A Fight To Death

Reya’s POV 

The instant I heard the ringing of the bells, I locked gazes with my opponent, a male soldier of Moon-heart pack. He was clearly one of their strongest and if I didn't do anything to thwart him, he was going to obliterate me in under a minute.

I raised my right foot to the center of the ring, tightening my muscles and gazing at my opponent.

I could feel how strong my opponent was even after so much distance between us. His massive size was not an act, his presence indicated he had the means to use it to shatter me in every conceivable manner.

"Come at me," he bellowed, his voice a low growl. "Let me finish this."

A shadow moved and I moved forward, paying only attention to my opponent, whose face burned with a sort of almost violent anger. I’ve been waiting for this, “I grinned, pulling my hands tightly together. 

I didn’t notice him. He ran right up into me like a freight train. I had too little time to react, just then raising my arms high enough to block a devilish punch that sucked straight at my face. The bow sent me tumbling backward but I got back into it quickly. Kicked him in the ass.

My opponent grunted, but the pain only seemed to fuel his rage. He attacked a third time, faking left before a sharp elbow drove home in my ribcage. I gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of me. Pain throbbed through my stomach but I shut it out.

Through the haze of my pain, I still managed to grab hold of his arm, twisting and pulling him into a savage knee strike.

He growled, striking his hand against the earth.

We separated, each of us taking care to circle around the other. His eyes flicked to a metal pipe lying on the ground and he dove for it. Luckily, due to my size disadvantage, I was faster. I kicked it out from under him and followed with a series of punches.

I blocked and sidestepped as best I could but my ferocity and speed were too much. I had Lydia to thank for that. Maybe after this fight, I was going to take her out for dinner.

With a roar, he launched a bone-crushing punch that knocked me off my feet. A lot of pain came up through my chest and I was pretty sure he broke a few ribs, I had blood in my mouth and threw it out and washed it down with the back of my palm.

Blowing his lungs hard, he moved forward, but I was a long way off, blood dripping from the split lip.

Then he lay down again and I dodged his wild swing from his chest and slammed my shoulder into his crotch then slammed him on a concrete pillar that cracked the pillar and sucked dust and debris down.

His eyes flashed with pain and anger. He kicked off the pillar then used the momentum to do a spinning back kick that hit me on the jaw and basically sent me through the air. 

Deflated I tried to get up, but he was on me keeping me down with a hand over my throat.

“I’ll end this now,” he hissed, his grip tightening.

My sight shrunk, and my heart quivered in my chest but I brought the last husk of my strength. With a manic growl I pulled his wrist and turned, breaking his grip on me and flipping him onto his back. I sat on his chest, rain-punches pounding against him in a mad rhythm.

My rival struggled valiantly, but my blows were relentless, fueled by years of training. Finally, with a feral scream, I struck a final, crushing blow that sent him limp and unconscious to the arena floor.

The crowd erupted when I stood up. Panting, battered and stinging, I glared down at my foe, only now realizing that I had not even bothered to discover his name. I glanced upwards into the seats where I knew Lycan Tristan jaw must have dropped to the floor.

But I did not look at him, rather, I looked about with my eyes for Alpha Xander, beaming massively the moment I saw him with my beloved daughter on his lap.

Both of them clapped.

I limped away, toward the door as my wolf, Ciara's voice echoed within my mind. "Your first win in a real duel. I'm proud of you."

"Our first win in a real duel," I broke in quickly. "I wouldn't have won without you."

Ciara snorted against my chest. 'That was you all the way. We both know I didn't do a thing. Accept the win, because from here on out, that's what we'll be doing.'

Pride mellowed me out but before I could fully accept it, a body slammed into me, wrapping me in a bear hug.

"You were so good…" she kissed both cheeks of my face without concern that I was bleeding and sweating everywhere.” I’m such a proud fuck of you, Ray. I have to say, I didn't think you could do it, but you just went and did."

She took a step back, staring at me with pain. "Did you keep secrets from me throughout our training practice? Tell me the truth. I witnessed what you did to that man outside and I'm sure for certain that he's my match in strength.”

I winced, smiling at her. "Thank goddess for the word almost. Who knows but that you're not stronger than him? Trust me when I tell you your way out-class him in both strength and technique and that's coming from someone who have had to battle both of you."

She smiled. Hugging me again, this time in a bear hug.

That's only the start," she said as she dragged me into the changing rooms. "You still have three more games to play before the game is over and you'd better play as good as you did with this one."

I was out on the arena again within less than twenty minutes and my opponent this time was a girl from Frenute Pack. She was not good enough and neither were the other two.

Throughout my fights, I could sense Lycan Tristan's eyes on me and I could feel there was another set of eyes which made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I knew it was not Lycan Xander because I never felt insecure with him.

The fact that whoever those pairs of eyes belonged to and they accompanied me everywhere. The crowd was too large for me to start searching through them.

'Ease up,' Ciara complained inside me. 'If it is a threat, I would have picked up on it. I don't think there's anything they can do to you now with how much stronger you've gotten and having me, being under the protection of the strongest Lycan in the community.'

What she said put my mind at ease and I endeavored to do my best and ignore the extra pair of eyes on me which I was finding uncomfortable. Later, when the last of the battles of my day ended, I encountered Lycan Xander and children at the changing room.