Page 51 of Fighting Furry

She grimaced as though she'd tasted the cheese fondue and it didn't agree with her. She picked up the remote, hit pause, and shifted to look at me. “I fast forward through commercials.”

“Look,” I said. “I get that your time with the Aspens Whiten pack might have been unhappy and you don't want to talk about it, but—”

“It wasn't unhappy. I just don't want to talk about it, because talking about it would require me to spend time with you.”

I had a pretty tough skin, but she was starting to get to me. “You don't even know me.”

“I know you've only been a wolf for a week, yet the alpha is parading you around and telling everyone you're some special starburst.” She shook her head. “Men can't see past their dicks.”

I sighed and sat next to her. “You think he's only calling me the starburst because we slept together?”

She just stared at me like the answer was obvious.

“I get it,” I said. “When I was a few years younger, I was at the top of my game in the UFC, I'd only lost one fight. And then this new girl appeared on the fight circuit, she's a couple years older than me, and it was clear she had something going on with her coach…At least I thought she did, based on the way they were so tight, but it turned out—”

“You got a point here?”

“The point is, I made assumptions about her and, when I finally did fight her, she kicked my ass.”

“You told me that whole story to make the point that I might be underestimating you?” She looked around. “Are we on camera? Is this one of those dumb reality shows and no one told me?”

At the word reality show, an announcer's voice started speaking in my ear, 'retired MMA fighter, Julie Jacobs, once popular pop star Marley Tucker, and child star Haley Bop have journeyed to a mountain-top village, been turned into werewolves and—'

Lucinda snapped her fingers in front of my face and I popped back into the present moment, but damn that'd be an amazing reality show. I'd watch it.

“No,” I said. “We aren't on a reality show. And Axel hasn't promoted me because he wants to get in my pants. I really am the starburst.” And I believed it. Not just because I was desperate to find some sort of occupation now that fighting was done, but because I really felt it. I felt protective of the pack. I wanted to help them, to make their lives better and safer.

“Prove it,” she said.

I stared at the ceiling for assistance, but none came. “I don't know how to prove it.”

“Fight me,” she said. “I'm almost as strong as Clarissa. If you can beat me, I'll believe you're the starburst.”

I looked at my watch. The meeting was in an hour. “That makes no sense. I'm a trained fighter. I'd beat you even if I was a beta.”

Lucinda straightened her shoulders and stared me down. “I command you to fight me,” she said in a damn good approximation of the alpha voice.

“No.”

She leaned toward me. “Fight me.” Her voice was even deeper, but I felt nothing.

“No thanks.”

She leaned back. “Holy shit, you really are the starburst.” Her entire demeanor changed just like that. “Can I fight you? I've always wanted to test my skills against a professional fighter.”

“Have you trained?”

“I've watched a shit-ton of UFC fights.”

“Good enough for me,” I said. “But only twenty minutes, and then you tell me everything you know about the valley pack.”

She leapt off the couch and ran for the back of the house, hollering about changing her clothes. She was back in less than two minutes in work-out shorts and a sports bra. The woman had been training, unless wolves were just naturally fit, because she had some serious guns and defined ab muscles. “Let's go out back,” she said.

I followed her to a small back yard, similar to the one behind Krista's house. The sun was high and warm, though a nice breeze would keep us from being too hot. “Aren't you going to change?” she asked.

I looked down at my jeans and t-shirt. I really didn't expect to have to work up a sweat. “Nah, I'm good.”

She grinned like she'd already won.

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