Zodiac Aligned

27

There was a ripple somewhere at the back of the crowd, and a large shifter I recognized from the winter Convergence stepped forward. He had sandy blond hair shaved into a buzz cut and muscles that stretched his t-shirt to the limits. He was older, about the same age as Jordan's dad would have been, but that only made him look tougher, like he'd seen some battles and lived to tell the tale. It was obvious from the way he carried himself that he was the Leo beta, Austin Bates.

“You have some nerve coming back here when you’re no longer the alpha,” he shouted at Jordan, as he pushed his way through the crowd. “Now I’ll take your Leo mark away and you’ll be packless like your b***h mate.”

With a shock, I realized he was talking about me. I never thought of myself as Jordan's mate anymore, only his sister.

Jordan growled next to me, deep in his chest. “I’m the true alpha of the Leos. If you want the position, you’ll have to fight me for it."

"You're nothing but the bastard child of a pansy Cancer and a half-witch w***e," Bates spat. "You call yourself alpha? You're barely even a Leo."

If the words hurt Jordan, he didn't show it. He stood his ground as Bates got right up in his face. "Sounds like you're scared to fight me. What do you think, Ayla?"

I gave Bates a scathing head-to-toe look. "I think he's barely holding onto this position and he knows it."

His eyes flashed with hatred. "The f**k do you know, you—"

Kaden grabbed the beta's throat. "Call her one more thing, and I'll rip your f*****g throat out right now and save Jordan the trouble."

Bates shoved Kaden off. "Don't touch me, you f*****g snake."

"What will it be?" The Scorpio alpha asked, his eyes dancing with dark amusement. "Will you fight for the role of alpha?"

"Only if it’s a fight to the death," Bates snarled.

Jordan didn’t even hesitate. “Fine with me."

Dasan nodded. "You each have five minutes to prepare, and then we will begin."

The Leo and Scorpio shifters formed a fighting circle right over the Scorpio symbol on the ground, with Jordan on one side and Bates on the other. Ripples of excitement and fear rolled through the crowd, and I wondered who they hoped would come out of this alive.

"Are you sure you can win?" I asked Jordan in a low voice, as I watched Bates tear off his shirt. "He's bigger than I remember."

Jordan gave me an incredulous look. "Are you seriously doubting me right now?"

"No." I bit my lip. "I believe in you, but you're my brother, and I worry about you too. If there's any doubt, we can walk away right now."

"I have to do this. The Leo pack needs me to step up and lead them." He rested a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't lose."

Kaden moved close to Jordan, then spoke so quietly that I barely heard him. "Watch your left side. That’s where you leave openings when you fight.”

"Thanks." Jordan gave him a slight nod, though his raised eyebrows showed he was just as surprised by Kaden's words as I was. Kaden walked away after that, joining the Ophiuchus warriors on the sidelines.

Jordan's gaze landed on Stella and he grinned. "A kiss for luck?"

"How about a punch to the face?" she replied.

"Whatever gets you going..."

She let out an annoyed huff and crossed her arms, but didn't turn away. Jordan kept his eyes on her as he removed his shirt and then shucked his jeans and briefs, like he was daring her to look away...or look down. Her eyes never left his face as she glared at him, until he tossed me his clothes and headed for the ring. Once his back was to us, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding. I arched an eyebrow at her, but she ignored me and went to stand with her brother.

When both men stood naked in the center of the ring, Dasan stepped forward and raised his voice so he could be heard over the crowd. "A challenge has been issued and accepted. Today, under the supervision of the Scorpio pack, Jordan Marsten and Austin Bates will fight for the position of Leo alpha. To the death."

Both men bowed their heads in acknowledgment, and then the Scorpio alpha moved out of the ring. The fight had officially begun.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The two Leos prowled around the ring as they sized each other up, their eyes locked in a fierce stare-down. As packmates, they'd probably trained together before, but it was a different thing entirely to be fighting each other and to the death. Bates was older, larger, and more experienced, but Jordan had speed and youth on his side, along with a strong dash of defiance.

Bates broke the rising tension by making the first move, darting in and giving an experimental swipe of his fist toward Jordan's face. My brother dodged with ease, raking his claws down Bates's side. The beta let out a growl, and then two began to fight in earnest, both of them moving with shifter strength and speed.

Bates began shifting into a large reddish-brown wolf, but Jordan shifted faster and smoother. My brother's fur shone like gold in the patches of sunlight filtering through the cave, and I almost thought I felt Helios's touch upon him, though I was probably just imagining things. What did I know of the sun god, after all? The wolves circled each other, snarling and snapping as they looked for an opening to attack, or a moment of weakness they could exploit. Their fur stood on end as they both charged, becoming a blur of razor-sharp claws and teeth. They fought with a single-minded determination, each one convinced they would come out victorious, and I held my breath, unable to tear my eyes away.