I don’t know if it’s the anger from Anson’s betrayal or if the rage is starting to set in. Hell, it could be both. All I know is that I feel like I’m losing control. With Faith being in Killian’s clutches and me not being able to be with her is taking its toll. I can’t stand not being able to protect her. What’s worse is that I have no fucking clue how I will make it out of this alive.
In less than an hour, I’ll be back in the ring, fighting for my mate. It’s kill or be killed. I have no choice. As I’m looking out the window, the small town seems a lot quieter now. What started as forty-eight men is now down to twenty-four. After today, there will only be twelve.
Sitting on the hotel bed, I look down at my cell, dreading what I’m about to tell my father. We’ve never had someone in our pack betray us the way Anson has. I press send, and it only rings once before my father picks up.
“Tate,” he says, his voice sounding desperate. “Thank God, you’re okay.”
I look over at the alarm clock on the dresser. There are only ten minutes before Killian’s men will be picking me up at the abandoned shack. “I’m far from it,” I tell him.
“What’s going on, son?”
“Anson betrayed us, Dad. He’s the one who told Vilkas that Faith and I were in Florida.”
My father growls. “Son of a bitch.” He already knows about the fights and what I’m up against. The news about Anson is going to change our pack forever. “Have you talked to him?”
I huff. “Faith did. She confronted him last night, and I heard everything through our bond. He was mad because I refused to share Faith with the pack. He saw this as his chance to win her.” When I close my eyes, I can see the smug look on his face. There’s no remorse. No guilt for what he did. My body trembles with the need to shift.
“They’re going to pair you up with him, son. You know that, right?”
“I know,” I say, sighing heavily. “I doubt it’ll be today. He’ll make it through to the top four.”
“And when he does. What are you going to do?”
Visions of me ripping him apart flash through my mind. “I’ll kill him. There’s no forgiving him after this.”
“No, there’s not,” my dad agrees. “He has to pay the price.”
“He will, but I don’t know if it’s going to do any good. I know I’ll make it to the final round, but it’ll be against Vilkas. His witch will make sure I lose.”
“If anyone can get out of this, it’s you, Tate. You’re smart and stronger than any man I know, including me. I often wonder how I got so lucky to have a son like you.”
Time is ticking by. I look out the window once more before leaving the room. “If I don’t make it out alive, you need to keep the pack together.”
“Don’t worry about us, son. You’re going to be fine. Everyone will be waiting for you to come back with your mate.”
We say our goodbyes, and I head out of the hotel toward the edge of town. Three other shifters are waiting at the shack. Two of them weren’t in my fighting group yesterday, but I recognize them through Faith’s mind. The third one, however, fought in my group. His name is Dixon, and he’s an arrogant tool. I’d love to fight him.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” he says to me.
I stare right at him, unleashing some of the power I keep hidden inside of me. “Maybe it’s because I have nothing to say to you.”
His jaw clenches, and he backs off. The other two do the same, giving me a wide berth. Killian’s men arrive a few minutes later, and we all get in the van, none of them saying a word.
“I’m ready to see you,” Faith murmurs in my mind.
“I’m ready to see you too. I just wish it wasn’t like this.”
“Me too. I want it to be over, but I know we need the time to figure out what to do. Tia’s link to Killian is dangerous. She can’t control what he makes her do. He says he’ll let me go if he wins, but it means you lose for him to do that. Not a single bone in my body trusts him.”
I clench my fists tight. “You shouldn’t. If he wins, he’s not going to let you go.”
Her silence says everything. I’m glad she doesn’t believe any of the shit Killian tells her. There’s only one way to break through Tia’s magic, and it’s to complete the bond. The full moon is only five days away, but it’s also the night of the final fight. Getting alone time with Faith isn’t going to happen.
We pull up to the gate, and it opens. The driver takes us right to the building and slides the van door to the side. Dixon and the other two shifters stay put, so I get out first. Roman walks toward me and smiles. “You missed some of the excitement last night.”
“Yeah, I heard,” I say, keeping my anger in check.
He flourishes a hand toward the door. “Go on down. Everyone’s warming up.”
By everyone, I assume it means Anson is already there. I walk inside the building to the back hallway and then down the stairs to the underground pit. When I turn the corner, silence fills the air. After Faith’s altercation with Anson, everyone surely knows the truth about how she got here. If any of the shifters here were honorable, they’d try to figure out a way to get Faith out after learning she was kidnapped for Killian’s fucked up tournament. But are they helping? No. All they see is power and a beautiful mate for the taking. It’s that kind of knowledge that makes me not regret killing any of them.
I scan the room, and that’s when I see the traitorous bastard standing on the opposite side of the room, talking to three men of the Blue River pack.
“Tate, don’t,” Faith warns.
“I’m sorry, love. I have to.” With Anson in my sights, I shut my mind off from hers. She doesn’t need to see or hear any of the thoughts running through my mind. Everyone moves out of the way, giving me a clear path. Anson has his back to me, and when he stiffens, I know he knows I’m there.
When he turns around, I don’t waste any time. I punch him so hard his head snaps to the side, his blood splattering across the wall.
He slowly turns to me and laughs as blood pours out of his nose. “I was expecting worse.”
I knew I wouldn’t get far with all of Killian’s men in the room. There are at least six of them at my back and three slowly making their way to Anson. “Oh, believe me, you’ll get it,” I snarl.
Anson shrugs. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You got greedy.”
Roman steps in between us. “All right, men. That’s enough.” His eyes meet mine. “Step away, Grayson.”
As I glance over my shoulder, there are now eight men ready to pull me back. Killian stands off to the side of the room, clearly amused by the smirk on his face. Clenching my teeth, I hold up my hands. “I’m done.” Fire burning through my veins, I glare at Anson. “You better hope they don’t put us in the ring together.”
Anson grins, which only infuriates me more. “Oh, I’ll be ready. I can promise you that.”
So will I.