“Watch your mouth. Don’t make me kick your ass,” Lucas replied.
“Ha, that’s the Luke I know.” Asher came from around the back of the desk, and the two men shared a firm handshake, then went into a quick but spirited hug.
Their relationship had been tenuous when they were younger. Lucas and his brother Jordan were the sons of their father’s first wife, who had died when they both were very young. Not long afterward, their father remarried an alpha female, and Asher was born. Though they shared everything, the fact that Asher was full alpha and the others were not had always felt slightly awkward. And though Lucas had somewhat come to terms with it, Jordan, their middle brother, never had.
But all three brothers had always shared this together—MMA, the dojo, the love of physical discipline and honing their bodies to be perfect fighting machines.
“Do you have time to spar for a minute before class starts?” Asher asked.
“I think I’ll pass,” Lucas replied coolly.
“You’re not getting soft on me, are you now?”
“Is that a challenge?” Lucas said, starting to loosen his tie. “It sounds like it to me.” The tie came off with a gentle slide, one smooth motion.
“Hey, I’ve heard you haven’t had time for training with all that promoting and business crap you’ve been doing,” Asher retorted, shrugging smugly.
“Well, I can’t have my kid brother forgetting his place, now can I?” The white jacket slid off and was tossed onto a neighboring coat tree. Then the perfectly pressed shirt, button by button.
Taking the hint, Asher moved from the waiting area in front of the desk. The anticipation in the empty studio was tangible. It had been years since either had fought the other, and Asher wasn’t going to waste time getting his brother back in the ring before he disappeared again.
Lucas’s shirt was off now, revealing a perfect set of abs. Lucas might have been a businessman, but he was no desk jockey. The thrill of training, the thrill of fighting, had driven him from childhood to adulthood.
“Not bad. At least I see you haven’t gotten pudgy on me. But can you do anything with it?” Asher taunted from the middle of the mat-covered floor.
“All in good time, brother,” said Lucas as he leaned over, broad shoulders and powerful hands gingerly untying his shoes and pulling off his socks, then kicking them carefully to slide under the hall tree where his coat and shirt rested. Standing back at his full height again, Lucas popped his knuckles and stretched his muscles, a pre-fight habit he’d acquired from seeing so many humans do it. His hulking pecs and biceps finely attuned, awakening from their slumber since the last time he’d had a real fight.
“No gloves?” Asher asked, tilting his head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not,” Lucas replied.
Shifters had supernatural healing, and even shifters of the lowliest bloodlines could recover from grievous wounds with proper treatment. Bruised or bloodied knuckles wouldn’t be a problem for them.
Finally ready, Lucas walked out onto the floor until he was face-to-face with Asher. Asher was slightly shorter and stockier, with dark eyes where Lucas’s were a vivid emerald green. But anyone looking at the two brothers would know they were related.
Both squared off, circling slowly. Asher was light on his feet, dodging and feinting to see what his brother would do. Lucas was cool and collected.
And then the relative quiet in the dojo was interrupted by the sound of another voice, familiar and deep. “Having fun without me?”
Sitting in the corner of the room, balancing on two legs of a rickety old metal fold-up chair, was their middle brother Jordan. He must have snuck in the back during their fight. His deep reddish-brown eyes watched them in amusement, his dark auburn hair was tied back in a short ponytail. He sported multiple piercings and a shirt with a skull on the front that was about two sizes too small for his considerable pecs.
Their pro-MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter brother had always had his own style.
“Jordan? What the hell?” Asher blurted out first.
Jordan leaned forward on the balancing chair, and the two hanging front legs hit the ground with a clack, popping him onto his feet. “Nobody told me it was family reunion time,” he said.
Lucas dropped his guard and walked toward Jordan, hand outstretched. The brothers clasped hands and then embraced for a moment. Though they both were involved with the MMA circuit, they weren’t often in the same place at the same time.
“How have you been?” Lucas asked, looking at Asher as if neither of them could believe Jordan was home.
“Well enough,” Jordan replied with a shrug. “Have you heard what’s going on in the shifter community?”
“No,” Lucas said as he started to button his shirt back on.
“How long were you sitting there watching?” Asher asked, coming up to shake Jordan’s hand.”
“Not long,” Jordan said. “I thought I’d speak up and save you the embarrassment of losing in front of me.”
The jab wasn’t missed, and a slight anger could be seen burning in Asher’s dark eyes. But then he moved out to the matted floor and began to move kicking bags out of the way so the floor would be clear.
“So what’s going on in the shifter community? Besides the usual bullshit,” Lucas said.
Jordan grinned slightly. “I thought you would’ve heard before anyone. Given who it involved.”
A cold feeling moved through Lucas, telling him he wasn’t going to like this much. “Who does it involve?”
