by Anya Nowlan
Evan said something to Alex, stretching out his arms in a peaceful gesture. The man spat something back angrily, shaking his head. Karen strained her ears but couldn’t make anything out.
The wolf limped towards Evan, trying for an elbow jab to the face, but he blocked it effortlessly, countering with a kick to Alex’s ribs. The man doubled over in pain. Evan looked at the ref, angrily raising a brow. How far was he going to let it go?
Karen got up, not knowing what to do. The referee seemed to think it was a fight to the death.
She started scanning the room for Tom. Maybe he could put a stop to this? In the middle of the jostling mass, a still figure caught her eye. He seemed to be looking right at her. When he noticed Karen staring, he blew her a kiss.
Kyle. Son of a bitch.
What the hell was he doing there? Hoping to have another go at her while Evan was busy fighting someone else?
Karen grabbed Everett’s arm, yanking him down to her level.
“Kyle is here,” she said, raising her voice.
“Your crazy ex-boyfriend Kyle?” Everett asked, his eyes widening.
“The one and only,” Karen replied sourly.
“I’m sorry to say, I think we have bigger problems,” Everett pointed, gesturing to the cage.
Evan was leaning on the chain link wall of the cage, bleeding from his chest. Alex’s eyes were tinted yellow, his fists somewhere between hands and paws, black curved claws erupting from his fingers. The referee finally rushed over, saying something to Alex and grabbing his arm. Alex turned around, slashing the ref’s face and kneeing him in the ribs. The man fell and started crawling out of the cage.
Alex let out a bloodcurdling howl. The crowd started backing away from the cage in confusion and fear.
“Okay, that’s it,” Everett roared, pushing through the mob of people to get to the ring.
“This shit show has gone on long enough.”
Karen tried to follow him but was swept away in the sea of people. Someone grabbed her arm, pulling her inside the mayhem of bodies making their way to the exit. She could already guess who it was.
“Everett! Everett, over here!” she shouted.
Everett was still nudging people left and right, determined to reach Evan, who was busy trying to keep Alex’s claws from his face. There was no way he could hear her in the chaos. Karen frantically pulled against Kyle’s grasp but to no end.
Not again!
Seventeen
Evan
Well, this took a fucking turn.
Evan had grown suspicious when Alex had tried to turn his eyes into mush and the ref did nothing. Did they have some kind of arrangement? But when Alex turned on the ref as well, all bets were off. Guess whatever his deal was, he wasn’t about to stand idle while someone broke the most important rule of all – no shifting in the cage.
Evan had tried talking to Alex to find out why he was acting the way he was. The wolf only said that he didn’t have a choice and continued playing dirty. Now he had seemingly lost his wits altogether and was shifting in the middle of a fight.
Alex wasn’t a wolf yet, but he was channeling his animal side for extra strength. Evan knew he would be giving Alex the upper hand if he didn’t do the same. He also knew that shifting so soon after being injured would tear his old wounds.
The crowd was split. Some were cheering even louder, enjoying the extreme turn the fight had taken, while the more squeamish were heading for the door. From the corner of his eye, Evan could see Everett’s tall frame cutting its way through the throng of people.
Where’s Karen?
He didn’t leave her alone to fend for herself in the crowd, did he?
Alex lumbered towards him, hands outstretched, nails glistening with blood. Before he managed to grab hold of him, Evan knocked him back with an uppercut, making the wolf doubled over, spitting up blood.
Evan looked back out into the crowd and caught sight of Karen’s red hair. She was being jostled in the direction of the exit. She was shouting something and struggling, reaching towards Everett. That’s when Evan noticed a hand on her arm, a man in a black hoodie dragging her with him.
Son of a bitch.
Everett was already by the cage, ready to climb over the chain fence.
“Karen! Behind you! Go help Karen!” Evan shouted to him.
Everett turned around, scanning the crowd. He must’ve spotted her, as he turned back and started wading towards Karen’s location.
