by Paige Taylor
“Oh, don’t you worry, I get my fill. Just ask Zane over there,” she replies, her head nodding over to my tattooed mate, before she smiles and sashays her ass out of the room.
I feel the anger boiling up and over, I can’t stop the explosion about to come out of my mouth even if I wanted to.
“You slept with that goddam psychopathic thundercunt?! Fucking hell, Zane Bradshaw! Are you for real right now?” I yell, as I feel my claws spring free from my hands, my bones trying to force their way into a change, the only thing stopping it is the anger coursing through my body. I was not fucking done yelling. Logically, I know that I shouldn’t be upset about this, I’d faced the other guy’s ex-girlfriends with no problems. Except, knowing that one of their exes is a fucking bitch who could potentially beat me tonight pushed me right over the edge of reason.
“Shit. It was one-time, Angel, and a long time before I found you,” Zane tries to reason, his palms open, taking a single step towards me.
“I don’t fucking care. What the hell were you thinking?” My gaze remaining locked on his face.
“I wasn’t fucking thinking, Angel. I’m sorry!” he says, coming a few steps closer.
“Fuck me! Goddamn daughter of a whore bag! Of everyone in this fucking hell hole, it had to be that bitch,” I mutter, angry at her more than at my mate. The fact that she had dropped this before our fight did not bode well for my focus later. I felt hands wrap around my arms, my head lifting to see Zane had made his way in front of me, his chest barely an inch from mine.
“I’m sorry Ava, I wish I could take it back, I do. But, I promise you, I would never had done it had I known I would find you. You are it for me. I love you.” His words pierce through me, the love I feel radiating down our bond is overwhelming. I drop my head to his chest, as his arms come around to circle me, dragging me closer into his body.
“I’m not angry that you got your dick wet, Zane, I’m angry at that bitch for rubbing it in my face. I’m going to fucking make her bleed in the ring. Also, weirdest circumstance ever to be telling your Mate you love her. But, in the spirit of honesty, I love you, too,” I whisper into his tight, blue t-shirt. His arms wrap around my hips, lifting me off the floor. I wrap my arms around his neck, as he seals his mouth over mine, his soft lips sliding over mine passionately. I pull my head away and tap his back as a sign to let me down.
“Well, now that that drama is over, let’s hope to god I’ve never slept with men you all know. That would be messy,” I joke, chuckling over the reaction the boys would have if one of my ex one-night stands walked into the room. The growling from four very Alpha men suddenly fills the room. At least, now, they can understand how I feel, having to be around all their ex-girlfriends.
“Okay, I need to finish getting ready, time to kick some panther ass,” I say to the room, walking over to my locker to get my music out. Once the strong beats of My Chemical Romance fills my headphones I start my normal routine. Within about ten minutes I’m warmed up, I’ve done my dance, and all four of my mates are standing with me, fanned out behind me, ready to walk into my last ever fight in the Pit.
“Ladddieesss and Genttllleemennn! Welcome to the last round of the night, a fight I know you have all been waiting for. These two women have been rivals since the beginning, and tonight is the decider! They are here for the title, they are here to prove who is the baddest bitch in the Pit. We have our underdog of the night Vanessa, the panther shifter!” Allister’s slimy voice echoes through the cheers of the crowd outside.
“There is only one person she has ever lost to, and that is who she is fighting tonight. Give it up for the reigning Queen of the Pit, Ava!” he yells. It is immediately followed by a thunderous applause and a mix of screams, cheers, and jeering from the spectators.
I shut down my senses as I step towards the entrance of the Pit. Not looking around at the crowd, my Mates, or Allister, my entire focus is on getting into that cage. Every step I take brings me closer to my opponent, a bitch I’m ready to be done with. The cage door opens for me as I approach, my feet hitting the mat. My eyes lock on the woman standing in front of me who has the potential to knock me right off my pedestal. Not fucking today.
“Ready to lose tonight, Princess?” The left side of her lips lift in a snarl.
