After the fights, Killian had a dinner prepared for us so Colin and Micah could mingle with the women in his pack. They weren’t happy with me volunteering them to be displayed like pieces of meat, but there wasn’t any other option. The dining room is full of Blue River pack women, fawning all over them. The guys smile and talk to them, but they aren’t flirty like they are at home with other women.
Killian leaves Colin and Micah to sit with me at the-mile-long dining room table. It’s the first time I’ve eaten a full meal since being in his company. Having Colin and Micah with me has helped. I don’t feel so alone with them physically here and with Tate in my mind.
“It brings me comfort knowing you’re in my mind too,” Tate murmurs.
Looking down at my food, I smile.
Killian chuckles. “What are you smiling about?”
I nod over at Colin and Micah. “Them. I’m glad they’re here.”
Killian glances over at them. “Me too. Do you think they’ll ever forgive me for taking you away?”
When I don’t answer, he focuses on me. They would never forgive him, but I can’t say that. “I don’t know,” I say. “They just want me to be happy. It’s kind of hard when I’m left in limbo like this, all because of you.”
His jaw clenches. “Most women like being fought for.”
“If that’s what you’re used to, then yeah, maybe some do. But I’m not like that, Killian.”
He sighs. “I get that now. I’m hoping one day you will forgive me.”
The words that come out of his mouth sound genuine, but there’s a darkness in his eyes that says otherwise. I believe Tia when she says he’s always treated her kindly, and that’s what makes this so complicated. Desperation can turn people into something they’re not. Still, even if he’s a good person underneath, it doesn’t change the fact that he took me against my will.
Narrowing my gaze, I can feel my wolf just beneath the surface. I can see the reflection of my glowing eyes in his. “If an evil lunatic of a shifter wins this tournament, I will kill him before he can even think about being my mate. If any of the winners try to touch me during our time together, I will kill them. This is all your fault. I can’t even think about forgiveness right now.”
“Faith, what are you doing?” Tate demands.
“It’s time I show everyone what I’m capable of.” Tia’s magic kept me from killing Killian that first night. He needs to see how lethal I can be, and the only way to do that is with the other wolves. Even they need to get a taste of how strong a shifter female can be.
Killian stares at me with wonder in his eyes. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to let your wolf out.”
I scoff and grab my wine. “Yeah, she’s kind of pissed right now.” I look over at Tia sitting in the corner, and she watches us curiously.
Killian moves in close, and I can feel Tate’s anger vibrating through my body. “What if I won and let you go? Do you think you could forgive me then? I’ll even give you half of the money.”
The only way he could win is if Tate backs down or dies. Even if Tate weren’t in the picture, I wouldn’t believe him. “I don’t want the money, Killian. I want my freedom.”
“Then I’ll give it to you. I know I can win. We just have to get through the next few days.” He glances down at his phone and sighs. “It’s time for me to go. I have to get ready for my fight.”
I nod. “I’ll be there.”
Roman appears at the dining room door and nods for Killian to join him. Killian says his goodbyes to my brother and Micah before leaving the room. The women follow him out, leaving only me, Tia, Micah, and Colin.
Tia comes over to me and sits in the seat Killian just left. “That conversation was a little heated. What was it about?”
Micah and Colin walk over. “I was picking up on that too,” Micah says, leaning against the table with his arms crossed.
I can’t sense any wolves around, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. “Can we talk freely?” I ask Tia.
She nods. “Everyone’s in the underground lair. Killian already told me to keep you all from escaping, so there’s no way you could leave even if you wanted to. That’s why he’s comfortable leaving us alone. I was going to tell you earlier, but I couldn’t.”
“Of course,” I hiss, throwing my arms in the air.
Colin huffs. “This fucking blows. What do we do now?”
I finish my wine and stand. “The only way to break this is to kill him. He asked me if I could forgive him for what he’s done, and I said the only way I’d do that is if he let me go.”
Tia gasps. “What did he say to that?”
I roll my eyes. “That’d he win and release me. He even said I could take half of the money.”
Tia shakes her head. “He’s not going to let you go, Faith. If anything, he’s growing more attached to you. If I weren’t taking away his violent and sexual urges, he’d have already forced himself on you. That’s how bad it’s getting.”
