The fight would not be to the death. That was reserved for criminal convictions. Instead, they had fifteen minutes. The last man standing would be declared the winner. Either party could surrender or tap out by slapping the dirt. If both fighters were still on their feet when the ending bell sounded, the judge would decide a winner, but there would be no tie.
The fight began.
The two men danced around each other, ducking and dancing as they dodged blows.
It was unexpectedly dignified and decorous.
I said as much and Mr. Keir snorted.
“Well, I doubt that will last,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement. “Your Alpha is up next.”
“You don’t think that Kade will fight as well as they did?”
“Dear boy,” Mr. Keir said kindly. “That wasn’t a fight. That was a gentlemen’s disagreement over a drunken insult. To answer your question, though, I don’t think that your Alpha is going to put on a show, no. Kade isn’t fighting for anything as abstract as honor or respect.” He patted my knee gently. “Kade is fighting for his family, for his child. I expect Kade to give the other man one last chance to concede, because that’s the kind of man he is. If Carlton chooses not to, I expect it to be raw and aggressive.”
Oh.
The gate swung open and the two men left the ring, thumping each other on the back. They were both covered in dirt and blood, so I couldn’t tell who had won.
A moment later, someone walked in through the same gate. I recognized the man as the one Kade had showed me a picture of. Carlton. He was dressed in some weird green stretchy pants and a yellow long sleeved t-shirt with obnoxiously bright orange shoes on his feet.
He stopped in the middle of the arena, bopping up and down, throwing imaginary punches at who knows what.
He looked ridiculous.
A gasp ran through the handful of spectators and I tore my eyes away from the clown to see what had caught their attention.
I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Kade’s floppy hair was held back from his face with a sweatband and he was clad in his workout clothes: a pair of skin-tight spandex shorts, ankle socks, and a pair of well-worn cross-trainers. From all appearances, he was walking into a sparring session that he had every expectation of winning.
If his confidence wasn’t sexy enough, his thick muscles bunched and shifted as he stalked into the arena, the tawny skin stretched over them all but glowing in the bright lights. When he reached the center of the ring, he turned to face his opponent and Carlton shifted a step back, the open hostility on my Alpha’s face palpable even from that far away.
The judge began the introduction, gave the names of the participants, and listed the accusations and still Kade never took his eyes from the other man’s face.
When the bell rang, Carlton raised his fists in much the same way that he had when he’d been dancing by himself. That was a mistake. Kade knocked Carlton’s feet out from under him with a sweep of his leg, dropping him hard on his back. Before Carlton could catch his breath, Kade flipped him over and drove his knee into the other man’s back.
He leaned down low, grabbing Carlton’s short hair and forcing his head back, revealing his fangs and leaning close to Carlton’s throat. Carlton screamed, an unholy noise that echoed through the cold air.
I saw Kade’s lips move, but I couldn’t tell what he said. Whatever it was, Carlton’s lips moved in response, he was spilling everything. Kade released his hair and Carlton’s head flopped forward, the light catching the glint of tears coating the man’s face.
Kade stood up, hands at his sides, and waited. Carlton reached one hand out and thumped on the hard packed dirt three times.
He’d tapped out.
He’d given up his claim to my baby and Kade never even threw a punch.
Around us, a smattering of applause rose.
Mr. Keir chuckled. “Did you see that, Jeremy?” he asked, a big grin on his face. “A true Alpha doesn’t have to draw blood to make their point.”
I nodded, watching as Kade strode out of the arena and headed toward us, leaving Carlton lying on his face in the dirt. Stopping in front of me, he lifted me from my seat. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he claimed my mouth in a hot, hard kiss.
“It’s over, Jem. Let’s go home, baby.”
Epilogue
Jeremy