“Are you deaf? I’m the motherfucking Queen, Bitch,” I say just as the buzzer and lights flash signalling the start of the fight.
In under a second I throw my entire body weight against her, taking her off-guard. She stumbles backwards but remains upright as I drive her into the fence. My fist pulls back and rams into her stomach over and over causing her to double over. Her head moves down giving me the perfect opportunity to deliver a brutal hook into the side of her head.
Vanessa manages to get her leg up and kick out, hitting me in the leg, rather than my stomach, pushing me back off her. She jumps straight towards me, her body jumping up to deliver a kick straight into my side, I manage to turn my body away from the kick so that it only catches me across my arse rather than my stomach. Just as her feet land on the mats I grab her by the arm and swing her over my body, throwing her whole-body weight into the mat. She manages to sweep my legs out from underneath me, catching me off guard. I fall to the ground beside her, and she uses the opportunity to dive onto my chest, getting the upper hand. Fuck.
I barely get my forearms in the way before Vanessa’s fists fly towards my face. Every punch is reverberating through my bones, she is putting her whole-body weight into the punches. I can feel my arms beginning to lose the fight against her fists, my muscles screaming at me to release them from their locked position. The only way I’m going to get out of this is if I use her body as leverage, which means I’m going to have to let her punch me in the face. Shit. This is going to hurt.
I quickly move the arm guarding my face and feel her fist connect to my eyebrow, the skin instantly opening and blood pouring out of it, dripping down my face. I feel three more hits make contact with my face before I manage to get my arms hooked around her legs and ripping her to the side of my body, throwing her off me. I quickly flip my body up, and before she can do the same I kick out, slamming my foot into her temple. Her face spins to the side, and I use that single moment to grab her bun to hold her face still as I layer jab after jab into her pretty face. I see her eyebrow split open, giving her the same injury she gave me, her nose breaks and more blood starts flowing out of her nose and mouth.
She jabs me in the stomach quickly to make me release her hair so that she can move further away from my punches. She stands up just as I manage to get my breath back. In a moment that feels like an eternity we pause, before both running towards each other at full speed, except I run straight past her and onto the fence, I jump up onto the fence and push myself backwards before she can turn around, flying at her through the air. I crash into her and bring us both to the floor, my legs wrapping around her upper body, immobilizing her arms, my forearms locking around her neck like a boa constrictor, tightening her airways. Vanessa continues to struggle, kicking her legs about trying to get free, her breathing becoming faster and shallower with each second. I tighten my limbs around her, just waiting for the moment her body stops fighting. In under a minute I feel her body drop like dead weight, and I throw her off to the side; it’s over, finally! I stand up and look towards my Mates, but the look I see on their faces is not pride, it’s stark fear, I see their mouths open, yelling something at me. I see a movement out of the corner of my eye and realise the bitch faked a pass out. I spin my body around, fists clenched and deliver one hell of a punch into the face launching itself toward me, taking her completely by surprise, a loud grunt releasing from my throat. The force behind my fist drops her straight to the floor, while I stand there staring for a few seconds to see if she is actually down for the count this time.
I let my other senses come into focus, hearing the spectators scream and yell. I look in a circle around the Pit and realise that most of Dylan and Wade’s packs are her
e, standing up and cheering. A huge smile lights up across my face when my gaze settles on Sophie and Annabelle, both women are dressed in ‘Go Ava!’ shirts with pom poms in their hands. I complete my circle, with my eyes on all my mates, who’s faces are a mixture of pride and what looks like concern written all over them. My eyes start to water at all the love and support that I have gained over the last two months, everything that I could have wanted in this life has found me, and I will be eternally grateful to whatever higher power there is that they brought me to this point.
The cage doors open and without looking back at Vanessa, I run towards my Mates and throw myself into the arms of Wade, his arms crushing me to his chest. My feet don’t touch the ground as I’m passed from Mate to Mate, each of them whispering words of praise, love and concerns. I push myself down to the floor and walk over to Allister, his eyes shifting around, never settling too long on my face.
