Chapter 22 Grudge Match
Bane
This fight has lasted long enough. Time to end it. Now.
The dark brown wolf lunges at me. Pebbles fly up from the hard-packed dirt in the arena as he moves, but I’m faster. I dodge and barrel into his flank, knocking him off balance.
Before I can press the advantage, a flash of light fur catches my eye and my brother’s mate leaps onto my back. Her growls nearly drown out the shouts of the audience in the Proving Grounds, and the sharp points of her claws sink through my fur, seeking flesh.
This pair nearly cornered me, but it works for me now. I fling her back into the stone wall of the fighting pit and barely manage to meet my brother as he lunges again.
We collide and crash down hard, dust billowing around us. Snarling and clawing follows, seeking any opening.
Once I pin him beneath me, I press my full weight down and refuse to relent, my fangs piercing deep into his scruff. My brother thrashes against my hold. I clamp down harder, my jaws locking around the wolf’s throat.
His pulse hammers against my muzzle—one squeeze and I could silence that frantic rhythm forever. My jaw tightens, squeezing just enough to encourage him to do the right thing.
Finally, his body goes slack. The tension drains from him, and my oldest brother submits, surrendering with a whine.
“Bane Blackwood!” my father’s voice booms, cutting through the chaos. “The victor!”
The cheers echo in the arena as it sinks in. I won?
My first fight done, I’m one step closer to becoming Alpha. Holy shit.
I did it. I won.
Shifting back into human form, I stand and offer a hand to my sibling. Not changing his form, the wolf rolls his eyes and slinks across the arena to see if his wife has regained consciousness yet.
The audience in the arena, shifters from my pack, leap to their feet and cheer, a mix of shouts and howls. They enjoyed the fight. It was certainly violent and vicious enough to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty.
Unfortunately.
A sharp pain shoots up my left leg whenever I take a step. Without fur to hide behind, the scratches on my chest and side look ugly and obvious.
“Bane!” Wynn appears at my side, grabbing my arm and steadying me. I lean against him gratefully, letting him take some of my weight as we start walking out of the fighting pit.
“Whoa.”
“I’ve got you. Nothing to see here.”
My cousin wraps an arm around my waist, covering my stumble as I put too much weight on my left leg and it gives out.
We reach the edge, and Wynn helps me sit down on a nearby bench.
My clothes and cell phone are here. I pull on thin black pants and don’t bother with the rest. All of us fighting today had to remove the enchantments that let our clothes shift with us.
Not that it makes a difference in the fight, but a witch cleansed us of all magic.
Today is about our own abilities, not what we can buy.
Of course, if I had a witch with me, fighting in their human form, any spells cast during the battle were fair game…
It’s tempting to check my phone. But Wynn would have told me if the man I’m missing called while I was fighting. Hell, even with all the noise in the arena, I’d have heard Wynn screaming at Josh for not being here.
Wynn watches me nervously as I catch my breath and start collecting myself after the fight. “Really hoped you’d have an easier time with them.”
Me too. They blindsided me. “Did you know his wife was that fast?”
Wynn shakes his head. “None of us did. Do you get it? They’ve been together the longest, for what, a decade? She’s been hiding her true skills all that time, all for this moment.”
“I still beat them.”
“Adelaide is next,” he reminds me. As if I could forget. We’re the last two standing. But only one can win. “And we already know she’s stronger than your brothers. She and her mate are tough as hell.”
“So they won’t surprise me.”
“Just think, what if they’ve been holding back something too?”
I manage a half-smile. “Adelaide isn’t really the subtle type.” Not unless a fist to the face counts as subtle.
“So what? You still need to beat two ruthless, snarling she-wolves while you’re bleeding and your ankle is broken.”
I give him a stern look. “This is terrible pep talk, Wynn.”
Already kneeling in front of me, Wynn holds out a washcloth like a grand offering. “Look, I don’t love you that way, and we will never have sex, but make me your damn mate. Then I can help you.”
“We’re related,” I protest, pushing him away so he stops bending down on one knee in the worst proposal ever.
“Which is why we will never have sex. Please, you can’t face your sister like this.”
“They’re hurt too.”
Wynn shakes his head. “They’re dinged up, nothing serious. Their first fight was quick and not as bloody. They came, they saw, they kicked ass. Plus, they’ve had more time to cool down.”
Luck just isn’t on my side today. Nothing has gone right since Josh missed my birthday party last night.
I knew something was wrong, but with all the commotion of my birthday and choosing the successor in the morning, I wasn’t given a moment alone to track him down and the fight couldn’t be postponed.
Then I matched with my oldest brother instead of my other brother Samuel, the least challenging contender.
We’re the only ones who found our true mates.
It’s probably what doomed Samuel. My brother rejected the man destiny picked for him in favor of a tougher partner, but their union soured long before today’s fight.
They were no match for my sister Adelaide and her mate, the two largest wolves from the pack, working as a unit of pure might and aggression.
I could have easily followed in Samuel’s footsteps. If I’d chosen anyone other than Josh as my intended, I’d be doomed.
Good thing my intended mate is smarter and stronger than me.
Unfortunately, Josh isn’t here.
“It’s okay,” I tell my worrying cousin. “I’ll beat Adelaide too.”
“Not like this. Not alone.” He places a hand on my shoulder and advises me, “Yield.”
I bristle at the suggestion. “The fight hasn’t even started yet!”
“This is too much, man. Sorry. Not even you can, please…”
“Shut up. Don’t rub salt in the wounds.”
“So many wounds to choose from,” Wynn mutters under his breath.
“Shut up,” I repeat, though there’s no heat behind it this time. “I’m not yielding.”
“Then pick a mate,” he urges. “Choose someone in the crowd, do something.”
I shake my head. “I already chose.”
“Bane, what you decided doesn’t matter now. Josh isn’t here. If he doesn’t fight—”
“I know,” I interrupt.
An Alpha can only mate with whoever fights besides them. Taking a lover would be acceptable, but not a mate who didn’t earn the right to lead beside me, who could influence me unduly if we were bonded.
Being with Josh without actually biting him and cementing our bond… well, it’s better than nothing. I’ll be with him any way I can.
But it’s not enough.
We’re going to be bonded mates. He deserves that, we both do.
“Bane, please,” Wynn pleads. He paces back and forth in front of me, looking like he’s about to start pulling out his hair. “I can’t stand here and watch you get slaughtered.”
“Then don’t,” I tell him. “Go find Josh.”
“What?” That stops him short, and he gapes at me. “Bane, you can’t think about that now. You need to help yourself.”
“I’m afraid he’s in trouble.”
“You’re in trouble,” Wynn corrects me.
When we were teenagers, Josh was a stranger. Rejecting me was plausible. Not everyone seeks or waits for a true mate.
It’s different this time. I know Josh. He never gave up on me. He fought harder than anyone for us to be together. No way in hell would he quit now.
Which means he’s in trouble.
With a labored groan, I gingerly rise from my seat and stand with him. My cousin approaches in an instant to steady me, and I grasp his arm tightly. “He wouldn’t have abandoned me, Wynn.”
“I believe you, man. About what Elias did and that Josh isn’t who we thought. Still...”
“Trust me,” I implore him. “I have something that will help you. Just go find him.”
Wynn hesitates for a moment, but I feel it when he makes up his mind. His grip tightens and he nods seriously. “Okay. I’ll go fetch your man. You just hang in there until then.”
I’d do my best, but… easier said than done.