"I may be your second chance, Wade, but I will not be your second choice."
Reeling from the death of his mate, Alpha Wade tried everything in his power to bring her back to life. So consumed with raising her from the dead, he almost missed his secon...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
BEFORE I could direct my attention back toward Beta Finn and ready myself for our fight, his fist greeted the edge of my jaw with a bone-shattering punch. The force of the blow sent me backward, and I tripped over my feet. My arms waved in the air like a manic sprinkler. I managed to recover enough from the punch, regaining my footing.
A searing pain radiated from the collision. As I gathered my wits, hunching in a fighter's position, I flexed my jaw in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain.
Beta Finn had got the better of me.
I could see a small flicker of satisfaction register in Beta Finn's eyes. He was proud of his punch. His lips twitched as he began closing the gap between us. With each oncoming step, his eyes narrowed further into a scowl, and his shoulders hunched ever so slightly as he stalked. He dragged me forward by the scruff of my shirt and then flung me to the side.
Having predicted his movements, I managed to roll to the ground to lessen the impact on my body. Even though I had not even attempted to throw a counterstrike, I had Beta Finn exactly where I wanted him.
I wanted him to grow with confidence. I wanted him to not only think he had the upper hand but really believe it.
Then I would strike when he least expected it.
In one fell swoop, I rolled in the dirt like I was some sort of bug and was soon jumping back on my feet. I made sure to make a scene of wiping the sweat off my forehead while exaggerating my labored breathing.
Beta Finn, his back turned toward me, nodded toward everyone still surrounding the Combat Arena. He muttered a few words, "Now, that's how it's done."
With Beta Finn's attention directed at the crowd, I used this lapse to my advantage.
Determination filled my body as I kicked Beta Finn in his lower groin. He howled in pain as his knees faltered underneath his weight. One of his knees could not withhold the pressure, bucking beneath him. His hands went to cover his groin while he looked up at me with eyes like snakes.
He was angry.
Gone was the confident spark in his eyes.
I had not played fair, but I could have said the same for him.
He had thrown the first blow before a brief shake of the hands took place. He had violated basic challenge protocol, and I was not above playing dirty in return.
Beta Finn snarled, fist swinging, but all I had to do was step to the side to evade his iron punch.
As I circled Beta Finn, cornering my prey, all thoughts of my mate were abandoned, my wolf instincts taking over. Instead of lusting for the touch of my mate, my mouth watered for the blood of my Beta. To taste the iron tinge of his blood.
Beta Finn tried to throw another punch, but I caught his fist in mine and then twisted his arm. His body crumbled to one side, but he managed to wrap his hand around mine. In doing so, he likewise twisted my arm, and I went sprawling across the dirt floor.
