivia placed her small hand on his chest, looking up at him with imploring eyes. She didn't need to say anything, her eyes said it all. Cupping her jaw, he pulled her in for a soft kiss. "I can't back down. Not when it means relinquishing you." Pulling her into another kiss, he handed her over to Hotch. "Watch her."
Hotch nodded. "Don't get killed." He cringed at the look Olivia gave him. "Sorry."
Olivia was aware of the rules among their kind. She understood Barba couldn't back down. She knew both would get hurt, one more than the other, but it didn't mean she had to like or accept it. The simple fact that they were fighting over her, was ludicrous.
Hotch came up behind her, pulling her to the side. His arms working as extra support. "Take a deep breath and relax."
"This is barbaric." She hissed.
"Rafa and I knew this could happen." Hotch confessed. "You don't have to watch this Benson. We can go back to the car."
Olivia shook her head. "No, I need to be here. Need to make sure they both come out alive."
Barba removed his suit and shirt, leaving him in only his pants. Olivia would never understand what their shifting felt like. Barba had told her it didn't hurt him anymore, but just seeing him she knew that was a lie. She watched Barba's back tense as he began the transformation.
To the human eye, it was a quick opening and closing of the eyes. But to them, it was a long process and sometimes a painful one. Taking a deep breath, Barba visualizes the wolf. Willing him to come to the surface. Clenching his jaw, he felt his bones begin to readjust. Clawing and biting at himself, he began to tear off his skin. Falling to his knees, he willed himself to relax as his body did the final steps. Opening his eyes, he was now looking through the eyes of the beast. Tossing his mate one last glance, he turned all his focus to the snarling wolf. 'You can still back down'.
Elliot paced a few feet in front of Barba. The wolf was a tad bit larger than himself. Which meant he needed to find a weak spot. But it also meant Barba was slower. His teeth were bared, and saliva dripped from his large canine. His hackle raised and claws dug into the forest ground. 'I am not going to lose her'.
Barba crouched down, showing off his large canine teeth. Pieces of bloody skin still dangling off them. 'You lost her the moment you walked away.' Barba stood his ground, waiting for Elliot to make his move. If there was one thing he has learned from his many battles, was to always wait for the other to make their move first. Conserve energy and find a weak spot.
But in the end, it was just a clash of teeth and claws.
Elliot made the first move, running full speed at Barba with a roar. His aim was for the throat only to miss it by a few inches. Landing on his feet, he did a quick 180 and clashed head-on with Barba. Barba jumped over Elliot, dodging the bite to his leg. Turning quickly he grabbed a hold of Elliot's back. Biting down hard, he brought Elliot down to the ground with a hard thud. Elliot in a desperate attempt to get him off, kicked up his back legs, clawing Barba right in the abdomen.
Both wolves separated, backing away from each other, and circling one another. Barba shook himself off, blood flying in all directions. Crouching to the ground, Elliot snarled contemplating his next move. Barba on the other hand was hyped up from the smell of blood, waiting was no longer an option. Pushing himself forward with his hind legs, he caused the dirt to rise like a storm. As if anticipating the move, Elliot rose locking them both in a bloody embrace. The growls and snarls echoed throughout the forest. Each clamping and ripping into whatever they could hook onto. In a moment of distraction, Barba neglected to protect his neck, giving Elliot the opportunity he was waiting for.
Barba howled in pain as Elliot latched onto his neck. He felt the teeth puncture through his skin, allowing his blood to trickle freely onto the ground. Elliot now had the upper hand and he knew it. He held Barba down on his back, staring directly into his eyes. He wanted to see the life leave his eyes, feel as Barba took his last breath. Barba was permitting his panic to rise, as he fought to get loose. His attempts to kick him off were of no use, Elliot had made sure to not stand over him directly. At that moment his eyes fell on his mate. Olivia was staring at him with fear in her eyes. Hotch was currently holding her back, preventing her from intervening on his behalf.
'Get up!' Her voice echoed through his mind. Like the first time, it was a one-way link.
As he said before, he was not going to lose her.
