21. Zazu
Chapter twenty-one
Zazu
The endless noise burrows into my ears like the tiny gray insects that bit our skin back in my old territory. I cover my head, but the sounds of angry alphas still dig into me, clawing at my mind. It got worse after others came and took the territory superior away. Without him and the death one nearby, everyone feels uneasy. We don’t have any kind of order with them both missing.
I stalk to the front of my cage, glaring across the aisle at an intruder with red hair. He didn’t come from my territory, so he doesn’t belong here. He returns my snarl, foam frothing around his lips. Growling, I test the metal holding me in place. I broke through it once. Could I do it again alone?
The outer door buzzes and I swing around, snapping my teeth together at the three guards walking down the row. Their gazes lock on me, and I back away warily.
“Well, if this isn’t my favorite part of the day,” one man says, sighing heavily. “We’re so bloody overcrowded. Taking them out one by one sucks balls.”
I crouch down, wishing I understood the meaning of the sounds pouring between their lips. A challenge?
“The omega lady said this one’s name was Zazu.”
Zazu? Zazuuuuuuu. Same sound? Me? It must be a challenge, like back in the old cave. Thick brown pads that smell of dried fur protect the alphas’ soft spots: throats, wrists, hands. I swivel, assessing how I’ll deal with these threats.
“Well, a name’s better than an inmate number.” One rests his hand on my cell door. “Hey there, Zazu. It’s your day to get exercise. How about not trying to turn us into mincemeat today?”
They swing the door, and a violent thumping starts inside my chest. The only time my name gets called is when I go out to fight off a threat. But nothing’s the same and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
I bare my teeth.
One of the males groans. “Yeah, I knew we’d have to do this the hard way.”
Two of them leap forward while the third guards the exit. I lash out, fists striking faster than they can follow. But I can’t seem to connect with flesh. Everything I touch is padded and bounces under my blows. Roaring with rage, I spin, lashing my foot out with the one move that never fails me.
I connect and the intruder’s pained grunt slides right into my ears, soothing a little of the wild roaring in my head.
But he’s not alone. The second alpha grabs my leg before I can pull away, and I slip and crash to the floor. They both jump on me, pinning me in place.
“Wish these fuckers had an off button,” the first one growls under his breath, kneeling on my back. I scream and buck, but they’re unbearably heavy.
“Technically they do,” the other says, tapping his knuckles against the base of my head. I growl in response to the threat to my unprotected neck. A single blow there and I’d—lose.
I stop struggling for a moment. What happens when you lose? Where did all my opponents go when they stopped struggling? Everything I know says that’s a bad place.
“Would save the Lodgings a ton of money.”
“Yeah, but now the OCB is checking in on these fellows because of those two scent matches.”
“More fucking bullshit paperwork. Okay, I got the leg chains on. Roll him over.”
I snarl at them. I’m vulnerable, unable to part my legs more than a double hand span. They lock my hands together in front of my body, and then drag me upright.
“Let’s go, wild guy.” He shoves my shoulder, and I stumble out of the cell.
“Can you fucking imagine taking one of these into your pack? Gotta have a few screws loose to even consider it.”
“Yeah, for sure. But you know how it is with omegas.”
“Right. What they want, they get.” The other chuckles. “Gotta say, my pack spoils ours too.”
“How big’s your pack?”
“Nine.”
The other male makes a sharp sound as they push me toward the open cell door.
Terror crawls up my neck. If I’m sent out to fight with my limbs bound like this, how can I win? I try to spin around and head back to the safety of my cell, but they force my shoulders. The other alphas in the cells roar, adding to the pressure throbbing inside my head. I duck and wince.
The gruff alphas push me along the corridor and out through the entrance. The only reason I’m not screaming and clinging to the walls is that out here is the Other Place, the one that smells alive and swims with light.
I stumble down a different hallway, trying to manage walking with tiny steps. The sound the alphas made, pack , winds through the throbbing in my head. Are these two men pack because they’re always together? Is a pack a group, and if so, does that make my territory brothers a pack?
“All right, Zazu, this is the exercise area. Enjoy your day out because we can only give you one a month.”