If Tate was angry before, he’s even more livid now. If I’d known Tia was going to say that, I would’ve blocked him.
“Don’t shut me out, Faith. That’ll piss me off even more.”
Colin slams a hand down on the table, cracking the wood. “How else can this shit be broken?”
Tia glances over at me and closes her eyes. “You can either have Laila brought in to use her magic against me or …” She blows out a shaky breath. “Or you can kill me.” Her eyes clench like she’s expecting a blow. When she opens her eyes, we all stare at her. They aren’t going to kill her, and neither am I.
“We’re not going to hurt you, Tia. That’s not how we are. Bringing in Laila is out of the question. She’s pregnant.”
Tia’s lips pull back in a sad smile. “I saw her in Wyoming, but she didn’t see me. I’m happy for her.”
Micah huffs. “We’re back to square one.”
Tia paces the floor. “We still have time to think.” Howls echo outside, and she walks over to the window. “The fights are about to start. It’s time to go.”
Micah and Colin start for the door, but Tia grabs my arm, her expression torn. “What is it?” I ask her.
She looks into my eyes and sighs. “I have to warn you. Killian told me that once he gets in the cage tonight, I’m to release him. All of the rage he has will hit him full force.”
I gasp. “Oh, my God.”
She nods. “Exactly. He wants to intimidate the others. All I can say is that it’ll be one bloody mess. I honestly feel bad for the wolf he’s fighting tonight.”
“It won’t be pretty,” Tate informs me.
My stomach churns, and I swallow hard. Another wolf howls, and Tia takes my arm. “We have to go. It’ll be over soon.”
Not soon enough.
We all walk through the field to the building, and I can feel the raw energy before we even go through the door. Tia and I turn the corner first with Colin and Micah behind us. The more time I spend with Tia, the closer I feel to her. A part of me wonders if that’s her plan or if she’s using magic to make me believe everything she tells me.
“Trust your instincts, Faith,” Tate murmurs.
Tia and I take our seats at the center ring. “My instincts tell me to trust her.” But I still plan to stay on guard. Micah sits beside me, and Colin walks over to the chair beside Tia and sits down, which surprises me. She scans the room, but I keep my focus on the floor. I don’t want to see any of the fighters just yet. Images of the earlier fights replay in my head, and I know what I’m about to see will be a million times worse than that.
“Hello, little wolf.” The voice comes to my left, and I sigh. When I look over, I see Orin with a sly grin on his face. Judging by the way he’s underdressed in only a pair of shorts like the other fighters, I assume that’s what he’s here for. He acknowledges Micah with a nod. “Protector.”
Micah clenches his teeth and nods back, but he doesn’t say anything.
“You’re getting in the ring?” I ask Orin.
He shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “Yeah. I figured I’d try my luck. I could make a pretty good mate.”
If Orin wasn’t in cahoots with Killian, I think I’d see him a lot differently. He has a sense of humor, and he seems like he’d be fun to be around. I hate he’s throwing his life away for me.
“You have a mate out there somewhere, Orin. If you were smart, you’d wait for her.”
Smile fading, he averts his gaze. “Some of us don’t have that luxury.” He nods at Tia and Colin and walks away.
“What’s his story?”
I look at Tia, and her expression saddens. “Out of all the Blue River pack, Orin’s my favorite. He always knows how to make me laugh. Before joining us, he was a rogue. He fell in love with a human and married her, only for her to die of cancer a couple of years ago. Her name was Rachel. When Killian found him in Ontario, he was in a bad way. He talked Orin into joining us here.”
My heart breaks for him. I don’t want to see him get killed because of me. “Is he seriously okay with fighting against Killian?”
Tia shrugs. “He knows it’s a possibility. Honestly, I think he wants to lose. His heart is still broken.”
“Is it sad that I want to save him?” I say to Tate in my mind.
“No, but you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved,” he replies.
Searching through the crowd, I find him standing by himself, stretching out his arms. “I’m going to try.” One way or another, I’ll find a way.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Colin hisses angrily. He jumps to his feet, and several of the shifters around us tense.
