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He’s dazed as he throws aimless hits, not making contact once. It’s almost embarrassingly easy to get in my next few hits. The left side again. Just above his right hip. Face. Chest. Left side.
The whole thing is over so fast that Bryant nearly chokes on his own tongue trying to call the fight. The shifter that so easily dismissed me walks into the ring to check for Oren’s pulse. He still has one. I know how to take someone out without killing them.
It’s more fun to kill them.My wolf is bloodthirsty. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to fight in shifter form. If I don’t find an excuse soon, my wolf is liable to take matters into his own paws.
“Alpha?”
Annoyance pricks me at the interruption. Of course someone would dare to interrupt when I’ve finally gotten within a stone’s throw of the Alpha and Luna. I force down the impending growl until I see how much of an obstacle the newcomer plans to throw in my way.
The Alpha steps in front of his Luna, guarding her despite the fact that the interruption has clearly come from his Beta. Luca. I recognize him from all the work I’ve done studying their pack, though this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on him. And now I guess I understand why.
The Alpha doesn’t like his Beta too close to his Luna. Interesting dynamic.
I step through the crowd to draw closer. Everyone has quickly lost interest in my win as they wait with bated breath to find out what caused this breach in protocol. An Alpha, Luna, and Beta all at the training grounds at one time. Surrounded by unfamiliar shifters that have only had initial vetting.
It’s not safe for them to meet this way, and we’re all drawing the same conclusion. Whatever brought the Beta here is big.
I keep moving stealthily past the other shifters until I can nudge my way into a spot beside the Luna. If I could get close enough to talk to her, I could—
“A new Luna Sovereign has been chosen.”
I jerk my hand back to my side as the Luna sucks in a sharp breath. Everyone turns from the Beta to the Alpha and his Luna, waiting to see how they’ll take the news. I don’t respect the outdated politics of wolves, but even I understand the role of the Luna Sovereign. While Alphas exist to fight wars, the Luna Sovereign is a symbol of peace and vitality.
Her role in maintaining shifter history keeps our kind alive. Without her, we could all easily be thrust into chaos. If no Luna Sovereign exists to keep a modicum of peace between the packs, they could all implode. Bringing the kind of attention from mankind that wouldn’t be welcome.
Humans don’t respect that which they don’t understand. The safety of us all depends on staying hidden. Only fighting the most necessary of wars—as sanctioned by the Luna Sovereign.
I went and saw the woman myself not long ago. How the fuck did I not know she had fallen? And a new successor already chosen? This new information makes me uneasy. I don’t mind the succession of power—it has nothing to do with me—but news like this will make even the biggest packs lay low. With no Luna Sovereign, shifters basically exist in anarchy.
Already, the Beta is spurring his Alpha and Luna forward, desperate to get them back to inner pack land. I can feel my moment with the Luna already slipping through my fingers like empty air.
We were so fucking close. My wolf snarls, tempted to just grab for her.
I know better. Should I lay one hand on the Luna, everyone here would go up in arms to protect her. If she didn’t turn on me herself first. I’ve heard those rumors too. I don’t know if her powers live up to the hype, but now isn’t the time to find out.
If I scare her—easy to do for a brute like me—I might never catch her ear again.
I have no choice but to stand and watch as she’s ushered away from me. Back to a pack house I have no hope of getting close to. Outsiders don’t get invited into the pack’s house. No matter how many fights they win.
Fuck.
* * *
If I thought taking out his pet would earn me any favor with Bryant, the housing arrangements prove otherwise. I hold back a scowl as he smirks, waving his hand at all of the empty ground around us.
“Guess you should have gotten here on time this morning with the rest of ‘em.” He pats me on the back and starts off toward his own nice cabin on the other side of the training grounds. He has a lot of nerve for a man with graying hair and sallow skin. Soon, someone younger will come along and take his place. He shouldn’t be so quick to punish those who remind him of his own mortality. His own day will come.
As much as I’m aggravated by the slight—and the fact that he announced to the rest of his trainees that I would be the sole fighter left to sleep in the yard—I’m not actually put out by being left out here on my own .
At least away from the noise, I’m able to think. The plans I had for letting my reputation lead me to the Alpha are out the window. With a new Luna Sovereign being announced, I doubt he’ll think twice about the new blood fighter he watched today.
All of the work I put into this plan is as useless as every other failed plan I’ve had for months now. Every time I think I’m close, there’s a new barrier put in my way.
Maybe I should have risked trying to grab the Luna after all.
As if I’ve conjured her out of thin air, a feminine form stalks toward me from the shadows of the forest. Her small stature gives her away immediately. There aren’t many wolves her size that move with such an intense grace about them. I’m certain she must be the shortest Luna to ever serve her pack—or any other, for that matter.
“Get in the circle,” she commands breezily, stepping out of the dark and sashaying right past me without a care in the world. It’s a brave move leaving her back open to an unknown shifter.