Sunlight floods over me and for a moment I forget the danger as I lift my face. The light soaks into my skin, which never happens in cells or fighting caves. A murmur of awe slips through me as the alphas unbuckle my restraints.
But it only lasts a few seconds before my nose fills with strange intruder scents and alarm grips my senses. This is another fight. Separated by a single fence stand a large group of challengers, many of them dotted with dark skin marks. They stare at me.
A quiver runs down my throat and into my chest. Am I to fight all of them? This must be a pack, because they mill there together without fighting each other.
Well, pack or not, I won’t back down.
I throw myself toward the fence, snarling a challenge. The metal pings as I bounce off it, but it doesn’t attack me like the time I escaped.
A whistle splits the air and a big alpha with no hair on top looks me over. “Fuck me, they really are like wild animals.”
The smaller one next to him nods. “Told ya, boss. They had a big intake out of the underground fight rings while you were in solitary.”
The big one holds my gaze as he draws closer. I pace up and down, searching for the flashing lights that will change when the gate’s about to open. Nothing else is out here, except for a huge golden bulb hanging in that endless blue roof.
Darkness creeps into the corners of my eyes as I swing around, watching for the guard alphas at my back as well as the pack on the other side of the fence. But the three guards disappear inside the giant building we came out of, slamming the door shut behind them. I sidle along the chain mesh, putting some distance between me and the doorway.
One of the pack members puts his arm through the fence and waves it. “Here, doggie!”
I leap, my fingers grazing his skin as he yanks it away.
“Fuck, he’s fast.” The stench of fear wafts through the air, and I growl again. “Fucking stinks too.”
The biggest alpha chuckles. “Damn! Imagine having a couple of those on your side. Do you reckon we could train one to guard a warehouse?”
One of the other alphas shrugs. I lift my nose, vibrating with alertness. Alphas. Others . Females. I can tell them apart by scent.
“Maybe, but would take a long time. The kennels train these boys for years to become feral killers, so you’d have to recondition that.”
Kill. That’s a sound I know. I roar, digging my fingers into the metal links and exposing my chest in a challenge. When the fuck is this gate going to open? I’ll show them the meaning of the word kill .
We hang there, locked in a standoff, the alphas watching me with a strange look in their gazes. Like they don’t think I’m the same as them.
It pisses me off even more.
Sweat trickles down my back as my skin heats. I can’t recall ever being this warm. I’d like to enjoy it, but I can’t with this huge threat staring at me. Eventually the energy builds up so tight inside I pace so it doesn’t rip my skin apart. It gives me the opportunity to take a good look around.
The alphas on the other side drift around their open area. Some kick a small round object back and forth along the ground. Others do strange movements with their arms. Not all of them seem to be part of the pack, because some stay near the corners, sitting on lumps of wood and looking at paper.
I take a second glance as an unfamiliar sensation trickles down my back. They aren’t preparing to fight. What’s going on for these alphas to have a challenger within a few paces, but not even look my way? Is this gate never going to open? I can’t fall for a trap. Can’t let my guard down.
I growl.
Beyond the fencing on their side stands the giant stone wall I saw the last time I was in the Other Space. The height looms, throwing shadows across the ground that move slowly. It’s capped with rolls of shining gray stuff with teeth attached. Maybe the sharpened bones of those who lose? I shake off the chilling thought.
The entire set of challenges would have been fought by now, in the time I’ve been out here walking the fence line, and still the gate hasn’t opened.
The alpha missing hair drags a wooden block near the fence and snaps his fingers at one of the others. “Do they pace and snarl like this all day?”
“Nah, most of them relax after an hour or two.”
“Guess this one’s got guts.”
“Or an anxiety disorder.”
Their laughter hurts my ears and I back away. Sounds are different out here, thinner as the wind carries them away, but I can’t settle. My job has always been to fight, and if I can’t do that, what’s left?
I’m thirsty and I open my mouth, testing the dry air. An alpha on the other side goes to a silver box and I smell water.
Maybe the fights have changed, and now I’m the challenger.
