"What the fuck do you want Jaxon?" I growl.
My brother rolls his eyes and walks into the office. "The Ring is the most popular club in the pack, it's all I ever hear about. I'm really impressed with how much effort you've put into it even though it's technically not even yours," he says making me growl again.
I stand up from my desk and push past him, walking out of the office. "Did you really interrupt my work just to tell me you're impressed?" I snap.
I walk behind the bar counter and he sits down on one of the stools. I grab the clipboard on the wall and start checking the stock of liquor behind the bar. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jaxon sigh.
"Actually, I came to talk to you about Maia," he says and I pause.
"What about Maia?" I ask. As much as my twin sister irritates the hell out of me, I still care about her.
"Well I'm really worried she is going to find her mate next week. I mean mom and dad let her invite the entire pack and dozens of wolves from other packs to come to the party," he tells me.
I look at him through narrowed eyes. "Why are you worried about her finding her mate? That's supposed to be a good thing."
He grunts. "She's going to want to tell him about the three of us, and I don't trust anyone with that secret," he explains.
"Okay, what the hell do you want me to do?"
"Well I would say something, but Maia trusts you a lot more than she trusts me and—"
"Oh, fuck no!" I snap. "I am not going to talk to Maia about her mate! That needs to stay between her and mom."
"Kaine come on! You're her twin brother! And it's your secret too," he hisses.
I glare murderously at him. "Get out of my club Jax," I growl.
He sighs again. "Fine, but you really should talk to her," he mutters as he walks away.
I can feel a growl rumbling in my chest as I watch him leave. "I'm not talking to her," I growl to myself.
***
I down the rest of my drink as the bell dings again. The unconscious wolf is dragged out of the ring while the winner pumps his arms in the air.
"And Hunter Coleson is victorious once again! That puts him in third place!" Megan, my announcer, says through the microphone.
She glances over at me from her booth and I give her a small thumbs up. She grins then continues to announce the next fight.
"She's a lot better than Zack," my bartender, Lindsay, tells me.
"Yeah, I think it also helps that we finally got a booth. That way people can't steal the microphone anymore," I mutter.
She laughs. "Yeah, that was funny for a while but then the random drunk announcements just got annoying," she agrees.
I nod, pushing my glass towards her. She fills it with an amber-colored liquor and hands it back to me. I turn around on the stool, letting my gaze wander around the packed club.
People surround the fighting ring as well as the dance floor. At least half of them are drunk or high—which takes a lot of drugs or alcohol when you are a shifter. I'm not even paying attention until I hear Megan say my name over the microphone.
I look up with furrowed brows to see her waving me over to the booth. I set my glass onto the bar counter and make my way through the horde of drunk wolves. I heard around to the back door and step inside the 5 by 5-foot room.
"What's going on?" I ask.
Megan turns around, pulling her headphones down so they rest around her neck. "Uh well you know that guy Hunter Coleson? Well he requested to fight you," she tells me.
I smirk. "Did he now?"
She nods. "What should I tell him?"
"Tell him I accept and announce the next fight; for the championship title," I say.
I exit the booth and head towards the edge of the ring. It is massive, raised up off the ground and surrounded in a wire metal cage.
"The next fight will be for the title of Ring Champion! Hunter Coleson, our now second place fighter, has challenged our current Champion, Alpha Kaine!" Megan announces and I hear dozens of gasps from the crowd.
Everyone instantly goes silent, even the music is turned down. Hunter is standing inside the ring already and grins when he sees me.
I step up into the ring, closing the door behind me so the guards can lock it. I crack my knuckles as Megan announces the rules.
Well Lucifer, want to make this quick or fun? I ask.
Make it fun, I could use a punching bag, he growls.
I hear the bell ding and Hunter darts toward me. My fist collides with his face before he can reach me.
He careens backwards into the metal caging. I smirk when I see blood dripping from his broken nose and busted lip.
He wipes his mouth with his arm, glaring at me furiously. I see rage in his eyes and a fire starts pulsing through my veins.
He rushes at me again, aiming for my stomach. His shoulder connects with a powerful force, but I don't even move. I bring my fists down onto his back and he collapses.
He lands flat on his chest, gasping for air. I take a step back when he eventually rises to his feet. He puts up his fists and growls angrily.
We're just pissing him off, Lucifer remarks.
No shit Sherlock, I mutter.
Hunter charges at me a third time. He throws a punch at my face, but I duck to the side and bring my knee up forcefully into his stomach.
He drops to the concrete where he immediately doubles over. He staggers to his feet, his face screwed up in pain as he sucks in a wheezing breath.
His eyes suddenly flash yellow and I plant my feet. He shoots forward, shifting mid-stride. The large brown wolf leaps for my throat.
I easily catch him by the scruff of his neck. His paws flail desperately, and his claws tear my shirt to shreds, narrowly missing my chest. I toss his body to the side.
He hits the caging and falls to the floor. The wolf lets out a snarl as he pushes himself to his feet.
Growing irritated with his persistence, I decide to finish this. When he jumps at me again, I smash my fist into his muzzle.
A sickening crack echoes through the ring as the wolf's jaws snap together against the cement. Blood flows thickly from his mouth as Hunter shifts back.
He lays on the floor, naked and unconscious. I hear the bell ding but not what Megan says after.
As I step out of the ring, I yank my torn shirt over my head and discard it. Everyone immediately moves out of my way, providing a clear path to the bar.
A few minutes after I sit down, the music gets louder, and they start dancing and drinking again. Lindsay leans against the counter, watching me with amusement.
"Nice tattoo," she remarks, looking at the black tribal markings that cover my back.
