“This will be interesting,” Marcus said, his father nodding along in agreement.
The fight started, and Dylan cried out in fear as Ryker took the first hit. Odin made a faint with his right hand, a standard move, only to come at Ryker from below with the claws of his left hand. He tore a deep gouge into Ryker’s side, blood spurting, and then followed it up with a vicious kick right into the flank he’d just wounded.
Ryker rallied, darting away and out of reach before launching himself teeth first at the bigger wolf, grabbing him around his torso and wrestling him to the ground.
They were evenly matched, but Odin was clearly going to win.
August held his breath, watching as Odin struggled to dislodge Ryker’s signature bear hug.
For a moment it looked like Odin was in trouble, but then he eked out the win by flipping Ryker onto his back and slamming a knee into his lower back, knocking the breath out of his lungs and following it up with a punch to the back of his head.
Ryker gasped, his head lifting off the ground as he clenched his jaw in pain, and before he could right himself, Odin was on him and had his teeth clamped in his neck.
Ryker stopped moving, giving up, and August let out a breath of relief that it was over.
It was for the best, August thought, wincing as Ryker rose to his feet and stumbled. Ryker had done well enough to show that he was one of the top four alphas in the pack, but that he wasn’t in a position to be challenging the hierarchy or making waves.
“Do you think he’d want to go a round with me?” John asked, an eager lust for violence lacing his words. He was staring at Ryker like a dog looking at a potential new chew toy.
“Not even a little bit,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “But he’d say yes if you asked.”
“So don’t ask?” John huffed, chagrined.
Marcus nodded and then pulled his phone out of his pocket. He nodded to himself and turned to August.
“The alphas I called over to fight you have arrived. Are you ready?”
August’s pulse sped up, adrenaline surging through his veins as he mentally prepared himself to fight someone he stood a chance of beating. He nodded. “I’m ready.”
Marcus slid his phone back into his pocket and turned to his father. “Dad, do you want to watch?”
Miller shook his head. “No, I trust you to handle it.”
“In that case, we’ll finish up inside where it’s warm,” Marcus said. “Steve, I assume you want to come watch?”
Steve nodded.
“Ryker, you too?” Marcus turned to where Ryker was standing below the porch, locked in conversation with Odin. Both alphas were still shifted, though now their body language was friendly and relaxed.
Ryker looked up at them and nodded, changing back to his human form and jogging up to meet them. His jaw was covered in blood, drying and flaking off his chin, and his eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of having proved himself to his alpha.
Dylan looked up at him with wide eyes, taking in his savage appearance with an intimidated swallow.
“I can shower after you’re done,” Ryker said, looking down at his side and poking at the wound where Odin had swiped at him with his claws. The gash was healing, but there was still a sluggish trickle of blood seeping out of the deepest part of the wound. “Might as well wait until this stops bleeding.”
“In that case, let’s head inside,” Marcus said, leading the way.
He led them toward the front of the massive house, turning into a room branching off from the main hallway. Once they were inside, he stopped and held out his hand to introduce the three people waiting in the room.
“August, I’d like you to meet Peter, Kayden and Anastacia,” he said, gesturing at the alphas in turn. “Guys, this is our new pack member from Montana.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” August said, nodding at each of them. They returned the greeting, sizing him up.
August looked around, wondering if they were the ones who had cleared all the furniture to the side of the room or if Marcus had had someone else do it before they arrived.
“Peter, I think we’ll have you go first,” Marcus said, taking a seat on the couch. “Teeth and claws only. You can begin when you’re both ready.”
August looked at the man named Peter, studying his muscular arms and wide chest. He was handsome, but nothing compared to Ryker or Steve.