“That’s it for me, Allister. I’m done. I won’t be fighting anymore. I won the championship, I want the money in my account no later than tomorrow. I will not be bothered by you, any of your men, or anyone else about fighting ever again. Do you understand?” My fists clench and unclench with the desire to punch this repulsive, douche bag’s face in. He begins to mutter undecipherable words, not giving me the response I want. I step forward, further into his space and bring my hands up to his shoulder, picking off a spec of lint, his body flinching at my movement.
“Do you understand, Allister?” I whisper to him with deadly intent.
“Ye-ye-yes,” he stutters back, his body beginning to tremble under my fingertips.
“Good. Goodbye, Allister. Oh, and if you ever threaten me or mine, I will end everything you touch. I’ll work my way from the bottom up, so that you know I’m coming for you,” I say cheerily, before turning around and walking off to the training room, my imposing Mates laughing as they walk in behind me.
“Did you see that move, though; the roundhouse kick to the head?! How fucking cool was that?” one of the younger guys in Dylan’s pack exclaimed to the rest of the group sitting around the fire we had started soon after we got home. The guys decided to throw a celebratory pack dinner for everyone after my fight, I think Dylan, Marco, Wade, and Zane are celebrating the end of my Pit career rather than my win tonight.
There are a series of responses that all had people voicing the favourite parts of the fight. I had people coming up to me all night congratulating me and asking if I could teach them how to do a specific move, even the more experienced wolves that I had had trouble with during training had asked for a few pointers.
I’m sitting on Wade’s lap, his hands massaging my lower back and my legs are up on Marco’s thighs, whose hands are kneading my aching quads and calves. Their hands make me close my eyes and rest my head in the curve of Wade’s neck, all my wounds are closed, but the bruising around my face and other body parts have yet to reduce, so the massage is doing wonders for my body.
A warning howl starts in the distance, sending my body into high alert. Every person in my vision suddenly ceases their activity, waiting for whatever is coming next. I can feel the concern rushing down all my bonds.
“Vampires on the property!” Dylan suddenly yells from my left, obviously his wolves had been speaking down his Alpha bonds.
“Everyone! You know your duties, for those who are not advanced fighters, get in the pack house, now! Take the children and lock the doors and windows! Everyone else with me! There are thirty rogues out there on the Northwest border. I want everyone to circle around the vampires, don’t take them one on one, always have someone with you,” Dylan directs from across the chaos of wolves running around. I look around the circle and see about sixty to seventy wolves all ready to fight.
In under a minute, everyone is in wolf form and sprinting through the forest, my once gentle breathing now hard pants, the anger and fear rising with every heartbeat. Vincent was getting bolder, thirty rogues is the largest attack I’d heard of thus far, and for it to be two packs right next to each other, this was far from coincidence.
I can sense Wade to my left, and Zane to my right. Marco and Dylan are far in front of me, leading the wolves to the attack, while we bring up the rear. Out of the blue, I hear Dylan howl in mourning, his soul-deep pain radiating down our bond almost making me trip over my own feet. Oh god, no. Someone was killed, I can feel it with every bone in my body. My own mourning howl rises up, along with every other member of the pack’s, the sound heartbreakingly beautiful. With Alphas, they feel physical pain at a pack member’s death. If they were close to the wolf they would feel it, but still be able to continue what they were doing, for example in a fight they would feel it but not be incapacitated by it. However, the further away an Alpha was from his Pack, the more intense the pain became. It takes under three minutes to run out to the border, and what we see there has my feet slamming on the brakes.
In the middle of the forest, eight vampires are feeding off the dead wolf lying on the ground, while the other vamps look around, laughing. The wolves start to circle the vampires that have broken into our land and stolen a life. Menacing growls rise from every wolf present, the leaves and loose branches on the earth vibrating with the sound. As if we are one, every wolf jumps forward in preparation for a fight at the same time. I let my wolf take over, letting the animalistic anger come to the forefront of my mind and sharing the reins with her. The vampires charge at us, too, with everybody colliding in one almighty crash. My wolf connects with the first vampire in our path, teeth biting into their shoulder, tearing out a huge chunk of flesh and bouncing off them just as its arms try to tighten around me. Spinning around to see the state the vampire was in, Zane appears and bites into its jugular, ripping out the vampire’s spinal cord.
