Chapter 8

The first light of dawn barely pierced the dense canopy of the Nexus Pack"s central forest, but the arena was already thrumming with life, a palpable tension thick and heady in the air.

The day of the fight was upon us.

The arena was hauntingly beautiful, a marvel of natural architecture. A vast clearing stood, encircled by steep, terraced banks that had been carved into the earth, creating seating for anyone who cared to witness. Towering trees loomed all around us, their branches intertwining and forming a sort of living dome over the space, seeming to hum with energy.

My hand squeezed Callan"s from where we sat, as close to the arena as we could get. The rest of our group was nearby, Lily looking particularly stressed out while Nia tried to comfort her. Nia had her arm around Lily's shoulders, planting a soft kiss on her lips as they chatted softly. This was hard for all of us, but Lily especially. Once a romantic history with Wolfe, they were still very close friends, and I had no doubt Lily would volunteer to take his place if she thought it would have helped.

Not that Wolfe would ever let that happen.

I hadn"t expected the arena to be full, but it was; news of our challenge must have spread to the rest of the pack. There were more people in this arena than made up the entire Clover Pack, at least a thousand if I had to hazard a guess. My eyes paused on a woman across the arena from us, her eyes assessing the crowd much in the way that I was. Her posture was what had caught my eye, sitting perfectly straight up, her eyes regal and piercing – startlingly light gray in color, a mirror image of Wolfe"s. His mother.

Next to her sat Lily's parents, whose eyes were narrowed on Lily and Nia, a stark hatred on their faces that they hadn't seemed capable of previously. Lily saw them at the same time I did, her back straightening and pulling away from Nia immediately. There were so many people in here, I was surprised they'd found us so easily.

"Is this the biggest pack?" I asked Callan, scooting slightly closer to him, taking comfort in his natural radiating heat. He nodded, the slight shiftiness in his eyes the only sign of his underlying nerves. Our bond remained silent, my block firmly back in place. I"d even managed fewer cracks this time, something I had excitedly bragged about as soon as I did it.

"It looks like most of them came to watch. Even some from the slums," he said.

I looked back at the crowd, now noticing the difference. Most of the people in the lower seating wore subtle yet expensive-looking jewelry, looking excited and chatting happily with each other. The higher levels held much smaller shifters, those who avoided eye contact, their clothing ragged and worn, their heads bowed silently. My lips pulled back from my teeth, disgust burning in my belly.

A hush fell over the crowd as a figure walked to the center of the arena, two hulking figures trailing behind. He stood in the center, commanding everyone"s attention easily. Broad shoulders and an air of authority, his dark eyes scanned the crowd until they fell silent. On either side of him, Wolfe and the Supreme stared at each other with narrowed eyes.

"Shifters of the great Nexus Pack," Taran"s voice boomed, echoing through the arena as if amplified. "Today we bear witness to an ancient rite, a challenge for the title of Supreme Alpha. Our laws and traditions demand a fight to the death." The roar of the crowd was deafening, the well-off shifters jeering at the men, as if it were a sport.

Wolfe and his father faced each other, taking a few steps back until they were equidistant from the center of the arena, the tension between them palpable as the crowd died down, riveted by the promise of violence they were about to witness. Both men were shirtless, their chests broad and bulky. My heart ached for Wolfe, his jaw set, eyes burning with resolve. The Supreme glared at his son, cold and unyielding. I struggled to imagine a time when the Supreme had ever looked at Wolfe with any sort of fatherly affection, and my heart ached for him.

We were more alike in ways I hadn"t realized.

Taran opened his arms wide, his throat spasming for a moment before he let out the loudest roar I had ever heard, fighting the urge to cover my ears due to my sensitive shifter hearing. In a flash, he was out of the arena, and immediately, both men dipped forward, their bodies already hunching, sprouting thick coarse fur along their exposed spines. Their pants ripped as their bodies bulged, twisting, contorting into their bear forms. Within seconds, it was complete, and where two men had once stood, two massive animals stood in their place.

Wolfe"s dark fur shimmered under the morning light, his eyes practically glowing with untamed energy and rage. Opposite him, the Supreme stood strong, a loud roar ripping through the air as he leaned forward on all fours, lumbering towards Wolfe with ferocious intent. Wolfe pivoted out of the way, his muscles bunching as he sought an opening to counterattack, lunging at the bigger bear.

