“I need to make sure he doesn’t turn out to be a disappointment. We both know how that can be,” he says.
Elena sits back in her chair, her knee that’s close to Cillian bouncing frantically. My brother places his hand on her bare leg and holds it there to calm her down, but I can see how irritated she is and how hard she’s trying to tone it down.
By some miracle Elena doesn’t push Cillian’s hand off of her while she listens to the announcer. Both of the men take the ring, and her eyes widen ever so slightly seeing Finn shirtless for the first time.
She leans into me, and I shift so she can whisper in my ear.
“Alessio was all state for wrestling, he’s known to be the man Salvatore sends for traitors. Is this really something Finn can handle?”
I can’t help myself as I wrap a hand in her hair to bring her ear closer to my mouth. Cillian looks over at me with unabashed jealousy, and I won’t deny that I like it more than I should.
“It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses, it’s all about showing Salvatore we’re willing to do anything to work with him. If the head boss is willing to get into the ring to prove himself, that’s all that matters.”
She nods her head, and her blonde strands slip through my fingers as I face the ring once again.
“At least it will be nice to watch him get the shite kicked out of him for once,” Declan comments casually from next to me.
He isn’t wrong.
It’s sick that a part of me wants to see Finn get his ass kicked. I wish it wasn’t like this; I wish there wasn’t so much animosity between us, that we were actually brothers. Fuck, I wish we could just be a functional pack. But outside of the facade we’re putting on in front of Salvatore and his men, it’s all a disaster.
Both of the men put their mouth guards in as the ref goes over the rules. Finn looks a little leaner than Alessio, more firmly made of muscle. But for what Alessio lacks in muscle, he makes up for in sheer size.
The bell dings for round one, and Elena tenses in her seat. It’s my natural instinct to protect her, so I throw my arm over her shoulder and toy with her hair. Her chest rises and falls with each breath as she watches the dance happening before us.
Both of them are sussing each other out, seeing who will make the first move and how they will counterattack. This isn’t a professional fight; neither of them has trained on how to fight the other. It’s all instinctual and gritty.
Alessio gets the first hit, and Elena gasps next to me. But Finn is quick. As his head turns to the side, he uses the momentum to recoil, getting a jab into the other Alpha’s kidneys. There’s already a sheen of sweat on both of their skin, and Elena covers her mouth with her hand.
“It will be okay,” I say calmly to reassure her. She shakes me off as she watches the scene unfold in front of us.
No one should expect a clean fight when it comes to the corrupt men in the ring. Everything is on the table, and Finn makes that apparent when he knees Alessio’s hip, sending him into the ropes.
Salvator yells something in Italian, and Elena stiffens in her seat.
“Tell him to watch his left side,” Elena mumbles next to me.
But I’m too late, as multiple punches make contact with Finn’s left rib cage. He needs a break and grabs hold of the Alpha so that the ref will call it. He doesn’t, and Alessio uses that opportunity to knee Finn in the groin, making them separate.
The Italian Alpha then rears back and throws a fist at Finn’s face.
Blood trickles from Finn’s mouth, but he doesn’t tap. The clock for the first round finally ticks down until he’s given some reprieve. They head to their corners, taking a sip of water and rallying for the next round.
Finn looks worse for wear as he glances in our direction, his eyes locking on Elena for a few short moments before looking away.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she mumbles.
“He usually sandbags in the first round. He’ll be alright,” I tell her. She shakes her head but says nothing else. Even in this crowded place, I can smell her scent, which has gone sour. What’s normally sweet has a burnt edge to it.
The bell rings again, and the fight restarts where it left off. Elena’s one hand actually seeks refuge over the hand Cillian has on her thigh, while the other one covers her mouth and nose slightly.
Alessio strikes fast in this round, decking Finn in the face.
“No, that’s it. I can’t,” Elena huffs, standing up.
“Too much for your sensitivities,bella?” Salvatore taunts with an arched brow.
“She’s very possessive of her pack. She hasn’t seen him fight like this before,” Cillian defends her.
