“Do you have any idea what you have just done?” he yells, before thrusting a finger at Bradley. “And you! How could you let her accept it? I thought you were smarter than this Bradley, I didn’t know you were just as dumb.”
“I just had ear surgery Lyles, all this yelling is making me sick.”
We are in the gym, and by we, I mean me, Bradley, Leo’s mate, Lyles, Lukas, and Sia who just walked in. Everybody is getting their ears bitten off by Lyles. His yelling these days is getting out of hand, and I think it is something serious. I’d talk to him about it, maybe after the challenge, that is if I am still alive, not that I am planning on dying or anything, but the chances of me walking out of there alive are slim, given my current condition which I didn’t give a second thought when I accepted the challenge.
“Give the poor guy a break Lyles. He is just a child.”
It is too late to tell Sia to stop talking. He talks fast when he wants to, and slow when he is mocking you. And he just mocked Lyles, and boy he was going to hear it hot.
Anita, Leo’s mate who is by the entrance jumps out of the way as an angry Lyles makes his way forward. She is so small, I could have missed that little but important action she took if I wasn’t looking at Sia. I don’t think I need to explain anything to you.
“A break? Anita needs a break, Lukas, Crinka and I need breaks, but not this dumbass! What Bradley needs is a broken head to make him realize just how dumb he is.”
Lyles must have been serious about Bradley needing a broken head, that he doesn’t mind throwing his watch at Bradley’s head. I have never seen Lyles without his gold-plated watch and for him to throw it at poor Bradley confirms it. Lyles has lost it.
I don’t know if he did it to lessen Lyles anger, but Bradley let the watch hit his forehead.
“Keep it.” Sia commanded, after the throw.
“Keep it,” Lyles says with so much venom, “and I will keep you under my shoe.”
Anita took the watch from Bradley and wore it, staring at Lyles the whole time.
“Come collect it when you have gotten rid of your anger issues. As for me, my operated ear needs a break. I will see you at the arena.”
She leaves the gym and pushes Sia out of the door with so much contempt. I wonder why.
“Wow,” Lukas exclaims. “I never thought I would see the day when a woman can shut that mouth of yours.”
“Shut up,” Lyles says, annoyed. “Shouldn’t you be snogging your mate or something?”
The way he says it, I think Lyles has found his mate and is pissed about it. It has to be the reason why he has been yelling so much. Lukas ignored him, mostly because he calls Lyles an angry toddler who only throws tantrums. Not in his presence of course.
Since the noise had gone down, Sia talked again. “Honestly, I don’t see the reason why Crinka is working herself so much.”
“What does that mean? She has a fight to fight and it needs adequate preparation giving her condition.” Lyles says.
“That’s where you are wrong. Given her condition, your alpha is supposed to be getting enough sleep and eating instead of wasting her time here in this gym.”
“Wasting my time? Are you deaf or did you choose to ignore what Lyles said? What type of human being doesn’t prepare for a fight? I don’t know what you are saying but I am not wasting my time in this gym.” To prove a point, I started hitting the punching bag nearest to him very hard.
“You couldn’t even get it to open. This shows how weak you are. You should be packing up energy so you can burn it at the arena.”
“That is a loser tactic. My alpha title is at stake. I need to fight to put that stupid Sleepy Joe in his place,” I say still hitting the stupid punching bag with Sia approaching me. I don’t want him near me, or I would become weaker. What nonsense was he saying? Does he know just how long I have waited for this? For Sleepy Joe to wake up from his slumber? For him to grow a pair and become a man? Sia is stupid if he thinks I would let him convince me.
“Sleepy Joe. I don’t think you need that much effort to fight a sleeping person, after all, he is sleeping. Lukas knows what I am saying.”
I look to Lukas for clarification. He nods.
“Well, I don’t believe it,” I say.
“It is like watching a couple fight. My eyes are too young for this.” Lyles says and leaves, Lukas leaving as well.
How did I become the alpha of this pack again?
“Look at your knuckles.”
They are bleeding, but they would heal.
“It would heal.”
When he shows me his knuckles, I stop and do a retake.
Sia’s knuckles are bleeding and I swear on my eyes that they were not bleeding before.
