Cheers eruptinthe crowdsurroundingme.EventhoughIstandinfrontofthe fightring,waitingfor myturn,Idon’tpay attentionto the two guys battlingitoutfor tonight’s wager, armed withtheir unhealthydose ofmommyissues and fueled by theirundyingneedtowin.
Some shifters fightfor the thrill Some fightto forget, because let’s face it, there’s a lotto forgetthese days And some simplyfighttofeedtheirfamilies.
IglancearoundtoseeifanyoneIknowishere.IfrequenttheseclubsanychanceIget,eagerformyfisttoconnectwitha body Itdrivesmybestfriendnuts,asshe’snotanalphaanddoesn’tunderstandtheneedtohaveaplaceandpurposeinthis world.
The fightringis inthe middle ofthe massive space, lights shiningonitfromthe pillars around us while the restofthe space is dimlylit. There is no padded floor for a softcushionto land inthe ring. It’s justconcrete, well-used, and stained foreverred
Shiftersgatherherenotonlytoseethefightsbuttofeelliketheybelongsomewheresincepacksarenolongerathing Not withthe suspicions andalmost-witchhuntthathappeneda few years ago.Packs were banned,shifters scattered,andfinding placestoshiftisathingofpurefear It’sbeenhardoneveryone,nothavingapack,butIliketothinkwecansurviveanything MyphoneringsandIansweritwithoutlookingatthescreen.“Hello?”Ishoutintoit,pluggingoneearandturningmyback onthering
“I like to fight And if I got a job, I’d have to hide who I am You know how hard it is for an alpha to hide I’mnot interested in that.” Honestly, I don’t know how any shifter can work normally around humans. We all have passionate personalities,andmosthaveangerissuesiftheyhaven’tshiftedinalongtime.
He crosses his arms over his chest, and I take his silence as confirmationthat he’ll listento me I’ma hard personto ignore.Anyalphais.
Once the ringis completelycleared, Josiahwaves his hand for me to enter. Islide offmyshoes, because Ialways fight barefoot,stepovertherope,andbeginstretchingmyarmsasImakeittothemiddle.
The guyis unconscious and his face is a mess ofblood and deep purple bruises He’s goingto feel thattomorrow ifhe survives the night. Aaronwill take care ofhimthough, see to his needs. The guywill likelyspend the night, whichdoesn’t alwayssettlewellwithme Thisismyspace,andwheneveryone’sgone,Iretiretomystudiointheback Havinganunknown andinjuredshifterontheothersideofmylockeddoorisn’tfavorable.
“No,” I say back I haven’t fought in a few weeks Haven’t needed to when I started going to a place in the Glacier Mountainswhereeventhehikersdon’tgoandletmywolfrun.IgoeverychanceIget,poundingthedirtbetweenthetreesand boundingupmountainsuntilmypawscannolongercarrymeup.Imaylovethefight,butwithbusinesssobusy,it’snotagood ideatobetendingbruiseswhenthecrowdgetstoowildandfightsbreakoutoutsideofthering Ineedtokeepmywitsabout me,evenifIhaveagoodsecurityteam.
Shepressesafingertomypecandmakesslow,lazycircles.“Wanttogetoutofhere?” Iraiseaneyebrowather.“Ihaveabusinesstorun,Ican’tjustleave,Sierra.”SheandIusedtoheadbacktomystudiofor a quickfuck, but Ihaven’t accepted her invite ina longtime That doesn’t stop her fromtrying, though Iget the attraction because I’manalpha thatanysubmissive wolfwould begto bed. Buttruthfully, business aside, I’mbored withher. Ineed someonetomatchmyenergy Shemaybepretty,butshedoesn’tmatchwhatIoffer “Oh,comeon.Justrealquick,”shebegs,pressingherchestintomine. Igrabhershouldersandgentlyshoveherback.“No,”Isay,puttingallofmyalphacommandintoit.
Ishakemyheadandbringthebottleuptomylips.Aftermysip,Isay,“Someoneinteresting?” Hewetshislips,andit’sthenIknowwhathe’sgoingtosaynextisparticularlyjuicytohim “She isnew” “Awoman?”Iaskwithafrown.Topunctuatemyquestion,thecrowd’svolumebecomesdeafeningforasecond.Iswivel inmystool and squintatthe ring Indeed there’s a womanfightingKye It’s notoftenKye loses a fightand the factthatshe doesn’thaveadickbetweenherlegsisunsettling.