“Whatchyu thinking, crazy boy?” the big alpha asks, eyes narrowing on me.
The longer I wait, the more dangerous this gets. The heat radiating off my skin might dry me right up. I peel back my lips and give myself a bit more space from the fence.
“Guys, I think he’s—”
A gust of wind rushes through my hair, cooling my heated skin. I take one skipping step and then throw myself at the fence, clawing my way up. The metal cuts at my toes but I grit my teeth and push on.
“Fuck! He’s climbing!”
Now the challengers wake, and I double my speed, muscles screaming in pain as I force my body up over the fence that’s higher than any cage I’ve been in. Screeching alarms go off and finally the lights flash. I grin in triumph as I drop into the challenger ring. The game is still in play, it just changed forms. I had to act first this time.
The alphas flock my way as I hit the ground. I spin and kick out at the first one and the satisfying thump of flesh under my foot settles the jitters crowding my body. This is what I was born to do.
I kick and flail, catch alpha after alpha. They fight strangely, with their fists up in front of their face like they don’t understand this is life and death. All the better for me. I weave in and out of their sluggish movements, striking weak points. No padded fur skins here.
A heavy force slams into the side of me, knocking me head over feet. I blink light spots out of my eyes as the big alpha holds a long wooden block over my head. Fiery pain runs through the entire right side of my body, and when I lift my arm, it dangles loosely and won’t obey. I wheeze, frozen with pain.
The alpha bares his teeth at me with a predatory grin. “Fuck, kid, you’ve got balls on ya.”
Shrill whistles fill the air, and I flinch as the sound streaks straight into my brain. I scrabble at the dirt, putting some distance between me and my dangerous foe.
“Put it down, Mr Alhedy!”
The wood tumbles to the ground and the alpha puts his hands behind his head, making his elbows stick out. Exposing his throat like these guards pose no threat to him. His teeth flash as he grins. “All right, officer. Don’t give me grief for doing your job now. You just gotta know how to handle them right.”
I snarl and lunge to my feet, but one of the guard alphas sweeps his leg through mine. My arm hits the dirt first, and I whine in agony as white-hot light shoots through me, paralyzing my body. By the time I’ve started breathing again, they have chains on my feet and hands again. I slump on the ground, panting.
The guard growls and shakes me. “Fucking psychos! Seriously, why don’t they just put them out of their damn misery!” Waves of pain blast through my body, each one stronger than the last, and a strangled whine slips through my bared fangs.
The big alpha turns his head from where he’s leaning against the fence, eyes tracking me. “Come now, Barrows. You’ve got to admire that kind of fighting spirit.” He chuckles, a low, threatening sound that makes me growl in reply. “Hope you’ve got enough medics on standby to clean this up.”
The guard jerks me to my feet and surveys the groaning, writhing alphas on the ground. “Yeesh! What a day.” He shoves me forward. “You can kiss your future outings goodbye, Zazu.”
I snarl in reply. His scent leaks everywhere, charred. Why’s he mad at me for taking down the challengers? He’s the one who brought me out here to face them. Maybe he’s angry because they’re still moving. I didn’t kill like I’m supposed to. I growl a warning, letting the alphas know I’ll finish the job next time.
One of the other guards grabs me by the arm and I howl as the bones move.
“Shit! How the fuck they gonna set a broken arm on this wildling?”
Another male clicks his tongue. “They’ll put him under. Let’s get him out of here.”
I look down at the metal circling my hands and feet. The big alpha took me down using something other than his body. The other alphas here often carry something in their hands, but I only have my fists. Is this why they didn’t treat me like a challenger? This fighting arena operates differently.
My gaze settles on an alpha in the corner, who shrinks away from me, holding the bundle of thin pages up as if it could protect him. Maybe it’s filled with power, like the metal rods the kennel others used. Or that fence that bit me.
The agony in my arm spreads until my chest feels like it’s cracking open. I thought something was missing from my life, but now I realize it could be many things. Things I should get in my hands.
Well, except one of my arms flaps like the little fluffy-headed plant underfoot with its puff dangling on a broken stem.