We continue to battle, eliminating vampire after vampire, Zane and Wade never moving out of my ten meter diameter for very long, each of us tag teaming the killing blow of the vampires we are facing off against. Within fifteen minutes, every vampire lies dead on the ground, spread out within the circular barrier the wolves had created. My wolf retreats inside of me, giving me back full control of my body, I look around, taking inventory of those who are dead, only to find that no wolf is dead except for the poor soul who had died before we could make it here.
I watch as Dylan transforms back into his human body, and bends down to pick up the wolf that had fallen while alerting the Pack. I walk over to Dylan, rubbing my fur against his leg, giving him comfort the only way I know right now, by touch. He looks down at me with his eyes beginning to water, nods at me once, and then begins to walk back to the Pack house with his dead wolf in his arms.
I turn around to the rest of the wolves who are all watching the Alpha walk away, I raise my head to the sky and howl. I put all my sadness and anger and mourning into the sound coming from my throat, and it’s not long before I hear every other wolf join in my salute to the fallen wolf.
“We can’t just fucking do nothing! He is attacking our packs! We can’t sit on this any longer!” the frustration is clear in my voice, my hand fisting before I punch the wall beside me. The rest of the room remains silent as we try to process the death of the young wolf and the immediate danger we could all be in by doing nothing.
“After the mating ceremony you, Wade, and I will be driving out to give Vincent a visit. Zane and Marco will stay here to protect the packs. We will find the evidence we need, and we will confront Vincent. As soon as we have that evidence, we will call the council, and we will hand deliver that motherfucker to them. Today, we mourn,” Dylan says, rising from his office chair. It’s the first sentence he’s said since the fight last night. He walks around his desk, and comes to stand next to me, pressing his lips softly to mine and then proceeds to walk out of the room without another word.
“He’s right, that’s the best way we can do this and still protect the packs,” Wade voices from his seated position on the lounge, his arms resting on his knees, and his fingers steepled against his chi
n. I look around at the room, my eyes passing over the wall to ceiling wooden bookcase filled with hundreds of books, and see the grim nods of agreement from Marco and Zane.
“Okay then. We should go out there. The ceremony will be starting soon,” I whisper to the room, the sadness that a life was lost because of my involvement in this pack is overwhelming. I feel arms hook around me, and my chin is suddenly being lifted by strong fingers.
“This is not your fault, Angel, the blame rests solely on Vincent and his pet vampires. No one else,” Zane insists, my heart tearing at his words.
Without a reply, I grab his hand as I inhale deeply and turn towards the door I walk out the doors of the office and into the front yard that is filling with wolves from both packs as they approach the pyre to pay their respects. We weave our way through the wolves, coming to the front row and standing in solidarity with the other wolves I’ve come to view as my family. I stand beside Sophie and see tears flowing from her eyes freely, I grab her free hand and hook her arm in mine, giving her as much comfort as I can. Her eyes flick to mine, the appreciation evident in them is enough to make my eyes water. We look towards the front where Dylan is standing, his large frame radiating so much sadness, his eyes glued to the pyre to his left.
“Today we say goodbye to a wolf I’ve known since his birth. Seth was a light in so many people’s lives; always the first person to offer a helping hand and always the last person to leave when there was a job to be done. No one had a bad word to say about him, and as long as I live no one ever will. He was an amazing person and an incredible wolf, I can only hope that he is in a better place. I will never be able to express the limits of my appreciation to his memory, he was able to save over a hundred and fifty wolves’ lives with a single message; a message that he knew would cost him his life. Seth, wherever you are, you will never be forgotten, my friend,” Dylan manages to get out before shudders of sadness wreak through his body. I can’t stop my body from moving forward, I can’t leave Dylan up there alone to do this.