Tilting his head, he clamped onto Elliot's ear. As the wolf yelped in pain, Barba swiped his claws across Elliot's face. Using the time he gained, he jumped to his feet and steadied himself. Blood dripped from his neck, forming a puddle at his paws. Elliot whimpered on the other side, attempting to clear his eye of the blood. Barba had done some trauma to it.
Olivia flinched as the smell of blood plagued her nose. If she could smell, she could only imagine how strong it was for Hotch. Her eyes scanned over Barba, noticing the large gash on his side and an open wound on his neck and abdomen. His black fur was matted with blood and dirt, making him appear like a mad wolf. Elliot looked just as bad. He had a few cuts here and there, but the worse one was to his eye. Barba has managed to claw his right eye. This had gone far enough, but as she intended to stop the fight once more, Hotch jerked her back.
"You stop the fight and Barba loses by default." Hotch snapped.
Olivia glared back at him but stayed put either way. "What happens if he loses?"
"Stabler has the right to claim you." Hotch responded. "Seeing how you are human, Stabler will most likely try and turn you first."
"The hell he is." Olivia growled.
"It also means Barba can never claim you as his mate again."
Elliot managed to wipe the blood off his eye but wasn't much use at the moment. It was like trying to look through muddy glasses. Before he had time to think of his next move, he felt the air knocked out of him. Barba had tackled him, sending them both tumbling into the dirt. A bubble of dust shielded them from sight. Olivia strained her neck trying to see what was going on. They could hear the growls and occasion yelps, then nothing. Not a single snarl. Slowly the dust began to settle down, allowing her to see once more.
Elliot laid on his back, his back legs pushing up against Barba's underbelly. Barba currently had Elliot's neck in his jaws, biting down harder with each movement Elliot gave. The blood oozed from Barba's mouth, cascading down to the already disturbed forest floor.
'Do you accept the defeat? Or should I finish you off now?'
Elliot growled, digging his claws into Barba's chest. Only to stop as he bit down harder. He knew he had already failed. There was no way out of this alive, but to give in. 'I accept my defeat.'
Elliot gasped as he was released. Remaining on his side laid he whimpered with each breath, his chest rising up and down with heavy pants. Not daring to move, he waited for Barba to back away.
Barba moved away, taking all, but three steps before falling to the ground from exhaustion. 'Hotch take him inside. Make sure the pack medic attends to him.'
"Should just let him rot." Hotch muttered, yet the alpha was already dragging Elliot into the house. "What the hell has he been eating?!"
Olivia was by his side in seconds, running her fingers through his fur soothing him down. She watched as Hotch yanked Elliot up and took him back into the cabin. She wanted to go to him. Make sure he wasn't too badly hurt. But, had she run to him instead of Barba, she knew would have caused a whole different issue. From what Hotch told her Barba still saw him as a threat and will continue to see him as one until they officially mated. Barba was wagering a lot, by letting him live. She didn't want to jeopardize them anymore.
'Told you I would be fine.' Barba attempted to get up, only to fall back with a whimper.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Will you quit moving." As her hand ran down from his neck to his side, she felt a moist feeling. Pulling her hand away, she cringed at the dark red blood dripping from her finger. "You're still bleeding a lot." Laying his head on her lap, she performed a quick check of his body. He had a large gash on his neck, bites, and scratches on his belly and side. The second largest one was on his abdomen. Most likely from where Elliot kicked him off. "We need to get you home so we can fix you up."
"The mutt is safe in the comfort of his bed." Hotch spat grudgingly. "How bad is it?"
"He won't stop bleeding." Olivia shrugged off her sweater, placing it over his larger wound. "I thought werewolves were quick healers?"
Hotch snorted. "Compared to you humans? Yes. Compared to the movies? No." Crouching beside her, he picked Barba into his arms. "Open the back door." Sliding him into the back seat, he jumped into the driver seat. "Arat will have him back to being a pain in the ass in no time."
Halfway through the drive, Olivia glanced at Barba to find him asleep. "How can he sleep?"
"Shifting takes a lot from us." Hotch replied. "Add a fight with a wolf in his prime and you will give into exhaustion."
