“Nonetheless, her next opponent will be expecting that move. It only works once.”
He wasn’t wrong. Her other two competitors would have watched her first fight and observed her fighting style, if they were smart. They had the upper hand. She had to step up her game. A knee to the groin wouldn’t work again. Not in this fight, at least.
“I’ll do better,” Sterling said, and we both turned to look at her naked form by Jackson’s bed. She’d just shifted back and was putting her clothes back on. “I wasn’t ready for the first fight, but I’m ready now. I know what to expect.”
I stepped around Mohammad and went to her. “In real life, there are no practice fights. It’s life or death, Sterling. You should have given it all you had.”
Her brows furrowed. “I did—I thought I did.”
“The Lunas are counting on you, Sterling. You should hear them,” I muttered. “You’re a hero to them. Don’t let them down.”
She chuckled. “No pressure.”
I smirked. “Welcome to my world.”
After some breathing exercises and a pep talk from Mohammad that I wasn’t privy to, we made our way back downstairs. Once we exited the room, the Lunas erupted in cheers. Sterling blushed crimson from the attention. It was endearing to see. The Lunas needed a champion; someone besides me.
When we arrived downstairs, the wolves had simmered down and we were able to cut through the crowd and get to the inner circle easily with Mohammad as our guide. Bash was waiting for us with the next opponent. He was smaller than Marshall, but still bigger than Sterling—although not by much.
“Who is he?” I asked Sterling when we stopped in the middle.
“Trayvon,” she said. “He’s fairly new to the Pack. Only been in for a year or so, but he was a Captain in his last Pack, so he has an advantage. He’s actually really nice.”
I could see in her distressed face that she liked him, maybe a little more than friends. I followed her gaze to Trayvon, who smiled and nodded at Bash as he listened to the instructions. He could be the nicest guy on earth, but right now he was the enemy and she needed to be ready to defeat him.
“Look at me, Sterling.” I gripped her arm. “I don’t care if he owns a damn orphanage and feeds the homeless every weekend, he is the enemy.”
Her face tightened. “Yes.”
“Kick his ass with no remorse. Don’t hold back.”
She shook her head. “I won’t.”
“Good. Now go take another step at becoming Captain.”
She nodded and went to meet Bash and Trayvon in the middle of the circle. I blended in with the crowd alongside Mohammad and waited for the fight to begin. When it did, Trayvon didn’t strike immediately. He waited patiently for Sterling to make the first move. She lunged for him, but he employed a stealthier approach. When he swerved out of the way of her lunge, he punched her in the side. I winced as I watched her curve into herself and gasp for air.
Bash held me and brought his mouth to my ears. “You can’t help her this time. I had to calm a lot of wolves after you left because of your assistance. Keep quiet.”
My head snapped in his direction. He gave me a stern look that I returned with a glare, but I knew he was right. I had to let her do this alone. She wouldn’t always have me with her out on the field, if ever. As Captain, she’d have to hold her own.
I nodded stiffly and returned my attention to the fight. My fists were clenched at my side and I knew crescent moons were indented in my palms from my nails.
Sterling got in two punches to his face and swept his leg, knocking him down. She got the advantage! I inched forward and had to stop myself from moving any further.
She straddled Trayvon and started wailing on him. He attempted to cover his face, but she was too fast. Good … keep going. He lifted his hips up and bucked her off him, but she wrapped her legs around his waist in a fluid wrestling move. Without pausing, she locked his arms and bent them into an unnatural position as they laid on the ground. I was expecting him to yell uncle by the way she had him pinned.
She pulled against his arms tighter and he screamed in pain, his free hand tapping the ground frantically to end the fight. Damn, she did it. Sterling released him and when they stood, he did something that surprised me completely—he shook her hand in appreciation. Maybe there was hope for the male Lycan population, after all.
Sterling bounced up and ran toward us and I pulled her into a hug. “You did it!”
“I think I broke a couple ribs, though,” she wheezed as she lifted her shirt to show me a bruise starting to bloom on her side.