This couldn’t be real, but his blood was proof.
“What you lose, I lose. Please Crinka, don’t make me suffer for a sleepy man’s sake.”
****
“What is keeping him? I told him not to be late.”
It’s 8. 25 and Sleepy Joe is nowhere to be seen. The arena is set up, and pack members are waiting in anticipation for Sleepy Joe. I hope he is not asleep because I won’t find it funny.
My eyes sweep the ground after a minute and Sleepy Joe is absent and he is not the only one. Lyles outrightly told me that he is not ready to watch me commit suicide. I half expected to see Sia, but just like Lyles, he is also not here. I become suspicious when I don’t see Bradley. Where is he? I have checked and it was only a cut, nothing serious.
“Permit me Alpha to get that coward.”
“What do you need her permission for when I am already here?” It is the coward himself. The arrogant Sleepy Joe.
“I told you not to be tardy. You had the guts to disobey.”
“My dear Mara, I would have more guts to disobey you once I become Alpha.”
“Just shut up and take your place. Lukas, the rules.”
“Can we use weapons?” he asks.
“No,” Lukas and I say at the same time.
“But she killed Bennett with a sword.”
“Learn not to disturb the dead Sleepy Joe. Weapons are not allowed. No substitution. Winner by submission.”
“No.” I disagree. “I did not submit to get this alpha title. Fight till death.”
“Okay,” Joe agrees and Lukas casts me a worried look. I shrug it off.
Sleepy Joe was the first to attack and ouch! That man had a mean right hook. The impact was painful and I recovered quickly as though the side of my head wasn’t hurting and bleeding.
He packs a punch and throws it but I just take it so that I can punch him in his eye. The crowd goes ‘ooo’ and Sleepy Joe staggers back swearing.
I kick his shin with so much force that my leg is crying out in pain. Sleepy’s Joe eye is already swelling up as more curses emit from his mouth.
“You stupid bitch” he yells, throwing daggers at me with his eyes.
I do a mock bow, laughing. My bones are aching but I won’t surrender to pain until I have put Sleepy Joe to sleep.
My laughter has made him angry. Anger seized his mind and emotions that he strikes me on my face so hard, I cry out in pain. I am breaking my promise as I fall on my knees before Sleepy Joe. I don’t know what the sleepy bastard has done to me, but I can no longer see. My ears and mouth are still working but not my eyes. Blows after blow, but he doesn’t stop. The pain triples but nothing hurts me more than the loss of sight.
I am coughing out blood just so that I can say something, anything, but Sleepy Joe silences me with a blow to my lips. My hands are flying as I try to get hold of any part of that man just to do to him more than what he is doing to me.
It was a waste of time. He attacks again, striking me on my chest. He is wasting his time if he is trying to get my heart to stop beating. He should go for my neck or try to break my head to get what he wants.
He finally realizes that it is a waste of time and growls in frustration. If Davidson’s venomous love bite hadn’t rendered me useless, I would have shifted into my wolf and put this idiot in his place.
I am losing this fight and there is nothing I can do about it. I have never seen Sleepy Joe shift so I considered him to be a latent wolf. But hearing the snapping of bones proved me wrong.
I didn’t have much strength but I had enough to get up and run. The crowd is cheering, I am dying, and Joe is growling. This scenario reminds me of the time Davidson was after me.
There is no way I can escape him when my blood is leaving a trail for him to follow. Lukas had clearly stated that weapons were not allowed but Sleepy Joe had slit my neck with a pocket knife, so blood was pouring out everywhere. And it is no fun running when you can’t even see where you are going.
“My dear Mara. Stop running so I can kill you already. I never knew you to run away from a fight, but no worries Mara, you are making this way easy for me.”
Am I? I pause, turning around and striking him. He yells in pain and I blow him satisfied when I hear a crunch. He grasps my bleeding neck, squeezing hard. I cough out blood unto my palm, then smear it in his eyes. He screams and I break free, running away.
Guess a pocket knife wasn’t the only weapon Joe brought along with him. I fell on my knees when a stray bullet found home in my chest. Very, very close to my heart.
And it was silver.