"Thanks," I mutter. I down what remains of my drink—still sitting on the counter where I left it—and motion for her to give me another.
"You know I keep forgetting you're only 15—well 16 next week," she sighs.
I shrug nonchalantly. "I guess some shifters just mature faster than others."
That is complete bullshit and you know it, Lucifer snorts.
Will you shut up? I snap.
Lindsay suddenly leans in closely, a sly grin on her face. "What kind of shifter are you?" She asks quietly.
I growl in annoyance, "Lindsay I've told you a million times, I'm not fucking allowed to tell you that."
And that is why you should talk to Maia, to make sure she knows that she isn't allowed to tell anyone either, Lucifer interjects. I growl and block him from my mind.
"Oh, come on! We've known each other for like ten years! Please Kaine?" She pleads.
My face hardens. "No."
"Thank you for coming with me," I mutter, curling my fingers into his brown and gold fur.You still haven't told me what we're doing here, he says."I already told you, I don't know," I sigh.I'd feel a lot better if I knew why I was taking you to the heart of dragon territory,he growls."The Queen asked us to come that's why. You don't trust her?"I don't trust anyone.I frown. "Not even me?"He stops and cranes his head to look at me. His eyes take my breath away. He told me they are a genetic mutation that runs in his family. All of the males have wolves with eyes of icy blue instead of yellow.Taylor, do you trust me?he asks.The question catches me off guard. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.He turns away and begins walking again. I grip his fur tighter as he picks up the pace and starts to jog down the mountain path.I'll trust
"What the hell just happened?" Ash whispers.I shrug a little. "I have no idea but that bastard died screaming, so I don't really care," I growl."Fair enough," he mutters with a heavy sigh. "Are you doing okay?"I find myself staring at the ground until it goes fuzzy. "I don't know," I admit.He grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Honestly that's probably a good thing," he murmurs.Kaine suddenly walks toward us, his expression unreadable. "Thank you," he says with a tiny smile.I frown. "For what?""Defending my mate's honor, what he said was―""Disgusting," I growl. "I know you would have done something too, but I just snapped. I mean you did the same for Ash and I yesterday.""Yeah," he sighs. He looks like he's going to say something else but then he turns away and returns to his mate. Syrra is talking to my mother, both with broken smiles on their lips.Peter's body st
He still hasn't let go of the letter. He keeps staring at. He reads it over and over again then closes his eyes for a few moments. When he opens them again and sees the letter still in his hands his shoulders slump a little more."There's no way this is real right?" he whispers, looking up at me.The pain on his face and the hopeful look in his golden eyes makes my stomach turn. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don't know what to say."Please tell me this is all just a bad dream," he begs.I bite my lip hard.It's going to be okay, I want to tell him, but I know it's a lie. I bite harder until I taste blood on my tongue. "I'm sorry Kaine," is all I manage.The last glimmer of hope in his eyes suddenly vanishes. I step closer to him and he wraps his arms around my waist. I suck in a sharp breath as I feel a sudden pressure behind my eyes.He is on his knees, hugging my waist to hold himself up. I can feel something wet
"―a few here actually. They're staying in the tent-hut things just outside the main clearing."I frown. "Syrra did you say you brought someone here?" I ask, looking up from my book."Yes, I apologize Queen Zari, I meant to inform you but it slipped my mind. A few of the vampires living on my territory wanted to see the Circle and meet some dragons," she explains."This place is turning into a tourist attraction," I mutter. "If they cause any problems they will have to leave.""They're very docile creatures, all the ferocity and aggression has left them after centuries of being endangered. They wouldn't dare cause any problems, they're too afraid of extinction," she tells me.I nod and she turns away. A smile crawls onto my lips as I watch her begin to speak again. She sits on Kaine's lap and they face Jaxon and Ash. The boys are all intensely focused, listening to Syrra's stories with animated faces.I notice Jax is braiding Ash's hair and s
"Thanks for helping out dad," I say as I step into the kitchen. I pull off my apron and hang it by the door.My father nods and smiles a little. "Did they like it?""They loved it. You should have seen them, they're so cute together," I gush.He chuckles. "Alpha Dorian is a good guy, he'll make a perfect mate for Taylor."I bite my cheek when I see his smile falter. His eyes are red and the dark circles under them confirm my thoughts. "Hey dad, why don't you try to get some sleep? I can take care of the pack today," I offer."That's very sweet of you Maia but I don't want to give you all that responsibility quite yet."I shrug. "I'll get Mykael to help me, he enjoys my company anyway."He snorts. "I'm sure he does. Alright well I guess you couldn't do too much damage in just one day. Thank you," he says, pulling me into a hug.My stomach twists as I hug him back. His body feels so frail, like if I hug any tighter, I might break
"Taylor!"I sigh heavily into my pillow. "What?" I yell but it's muffled.I hear my door open. "Alpha Dorian is here to see you," Logan says.I groan. "Why the fuck can't he come at a normal time? Why must he show up so early in the morning?" I grumble."He's an alpha Tay, he has a pack to run. Honestly, you're lucky he's putting in this much effort and showing up at all," he snorts."Get out," I spit. I hear the floor creak as he moves closer and a growl escapes my lips. "Logan get the fuck out of my room before I put my foot up your ass."The door slams shut and a few moments later, there's a soft knock. "You can come in Shawn," I mutter, rolling over with a small sigh. It's dark in my room but I can still see.The door slowly opens and my mate steps inside. I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face at the sight of his childish grin. "I apologize for coming so early in the morning," he says.I sit up with a yawn. "Why d