The Lunas Second Chance Mate
Chapter 13

I wanted to avoid Ryan to let him cool off for a few days, and allow space for the raging confusion inside me, but the fight games were coming up. We still met every day, and we trained. To my relief, he didn't bring up the love confession, nor my rejection. Finally, two days before the fight game, as he was leaving his cabin, he said, "No, you rest."

"Rest? But what if I have more to learn."

"You can't learn much else in a couple days but your body will be stronger if it gets rest, and then you can fight fresh." He explained.

I worried that he just didn't want to train me anymore. He had been acting more distant, more agitated lately.

"Is something wrong? How will I do if I don't practice to the last minute?" I said.

"Better than if you wear yourself out right before," he said. "And yes, something is wrong. I don't want you to get hurt. I wish you'd decide to not do this."

"I already told everyone I would. How should it look if I back out now?" I said, not wanting to be the pack's coward.

The day of the games, most of the pack joined us in carriages as we made the several hours trip to a place without trees. I hadn't been anywhere else but with the Starstream pack in a few months. There would be other packs there too. I wondered if anyone from Crowalt Pack would attend.

Donna stayed with the cabin to keep it up. She had tears in her eyes when we said our goodbye, she insisted, "You better come back alive, or you'll be in big trouble by me!" I was getting used to her warm hugs, and she embraced me. "You be careful." Even if she said she couldn't stand to watch the violence, I kind of wished she'd come along with us. Instead, in the carriage, I was sitting next to Ryan, and across from Michael the whole trip. Michael hardly acknowledged me when I spoke to him, and always looked glum, so I eventually decided to ignore him back.

When we arrived, I'd never seen anything quite like the open field that was flat. All around were roped off sections for the different fights, and plenty of space for standing spectators and a few chairs for the more elite audience members.

I became very nervous. I knew the rules. Males fought males and she-wolves fought one another. Each pack had to have at least one representative of each. As I walked through, it seemed like any other she-wolves looked burly, large, and muscular compared to me. As a new pack member, I had to be in the one track of fights to-the-death.

I reflected on all the training, and how few times, I'd thrown Ryan. Was I really ready? Whenever Ryan had urged me not to fight, I'd said I would do it defensively, but suddenly, I wasn't sure how ready I could be.

Ryan had told me the fight games keep the packs in this area peaceful. They spill blood once a year to avoid wars. It doesn't always work like it should, but especially the track for to-the-death was intended to settle any quarrels between packs. Or even to settle debts between pack-members.

As a veteran who'd already won years ago in the to-the-death track, Ryan would be the male representative to the Starstream Pack in the fight games that were more for sport and skill. He told me, "It actually takes more skill to take down and not kill than to go for the jugular."

There were some men and she-wolves working at the registration table. When we signed in, I learned that I would fight one battle as human form, one in wolf form, and if I survived for the third round shifting would be allowed.

Others were placing bets. I saw the strangers eyeing me, and I could tell that from my unimpressive size, a lot were betting against me. I saw Michael was taking bets, and I assumed that he was as well, which made me a little angry, but I needed to save my energy for the fights.

I was in a daze during the first two rounds. They both were finished quickly. Having practiced with Ryan all this time, the she-wolf opponents were a lot smaller than him. Surprising everyone, I won both, but the worst challenge was ahead of me.

My last match would take place the next day. I rested up in my tent. Ryan came to see me after I was properly bandaged. "You're doing well. You'll have to be careful; I watched your final opponent for tomorrow, and she's the betting favorite." "Great," I said. "Anything else?"

"You're doing amazing," he said.

"Yeah, am I ruining everyone's bets?" I smiled. "How's Michael?"

"You knew?"

"Guessed," I shrugged. "He's predictable."

Ryan kind of chuckled, "he means well."

"Does he?" I refuted.

"Yeah, maybe not. I'll bet against him. After today, I think you'll win."

"Even against the favorite?"

"You shift faster than anyone I know." He said. "As I told you, it's a great advantage."

The crowd was packed around the arena the next day. I walked in as a human, looking to the other side, where a she-wolf with blonde hair tied up behind her head walked in. She was tall with a severe angular face and bright blue eyes. Pretty even, and talented too. I could smell the eagerness of the crowd. They wanted to see someone die, they wanted to see me die as they had all bet on her. "Begin!" The commencer announced.

We both drew our knives, circling each other in a low stance. She came at me with furious swipes of the blade, fast and more aggressive, her strong arm was in perfect control. The tip of the knife almost graced my neck.

The crowd cheered her on. It was getting to my head. She lunged again, and I shifted to dodge her. She shifted after me- her wolf was dark gray and beastly. She had no fear, and no mercy on her breath as her wolf pinned down Ariana by the throat. I lashed out desperately. Flailing till I finally got loose. I was on the defense, and I knew it was bad.

"Kill her! Kill her!" Chants rose up from the crowd- they were all against me.