“Shift before your next fight. Who’s your next opponent?” I looked around at the crowd, searching the faces for one who stood out.
She looked nervous. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Who tell me what?”
Sterling looked behind her and then back at me. “I have to fight Sebastian.”
13
“Say what?” I exclaimed, stumbling back in surprise.
Sterling bit her lip nervously. “The last fight is with the Alpha. You’re not expected to win, but it’s mainly how long you can last.”
That sounded completely barbaric. He was going to beat her to a bloody pulp just to see how long she could withstand it? That was some gang-type shit. She couldn’t do that! She made it this far, wasn’t that enough?
“That’s ridiculous, Sterling.” I shook my head. “You can’t do that. I’ll talk to Bash—”
“No!” she shouted. “I have to. Marshall and Trayvon will fight next, and then the winner of the two will fight Bash as well. Whichever one of us lasts longer will get the position of Captain. I have to do it, Kenz!”
The whole thing sounded completely absurd. Who the hell made up these rules? We lived in the twenty-first century, for God’s sake! They needed to update them ASAP.
Mohammad pulled Sterling away and they walked back into the Compound while I stood there dumbfounded, wondering what the hell was going on around me. When I spoke to Bash about her fight, he never mentioned this part. He should have, but he knew I wouldn’t agree. He was choosing his battles with me much more carefully.
Just as the fight between Marshall and Trayvon was about to begin, I sent Bash a glare and left the backyard through the side gate instead of going through the house. From his glowing eyes, I knew he was aware that I knew.
I stepped over weeds and patches of dirt as I passed the side of the Compound and headed to the gate, unhooking the latch and opening it to exit the yard. I walked to our house where I knew Alexander and Ranulf were waiting for me. I couldn’t solve Sterling’s problem right now, so I’d handle mine.
Keys in hand, I jogged up the steps to the front door and inserted the keys in the lock and twisted the knob. I opened the door, closed it behind me, and locked it again. I heard their footsteps immediately and met them at the entrance of the foyer and living room.
“Mackenzie!” Alexander exclaimed, his gray eyes turning silver. “Where have ye been?”
I scratched my head. “I just came from the Brooklyn Pack’s Compound. They’re having the fights for the Captain position, and my friend is participating—”
“Before that,” Ranulf interrupted. His eyes were hard. I could tell he was not happy with me.
I sighed. “I got a lead on the case I’m working on. I had to do it alone, no offense.”
“Offense taken,” Ranulf barked. “Don ye leave like that again, ye hear, ye stupid girl? Ye could have been dead, for all we knew. Ye had yer Da worried sick! Have ye no consideration—”
Alexander held up a hand. “Enough, Ranulf.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, holding off a migraine that was marching toward my temples. “I swear I’m not trying to be difficult, but you can’t just waltz to New York and expect me to bend at your will! You know I won’t do that.”
“Yer right, darling, I cannae come to yer home and expect ye to do as I say, but I expect ye to want to stay alive. Whi
ch means being careful, and yer nae,” Alexander chastised, urging me to follow him into the living room.
I followed him, passing an angry Ranulf. “I was perfectly safe this morning,” I lied. He didn’t need to know about having to be rescued by Úlfur—again. No one needed to know about that.
“Ye should be bringing back-up with ye every time ye go out,” Alexander added as he sat down on the sofa. I sat beside him. “There was no excuse as for why ye didn’t bring Ranulf with ye. From now on, he goes where ye go, no exceptions. Nae until this threat is removed.”
This was going to be a problem. Úlfur wouldn’t show up with Ranulf around, and after this conversation, I couldn’t willfully ditch the Lycan again.
“Ye will be Queen soon, Mackenzie.” Alexander took my hand. “Ye have to be more careful. Yer life is worth more now than ever before. Yer the last MacCoinnich.”
“Okay … I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” I relented. I would have to think of something soon, but for now, I’d keep him happy with a concession. “Can I talk to you about something else?”
His silver eyes faded to gray and softened, pleased that he’d gotten what he wanted. “Anything, darling.”
