Page 21 of Exiled Mate

“Yeah. A place where supernaturals were pitted against each other for money,” I grunt.

Her eyes widen. “All supernaturals?”

“Except for the fae, yes,” I nod.

“Ry. You’re telling me that you went up against, like… witches?”

And mages. And warlocks. And I think a vampire.

She doesn’t need to know that, though. “A lot of other shifters, too. Some humans who have heard of our world and can’t escape now.”

Terra’s perfect lips pinch into a round shape. “The scars.”

“Yes. Because I come with built-in weapons, they were allowed to bring weapons into the ring,” I clarify.

It was an unfair advantage. The supernatural community sees shifters as beasts. Aggressive. Animalistic.

They’re the ones who enchanted their blades to cut through hide, skin, and bone, though. I just had claws and teeth against supernaturally enhanced, often silver-edged, weaponry. But I never lost.

“It’s how I know about the danger to the pack,” I add. “About six months ago, one of the… other enforcers was there. He has a history with gambling. I saw him place a bet on the guy I was fighting against. He bragged to the bookie that he had basically unlimited funds, because he was taking them from the pack.”

“He just said that out loud?”

“I don’t think he’s very smart,” I say ruefully. But he is better at manipulating people than I am.

“So you want to tell Thorne,” Terra says, understanding dawning in her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Do you have any proof?”

I shut my eyes, the anger about this question burning through me. “No,” I grit out. “I overheard him right before I went on, and by the time I was done, he was gone.”

“Did you win?”

I look over at Terra. For just a second, I let a feral smile curl the edges of my face.

“I have never lost.”

She nods. “Good.”

The fact that she approves makes me feel much, much happier than it should. I spent two years learning how to fight in the most brutal ways possible. She shouldn’t be proud of me.

But she is.

Terra shifts. “So. Should we tell Thorne now, or…”

“I’ll tell him.”

She frowns.

I hold her closer. “Bring me to him. That’s all I ask. Then I’ll convince him from there. I know how important the pack is to you and your mom, Terra. I won’t ask you to take my side. I’ll convince Thorne of what I saw.”

“What if you can’t?”

I shake my head. “I will, Terra. I will.”

“And if he believes you?”

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