AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I understand that; I’m glad that I have you now. I don’t think I would have gotten through all of this after Archer passed. In fact, I knew it would’ve been much more brutal; ever since Sarge had appeared, I’d been a little more whole than before.
Sarge whimpered; his ears drooped slightly before he perked them back up. You realize you did all this yourself, and I only helped a little in the sparring matches.
Really?
Yes, I only helped when absolutely needed. Like when you needed me when those wolves attacked.
I heard the knock on my door and saw Sawyer in the doorway. My best friend grinned at me as he leaned against my doorframe, his arms tightly crossed. “You ready to get something to eat?”
I got up from my bed, stretched, and walked up to him. We were about the same height now, but I was a little taller than him. “Yeah, I need to make sure I put that wolf in his place.”
Sawyer laughed with me as we made our way down to get something to eat. Everyone kept watching me; I realized they thought I was way over my head. But I would show them just what I could do, and putting Vorn on his ass happened to be my goal, whether it be in his human form or his wolf.
When we got to the dining hall, Amora and her friends were already there at their usual table, eating and whispering together. Every once in a while, I could make out what they were saying but not enough to figure out what they were talking about.
I sat down with Sawyer, and an omega brought us some food. I only ate the meat and some carbs, but I made sure I didn’t stuff myself. Vorn sat in the corner, not even eating anything, but he was weird like that. It looked like he was meditating, leaning up against the wall, his eyes closed.
The Alpha and the Beta came in, and everyone got quiet, waiting on the news of whether the challenge would continue. Because, ultimately, it happened to be Beta Adam’s decision to let it happen, and because I didn’t have my wolf in their eyes, they could keep the challenge from going forward. Which I hoped they didn’t because this would be the only way for me to show Vorn I could take him down without Sawyer.
The Alpha gazed over the crowd in the dining room and then looked at Vorn and me, giving us both a stern gaze. “I want to let you all know a challenge has been issued. Vorn has challenged Nolen for his place in the sparring ranks. We will be holding this match tonight at the sparring fields. As the challengers are eating, we will be getting everything ready for the challenge. When the individuals in the challenge are done eating, they will make their way to the sparring fields.”
I nodded to the Alpha and the Beta. I glanced back over to Vorn, who had gotten up and started to make his way out of the dining room. As he walked past me, my heart rate increased; I wasn’t nervous about the fight with him. No, it was the possibility that everyone would recognize I had Sarge.
Amora and her friends had gotten up from their table, and I looked over at Sawyer as he sat in front of me at our table. I motioned for him to follow me, not confident I could speak at the moment. There was no way I could eat another bite. Sawyer nodded, got up, and we made our way out of the packhouse.
Chapter Six: New Scars and Tats
Sawyer and I made our way down to the sparring fields. Vorn strutted in front of us while the Alpha and Beta Adam led the group. Sawyer kept glancing at me from his peripherals as we ambled down to where the challenge would take place.
“So you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, he does have his wolf after all, and you, well, don’t.”
“Yes, I am sure. I’m not afraid of him or his wolf. We fought rogues at thirteen in wolf form; I can handle this wolf,” I told him. More confidence radiated from me than I felt. He seemed to believe me this time around and decided to let me be. We continued to the field, the rest of the pack following us. Amora’s tempting scent floated from behind me, and I tried my best to keep from turning to glance at her. Which didn’t work because I caught myself glancing back at her one more time, even after I told myself it would be the last.
When we got to the fields, the lights shined brightly against the darkening sky. The moon was full tonight, so it would help strengthen both of us. Vorn thought it would give him the advantage. This could also be why he wanted to spar now and not another day. He wanted the full moon’s help. Could he be afraid of me?
Both Vorn and I stepped into the middle of the field; he had stripped to a pair of basketball shorts. I knew then he planned on shifting to be able to bring me down. I smirked at him, and he scowled at me. I pulled off my T-shirt, throwing it to the ground.
My muscles rippled under my skin as I stretched my arms. Gasps came from the rest of the pack in the stands, and it resonated in my ears as my scar showed bright against my tanned skin. I had made sure to keep a shirt on at all times. I didn’t want people to see them, as I was still getting used to them, even though they were more than three years old.
Vorn’s eyes went to the claw marks on my chest, then back to my eyes. He didn’t show any hesitation or willingness to leave, even now. I wasn’t going to leave until I defeated him or he beat me; he would not gain the satisfaction of my forfeiting the match. We turned to the Alpha’s box, where the Alpha and Beta Adam sat with their mates. Beta Adam glanced between the both of us, making sure we were listening to him. “This will be a fight to submission; you can use either form. There will be no life-threatening wounds, and if there are, you will be disqualified. You may begin when you are ready.”
“You won’t be so high and mighty when I’m finished with you,” Vorn declared as he shifted into a massive reddish-brown wolf. He snarled at me, saliva dripping off his fangs as his jowls pulled up away from his teeth, revealing dagger-sharp fangs, his growl ripping from his throat. I took a fighting stance and waited for him to make the first move.
I needed to be able to see if he was still doing the same old thing or if he had decided to take the more senior wolves’ advice. Vorn rushed me, and I jumped to the side, slapping him on the backside just above his tail like I would if punishing a dog. He turned, snapping and snarling at me, his eyes ablaze with fury now.
I think you pissed him off, Sarge laughed in my mind; his tongue lolled to the side of his mouth. He was already enjoying this, and it had just gotten started.
I think so too. But this is just strategy, I informed him while I kept my eyes on his movements. He was a sneaky bastard, and one wrong move from me could mean defeat.
He charged me again his overconfidence showing in his eyes; I juked him but his teeth sliced through my right forearm. Blood poured down my arm and onto the ground. Vorn rushed me again and collided with me with his shoulder, throwing me through the air, my back hitting the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs. The small pebbles in the grass dug into my skin as I slid to a stop. Those pebbles stung, but now was not the time to worry about that.
Boos rang out from the crowd after the hit. Vorn’s wolf stalked to me as I got up from the earth; I surveyed him as he circled me, snarling and snapping at my legs, trying to make me jump, I stayed calm while he continued to revolve around me.
I gazed up at the full moon in the black sky; its silvery rays shone down upon us. I heard him lunge, and I slowed my breathing and turned, twisting away from him just in time. Taking hold of his extended back leg, I threw him across the field; he landed with a thud but sprang to his feet.
He looked like a rabid animal, foam coming from his mouth, and charged at me. I heard the sharp intake of breath from the crowd, knowing this would be the end for me. I crouched low to be able to do what I needed to go under his colossal head. He jumped, his front legs extended, and his toes on his paws stretched out, ready to dig his claws into whatever part of me he could.
When he got over me, I rose up and grabbed the massive wolf around the neck. The force of his lunge and me coming in contact with him threw us both to the ground. I tightened my hold on him, trying to put him to sleep.