Strong arms grasped Evan from behind, claws raking over his chest. He could hear Alex growling in his ear as he squeezed him. A little more pressure and he was going to crack a rib.
Evan geared up and swung his elbow into Alex’s side, making his grip loosen.
He jabbed at the wolf again.
And again.
Finally he was able to wiggle out of Alex’s hold.
Okay, that’s it. I don’t have time for this, Evan thought, taking the reins off his bear.
A roar ripped through him as the transformation took hold. The bones in his body realigned, following familiar patterns. His flesh expanded, covering with fur. The shift was usually painless, but this time Evan could feel the new skin on his forearm and shin stretch and peel back, tearing the muscle underneath.
He ignored the pain and charged at Alex, not wanting to give him time to react.
His massive build knocked the wolf to the ground, his head slamming against the floor. Alex tried to claw and snap at him, but Evan placed his heavy paw on his throat, forcing him to stop defeated, his hands and teeth turning back to normal.
Alex knew how easily the bear could end his life. Evan pulled his grizzly back, reversing the shift as Alex lay on the ground. Most of the crowd had left, while the few remaining stood in awed silence.
“I’m sorry, don’t’ kill me,” Alex rasped.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Evan roared at him.
“The people I owe money to… I didn’t have a choice.”
“Someone paid you to beat me?” Evan demanded.
“Not to beat you… to kill you,” Alex said, turning away in shame.
“Do. Not. Move. Until I get back,” Evan bit out, making his way out of the cage. Everyone gave him a wide berth as he limped towards the exit, the wound on his shin bleeding again.
He reached the parking lot in front of the warehouse. A couple of cars were still there, but most of the people had already left. It was dark out. Evan stumbled over the cracked asphalt, his steps illuminated only by the moon.
“Karen! Everett!” he shouted, desperate to find them.
If Kyle has gotten away with Karen…
The thought was too terrible to entertain. In the shadows, a figure popped up from behind one of the cars and started running towards him.
“I’m here!” Karen said, reaching him and wrapping her arms around his bloody frame.
“You’re wounds are bleeding again! What happened? Did someone finally stop the fight?” she rattled off, her eyes roaming over his body.
“Yeah, I did,” Evan said, smiling, relief flooding him at the sight of the woman he loved, unharmed.
Karen hugged her once more, getting blood all over her clothes.
“Thank god you’re okay. That fight was a travesty, I mean what the hell,” she stammered, exasperated.
“Alex admitted someone paid him off to try and kill me in the ring. I bet that person also slipped some money to the ref to look the other way,” Evan spoke, relief turning into anger.
It would take a real underhanded, cowardly piece of filth to come up with that kind of a plan.
“Kyle,” Karen hissed.
“I saw him trying to drag you away,” Evan growled, blood boiling at the thought of his hands on her. “I managed to signal Everett to go and help you.”
“Yes, he did. Kyle already had me out the door and was pulling me towards his car when he heard Everett closing in behind us, shouting my name. He took one look at Everett and broke into a run, lettin
g me go,” Karen recounted. “Everett took off after him and I hid behind one of the cars, in case Kyle managed to shake him and circle back.”
“Where the hell did they go,” Evan wondered aloud, looking around the parking lot.
“Well, isn’t this a sight,” Kyle drawled, rounding a corner as if on cue. “Seems like good ol’ Alex did a number on you,” he said, looking at the claw marks on Evans chest. “What a shame that other guy dropped out last minute, you would’ve had a lot less trouble with him. Those pesky sudden non-specific injuries sure are a bitch,” he said, grinning vilely.
Evan had no trouble inferring the meaning behind his words. No doubt the guy he was supposed to have been fighting had a nice little sum waiting for him for taking the night off.
Karen clutched Evan’s arm.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t wear myself out too much. A nice warm-up in anticipation of putting you in the ground,” Evan snarled, rage burning in his veins.
“Where’s Everett?” Karen asked, looking around.
