Stronger by Ang Chris
Chapter 7

I had smelt seawater. So many people were sweating and excited and I could smell seawater.

“Alpha,” my beta nodded, greeting me.

“Matt,” I smiled clapping his shoulder.

“What’s she like?” I looked around at the busy people frantic with anticipation. They wanted to to watchthe men tear each other apart for their females.

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It was in our species‘ nature to be excited at battle and competition. Not only did they want the combatand blood they wanted someone worthy.

Was it wrong that I wanted her to be worthy of my pack too? She was a female alpha and I sympathizewith the pressure on her but I wanted a luna my pack would be amazed at.

“She is…..strong. She held her composure at the indecency of the Crystal Ecl*pse men. Also, she isclever enough to be wary of a man who hasn’t shown up yet. she wanted to know your persona and thecommunity she may help care for,”

I nodded, understanding his words. If I win and she becomes my luna I will want to see how shebehaves with my people first so that she can be trusted. I put them above all else as their leader it ismy job to protect and serve them.

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“She is also devoted to her people, she cut a date she was enjoying short to help a mother who wasbirthing early. The babe was not breathing and Annette saved it,”

*Matthew was impressed. *

My beta is a discerning man. He came in my stead because I knew he would hold the priority of thepack’s best interest at heart.

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To see him impressed told me my mother was right to come here.

She had heard of this family’s legacy but she knew this female’s father. Though they had a proudlineage they were humble and worked with their people. She said she had visited here once after myfather died to see this girl. That was when my mother suggested I compete for her when the time came.

I am not compelled by my mother but a wise man listens to those who have seen a lifetime.

“You said she was enjoying the date she left?” I looked over the other men competing.

A taller lanky young man that seemed small in persona. A boy who looked far to you to be consideredfor this. Then

there were two men chatting carelessly. I could identify Peter Saunik of the Frozen Moon pack. One ofthe largest packs out there. He was talking to a smaller man, I could see he had some muscle on himbut they seemed for show not work. Two more men I deemed to be challenging. They seemed to bediscussing strategy. There was a man off to the side looking up at the sun with a mindless look on hisface. The final man was flirting?!

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*He will go first. *

“I believe I will compete,”

When I said this I felt a certainty enter me. As if this was the most defining moment of my life.

I smelled the air allowing the sea to fill my lungs as I turned to my beta to discuss the strengths of eachman and I caught something on him.

“What is that?” I asked him.

Matt looked at me eyeing my flashing change in demeanor.

“What is what Alpha?”

He used my title only when he thought I was angry as a way to show his respect for my authority.

I was not mad.

*No, I don’t think I’m mad but there is something on Matt. Some whiff of something on him. A hint of aneed that I desperately craved more of. *

“Why do you smell sweet?” I stepped toward him.

“Sweet? Grayson are you alright? You seem like you’re…..hurting,‘

“No. you smell of something sweet,”

He was a tall beta his grandfather was the son of an alpha. I however was of fully forged alpha blood,born of even two alohas. my senses were higher than most wolves but even against alphas, I wasbetter.

3

“I smell it on you. The sweetness of…of..” My mind failed to replace the word that was taunting me.

Matt knit his brows together wondering why I was so interested in this scent and why I was actingmystified by it.

I turned and looked down at the other men attempting to push this desire from my head and my gut.Still, I felt it creeping through me like warmth on cold nights. Filling me up.

I determined I would take down the flea who was flirting first as he was distracting this esteemed pack’sline.

3

Then I would gently take out the small young boy. He was not ready for men like this. These menwanted to bed a woman like no other. They were grown and they craved her.

Now I was angry.

Who were they to want her? How did they think they had the right to her? There were dogs! On leashesof their fathers!

They shouldn’t be allowed to breathe!

I felt my wolf rise to the surface like lightning. He wanted blood…… He wanted….More.

“What was happening?

Never had I felt so enthralled for a fight the urge to win overcoming me.

“Matthew, I need you to keep me from killing any of these men. I feel as though I’m losing my control,”

I told my beta as he wrapped my hands. His expression darkened but it did not match my mood. I hadno clue why I was on edge but my wolf did.

I put on my shoes. The ground was rocky and had patches of dirt or grass here and there.

We were to wrap our hands and dress in normal fighting clothes. I prefer my pants to be tight so I don’tgive my opponents a place to grab me. My shirt was a simple tank top, which I did not prefer but theheat in Georgia was astonishing in the summer.

I saw the stupid boy smiling with some of the girls from a visiting pack their laughs at his jokes stirredthe a few in me again.

3

My wolf. Enzo surged forward. His teeth bared. My eyes flashed between grey and black.

“Grayson!”

Matthew grabbed my shoulders but the voice of the Celestial Tide pack Alpha rang out.