“Your old girlfriend. Lily. That was her name, right?” Jordan said.
Lily had been so much more than just a girlfriend. Once upon a time, she had been the only one for Lucas. But that was so long ago.
“What about her?” Lucas said, trying to sound uninterested.
Jordan eyed Lucas doubtfully. “Apparently they’re holding an alpha tournament. One full-blooded male from basically every family will be eligible to compete to take her as mate. Like physically compete. It’s barbaric, even by our standards.”
“Ugh, that’s insane,” Asher said from across the room.
Lucas just stood there, stunned. He’d been looking for her for years and finally given up, and now a bunch of douchebags got a chance at being with her simply because of their blood? He knew alpha female wolves had gotten increasingly rare, and wolf shifter families were more and more desperate to ensure their pure lines, but had it really come to this?
“Someone should probably represent the family. What do you say?” Jordan said dryly.
“Not even remotely interested,” Asher chimed in.
“I wasn’t asking you,” Jordan chided. Asher just rolled his eyes.
“I’m obviously not invited,” Lucas said. “Not full alpha, only half, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Jordan said sardonically. “Anyway, just thought you might want to know. Do with that what you want. I’m headed out for food. You want anything?”
“No,” Lucas said.
“All right, see you later.” And then his enigmatic middle brother disappeared through the back door.”
“You know, I actually think I remember some invite coming in the mail, but I don’t think I even opened it.”
Lucas took a calming breath. “Do you still have it?”
Asher bit his lip and walked over to the desk to rifle through papers. “Maybe. Wait, here it is.” He handed it over.
As he did, a picture of Lily fell out, and Lucas swept it quickly up into his hands. Hypnotic brown eyes looked out at him from a face framed by luscious black curls, perfectly complimenting her warm brown skin. Her smile was shy but gorgeous, tipped up at one side like she was keeping a secret. Damn, she still took his breath away.
He put the picture in his pocket and began to read the letter that came with it. Anger flooded him. She really was being offered as a prize. His Lily. And he wasn’t even invited.
Which made sense since her family had left town years ago j
ust to separate him from her.
He took a calming breath and let the paper flutter out of his hands. There was nothing he could do.
Asher walked over and scooped it up. “So are you going?” he asked. “Looks like there’s a party to kick the whole thing off.”
Lucas shook his head. “As I said, not invited. It has your name on the invite, not mine.”
“Well, you know…” Asher said, a slight grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. “They haven’t seen us in years…”
Lucas’s heart jumped. Asher was right. Would they know it was him if he went as Asher? “Are you sure?”
Asher nodded. “I’m positive. I wouldn’t go anyway. Why would I want to compete with a bunch of tools when I could be here running the dojo?” He eyed Lucas. “Plus, I’m pretty sure you’d kick my ass if I tried.”
Lucas frowned. Would he? Lily wasn’t his anymore. She hadn’t been in a long time, and that was only when she was young. What if she’d come to see things like her dad and simply wanted the most powerful and prestigious mate she could find? He guessed the only way to find out was to go to this thing.
After all, in the years since she’d seen him, she’d never attempted to contact him, and he’d searched for her for ages.
“I think you should go, dude. For closure,” Asher said.
Lucas nodded. He knew it was a risk. He didn’t even have to enter the tournament. He just had to see her one more time, know she was all right, and say goodbye.
“Let me know how it goes,” Asher said.
Lucas gave his brother a quick one-armed hug and then strode out of the dojo to his rental car. It was time to get ready to see the love of his life for the last time.
As if he could ever feel ready for that.
More Books by Terry Bolryder
Bearstone Park Series (Standalone novels)
A billionaire tech mogul, a movie star, and an Olympic snowboarder come back to Bearstone Park and find unexpected but wonderful mates.
Bearllionaire
Bearlebrity
Bearthlete
Alpha Games Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
An alpha female returns home to the pack mates she left and finds herself choosing between three alpha males in this paranormal romance serial from Terry Bolryder
Alpha Games Boxed Set
Or buy separately:
Alpha Games 1
Alpha Games 2
Alpha Games 3
Alpha Games 4
Alpha Rogue Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
An MMA fighting shifter meets his match in his exciting paranormal romance serial from Terry Bolryder.
Alpha Rogue Boxed Set Sale
Or buy separately:
Alpha Rogue 1
Alpha Rogue 2
Alpha Rogue 3
Alpha Contender Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
A average human woman finds out she’s a desirable female alpha and ends up in a mansion with ten possible suitors in this paranormal romance serial from Terry Bolryder.
Alpha Contender Boxed Set Sale
Or buy separately:
Alpha Contender 1
Alpha Contender 2
Alpha Contender 3
Alpha Contender 4
Thanks so much for reading!
Terry
Remem-bear Me (Polar Heat Book 4) Page 9