Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Riot

“What did you say?” The towering male before me looks like he’s about to burst out of his skin.

“You heard me.” I refuse to be intimidated. This place is nothing like what Raura described. All that talk about a warm welcome… For her, sure. For me? Not so much. But it’s my own fucking fault for letting myself fall for that kumbaya bullshit.

I can feel my hackles rising as this asshole gets in my face.

Who the fuck does he think he is?

“Listen, pal,” I growl, “I didn’t ask to be here. Raura said we’d be welcomed with open arms. Guess she was wrong about you people.”

Jagger’s eyes flash dangerously. “You’ve got some nerve, coming into my territory and throwing insults around. I don’t know you from Adam, but I sure as hell don’t trust you.”

“Trust me? That’s rich, coming from an Alpha who can’t even keep his own pack safe.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

Jagger snarls, baring his teeth. “You fucking dare—”

“Stop it, please!” Raura tries to insert herself between us, but I barely register her presence. All I can see is red.

“Stay out of this, Raura,” Jagger warns, not taking his eyes off me. “This is between me and him.”

“What’s the matter, Alpha?” I taunt, letting my lips curl into a sneer. “Afraid of a little competition?”

That does it. Jagger lunges for me with a roar, but I’m ready for him. We collide in a tangle of fists and fury, trading blows with ruthless abandon.

I can hear Raura screaming at us to stop, but it’s too late. The beast inside me has taken over, and all I want is to make this fucker bleed.

The taste of blood fills my mouth as Jagger’s fist connects with my jaw, but I barely register the pain. All that matters is the thrill of the fight, the rush of adrenaline surging through my veins.

It’s just like I remember – all those years in the cage, doing what I’ve been trained for for a decade. The moves come instinctively, my body responding to each of Jagger’s attacks with a counter of my own.

Snarls rip from my throat as I duck a vicious roundhouse kick. This alpha may be big, but he’s not as seasoned as I am. I plant my feet and launch forward, driving him back with the relentless barrage.

Jagger blocks the last few blows and counters with a spinning backkick that grazes my ribs. I grimace, the pain flaring hot, but shake it off. Advancing on him again, I feint left before whipping my right fist toward his jaw.

At the last second, the crafty bastard dodges and grabs my wrist, trying to yank me off balance.

Nice try.

But I’ve been in too many fights to fall for that old trick. I twist my body and wrench my arm free, then snap my elbow back toward his face.

Jagger jerks his head aside just in time, my elbow whistling past his ear. He sucks in a breath, nostrils flaring, and I can see the fury blazing in his eyes.

“That all you got, pretty boy?” I smirk.

Jagger responds with an inarticulate growl of rage. He feints right, then explodes into a flurry of punches and kicks from the opposite side. I deflect the first few strikes, but he’s relentless, not giving me an inch to counter.

One vicious kick slips past my guard and slams into my ribs with a dull thunk. I stagger back a step, gasping for air as fiery agony lances through my side.

Fuck. That one’s gonna leave a mark.

Jagger presses the advantage, launching himself at me. We crash to the ground, our snarls intermingling, the sound wild and menacing.

The need for dominance surges through me, fueled by adrenaline and the thrill of the fight. Neither of us is willing to back down, our wills clashing as violently as our fists. I can taste the metallic tang of blood mingling with sweat, but the pain only spurs me on, igniting the beast within.

“Riot! No!” I can hear Raura screaming at us to stop, but her pleas fall on deaf ears. The beast inside me has taken over, and all I want is to make this fucker submit.

I manage to get Jagger down, pinning him to the ground with my superior strength. But before I can deliver the final blow, rough hands grasp my arms as the other members of the team pounce on me, wrestling me away from their Alpha. I snarl and thrash against their hold, half in my wolf form, my fangs bared and ready to tear into flesh.

“Enough!” somebody bellows. “Back down!”

It takes all of them to restrain me, their combined strength barely enough to keep me contained. I’m fueled by years of pent-up rage and the instinct to dominate. Jagger is in a similar state, his eyes wild and his teeth snapping. But it seems that he has better control over his wolf than I do because he’s back on his feet, a picture of restrained ferocity.

The same can’t be said for me. The beast inside me still rages, refusing to submit. With a feral snarl, I tear myself free from the grip of the wolves restraining me, my claws slashing through the air. I feel them connect with flesh, the sickening sound of ripping skin and tearing flesh filling my ears.

“Barrett! Barrett’s down!” someone yells, the panic in their voice cutting through the haze of fury clouding my mind.

I glance down, my heart skipping a beat as I see a silver-haired male crumpled on the ground, crimson pooling beneath him.

Fuck! What are you doing?

I didn’t come here for this. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. A haven. I’m supposed to be safe here.

Then why are you fighting?

I don’t know the answer to that, except that it’s all I know how to do. Face the enemy, take them down. Adrenaline drives me with a rush that seems unstoppable as I work to tear myself free.

The wolves renew their efforts to subdue me. The red-haired female is changing into her wolf form, her fangs bared. I sense others beginning to shift, too, turning to the superior strength of their beasts as they wrestle me to the ground.

I thrash and snarl, my body half-shifted, caught between man and beast. The dirt and gravel bite into my skin as they pin me down, their combined weight crushing the air from my lungs.

“Riot, please! Stop!” Raura’s desperate screams pierce through the fog of rage, her tear-streaked face coming into focus above me. “Please, don’t do this!”

Her words are like a bucket of ice water, shocking me back to reality. The fight drains out of me, my body going limp beneath the hands holding me down. I’m torn, the need to fight warring with the desire to comfort her, to wipe away her tears.

You made her cry, you asshole! You did that!

Jagger steps forward, his face a mask of blood and fury. “Get him out of here,” he snarls, his chest heaving with each labored breath. “Lock him up.”

“Jagger! No!” It’s Raura again, and my chest tightens. “You don’t understand. Please”

I’m hauled to my feet, feeling myself being dragged. I struggle against their grip, more out of instinct than any real desire to break free. My eyes lock with Raura’s, the pain and despair in her gaze tearing at my heart.

The small group keeps their distance as I’m hauled away. Before I know it, I’ve been pulled into a small building and pushed into a room lined with cells.

Just like before.

“Maybe you’ll cool the fuck down now,” the she-wolf snarls at me as they shove me into one of them. The cell door clangs shut behind me, the sound echoing. I turn to face them, chest still heaving, fists clenched as I watch them walk away.

And then I exhale.

I’m back behind bars, just like I’ve been for the past decade. But this time, it’s not the Enclave that holds me prisoner; this time, it’s my own kind.

Either way, I’m caged.