“Oh, that lumbering giant? He’s a little indisposed at the moment,” Kyle smirked.
“What did you do to him?” Karen shouted, tears shining in her eyes.
“Your dear Everett might need some medical attention… Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll tell his brother here where to find him,” Kyle cooed, edging towards Karen.
Evan stepped in front of her.
“Not a chance. You’re bluffing. Look at you, twitchy and nervous. Everett can take care of himself. I bet he’s going to come ‘round that corner any minute now,” he snorted, studying the pathetic man in front of him.
“You really gonna take that bet?” Kyle asked, pulling a knife from his back pocket. “Yeah, you’ll probably overpower me, but what if I get a chance to stick this knife in you before that happens,” he taunted, playing on Karen’s fears.
“You wanna keep him alive? You wanna get Everett to the hospital before it’s too late?” he turned to Karen. “Then come with me.”
Evan could feel Karen moving behind him, indecisive. She was considering it.
God dammit.
She had killed for him; no doubt she would sacrifice herself if she thought it would save him and Everett. He had to act before she made that decision.
Evan lunged at Kyle, grabbing hold of his waist and pushing him to the ground. The man went down, arms splaying. The knife fell from his hand and clattered on the pavement. Kyle squirmed futilely, pleading Evan to get off.
Pathetic, Evan thought with disgust.
He didn't get to focus on that for too long however, hearing a deep, guttural growl from behind him. Whipping his head around, Evan saw the forms of three full-grown werewolves.
Jamie, he thought, snarling.
Making a quick decision, he pulled back his fist and punched Kyle in the face, hard. The man's body sagged beneath Evan. Quick as the wind, the bear of a man jumped up, his fists rolled up tight.
“Get out of the way, Karen,” he warned, his eyes flashing dark brown as the wolves approached slowly.
“Be careful,” she whispered before ducking behind some cars again.
At least she wasn't arguing with him this time. As much as he loved her spirit, this wasn’t the time or the place.
The shift took over and Evan roared as his body warped and changed. The wounds he already had were excruciatingly painful and the wolves must have thought Evan was going to be easy prey for them.
What they did not bank on was that now, Evan had someone other than himself to fight for. The time he had spent with Karen had made it painfully clear – she was his mate, and he would go through the fires of hell for her if that was what it took for the two of them to be together.
In comparison, three wolves were nothing.
Instead of giving the mutts a chance to charge, Evan barreled down the middle of the trio. With a deep, guttural growl in his throat, he slashed at the offenders, forgetting about his honor and the rules of the fight he always followed in the cage, focusing on inflicting as much pain and damage as he could.
His sharp claws ripped through flesh, making the wolf on the right of the spearhead yelp as blood splattered and hit the dark pavement. Evan felt the sharp pain of fangs on his neck, Jamie having used the moment to jump him. Trying to get him off, Evan swung wildly, gnashing his teeth as his claws found the wolf on the left.
The air bloomed with the stench of blood. It fed Evan, making him go harder. He ignored Jamie for a moment, choosing to jump at the wolf he had caught first. Even with the wolf’s powerful jaws ripping into his flesh, Evan fought like a mad bear. He pinned the first mutt and raked his claws across its head, feeling the body go limp beneath him.
Next, he rolled over his back, forcing Jamie to jump off. He very nearly caught the second wolf beneath him, grabbing its front paw with his teeth as the animal tried to jump away. The snapping of bone and the shrieking of the wolf were music to his ears, fueling Evan on.
With one wolf down and another limping away, it was just Jamie and him left. Evan approached, shaking his head as blood dribbled into his eyes from his wounds. Adrenaline made his heart pump twice as hard, but exhaustion was lingering on the outskirts of his mind, threatening to overcome him.
I fight for her.
Suddenly, Evan sprinted forward, using his amazing speed to his advantage. Jamie jumped but wasn't fast enough and Evan's fangs sunk into the wolf's scruff. As if shaking a damn chew toy, Evan whipped his head back and forth, the werewolf a ragdoll in his mouth.
