Page 106 of Shifter Situations

“No,” Blaire disagreed. “Desperation is making her act like that. She knows she’s been caught. The only thing that will solve all of her problems is if she can somehow beat Sloane and Briggs… and then whichever apprentices they don’t kill today.”

I snorted. “So what Novak said. She has a death wish.”

And I couldn’t wait to watch her die.

I fucking despised her.

She’d tried to kill me a few months ago. All because I caught her cheating with that strange gray-headed man in the pictures Novak had found. Raguel. I could still see his remorseless face in my memories.

He didn’t care that she had a boyfriend.

She didn’t seem to care either.

Watching Sloane and Briggs fight, and not being able to help, was going to be akin to torture. I knew they could handle it, but the idea of not being able to defend my mate bothered me. Even if she didn’t need it.

The option to step in had been taken off the table, and that pissed me off.

I studied the other apprentices as they circled around and whispered amongst each other. Sloane and Briggs were supposed to take the challenges on two at a time as one-on-one fights.

Their opponents were working on a strategy.

The plan was smart, but it wouldn’t help them.

My mate and the wolf stood together in the center of the makeshift ring, laughing and mumbling to each other. They didn’t look the least bit concerned about the murmurs of rule-bending.

I knew that they weren’t.

Briggs had shed his shirt, wearing nothing but a pair of gray mesh-like basketball shorts that Palmer had spelled. Sloane was in skin-tight shorts and some sort of strappy choker thing with the bottom of her tits showing.

“Why does she look so hot right now?”

“She just turns you on when she kills people. Be honest, Demon.” York chuckled when I shrugged.

“No objections there, but that top is like… I can’t quite make myself call it a shirt. Is it lingerie?”

Blaire rolled her eyes at me. “It’s workout gear, you perv.”

“I don’t know, Blaire. I’d—”

“You’ll fuck anything with a pulse, Novak, and some things without one. Don’t belittle your mate by saying you’d fuck her in that.”

Palmer cackled, pulling some unwanted attention in our direction. Novak elbowed him, pretending to sulk over his sister’s comment.

Sloane looked around at the attending audience, grinning at us before transforming into her silver wolf. A few gasps rang out, reminding me that not many people had seen her in animal form before.

Briggs nodded to her, shifting into his black wolf.

Both of them were larger than your run-of-the-mill wolves. I had learned that many of the animals came in two different breeds with shifters; regular and dire. The sizing wasn’t specific to wolves.

They were taller than the bears, Sloane’s and Briggs’ height matching almost exactly. She was slim against his bulk, but where he was a brick wall, she was nothing but agile grace.

A grizzly bear and a polar bear split apart from the opposing pack and made their way to the center of the makeshift ring. They would be the first pairing.

With four huge animals in the circle, the roped-off ring suddenly looked far too cramped.

The bears stood, and I thought it might have been an intimidation tactic. Both wolves broadened their shoulders, squaring their stance as they prepared to move in.

Charlie shouted, “Begin,” and the bears roared. Dropping to all fours, the bears surged forward, intent on making the first move. I tucked my hands into my pockets, taking a deep breath as I spectated.