Kye had punched her inthe ribs a few times, and itwas enoughto make her fall offofhim She thumps to the concrete, holdingwhatcanonlybecrackedribsattheveryleast.
Notonetogetlostinthefight,Kyerelentsandclimbsoffofher There’sbloodcomingoutofhisearandhiseyebrow is splitopen,bloodtrailingdownhistemple,buthestillmanagestokeephiscoollikealways.Heholdsoutahandandshetakes it He easilypulls her toher feetandshe sways for a moment Whenshe’s standingfine ontwofeet,he lets goofher hand, turnstoJosiahenteringthering,andtakeshismoney.
Without a backward glance at eachother, theybothexit the ring. I expect her to go. I expect her to lickher wounds in privatebecauseit’snevereasyasanalphatolose Instead,picksupherbagandpushesthroughthecrowd,bloodalloverher face,andheadsstraightforthebar,holdingherribs.
“Lookatme,”hesays,hisalphacommandcomingthrough,butsinceI’manalpha,itfallsovermelikewater Igrowl under mybreath. No one orders me around. Iwhip around to face himto give hima piece ofmymind, butthe words are quicklyforgotten I’mslammed inthe chestwithaninvisible fistand suckina deep breathas soonas our eyes connect.
Iwavehimoff.Thisisnothappening.I’mnotmatematerial,andtruthbetold,thisisacompletelybadidea.Twoalphas mating? Submissives would flock to us like flies on shit, and before we know it, we’d have a pack. Humans are already suspiciousashellthankstoareporterthatwon’tshutupaboutus Apackcouldbedisastrous No.Nomate.Nopack.Noneofit.I’mhavingnoneofit.
“Because thatwould be a bad idea. Two alphas equal the beginningofa pack. Youknow how dumb thatwould be. We mightaswellshiftinfrontofahumanatthatpoint.”
Standingthere,Ithinkovermyoptions Icouldsayno,putastoptothisandthesecretplanheclearlyhas,butI’dprobably never know whatIdidwrong.NooneIknow was recordingthefightsothere’s nofootagetogoover.AndCadelooks like he’dbesomeonewhoknewwhattheyweretalkingabout Well, fuck.
Sure,sheisn’twrong.Shifterswillflocktous,andinthebusinessI’min,surroundedbylonelyshifters,they’lltakenotice. Maybe notonpurpose, butinstinctively, they’ll gravitate inour directionifwe’re inthe same roomas eachother, letalone beingfullymated. Butwe could navigate that, remind themthatpacks are a stupid fuckingidea because theyare. She isn’t wrongthereeither.
Ilookaround atthe crowd thatstill lingers. Some shifters have turned into their wolfform, and others mingle inhuman form,gettinginthatmuchsocializationthatwecraveandcanneverhavewiththelifewenowlive.
There’s talk about those who are fighting tomorrow night and bets that are already being placed about who will win Thoughit’slate,theirexcitementaboutitgivesthemenergy.Idon’thavethehearttotellthemtogetthefuckoutsoIcanretire to mystudio Iwantto be up earlyto runatthe Glaciers before ImeetwithAvani I’ll need to runbefore dealingwithher again.Iplantopushthis mate thingbecause nothavingher here rightnow is makingme antsyandanxietycurls inmygut.I don’tlikethefeeling.Notatall.Itmakesmefeeloutofcontrol,onethingthatIhatemost.
“Asidefromtheobvious,”Aaronbegins,“What’sthedealthen?Claimher.” “Ican’tclaimsomeone who doesn’twantto be claimed” Iknow thatit’s commonfor shifters to claimtheir mate who rejectedthemindesperationandpureinstinct,butI’mnotoneofthem.Tempting,butitgoesagainstmymorals. “Ah,soshesaidto‘hellwiththat’,”Cruzsays “Prettymuch.”
ThedrugsIdon’tevenmind.Asfastasweheal,it’soutofoursystemsinanhournomatterwhatwetake.Butinthathour, wegettofeelthathigh I’vetriedafewpillsbefore,boughtenintheshadowsoftheclubbysomesleazeballnamedSkeeves before Iwentinto a fightto ease the painthatwas coming. ButwhenIstopped fightingIhad no reasonto take them, so the drugsweren’tnecessaryanymore
The knockingonlycontinues, butthis time louder, makingmythrobbinghead hurtwitheveryrap ofknuckles “Openup, bitch.Ihavedonuts!”Joyceyellsfromtheotherside.