“Who makes the rules for the fights for Pack positions?” I asked not very casually.
He tilted his head. “It is borne of traditions passed down through the generations. I don know exactly who created it. Why?”
I gnawed at my lower lip, wondering if I should tell him or not. “I have a friend fighting today—”
“That’s wonderful!” Alexander beamed, patting my knee. “I hope he’s doing well.”
I shut my eyes. Of course, he thought it was a man. “No, Alexander, it’s a Luna that’s fighting.” I reopened my eyes to look at his expression.
He jerked back in shock. “Crivvens, how did that happen?”
I rolled my eyes. “Your new laws allow it, remember?”
“Bloody hell, but I didnae think they’d want to be Captains! Sebastian should nae have allowed it.”
“Alexander!” I yelled. “This is exactly what we fought for – the right to be anything – and if Sterling wants to be Captain, then she should be able to fight for it. But the old ways are barbaric!”
His head snapped in my direction. “The fighting bothers ye?”
“The part where they have to fight the Alpha bothers me. There’s no way she’ll win against Bash, and besides that, it’s about how long she can last. How is that right?”
Alexander stood and adjusted his tie. “This has been done for centuries, Mackenzie. Are ye trying to ask for an exception for a Luna?” He raised a brow.
I was about to say something but stopped myself, my mouth hanging open. Ranulf chuckled in the corner of the room. I was asking for a special privilege, and for what? Because she was a Luna? The male wolves had endured this since the beginning of time. Even if it was barbaric, they survived. Sterling could, too. Funny how she knew that before I did. I was just too protective of her. Oh, how the tables had turned.
“You’re right,” I muttered. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
Alexander sighed. “I know ye want to protect them, lass, but ye have to let them get hurt sometimes. It’s the only way they’ll learn.”
With that little nugget, I left the house completely defeated with Ranulf trailing behind me. Alexander was right; they had to hurt sometimes to know what it was like in the real world. It was why Sterling wasn’t ready for her first fight. She had been too protected in her bubble.
When we returned to the backyard, Ranulf pushed everyone out of the way by order of a royal decree, which really tamed the wolves, creating a clear path for me to walk through to the center where Bash was just finishing a fight with Trayvon. I guess he’d already won against Marshall.
I found Sterling standing with Mohammad and made my way to her side. I looked up at the building windows and saw all the Lunas peering down at us, smiling brightly, some with their camera phones at the ready.
A loud thud jerked me away from them to the circle where Trayvon’s body dropped to the ground in a lump, unmoving. Jackson walked into the inner circle and raised his hand.
“Thirteen minutes and twenty-two seconds!” Jackson called out the time of the fight and the wolves howled and cheered. Bash wiped the blood from his knuckles on his jeans and mopped the sweat on his forehead with his forearm.
“I just have to make it past that,” Sterling mumbled as she bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously.
“You can do this,” I whispered, wishing I could help her but knowing I couldn’t. Giving away any of Bash’s weaknesses would be a betrayal to him and I wouldn’t do it, not even for the Lunas.
“Thanks, Kenz.” She peered down at me and then stepped into the circle as two wolves dragged Trayvon out.
I almost didn’t want to watch. Bash made eye contact with me for a quick moment and then it was gone as he focused completely on Sterling. How he had enough stamina and strength without shifting between fights proved why he deserved to be Alpha.
Once the fight began, I couldn’t wipe the grimace from my face as I watched them move. Sebastian was a beast and he didn’t hold back because she was a Luna. He treated her like one of the guys. I appreciated it, but also felt really bad for Sterling. It was an odd feeling. She took every hit and kept her feet firmly on the ground. She even got a few punches in, to my surprise, and I couldn’t tell if it was pure luck or if Bash allowed it. Sterling tried ducking out of the way, but he caught her around the waist, lifted her off the ground, and slammed her down. Her head bounced like a basketball and I winced. She should have tucked her chin to her chest, but she probably didn’t see him coming fast enough. She gasped for the air that fled her lungs and scrambled away from him until she backed into some wolves who kicked her into the circle again.
