“Drive safe. And, Bella, you were smart in calling.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach.
I barely restrained my wolf. I’d been beta to the Iron Wolves since I’d turned twenty-five, when Kellen and I had taken over, physically beating the fuck out of the old alpha and his worthless shits of leaders. We’d both been alphas in our own right, but I didn’t want to lead. We opened the Iron Wolves MC shortly after and turned our little town back into a habitable place for wolves to live. Now, ten years later, our families were all safe and well connected, albeit a little dysfunctional.
I couldn’t imagine what sweet little Breezy was thinking. My wolf snorted. Yeah, she was far from sweet, but no woman deserved to be jumped in a parking lot, least of all one of our pack. Violence. I was used to that emotion and needed an outlet for what I was feeling. I turned to the back of the club. It was a Friday night, and the fights were just getting started. My pack and the MC held regular, no-holds-barred fights in the club. It wasn’t often I had the urge to join in the cage, but when I did, money tended to drop. If I had any hope of facing Breezy with a semblance of control, I’d need to work out some of my anger, or I was liable to do something we’d both regret. Of course, I’d enjoy the fuck out of it and so would she, but I wasn’t ready to mate any woman, even one as feisty as the delectable Breezy. When I finally did settle down, I didn’t want one who’d been around the block like the town bicycle. Nope, I wanted a sweet woman who knew her place.
The sound of the loud bass met my ears long before I entered. Wyck looked me up and down as I walked in. “You fighting tonight?”
“Yep,” I grunted.
Wyck smiled. The large African American slapped his hands together. The man was a bloodthirsty bastard. I wondered if he was going to jump in the cage with me. “I ain’t got a death wish tonight.” Brown eyes flashed at me as the bell rang, signaling the end of the current fight.
They didn’t allow a fight to the death, but pretty damn close. Tonight, I had on a pair of worn denim jeans and my customary black leather vest with the club insignia on the back. My black shitkickers were thick leather but would come off before I entered the cage. I crossed to stand outside, watching as they carried out the unconscious man. What a pussy, getting knocked out in the first five minutes. I cracked my neck and waited to see if the winner planned to stay or leave. It wouldn’t do to enter until the crowd was all riled up.
With my arms crossed, I stood, staring at the large male. Another shifter who was known for his bad attitude and even worse temper. I undid my boots, leaving them next to where I stood. My scent would deter anyone from taking them. The little wolf standing next to the door saw my approach, her eyes going wide. I couldn’t remember her name, but when she held her hand out for my vest, I handed it over with a wink.
“Take care, I’ll be back for that shortly.” She blinked up at me, and at any other time, I might have bent and stolen a kiss for luck. Instead, I stood, gripped the cage door, and swung up into the large square enclosure.
There weren’t too many rules when it came to fighting inside, except not to kill. I was down with that. Everything else was open season. I gestured to the other man, watching as Rocky–his name finally coming to me–danced around. The crowd noticed who’d entered. A hush fell over them.
“You ready for a beat down, Club VP?” Rocky asked, hitting his chest.
I balanced on the balls of my feet. I wasn’t going to waste my breath on the fuck. Again, I motioned Rocky forward, letting my lips kick up in a grin. My mama always said it was my shit-eating grin that would piss off even the town priests. With a roar, Rocky lunged across the feet separating us. I side-stepped, throwing my elbow out and hitting the back of the shifter’s head, making him fall into the cage’s steel links. I ignored the crowd as they cheered.
Rocky bounced back. We were both dirty fighters, and I prepared for the attack. Shifting to our wolves wasn’t sanctioned since we allowed humans into the club, but speed and heightened strength were something we had in spades. Again, Rocky charged me, going in low, his shoulder hit me in the mid-section while the man’s fist pummeled at my kidney. I tried to shake him off, but we fell to the ground. The feel of wolven claws digging into my side had my wolf trying to surface. I growled.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Rocky’s claws raked up my side.
The thought that humans would see us had my wolf snapping to be let out. I rolled us, coming up on top, seeing hatred burning in Rocky’s eyes. I rained blow after blow on the man, then, when I realized Rocky wasn’t fighting anymore, I pulled back. My breathing came out hard. The sound of the cage door opening made me look toward the entrance. Not surprised to see my alpha, Kellen, enter.
“You calm, bro?” Kellen nodded at the bloody beast beneath me.
The four long gashes down my side looked like Freddy Kruger had gotten a hold of me, ruining my favorite pair of jeans. “I’m level. This jackhole tried to shift in the middle of our fight. What the hell?” I kept my voice too low for anyone other than Kellen and me to hear.
Kellen came over and inspected Rocky, felt the flutter of the man’s heart, and sat back on his heels. “At least he’s still alive. I’d have killed the bastard.”
A mirthless laugh escaped me. “I almost did. What brought you down to the cage?”
Kellen looked to the door of the club. “A swell in power, and your girl is here. Thought you might want to come and see how she was doing for yourself. Of course, now it looks like she might need to patch you up.”
In the doorway, I saw a gorgeous vision of blonde hair with pink and purple streaks, standing in a pair of jeans that looked like she’d painted them on, and a tank top that was snug enough I could make out the lace indents of her bra. For fucksake, I felt my cock swell, and I was literally kneeling over a bleeding wolf.
“Shit, she’s not my woman, and I don’t need her to patch me up.” My alpha snorted.
“Right.” The one word was drawled out.
Kellen snapped his fingers, and a couple of the lower-ranking wolves climbed into the cage. I listened with half an ear as they were instructed to take Rocky out, get him medical care, and then he was to be placed in the detention center. Shite, I knew Kellen was pissed, but even I hadn’t thought about the repercussions of the fight. Ever since the attack on Lyric and Taya, Kellen had tightened security and become one hard-ass alpha. Not that he hadn’t been before, but now you did not want to cross the man.
I thought back to the night my sister Lyric had been attacked outside a human bar. If it hadn’t been for Rowan, an ex-Navy SEAL, I was sure she’d have been taken and possibly killed. Another member of the pack, Taya, had been taken and suffered much at the rogue pack’s hands. Lyric had to turn the human Rowan in order to save him, and for that, I was grateful since they were now happily mated. That didn’t mean I believed inhappily-ever-afters. It just meant Rowan got a reprieve from the beat down, until he fucked up and made my baby sister cry.
“Come on, I think the crowd has seen enough blood for the night.” Kellen stood. His voice boomed out, making the noise die down. “All right, you dirty bastards, and sexy bitches. Next round is on the house, but don’t get greedy. My staff knows what you normally drink, so don’t piss me off.” Warning given, he sauntered out.
The little wolf I’d given my vest to stood with an expectant look on her face. “Thanks, sweets.” I kissed her on the forehead, inhaling the smell of her shampoo and the scents of perfume and hairspray. I preferred the fresh smell of...I cut off the line of thought before it went any further, ignoring her practiced pout. My boots were where I’d left them. Not taking the time to shove my feet back into them, I made a beeline for the place I’d seen Breezy last.
I promised myself I wouldn’t threaten to rip off Coti’s arms if I found them together. It would be better for all of them if the two would mate up. My wolf growled. The canines I’d restrained in the cage punched through my gums. “Fuck!” Leaving the crowded club behind, my blood boiling at the thoughts running through my mind, and not the least calmed from my fight, damn it. In that moment, I could have turned and walked away, forgotten everything except getting drunk and patching up my side. Except I got a glimpse of Breezy’s face. Her bruised and swollen face.
I found myself in front of her, forcing Coti back several feet. “Bella, who did this?” I looked at my own bloody hands as I reached up to touch her, hesitating for only a second.