Still in my underwear, I pad out of my bedroom and head down the hall toward the living room. I don’t have much. EverythingIownis froma second-handstore or a garagesale thathumans seemtolove Itfeltweird,goingintosomeone’s garageandpickingthroughpilesofunwantedthingswhiletheywatchedoneagerly.
Ishiveratthethoughtofhavingtoeverdoitagain.
Mylivingroomandkitchenareallonespace It’sdefinitelynotthenicestapartmentinSpokane,butit’snottheworst The fridge is probablyolder thanIam, butitruns like a champ, and the water runs clear. The counters and carpetare fromthe seventies,andthefirstthingIdidwhenImovedherefreshfromadispersedpackwashaveitcarpetcleaned It’sstillugly,sea greenandshag,butatleastit’sclean.
She eyes me withdisdaincurlingher lips, holdinga bagofdonuts thatIcansmell over her subtle perfume. Inher other handisadrinkcarrierwithtwocoffees,steampouringoutoftheiropening “Youlooklikeshit,”shewhispers
She snatches the donutfrommyhand “Iknow whenyou’re nottellingme something,Avani Youforget,I’ve knownyou sincewewerebabies.”
I rest mychininmyhand as I consider her. We grew up inthe same packtogether, and the onlyreasonwe don’t live togethernowisbecauseofmyalphastatus Itwouldbelikehavingapack,andsinceshe’ssubmissive,sheandherwolfwould seemeastheiralpha.Ididn’twanttoruleoverher.Idon’teverwanttocommandmybestfriend,evenifIdon’tmeanto.So wedecidedtoliveseparatelywheneverythingwentdownwiththewholepackissue Droppingmyarmbacktothetable,Ishrugindifferently.“He’smymate.”
Hermouthdropswideopen “Comeagain?”
I frown at her. “I thought my voice was pretty clear, but if you’re hard of hearing today . . . Cade, the owner of the undergroundfightclubIwasatlastnight,ismymate.”
Her laughdies downand so does the smile fromher face. “But at the same time... he’s your mate. You’re fated to be together.Withouthim,you’llspendtherestofyourlifealone.Isthatwhatyoureallywant?”
Afterashifterfindstheirmate,that’sitforthem Theydon’tlookattheoppositesexanymore,letalonehavesexwiththem Puckeringmylips, Iconsider her thoughts onthe matter. “Imean, Inever thoughtI’d find mymate anyway, so Ikind of guessedI’dspendtherestofmylifealoneanyway”
There continues to be anonymous reports about wolves that can turn into humans across the state, most specifically, in the national parks. No picture or video as of yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
We’llallbeindanger.We’realreadyinhidingasitis,buttherewillbeawitchhuntwhentheevidenceisinthehumans’ hands. The world will be a mess, and there won’tbe a damnthingwe alphas cando to save our kind. We could stand our ground,butit’donlyworkforalittlewhile We’refaroutnumbered GarySpellinghasitwrong.We’renotthedangerousones.
“Cade!” she shouts again, her little hands ball into fists ather side as she grows impatient She’s wearinganother tightfittingworkoutoutfit.It’sblackandcontrastswithhercreamyskinwhichseemstobeglowinginthedarknessoftheclub.My cockstirsatthesightofher,atthewayhercleavagepressesagainsthertop,andthewayherleggingsliftherperfectass.
She nods and together, we step onto the mat, facingeachother. We’re close. Too close. Icanhear her breathingpickup paceatmynearness,andI’dbelyingifIdidn’tsaythatexcitesmejustasmuchasthechallengeshepresents.Stubbornly,she holds her chinhigh, daringme to press her buttons and tryto make a move Ittakes everythinginme notto, too She’s right there.Icouldreachout,grabherneck,andcrushmylipsdownonhers.
“Ican’tshow youunless youdo. Don’tyouwantto know?” Iprobablycould explainitwithouther gettinginthe same position,butI’mgoingtoforcehertotouchmeifit’sthelastthingIdo
Huffing, she takes mydangled carrot and leaps into myarms. Mymate doesn’t like to be challenged, I’ve learned. My handswraparoundherassandhelphergettotheangleshewasin,andonceshe’sthere,shegrunts,“Nowwhat?”
“We should stop,” she says after a moanbecause Inipped a sensitive area offlesh. Ilifther a little higher inmyarms, nibblingmywaydownhercollarboneandtotheswellofherbreasts
Cadeisagoodguy,Icantell.Hewon’tforcethisonme,andhe’dmakeagreatmate.Wecouldhaveanepiclove,Ithink. Butthe truthofthe matter is, we live ina dangerous world Isuppose the questioncomes downto: could we make itwork despiteit?