They collided with thunderous force, fur and blood flying as their claws bit into each other. Wolfe"s first swipe aimed for his father"s shoulder, an attempt to destabilize, but the larger shifter was ready for him, countering, taking advantage of Wolfe"s forward motion and slamming it down onto his upper back, trying to knock him to the ground so he could pin him.

The earth beneath them was already worn, bearing the scars of their struggle, deep trenches forming from their sharp claws. Wolfe recovered quickly, using his smaller stature to his advantage, darting around Gregory"s bulky figure at a speed that a normal bear would never be able to achieve, lashing out with his claws. Copper assaulted my sensitive nose as flesh hit flesh, tufts of fur floating in the air. The Supreme roared, a sound that vibrated through the trees, birds launching into the air with angry squawks. He retaliated, pivoting to backhand Wolfe with a force that sent him tumbling.

The crowd gasped, many lifting to their feet to try to get a closer look at the action, hunger for action plastered across their faces. Disgust burned my throat. This was barbaric, an animalistic way of settling a dispute, and all these people cared about was who got the most shots in.

Lily gripped my hand tightly, her other one in Nia"s as we all watched on the edge of our seats, terror gripping our throats. Finn and Callan sat stone-faced, their jaws tense as they awaited the fate of someone we had all come to call a friend.

Wolfe lumbered back up, shaking his head to clear the daze before he launched back into action, knowing every second wasted could be the difference between life and death. In a blur of motion, Wolfe weaved on steady legs, dodging under a swipe from the Supreme, barreling into his side with his entire body.

The impact knocked the larger bear off balance, and as the Supreme struggled to regain his footing, Wolfe seized his opportunity. Angling his body just right, he launched, sharp teeth aiming straight for his father"s throat in a move that could end the fight, once and for all.

Sensing the danger, the Supreme twisted away as best he could, avoiding the fatal blow but not the bite to his shoulder, a loud cry of pain erupting from him as he stumbled, Wolfe viciously digging in and pulling a chunk of flesh. Still, blood oozed from Wolfe"s abdomen, matting his fur where his father must have landed a strike. Blood streamed down the Supreme"s arms as he steadied himself, pooling on the dirt ground. He lunged at his son, rage lighting his eyes. But he was no longer as fast or as strong as before, the fight and injuries weighing him down.

He had no choice but to go on the defensive.

Wolfe"s calculating gaze missed nothing, coming to the same conclusion as the Supreme, conscious of the blood that was also pooling beneath him.

It was now or never.

Wolfe's body twisted, his legs propelling him forward, surging from the ground as he threw his weight into his father. His claws embedded themselves into the Supreme"s chest. Gasps could be heard echoing in horror as Wolfe"s jaw hinged wide, firmly clamping around his father"s neck.

With a sickening crunch, his jaw snapped down, fresh crimson flowing around his jagged teeth.

The Supreme"s eyes widened with shock, staring into the depths of Wolfe"s with a pained expression. Wolfe held him there, impaled on his claws, until the last breath left his body, his animal form fading into his human form. A fiery red haze coated his skin for a second, before it was gone. I might have missed it if I blinked.

Wolfe called his human form back, dropping his father in a haphazard pile on the floor like disregarded trash. Relief flooded through me at the sight of my friend. He was bruised in more places than I could count, but they were already healing, the nasty cuts across his ribs starting to close. Taran ran toward him, but Wolfe held a hand up, stopping the shifter in his tracks without even looking at him.

He took a deep breath, his chest swelling with the motion, until he stood tall, his eyes narrowing as he looked out at the shifters. His shifters. No one moved, the arena deathly silent as we waited to see what his first words as Supreme Alpha would be.

"Anyone who refers to me as Supreme Alpha gets kicked out of the pack. That was a stupid name made up by an even stupider man. Call me Wolfe, or Alpha Gregory." His eyes seemed to connect with each and every person in the room, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly when they landed on us.

Pride swelled in my chest. He took a step closer to the stands where the pack members were seated. "This pack has been allowed to descend into depravity for much too long. It stops now. We will become a family, all of us," he emphasized, his eyes especially focused on the shifters from the slums. "And if you don"t like it, you can either challenge me or go rogue."

To go rogue would be a death sentence, everyone knew that. But so would challenging Wolfe. He waited, giving anyone the opportunity to speak up if they wanted. Furtive glances darted around the arena as the shifters looked around, to see who would step forward, but no one did. With a satisfied smile, Wolfe opened his arms wide, holding them out on either side of him as he slightly bowed his head.

"Welcome to the Nexus Pack."