Chapter 8 - Ryder

I’m practically bouncing in my seat as I wait for Hunt to announce the tournament is beginning. My heart is dancing in my chest and I can’t keep my knees still. Draco places a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to stop my erratic movements.

“Would you chill the fuck out?” he asks, though his voice is laced with humor. “I know you’re excited but, Goddess, you’re driving me mad.”

“You know how much I love fighting,” I point out. “You knew I’d be like this.”

The three of us are sitting in the stands at the very top so we have a perfect view of the fights below. Everyone has been given their assignments and it’s only a matter of Hunt giving the signal before all the fun happens. There will be only one fight going on at once so we can put our full focus into the pairs sparring. Men and women are all mixed together but in different categories depending on their skill level.

We’d never let a seasoned warrior go up against someone just starting out. We paired everyone up in even matches to get the whole idea of everyone's skills.

I’m itching to go down there and join but according to my brothers, that’s not allowed.

They never let me have any fun.

“I know,” says Draco, who is sitting between Hunt and me. Born in the middle and stays in the middle. “But I really need you to focus here. I don’t want any of us to miss a single thing.”

I know I’m pouting when I say, “I know.”

Draco just smiles and claps me on the shoulder before turning his attention to the training grounds below. They’re not bad, though not as upscale as the ones we have back at the Bloodstone pack, but they’ll do for now. Hunt already has big plans on how to elevate the pack and I can tell he’s looking forward to all the changes.

The training pit is just a wide, circular area of dirt with a white ring around acting as a boundary. Leather dummies and weapons have been pushed to the side to make room, though everyone is allowed to use a weapon if they choose. Normally, during training, we wouldn’t use the ring but since these are singular sparring battles, it comes in handy. Anyone who is thrown or steps out of the line is considered the loser.

Draco and Hunt are big fans of the boundary lines. They say you should always be aware of your surroundings even in the middle of a fight. What is just a white line here could be the edge of a cliff during battle and one step out of bounds could be the difference between life and death.

My fighting style is on the wilder side and let’s be honest, I’m not one for rules.

After what feels like forever but is only a few minutes, Hunt claps his hands together and the tournament begins. The first pair to come out is two men in equal size, both looking like seasoned warriors with matched skills. As much as any and all fighting gets my blood pumping, I’m ready to see some women show us what they got.

Something about a woman who knows how to throw down is just… perfection. Really gets me going if you know what I mean. Two hot women wrestling around on the dirt, coated in sweat, immediately gets my cock hard.

Then I usually take one or even both of them for a little extra sparring.

But according to Hunt and even Draco, I’m not allowed to do that today. I’ve been ordered to keep my hands to myself and my dick in my pants for the foreseeable future. Hopefully not too long though because it’s not good for me to get too backed up. No one wants to see what happens when I go without sex for too long.

I really don’t want to have to invite Lainy out here but if my brothers cockblock me for too long, I’m afraid I might have to. I hate to do it because I don’t want to give her the wrong idea but a man has needs.

The first fight goes on pretty long, which is bound to happen when people are too equal in strength and skill. It’s still exciting though, especially when that first drop of blood hits the dirt. While we don’t want any murders today, bloodshed is welcome.

I lean in close to Draco and whisper, “I hope the rest of the fights are more exciting than this.”

I see his shoulders shake from silent laughter while Hunt throws me a glare, to which I respond back with a wink. Glare at me all you want, big brother, you know I’m right.

The rest of the fights are a blur but I’m impressed by what I’m seeing. I’ve been taking little notes on my assignment clipboard next to each name like a good boy. This pack is turning out to be more skilled than I thought and I’ve found myself squirming in my seat a few times from the beauties I’m not allowed to take to bed despite their flirty smiles and suggestive winks.

I put a little asterisk next to each of those girls' names for the future once my brothers remove my proverbial chastity belt.

Today's tournament is strictly human form only so I haven’t seen anyone's wolf yet but down here in the south, they all look relatively similar with darker hair and thinner fur to combat the heat. Draco and Hunt both agreed they were more interested in seeing these new pack members' abilities as humans first before we dive into wolf sparring.

While I love fighting in my wolf form, there’s something special about going up against someone as a human. You get to see all their facial expressions and the eyes are always the first tell of how someone is going to attack.

What’s that saying again? The eyes are the windows to our souls?

Well, whatever it is, eyes are a huge tell and if you pay attention, you can almost predict how your opponent will move.

As I thought about wolf forms, a stray thought pops into my head about the girl from earlier. The pale haired beauty named Alanna.

She’s something I’ve never seen before. Never even heard of before. Her thick silver hair, icy blue eyes, and pale skin don’t fit in the south. I’ve never met or seen anyone who lives up in the northern territories and it makes me wonder if that’s where she’s from. If so, what is she doing down here in this heat?

How did she get here? Is she even from up north or just an anomaly born in a sea of dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin? I hate to think of her having a birth defect because to say she’s beautiful is an understatement.

She’s… stunning. Brilliant. A beacon of beauty.

The moment those icy eyes looked at my brothers and me, I felt my breath catch in my throat. I can honestly say I’ve never seen someone so beautiful and breathtaking in my life. Her snarky attitude just adds to her appeal and if my cock weren’t on lockdown, she’d be the first one I’d take to bed.

Though something tells me she wouldn’t be easy. No. I’d have to work for it, something I’m not used to, but I have a feeling it would be worth it. All that sass would be a dream to fuck out of her.

And speaking of the devil, the last two walk off the training pit and on walks Alanna, dressed head to toe in black - even wearing a pair of leather gloves - and beside her is a man twice as wide and a whole head taller. He's got to have almost a hundred pounds on her.

Who the fuck put these two together?

I ask my brothers and they both lean forward, elbows resting on their knees.

“The head warriors came up with the pairings,” explains Draco, his brows furrowed. “I’m not sure who decided this was going to be a fair fight.”

Alanna walks beside her opponent with her shoulders squared and head held high, not showing an ounce of fear at having to fight a man who looks like he could crush her in his hand. I’ve seen plenty of women take down larger men but this is something else. She looks like a child compared to him.

He’s easily the biggest warrior we’ve seen today and even larger than my brothers and me.

“Are we just going to let this happen?” I ask.

Draco looks to Hunt, letting him be the one to make the decision. I see Hunt's eyes fog over, mindlinking, and once they clear he says, “Let’s see what she’s got.”