“Yeah.”
She shakes her head. “The last hit. I got my stance just a little off, and she took full advantage.”
“Yeah. Max called it out for her,” I say in a dark voice.
“She would have exploited it anyway; she’s really good.” She looks happy, and it makes my gut tighten.
“Did you enjoy it?” I ask quietly.
“I did. I really did.”
“Good.” I give her a few minutes to fully recover. “Are you ready to head out? I’m pretty sure your cheering squad will want to see you.”
“They’re all nuts,” she says, but there’s affection in her voice, something I’ve never heard in her voice before. Her eyes widen suddenly. “Oh.”
I instantly go on alert. “What? What is it?”
“Your fight. Are you supposed to be fighting right now?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Hunter, you need to get out there.”
I don’t look away from her bright eyes. “I’m right where I need to be.” A knock sounds on the door. “You good?” I ask softly. She nods, and I walk over to the door.
Wyatt stands there, looking between the two of us. “You good?”
I nod, blocking his view of Sherese, in case she doesn’t want to be seen yet. I think her eyes are back to normal, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. But then, she’s next to me. I realize I could move over and create space between us, but I don’t. Her shoulder brushes against mine, and I make no move to pull away. “Are they ready for Hunter?” she asks.
Wyatt nods. “Yep.”
She turns to me, and she’s close. “Go.”
I stare down at her for a moment. I don’t want to ask her in front of Wyatt, but I need to know she’s okay to go out there. “I’m good.” She stands tall, and I force myself to focus on her face. A sudden urge to find her jacket hits me.
“I’ll be back.” My voice is harsh, but I can’t change it. I stride towards the fight ring, so I can grab her boots and jacket. But Raechel meets me halfway, carrying them. I reach for them, but she pulls them away. I fight the urge to growl at her.
“I’ve got them. They’re waiting for you in the ring.”
I stare down at her and fight my growing irritation. She’s got my mate’s things, and I need them. My mate needs them. I feel a growl building in my chest. Suddenly, the female is no longer alone. Max stands next to her. He doesn’t say a word; he just gives me a look. “See that she gets them.” My voice is rough, but I don’t apologize. I stride over to the ring, thankful I get to fight. I’m on edge, irritated, and ready to blow off some steam. The fact that my mate was close to burnout is just now hitting me. She couldn’t even get off the ground. If I hadn’t been here to get her out of here, to get her the blood she needed...My wolf growls in my chest, and irrational anger burns through me.
I don’t remember stepping into the ring; I don’t remember taking my shirt off. And I certainly don’t remember Liam announcing the fight with his stupid nicknames and ridiculous banter. I would be told about it later, much later. All I see right now is the male who stood in the ring while my mate fought andalmost burned out. I don’t care that he’s the alpha of the largest pack in the country and that he fights on the regular. All I can see is the darkness in Sherese’s eyes, the feel of her body against mine when she could barely walk. All I can hear is her breathing heavy, trying to recover. But none of that shows on my face. I keep my face blank, even as anger churns through me. I don’t let the darkness inside me control me ever. But there are times when I let a little of it seep out. It makes me faster, stronger, and more powerful. It makes the world around me slow down and brings everything into incredible focus. I let that darkness out of its carefully made cage. I let it fill me just enough, not enough to control me, but enough to make me who I am. I stand perfectly still while all this happens. I continue to stand still even when the signal is given to start fighting. Somewhere in my subconscious, I realize that the enforcer is in the ring with us. That does nothing but make me even more ready. His mate was the one who took my mate down, who pushed her almost to her breaking point. I don’t hear a word over the sound system, but I see the enforcer raise his hand and drop it.
I let the alpha advance and avoid his first few hits, following in my mate’s footsteps. And then, just like she did, I go on the offensive and attack.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sherese
I follow Wyatt, keeping Hunter in my line of sight. I’m anxious to see who he’s going to fight. I’m halfway back to our seats when Raechel intercepts me. “Hey.” Her voice catches my attention. “Are you okay?” she asks quietly.
“I’m fine.”
There’s clear concern in her eyes. “You didn’t look okay. Did I hurt you?”
“No. Not at all. I loved every moment of that fight. Well, right until you took me down.”
The concern doesn’t disappear from her face. I hesitate a moment and then finally cave. “I just needed blood,” I say softly.
