Page 31 of Betrayed By the Alpha Wolf

As soon as the word left Aspen’s mouth, I flicked my attention to Choal, who came barreling at me like a lunatic. He snarled loudly, dropping his head and shoulders and looking to ram them into my gut.

I rolled out of the way just in time, skidding to a stop right at the edge of the ring. I planted a hand between a collection of protruding nails and braced to push myself off the wood with a hard shove.

Unfortunately, Choal was faster today than he had been against the bear, and he turned on his heel, coming straight for me before I could stand back up. Abandoning my plan to launch myself off the wall, I reached up just in time to stop Choal’s knee from colliding with my face, gripping his ankle with both hands.

It took effort to toss him back, heavy fucker that he was, and as I stood, there was a chorus of boos and cheers that rang out around the room.

Fuck, do I shift?

The decision wasn’t an easy one right now. I was bigger and maybe a bit stronger in wolf form, but it would be more difficult to keep myself from hitting the nails if I didn’t have dexterous hands to keep me safe.

Before I could think much more about it, though, Choal barreled toward me again. I didn’t roll this time, looking to keep myself up off the floor. Instead, I shifted directly to his side and used the opportunity to punch the asshole in the ribs.

Choal grunted low, but the blow didn’t appear to faze him much. I wouldn’t get a chance to land another because the guy was already spinning in my direction. I had to duck beneath a wild haymaker, and the sweeping arch of Choal’s arm was a hint at how good the guy’s range of motion was.

He’s got a hell of a reach.

Having a few inches on me, the hulking other wolf had longer arms. And while those few inches didn’t seem like much when you were just standing next to the guy, they meant all the difference when you were faced off against him.

I needed to step back and be careful how I approached him. A punch or kick would risk being in the guy’s melee range, and I wasn’t too keen on feeling the blunt end of Choal’s attached.

Better to be quick in this case.

“Just back down now, Edwards. You won’t win this.”

The threat was growled through a voice that was hardly human anymore, and that actually gave me the best idea I’d hadyet. If I could manage to hold myself in a partial shift, I could have the edge here.

Work with me, buddy. Okay? If we win this, it’s over. Kenzie won’t be at risk.

My wolf stalked beneath my skin, slipping forward slightly as I mentioned our mate. I knew that the situation was dependent on Kenzie, and that was putting it mildly. But my wolf seemed to consent to my request enough so that I could at least call forward my claws and fangs.

There you go. Now, just hold still, Choal.

I wasn’t interested in having a conversation with the man, and I hoped that his distraction for the moment would be enough to land a good slice.

“What cat got your tongue?” He snarled, and I sunk low into my thighs, pulling up all the tension and then rushing forward at him with my claws leveled at his stomach.

Hitting him, I didn’t manage to take him down to the floor. I’d only managed to scoot him back a foot or two, but my claws were also submerged in the guy’s belly fat. Before I could be too excited about it, though, Choal gripped me by the shoulders and flung me across the ring into the wooden crates.

Pain lanced through my head as it made abrupt contact with the wood, and a few of the randomly placed nails drove into the back of my arm and shoulder.

I tumbled to the ground, my vision hazy. I was only just able to roll out of the way as Choal charged at me again. He was leaking a fair bit of the red stuff, but unfortunately, now so was I.

That attack had clearly not been worth the effort.

“Bastard!”

Choal’s cries echoed in the through, and his supporters on the Williams side howled along with him. From the other side of the room, I could hear Jet and Kaiden holler out, and I risked a glance in their direction. They were standing near their seats now, and there was still no sign of MacKenzie.

It’s good, Gray. She doesn’t want to see you get the shit kicked out of you. She doesn’t want to see you at all.

My wolf whimpered in his invisible space, and the flair of hurt that darted through me was enough to keep me from seeing Choal rushing across the ring. This time, when he launched himself at me, it was too late to duck out of the way.

His fist collided with my jaw, and my head snapped back so hard that I worried the thing would pop clean off. Thankfully, my skull stayed attached. Unfortunately, the pain roaring through it went coursing through my entire upper body, and I sagged down to one knee.

Williams wolves cheered loudly, and the ring spun as I tried to clear my vision with a futile headshake.

“Get up, Grayson! Come on!”

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