“We won’t be fighting.” I laugh. “Juliana will have that privilege.” She glances quickly at the mated snake shifter as if she forgot she was here. “Do you accept the challenge?” I hold Frank’s eyes. If he doesn’t, he’s showing weakness toward the pack rules that he set up. If he walks away, the respect of his members will be broken. The system of the pack will die, and his loyal members will take over.
“Fine. Give me time—”
“Right now. I’ll give you a minute to prepare,” I say.
“What about them?” He motions to my family. “You're lying if you tell me they won’t defend you if I beat you.”
“I won’t lie. If I’m dead, I can’t control their actions. My brothers love me, so there are no guarantees on what they'll do.” I shrug. “I could say the same about your pack.”
“They know the rules,” he says.
“Exactly.” I never thought I would want to laugh so many times when facing him. My world has changed. I have changed. “I’ll give you two minutes.” I turn away, and my brothers follow me to the ring. I’ve avoided fighting, afraid to lose control. All I feel is the urge to teach Frank the lesson he’s needed for years. Once he’s dead, my nightmares will go with him.
“You’re sure,” Hunter whispers.
“Yes.” I stop, looking over my shoulder at them. “You know what to do if something goes wrong.”
“It won’t,” he grits out.
“We won’t let it,” Bane says.
“Fuck him up, Brother,” Remy says, and I grin.
Jumping on the platform, I slip between the ropes and roll my neck as I stand in the corner. Frank moves slowly. I can see the gears turning in his head. I take off my shirt and shoes and hand them to Bane. I roll my shoulders and watch Frank step into the ring.
“Are we shifting?” he asks.
“At the pack fights, it was encouraged.” I bounce from foot to foot. “Remember, you encouraged a female wolf to shift and kill her opponent who was unable to shift without pain.”
“I remember,” he says, taking off his shirt. “She won.”
“And you made the loser's mother serve the winner dinner that night.” I circle to the left and move, keeping the same distance between us.
“What the fuck,” Hunter growls.
“She ran away the next day,” I say, moving in the other direction.
“Weak,” Frank grits out. “The mother was weak. She knew the rules.”
“Rules.” I tilt my head. “You loved to preach about the rules, but you didn’t follow any.” I lunge forward, and he scrambles back. “I think you were afraid.”
“Never.” He runs at me, and I step out of the way. His momentum sends his body crashing into the ropes. He’s slow and sloppy. “How did they find you?” He glares at my brothers as he straightens.
“They found a human who saw me fight. He saw my animal.” I run toward him, jump, and punch him in the face as I land. I grin as his blood flows.
“Shit.” He leans over and spits the blood out of his mouth.
“Do you still invite humans to see the fights?” I ask.
“No.” He lies. I can smell it.
“Should I ask the pack?”
“They are loyal to me,” he snarls, and I let his fist connect to my jaw. My head turns with the force of the hit. I smirk as I face him.
“We’ll see.” I throw three consecutive punches to his face. His attempt to shield his face is useless. My anger is more powerful than his skills.
“Frank, fucking hit him,” Tawney shouts.
