Page 8 of Knot Quite Ready

We grin, and with a nod, we move toward each other again, ignoring our family as we focus on each other’s small movements as our muscles ripple under our skin, trying to gauge one another’s next moves.

Suddenly a predatory smile comes over Pierce’s face as he explodes into action, his body fluid as he launches into the air, his body almost contorting as his torso twists and he rakes his claws down my chest, landing a hit. Relishing in the sting of pain, I use his momentum against him and rain a flurry of powerful blows into his side that reverb up my arms and cause him to grunt.

While we may not be able to shift entirely, our ability to bring out our claws was possible.

He grins as he dances back, his eyes glowing. His leopard becomes more than interested in the fight. I feel my wolf respond in kind.

You are evenly matched with this cat. He is strong, a worthy opponent and ally. This town is unique.Montgomery’s voice echoes my thoughts. This town was indeed quite remarkable.

"Come on, wolf boy, is that all you've got?" Pierce taunts me as he sweeps a leg at my ankles. I jump over his leg with a chuckle, landing gracefully on my feet before launching a powerful kick aimed at his chest. He bends backward, narrowly avoiding my foot as it whistles past his face.

This continues for several minutes as we draw blood, and our bodies vibrate from violence pouring through our veins. Finally, a particularly heavy punch from Pierce leaves a small cut on my cheek while I land a solid hit on his jaw. The cage's wards amplify the impact of each hit, causing sonic booms to ripple through the air.

I relish the ache starting in my muscles as we push each other to our limits. Then, as our bodies drip with sweat, our muscles straining, Pierce spins and delivers a roundhouse kick that I narrowly avoid by ducking low. In response, I lunge forward with a powerful uppercut, but he shifts his head to the side, evading the blow.

A ring of the bells and the mic cutting back on has us both stop short, “Well, then. I may have missed the majority of that, but from what Iwasable to watch from the cam, that just made my lady dick hard as fuck. So we can most certainly call that—and bythat,I mean what I am here-by dubbing The Fur-ious Feline Fiasco: A Paws-itively Wild Showdown…— a tie.”

The crowd collectively cheers, groans, and laughs at the pun as the cage starts to come up. Pierce and I shake hands with a laugh as Tristan, Ramiro, and his grandmother come closer.

“This was a very enlightening night. If you ever need anything, My name is Pierce; ask around, and you’ll find me,” he nods in respect.

“Same here. My name is Casimir,” I look at Tristan.

“Ah, so not Sir Snarls-A-Lot, got it,” Pierce teases, and I huff out a laugh.

With another nod, he turns and walks away.

“Well, at least I didn’t lose any money,” Tristan grumbles as he passes me my shirt, and I start to shrug it on.

As I'm about to reply, the most intoxicating scent hits me like a tidal wave. My eyes widen, and my wolf springs to attention. The aroma - a blend of rose, lavender, and vanilla - sets my heart racing and ignites a fire within me. My wolf strains against me, desperate to break free, but I fight for control, beads of sweat forming on my forehead, flames coursing through my veins. I draw deep breaths, the overwhelming urge, unlike anything I've experienced. My blood rushes from my head to my groin, leaving me with a throbbing headache. The scent envelops me like a tender embrace, and I know I must find the one it belongs to. Now.

Mine.My wolf growls.Mate.

My world grinds to a halt, time standing still. Tristan's voice reaches me, muffled, as if from a great distance. All my senses blur, with only my sense of smell remaining sharp. My pulse pounds, my arousal throbs, and my wolf claws at me, desperate to escape. This isn't just about finding my mate, my Omega. No, she's going into heat.

* * *

Every instinct ison high alert as my senses come rushing back to me.

"Cas, boss man," Tristan yells, on alert and looking for any potential threats. My eyes snap up to meet his, and he takes a step back, my wolf at the forefront, taking any close wolf as a threat to his mate. His eyes widen in alarm, and he holds up his hands and bends his neck in a show of submission. I feel my wolf pull back a little as he observes the room.

"Cas, I can smell her too," Tristan says softly, and I snarl in anger. "Boss, listen to me, she is all yours, man, but this is not the place to wolf out right now. You let go of your wolf now, you won't be able to bring him back in. Not after that fight. We are going to have to leave. Now."

"I. Must. Have. Her," my wolf snarls, and I feel my control slipping, something that hasn't happened since I had my first shift. This is something completely unprecedented. I never wanted a female as badly as I do now. But not any female, my mate. My Omega. And by her scent, she needs me too. I have to find her.

"We will come back tomorrow, boss. We will track her down, but right now, I'm doing this for you and for the pack," Tristan says in an angry whisper, trying not to draw attention to himself. A part of me wonders why, but then my whole world goes dark as I pass out.My Mate.

Chapter6

Chapter 6

Aneira

Storm and I watch the fight from one of the elevated booths, drinks in our hands. "We have a good turnout tonight," Storm shouts in my ear. She forgets that my hearing is so much better than hers, and I wince. "Oops, sorry," she adds, lifting the beer to her lips and taking a deep pull. "Full roster of fights tonight. Just the way we like it."

She says it like it's a surprise, but it's usually a full night of fights every time we do shifter wars. It started out as a passion project—my love for teaching self-defense to those who may need it—and when remodeling, I found this... cavern... under the bookstore basement, and it ran deep underground. In fact, when I was mapping it, part of it was under the lake and ran quite a long ways into the forest. The crew I hired did an amazing job making this space comfortable, insulated, and most importantly, soundproof; all exits and entrances reinforced with steel doors and beyond the sunken fighting circle floor, luxurious seating, and bars—the works. The reconstruction in this particular underground chamber was done after hours, and while the crew had no recollection of their extra work, they were compensated generously. I also paid a pretty penny for memory charms, and after all, was said and done, I had been down to the last few thousand of the 'nest egg' my mother provided me with. If you could even call a few million a nest egg. But it came in handy with my move, identity change, and complete renovation of this place.

During our walkthrough of the secret basement, Storm and I realized there was an entrance in an alleyway not far from the bookstore. It provided the perfect anonymity and a double layer of protection. Of course, I still had to do a lot of work to ensure the humans didn't stumble across it, but once warded properly, we were in business.

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