Jamie howled in pain, muscles and ligaments tearing from bone, until Evan finally released him, sending the beast flying through the air. The body of the wolf slumped down against the side of a van.
“Looks like you’re having fun without me,” Everett’s voice appeared behind Evan, panting.
The bear turned, surveying the situation before allowing the shift to take him, satisfied that all immediate dangers had been dealt with. As soon as he had turned, Evan touched down on his knee, groaning low.
Karen came rushing to his side, her sweet presence soothing him just enough to bring a small smile to his face.
“Would not think of it, brother,” Evan spoke. “I'm fine.”
“You are far from fine,” Karen snorted, but there was a relieved, if concerned smile on her lips as she hovered next to him, one hand gingerly on his shoulder.
Everett was rubbing the back of his head.
“This bastard tried to ambush me, hit me on the head with something. If I have a headache tomorrow, he’s going to be sorry,” Everett continued, nonchalantly kicking Jamie's henchman's body on the jagged asphalt.
The wolf let out an almost inaudible yelp.
“Well, well. Two sneaky rats teaming up once again,” Evan grumbled with contempt.
“What should we do with him?” Everett asked, gesturing towards Jamie.
Evan pondered it for a moment. Jamie had put Karen in danger twice now; he deserved to die for that alone. But the man was lying defenseless and unconscious on the ground – there was no fight in him after having gone toe to toe with the bear.
“Leave him,” Evan finally spat out, standing and dragging Kyle, who was slowly coming to up with him.
He grabbed the man by the throat until his feet no longer touched the ground. Kyle tried to struggle but to no avail. Evan tightened his grip, the bear inside him bellowing with fury. Though tired, it still wanted blood.
Karen stepped to his side, placing her hands on Evan’s arm.
“Please don’t. Not for me. He’s not worth it,” she pleaded softly.
Evan looked into Karen’s sparkling green eyes. She was too kind for her own good. Feeling his anger dissipate, he released Kyle. The man crumpled to the ground, useless and pitiful.
“Why don’t you call the sheriff’s office,” Evan said to his brother. “I believe they still look down on murder for hire.”
Epilogue
Karen stared at the man sleeping next to her, thinking about how
suddenly her whole life had changed. If someone had told her just a couple of weeks ago that she would leave everything behind and decide to move to Sweetwater, Wyoming, she would have referred them to a psychiatrist. But there she was, happier than ever.
Joe was absolutely thrilled when he heard Karen had decided to stick around and had immediately offered her a job at Bluejay’s, which she’d gladly accepted. She couldn’t have imagined a better boss.
The summer season was officially in full swing and Karen enjoyed being busy. She spent whatever free moments she had outdoors. Evan was more than happy to show her all his favorite hiking trails. He had even persuaded her into going mountain biking with him. She was glad she got through that one alive.
Then there was Everett, who kept pestering her to go fishing with him and the guys. Karen suspected that what he really wanted was someone to cook the fish afterwards. Her new life really made Karen realize how smothered she had been in New York.
Now, she had finally found her way.
Karen got dressed, hopped in Evan’s truck and made her way to Jennifer and Ethan’s house. She and Jennifer had made brunch plans and Karen was excited to have some girl time.
Jennifer was already waiting for her in the yard when she arrived.
“Hey! Do you mind if we make a quick stop before heading into town? Evan is out working on the old Grimpaw estate and I thought I’d bring him some lunch,” she said, holding up some sandwiches wrapped in tin foil.
“Sure, I’ve been dying to see the place,” Karen responded cheerily.
Jennifer guided Karen through the winding back roads until the forest cleared and the large complex came into view. The brick facade was a bit tired and chipped, but one could easily imagine how grand it had looked in the past.
The women got out of the car and made their way up to the house, Jennifer fidgeting nervously the whole way there.