"Everything I thought I knew about your kind is wrong." Olivia sighed, leaning her head against the headrest.
"Humans have the wrong idea when it came to our 'abilities'. Yes, we are stronger than a human. Our sight, sense of smell, and taste are sharper. We are faster and have higher stamina. We feel things on a higher level, both emotionally and physically." Hotch blurted out. "We are weakened by two things only, electricity and wolfsbane. As for healing? Yes, we do heal at a much faster rate, depending on the extent of the damage and what caused it. Barba's was done by another wolf, so he should be healed by tomorrow morning after Arat cleans him out. Had it been wolfsbane in every one of those wounds, he'd be out for at least a week, if it didn't get into his heart first. But we are like everyone else essentially. We get tired. We get hurt. We bleed."
Looking over at Barba, she realized she had been looking at this all wrong. She saw him as someone she could never lose. Yet there were just as vulnerable as them. "This was stupid of him."
Hotch cackled. "Renouncing you was never an option for him. That mark is proof of that. The only one to ever wear his mark and a human at that." Although Hotch was thrilled Barba had finally marked her and dealt with Stabler, he was also aware of the war brewing. Alex was still causing havoc on his end. And he was sure that when Alex discovered Olivia was one step closer to leading the pack, he would have a major tantrum.
Arriving back at Barba's place, Olivia was surprised to see someone standing on the steps. He was tall, well groomed with a close-cut beard, and good-looking with black hair. "Who are you?" Olivia made sure to stand by Barba's door. She wasn't about to let anyone near him while he was unable to defend himself. Seeing the intruder step down she moved her hand toward her weapon. "Answer me!"
The man chortle. "Not yet mated and already protective." He took a few steps, only to stop at the gun aimed at him. He raised his hands, showing the mad alpha he wasn't a treat. He wasn't in the mood of getting shot today. "My name is Bao."
"Bao?" Then it clicked. "Alpha Bao."
The man nodded, hands still raised he gave her a small shrug. "Mind putting the gun down?"
"Sorry." Holstering her weapon she turned to open the back seat, only to find Hotch had yet to get out of the car. "You plan on helping?"
"You going to shoot?" He sassed back.
Open the door, she ordered him to get out. "What do you care? It's not like it can kill you."
"It's still me getting shot." Hotch reached into the back seat pulling Barba out with a groan. "Jesus! What the hell, he's heavier than before."
Bao stepped to the side, confused at seeing Barba in such a state. "What happened to him?"
"Alpha love quarrel." Hotch grunted past him.
"Did he lose?" Bao followed in after Olivia.
"I am not carrying him up those stairs." Hotch turned into one of the guest bedrooms on the first floor. "You should see the other guy. Spencer!"
The young man appeared almost instantly. "Yeah?"
"Can you get Arat for me, please? Tell her Barba is injured. Alpha male." Hotch handed him the sweater Olivia had placed on the alpha. "This is his blood."
"Okay."
"Why give her the sweater?" Olivia asked.
Bao was the one to reply. "To ensure there is nothing in his blood." Seeing the confused look he elaborated. "A lot of wolves fight dirty. Barba is not one of the easiest to take down, so many use dirty tricks. With that, Arat will be able to detect anything if there was foul play."
"You're here early." Hotch noted. "Thought you'd be here tomorrow."
"My errands were done earlier than I had anticipated." Bao shrugged, turning to Olivia. "So, you're the one that melted the ice around Rafael's heart."
Olivia raised a brow, deciding not to amuse the man, she turned her attention to Hotch. "Will he be okay? I have to call my team and let them know where I am."
"Go make your call. I'll send for you if Arat gets her before you come back." Hotch stuck his arm out to prevent Bao from approaching the captain. "Don't even think about it."
"She bluntly ignored me!" Bao exclaimed. "Does she not know who I am?!"
"No." Hotch deadpanned. "And do you really want to try and discipline Rafael's mate?"
Bao paused clearly having forgotten who the woman had by her side. "I'm sure she wasn't aware of what she did."
Hotch snorted a scoff. "I'm sure."