Heart racing, I stand and grab his arm. His energy puts everyone close by on edge, and I don’t want him in the middle of a brawl. “Hey, calm down. What’s wrong?”
His eyes are fixed on someone across the room, and they’re blazing. I follow his line of sight, and that’s when I see what caught his attention. Anson. He’s warming up in the corner, laughing and talking to a couple of other wolves.
Tate’s confusion hits me first, but then his outright rage makes me stumble on my feet. Micah steadies me from behind. “Tate?”
So much is going through his mind, and all I see is red. The next thing I know, everything goes blank; he shut me out. “Yes,” I whisper. “He blocked me.”
Micah sighs. “He’s got to be infuriated right now. It doesn’t look like Anson’s here against his will.”
“No,” I growl, my body trembling with the need to shift. “It doesn’t.” I storm through the crowd, and everyone gives me a wide berth, including the fighters. Colin and Micah are at my back, fuming just as much as I am. One of the shifters near Anson smacks his arm, and he turns in our direction. He tenses and looks away, but I’m not going to hold back. “You better look at me,” I shout as I get closer. Colin grumbles something from behind, but I hold up a hand. “I got this.” Anson’s eyes flash when he looks at us, and I step right up to him. “What the hell are you doing here? We thought you were in trouble.”
His attention shifts to someone over my shoulder, and I already know who it is. Killian moves up next to me and sighs. “It was a ruse, Faith. That’s how I was able to find you. All it took was telling him about my plans for him to betray his alpha.”
I don’t take my eyes away from Anson. “Tate will never forgive you for this, and neither will I.”
“Put me in the ring with him,” Colin hisses, his voice husky and dark. “I’ll make him suffer.”
Anson throws up his hands, his gaze blazing like fire. “What the hell was I supposed to do, Faith? I asked Grayson to let you spend time with the pack to see if you could be a potential mate for one of us, but he kept you for himself. I wanted time with you.”
I don’t know Anson well, and he’s not a part of my pack, but the betrayal runs deep. “And yet, you literally threw me to the wolves,” I say. “I’m here because of you.”
He shakes his head and looks away. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, you did. What’s worse is that you betrayed your alpha. I hope you’re ready to face those consequences.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand. “I’m done here. There’s nothing left to say.”
Turning on my heel, I walk away and take a deep breath. Tia waits for me by my seat, and I can see the anguish on her face. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell you. I knew it would break your heart.”
Micah huffs. “My concern is Tate. He’s going to be livid.”
“He’ll be more than that,” I whisper, feeling Tate come back into my mind. He stopped blocking me, but his thoughts are still flashes of red. “Talk to me, Tate. Tell me you’re okay.”
“I can’t,” he says, his voice rough and raw. “He’ll die for this.”
“I know.” And I have the sinking suspicion that Killian’s going to make sure Tate fights against Anson at some point.
Roman climbs up into the ring with his microphone and taps it. “All right, it looks like we started this night off with a little bit of excitement. Well, it’s about to get even more exhilarating.” He calls out the first four fighters who take their places in the left and right cages. I’ve noticed a trend with the center ring. It’s where the most brutal fights have been.
“Prepare yourself,” Tia whispers. “Killian’s going in.” Roman calls out his name and his opponents. Killian steps into the ring, all calm and collected, just like Tate did. The other guy paces around, his eyes already glowing a bright shade of green. The energy in the room skyrockets, and Tia grabs my hand, her skin running ice cold. Her breathing runs rapid, and she sucks in a breath as it hurts to breathe. “He wants to be unleashed. I can’t fight it.”
Roman locks the cage door, and Killian’s opponent shifts. He turns his glowing eyes onto Tia, and within seconds, all hell breaks loose. His wolf bursts free, and he bashes into the other wolf, slamming him into the cage. Blood splatters all over the mat as he rips his opponent in half. Killian’s men hoot and holler from the sidelines, cheering on their alpha as he decimates the wolf, limb from limb. I’m mortified, but I can’t look away—Killian’s like a rabid animal, high off of blood and gore. I’ve never been terrified of another wolf, but Killian is what nightmares are made out of.
“Were you prepared for that?” Tia asks.
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
Looking around at the crowd, neither was anyone else.