RIVAL’S POV
The pit was hungrier tonight.
I could hear it before we even stepped into the hall — the way the crowd’s roar had an edge, sharp and eager, like they already knew blood would spill before the night was done. They weren’t chanting my name this time. They weren’t even looking for me.
They wanted him.
Thomas.
I shoved through the crowd at his side, jaw tight, every nerve in my body screaming against this. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let him in here again. I’d promised I’d keep Samuel’s claws off him. But promises meant jack s**t when Samuel decided otherwise.
And Samuel had decided.
The lights flared above the cage, making the shadows crawl. The announcer’s voice rattled through the rafters, dragging the crowd higher, louder.
“New blood!” he shouted. “The pit always rem
