The arena goes quiet—that breathless hush before the storm.
Beau nods.
The chute door flies open.
Hellfire explodes into the arena like a derailing freight train. He’s all violent motion—twisting, spinning, trying to shake off the weight on his back. His first move is a vicious left-hand spin that sends Beau’s body whipping to the side.
“Oh god,” I gasp, my free hand flying to my mouth.
But Beau corrects, his core engaging, his body flowing with the motion instead of fighting it. His free hand is high in theair, not touching anything, perfect form even as Hellfire tries to murder him.
“Two seconds!” someone shouts.
The bull switches directions, a move that catches most riders off guard. Right-hand spin now, faster, tighter. Beau’s body sways, but he stays centered, stays balanced, reading the bull’s movements like he’s reading a book.
“Come on, baby,” I whisper. “Come on.”
Hellfire bucks—a massive, bone-jarring kick that launches Beau forward. For a heart-stopping second, I think he’s going over the front. I think I’m about to watch my Alpha get trampled by 1,800 pounds of pissed-off bull.
But Beau catches himself. Sits back. Finds his seat again.
“Three seconds!” Jake’s voice is strangled beside me.
My heart is hammering so hard I can feel it in my throat.
Hold on, I think at him desperately, knowing he can’t hear me but sending it through the bond anyway.Hold on, please hold on.
“Four seconds!”
The bull tries a different tactic—rapid-fire bucks, one after another, trying to shake Beau loose through sheer repetition.
“Five seconds!”
The crowd is losing it. The noise level is inhuman—thousands of people all screaming, all willing Beau to stay on, all witnessing what might be the ride of the century.
Hellfire switches tactics again. Left-hand spin, but this time he dips his shoulder low—a move designed to throw riders over the side. I watch in horror as Beau’s body tilts, pulled by momentum and gravity toward the arena floor.
“Get your ass up!” Jake is half out of his seat.
Beau shifts his weight at the last possible second. Uses the bull’s motion against him. Pulls himself back to center with corestrength that shouldn’t be possible after five seconds on a bull like Hellfire.
“SIX SECONDS!” The announcer’s voice is barely audible over the crowd.
My grip on Charlie’s hand is so tight I’m probably breaking bones, but I can’t let go.
You’ve got this. You’ve got this. Just two more seconds.
Hellfire kicks out his back legs in a move that nearly sends Beau flying over his head. Beau’s free hand dips—almost touches the bull, which would disqualify him—but he catches himself, jerks it back up.
“SEVEN!”
One more second. Just one more second.
The arena is on its feet. Everyone is screaming, stomping, and the entire building is shaking with the force of it.
Hellfire makes one last desperate attempt, a full 360-degree spin combined with a massive buck. It’s the move that’s thrown every other rider. The move that earned him his reputation.
Beau stays on.