I lost track of the time, but this fight felt like an eternity and I didn’t know how much more I could take of it.
Sterling was wobbling on her feet as she stood before Bash, her weak arms barely able to protect her face. She was breathing heavily as Bash circled her like prey. He punched her twice in the stomach—right then left. She curved in on herself but stood upright, wheezing. Her hand clamped onto his shoulder to hold herself up and Bash swept her leg back, making her fall to the ground. With one swift punch to the face, she was knocked out cold.
Jackson stepped into the circle and raised his hand to simmer the out-of-control wolves, who were howling and clamoring for the verdict. As their voices lowered to hear the final results, I looked up at the windows to see the Lunas opening the windows, their phones out, recording the moment.
“Thirteen minutes,” Jackson began, and I held my breath.
So far, the tally was the same as Trayvon, which meant it would all come down to seconds. I grabbed onto a random wrist for support and stood with bated breath, waiting for him to finish.
“… and twenty-nine seconds!” Jackson grinned and the crowd erupted.
I squealed like a schoolgirl as I squeezed the wrist I was holding and started to jump up and down. She did it! She won! If only she were awake to bask in the evidence of her greatness.
“Mackenzie,” Mohammad said dryly, and I looked over at him. His gaze dropped to my hand, which was holding onto his wrist.
“Oh! Sorry,” I grumbled and released him quickly. “She did it, Mohammad!”
“Yes, she did.” He nodded, still expressionless.
The Lunas were yelling and cheering from the windows as the male wolves fought between each other, clearly upset with the verdict.
Mohammad strode over to Sterling’s unconscious body, picked her up, and carried her inside the Compound. I decided not to crowd them and just let him take care of her. He’d obviously been doing a good job thus far.
“This is only the beginning,” Ranulf mumbled as he stood beside me, keeping guard. “They’ll want more after this.”
“As is their right,” I said, turning to stare at him defiantly.
“They deserve this.”
He eyed me, calculating his next words. “Maybe yer right.”
Jackson and the rest of the Captains calmed the crowd and made them disperse from the backyard. In just a few minutes, there were only a couple of us left. I was glad to see Ollie was one of them.
“There you are!” I gave him a one-armed hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I have a lot of adrenaline running through my veins,” he admitted, seemingly confused by the experience.
“It’s all the fighting,” Bash clarified as he approached, taking off his shirt and wiping his sweat and blood with it. “Your wolf wants in on the action.”
Ollie shook his head. “I don’t like this feeling.”
I gave him a sad smile. “It’ll go away, I promise. Why don’t we shift? A good run will get rid of that adrenaline.” I turned to Bash and gave him a smirk. “She did good, didn’t she?”
He grunted. “She did all right.”
“Pfft. She did more than all right. She did better than Trayvon—”
“But Trayvon wouldn’t have needed training to step up as Captain,” Bash said. “She will. Sterling’s lucky Mohammad took a liking to her and is willing to put in the extra effort.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why can’t you just appreciate the win? You’re so bitter.”
He sighed. “This won’t be easy for her, Mackenzie. The other Captains won’t make it easy for her. She has to be ready.”
This wasn’t over, that much was clear. She may have won the battle, but the war was far from over.
14
Getting away from the Compound was a smart move. The wolves were on a testosterone rampage after Sterling’s win, and it took Sebastian’s Alpha voice to calm them down. The Lunas were celebrating in private to not stir up any trouble, but they were waiting for Sterling to wake up to really celebrate. That girl was knocked out and had no idea she won. It was sort of funny.
In the meantime, I took Ollie to the park to shift. He was still too new and didn’t understand all the emotions coursing through his body. He couldn’t differentiate between his human and wolf feelings. Ranulf was with us (obviously), because I needed a babysitter—insert eye roll here. We were trying to find a spot to shift in Prospect Park, which was unusually empty of humans. We walked further into the woods and found the clearing where Bash and I typically shifted.
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