Peter rolled his shoulders and took a fighting stance, and August did the same.
“Ryker, make sure Dylan doesn’t get in the way,” he said.
Ryker pulled Dylan close and retreated to the couch where Marcus was sitting. He remained standing, but he nudged Dylan to take a seat next to Marcus.
He probably didn’t want to get the couch dirty.
Steve, seeing that Dylan was momentarily unclaimed, took the opportunity to sit down and lift Dylan onto his lap. Dylan let out a surprised squeal at the sudden manhandling, but once he realized what Steve wanted, he quickly made himself comfortable.
August looked away, turning his attention to his opponent. His mind buzzed with the energy of his wolf, and he knew just by looking at the other alpha that he was going to come out on top.
Peter attacked first. He was fast, but not fast enough to get the upper hand. They traded a few blows, fists closed and not using their claws, before August took advantage of a moment of distraction and slammed Peter to the ground.
August climbed on top of him, holding him down with an arm pinned across the back of his neck.
“I yield,” Peter growled, and August let him up.
They both climbed to their feet.
“Fucking hell, I bet Anastacia twenty bucks I could take you,” Peter complained, following the grumble up with a wide grin. “You’re tougher than William said you would be.”
August grinned back. “You need to work on your blocking.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Peter said, clearly intending to do no such thing.
“He’s right.” Marcus rose to his feet and walked over to Peter. He looked him over, grabbing him and spinning him around, making sure he was okay before sending him back to watch the next fight. “You need to work on your defense. I’ll schedule some training sessions.”
“Yes, Marcus,” Peter said, obedient to his future alpha. He didn’t seem too upset at the idea of extra training.
“All right, Anastacia, if you can take him, we’ll know where he ranks,” Marcus said, gesturing for Anastacia to step forward.
Brushing his hair back from his face, August watched the female alpha as she moved over to take Peter’s place. She was a powerfully built woman, with strong arms and wide hips, and the grin on her face as she took up a fighting stance was impressively intimidating.
“Come at me, pretty boy,” she taunted, getting into a defensive position. August looked at Marcus, who nodded.
“My pleasure.”
August attacked, but he could tell right away that he was outmatched. As soon as he came at her, Anastacia managed to trip him with an unexpected tap on the back of his knee, and once he was down, Anastacia was on him with her teeth in his neck before he could even figure out how he’d gotten there.
“I give,” he said, going limp. After just getting a mating bite, Anastacia’s teeth in his neck was an unwelcome sensation and he wanted them out as soon as possible.
“Excellent!” Marcus said, clapping his hands together. “Thank you, Anastacia. That’s both our new alphas sorted.”
Anastacia let go of August’s neck and climbed off his back. He rose to his feet and met her grin with a respectful nod.
“Good fight,” she said, shaking his hand. “William underestimated you.”
“You’re fast,” August complimented her.
“So that’s it?” Dylan asked, keeping his voice at a whisper and looking up at Steve. He seemed to have forgotten that every other person in the room was a werewolf who could hear even the quietest mutter. “No more fighting?”
“No more fighting,” Steve confirmed, looking up at Marcus and adding, “Right?”
Marcus nodded. “That’s right.” He turned to Ryker. “We’ll expect you back up here for the next few full moons, but the four of you can go back to Fort Plainslac after the party tomorrow.”
August felt his whole body relax. The hard part was over. They had joined the pack and figured out their place in it. John was their alpha now, and August trusted that he would be a good one. All the rumors about him agreed that he was a terrible enemy, but that he took care of his people.
“Is it okay if August, Dylan and I go hang out in my apartment with Ryker?” Steve asked, lifting Dylan off his lap and standing up. He hugged Dylan to his front, squeezing his head back into his chest.