Heshrugsalittle.“Makeyoucometome.Youwon’tbeabletodenyitlong,andIhaveallthepatienceintheworld.Geta littleadrenalineinyoutoclearyourheadandyou’llbebeggingmetofuckyou” Ichuckleatwhatfeelslikeabet.Idolikemyselfagoodwager.Ijustcan’tdecideifIwanttoloseorwin. His chestis now mere inches frommine andhis scentswirls aroundme,makingme a little fuzzy.Iblinka few times to clearmymind,andsay,“Idon’thaveafightlinedup,sonoadrenalineforme.” Liftingahand,hetucksastrayhairbehindmyear.“Sureyoudo.Tomorrownight.”
“If you listen to me about leaving your sides protected and alternate between arms, you will.” The strength of his convictiongivesmegoosebumps.Thefaithinmeunwavering.
He takes my hand and I hoist himback onto two feet. He’s just as sweaty as I amand he runs his forearmacross his foreheadtowipesomeofitaway “Whydon’tyoufightanymore?”heasks
Ishakemyheadandheadoutofthering,liftingtheropeandduckingunderneath Hefollowsandwemakeourwaytomy studiowhereIplantotakeaquickshowerbeforepeoplestartshowinguptonight.Assoonasthatsungoesdown,theyswarm in.
“Togetmeriledup.Tograteonmynervessohecangetwhathewants.”Ilookacrosstheringtowherehestandsinthe crowd,watchingme.Hehasasmirkonhisfacewithhisarmscrossedoverhischest,lookingeverybitthebigbadbossofthis place
WhenKye enters, adrenaline immediatelycourses throughmybody It’s overpowering, more so thanlasttime because I knowjusthowhardmybestfriend’smatehits.Thecrowdgoeswild,chantingKye’sname.They’llbesingingadifferenttune whenthisisover.
“Botharms!” Ihear Cade yell over the crowd, butIdon’tspare hima glance Ineed to stayfocused, and ifI’mpaying attentiontomymate,it’sasurebetthatI’lllose.
Mywolfstaresathimforabit,tryingtodetectalie,andwhenitdoesn’tcome,Ishiftbackandpunchhiminthegut He bendsoveralittlebitandchuckles.“That’sformakingmynighthellbyputtingmeinthebackofthelineup.”
Straightening, he opens his mouthto saysomethingbutsnaps itshutwhenhis attentionfocuses onsomethingbehind me. Andthat’swhenIhearit,aclickofthecamera
Iwhiparound,butI’mtoolate.Cadeisalreadymovingtowardtheguycrouchedbehindacar,hiscamerapoised.Whenthe guysees Cade,hestands andholds uphis hands His tweedvoicegrates atmynerves whenhesays,“Youcan’ttouchme I havetheevidencerighthere.”
“Waitasecond,thisguyisGarySpelling?”Iask,pluckingthecamerafromtheground “The GarySpelling?” Gary splutters, but Cade’s hold is too strong for himto speak. Instead, Cade says, “The one and only rodent currently roamingthestreets”
Everyone knows who Gary spelling is, shifter and human, with his theories on shifters and how they exist. He saw somethingonce and he ranwiththe story, swearingitwas real. Thatwe were real. He’s notwrongbuthe’s the reasonthe packshadtobreakup.
Cade’s nostrils flare, but eventually, he sees reason and drops Gary to the ground. Gary scrambles to his feet, and occasionallylookingback,hedashestohiscar Thecardipswithhowquicklyhehopsinside,andthenhistiresaresquealing outoftheparkinglot.
Sheturns tomeandItakeher in.Shehas driedbloodall over her face,someofither ownifthecutonher eyebrow is anythingtogoby ShedidamazingtonightagainstKye,andIalmostcaughttheend,butSierrastartedlayingonthemovesandI hadtoputastoptoitbyusheringherout.
She returns the smile “Maybe a little SeeingGaryand his fuckingcamera justsolidified it So ” She pauses to set downthewashcloth,grabmyshirt,andyankmetoher.Whenour faces areinches fromeachother,shewhispers,“Kiss me, Cade”
Justlike before, our skintouchingdoes somethingto myinsides. Itlights itonfire and Iletthe kiss consume me inits flames.
Weopenourmouthsandourtonguesstarttotangle OurkissonlybreakswhenIgrabhershirtandsportsbraandliftthem over her head, thenshuckmyown. Her bare torso molds to mine, a perfectfit. Butitisn’tenough. Ineed more, and byher eagerkiss,shedoestoo