“Will all competing males come to ring!” Alpha Jonathan announced.

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“Yes”

Enzo hunched and growled. He wanted their blood; he was hungry for the crunch of their bones in hisjaw.

Not worthy

Worthy? Enzo what do you mean? The pull for the ring ahead of me grew.

I looked around at the men who seemed to think they had a chance at beating me.

Line up

“I mean it Matt don’t let me kill them. I will not be in control,” I called over my shoulder. No longerresisting the power bringing me to the battle.

I let the inky black cover my eyes fully he was in control and bloodthirsty.

I did not know why my wolf was acting like this but I knew better than to question the goddess’sactions.

I could feel her weaving her strings at this moment creating a path for me.

The smell came to me again driving me to the pits of my mind unable to try to keep Enzo in check.

The sweetness of nature was dripping down my throat coating my insides.

“You will all compete in a melee tournament every man for himself,”

The alpha of the celestial tide pack was a large man. His sons beside him were also large but his wifewas small, shapely, it did not go with the chatter of her abilities.

My wolf growled deeply within me

“She was not here. *

She appears to be a stickler for tradition. Another peak of excitement entered my b*dy.

I walked into the ring. A layer of bricks was all that generated us from the crowd. Wolves tended toenjoy a battle, blood- Justing animals we were.

*Let’s get this over with. *

“You will fight in hand–to–hand combat only! Any man attempting to use weapons will be disqualified!”The alpha continued to list the rules.

Enzo prowled inside of my head staring down the cannon fodder before him. I felt him pacing angeredby their presence.

I could not understand his agitation but I knew there was a reason for it. I had to trust him.

“May the right man win!” Alpha Jonathan called out and the battle began.

Stepping back in my head I decided I would only stop Enzo from killing these men but allow him to dowhat he needed.

I selected the lady’s man from the nervous bunch of men eyeing each other.

Enzo drooled at the thought of his pain.

He had decided to go for the man next to him with a simple strategy.

I was the largest here so I knew they would try and save me for last.

One man did charge me while I stalked towards my prey.

He ran at me as only knelt in half so he flung himself over me.

This caught the attention of the mouse who had thought of winning a woman and flirting with others.

I saw the fear in his eyes flash and his original opponent fled the scene taking on someone else.

I went to grab him by his shirt but he spun out of my reach so I kicked out my leg into his thigh.

He gritted his teeth as a groan attempted to escape him.

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I slammed my fist into the side of his ribs and then grabbed his shirt.

Enzo for whatever reason had decided to punish him before knocking him out.

My knee came up to his other side knocking the wind out of him, his wheezing a symphony to my ears.

I lifted him easily into the air and slammed him into the ground. His eyes closed all too quickly.

“Fine then. *

A whining pant entered my head.

The small boy was running from a lanky man and a thick short man.

They were laughing at him as they played.

I huffed and ran over to deal with their cruelty.

I grabbed one of them by the back of the n*eck and chucked him as far back as I could.

The larger of the two was like a cat playing with its food toying with him letting him run one way andthen chasing him

the next.

I inwardly rolled my eyes. Just as I was going to grab him by his waist I felt a thumping at my back.

Still, I continued to free the young one from his torture. The audience cheered and clapped, smiling atthe show of force for their female.

The stout man’s laugh filled up the air and I made my wolf frenzied. the man behind me tried sweepingat my legs before realizing I was not caring at all.

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I balled my fist and grabbed his hair slamming the butt of my fist into his nose. A sharp cry exited himas he gasped for air.

Then I turned my attention to the pup. Quick and painless as I promised.

“No! No please!” he begged I brought my fist to the corner of his jaw. The knockout point. A womencried somewhere but I did not pay any attention.

He fell limply. I tossed him out of the ring.

Two men were wrestling around on the ground grappling to actually make a solid move against theother. The people watching shouting different way to get on top even though none of it would work.

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I looked around and I nodded towards another man to accept his challenge.

He ran at me strongly, in return I walked slowly.

I was going to grab him by his wrists and yank him to me to slam him to the ground.

Instead, he slid out of my way in a clever attempt to evade me.

He jumped up in a fancy fl*p that earned him a small gasp from the crowd but I was not impressed.

He went to punch me and as I blocked, his claws racked my left flank. I kept any sounds inside myself.

The cheat smirked. He was clearly happy that he had Injured me but did not recognize it did nothing tostop me.

I faked grabbing his arm that was coming for the wound but instead, let it hit me and drove my righthand into his stomach and then his jaw and kicked him to the ground.

That’s when I heard it.

It broke me. That scream. It was agony. It physically hurt me to hear her like that.

Her.

I looked in front of me, my eyes returning to grey. I stopped caring about

everything else.

Mate