WILD

Mate (Storm's Point of View)

Beta Paul's voice falls silent for a moment, and although I can't see him, I imagine he has paused for dramatic effect. Beta Paul enjoyed Pit Fights too much.

"What kind of twist could it be? I'm concerned about Kai." I tell Aris.

"Do you want to know the twist?" Beta Paul yells. The raucous applause that follows makes me cringe. I sense the excitement and suspense in the crowd and try to keep my anxiety at bay.

The bloodthirsty crowd was probably salivating at the idea of a twist that could be better than the previous twist of having Makai fight all twenty other champions alone. I am only concerned about Kai.

"-I'm dying to tell you, but I think the new twist is best seen in action."

"I bet it is," I retort sarcastically.

With his chuckle echoing through the speakers at the disappointed growls, he finally announces, "Respectfully, ladies and gentlemen! Let us give our Champion, Wild Makai, a standing ovation because he deserves it for the bravery he's about to display today!"

We watch as the audience rises to their feet in unison, clapping and whooping loudly. I shake my head in disgust.

"Storm, if that's your mate in the Pit, and I'm inclined to believe you if you are sure he is, there's no need to worry. He can handle a lot more than you can imagine. I'm just amazed you said he fights in the Pit frequently and doesn't decapitate his opponents. That level of control is unrivalled for a Rekan."

"Thank you; I'll remember that."

I climb the stairs to the Pavillion with Aris, still nervous but determined to remain calm. We take the remaining seats in the front row of the Pavillion, facing the crowd. Aris sits next to Beta Paul, and I take the last seat next to hers after kissing each of my parents on the cheek to reassure them that I'm fine.

They're relieved to see me up and about, and Quinn squeezes my arm gently before I sit.

I lock gazes with his deep brown eyes as soon as I'm seated, and the sight of his n***d chest makes me feel hot all over. I break the stare and bend down to speak to Aris. "That's him in the Pit; my Makai. Isn't he stunning?"

"He is, dear, you have impeccable taste," she responds, and we both look down to smile at him. I'm elated when he returns the smile with a small tilt of his lips before returning his gaze to Beta Paul. "Let us begin!" he yells, and Makai's first opponent howls his way into the Pit.

With the opponent in his wolf form, I can't tell who he is or which pack he belongs to until he shifts back to human after he has been defeated.

I despise it when Makai fights in the pit. He always appears to be fearless and calm, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I am always nervous until it is over.

When loud gasps erupt in the stadium, I interrupt my musings to focus on what was going on in the Pit.

The first opponent charges at Makai, but instead of shifting and meeting the other wolf in his wolf form as well, he remains human, eyes trained on the wolf and sidestepping neatly when he came close with jaws snapping.

"What's going on? Is he unable to shift?" I yell at Beta Paul, my heart in my throat. I don't care if anyone thinks my concern is strange.

Beta Paul just sends me an excited smile that makes me want to smack him across the face with a firebolt.

Everyone else in the Pavillion is as surprised as I am, but no one seems concerned.

When Aris squeezes my hand, whispering, "Don't be distressed, Storm. Trust me when I tell you he'll be fine," I slump back into my seat, grateful for the reassurance.

They continue to dance around the Pit, with the wolf approaching to attack and Makai sidestepping, his gaze fixed on the wolf. I looked away, slightly nervous. Taking a few calm breaths, I return my attention to the Pit in time to see Makai throw the wolf across the pit, and it finally sinks in that this is the infamous twist.

Spectators leap to their feet in surprise when the wolf remains on the ground and shifts back into human, indicating that Makai has won that round.

There is a brief moment of silence before the arena erupts in cheers.

After the first fight, I relax a little and tried not to worry as wolf after wolf charged in to fight Makai, who remained in his human form throughout.

"How many more left?" I ask my father's beta after a while. I could tell Makai was getting tired. His movements are a little sluggish, and he isn't moving around much anymore.

He also appears to be attempting to eliminate his opponents as quickly as possible.

He'd let them charge at him until the very last second, when he'd sidestep and use his leg to trip up the wolf, then quickly pull them by their hind legs and throw them across the Pit. Sometimes they stay down after just one throw, and other times it takes several.

"After this fight, there will only be two more. There's one more twist on the way," Paul exclaims with a giddy expression on his face and fidgets in his seat, unable to contain his enjoyment.

Aris senses my rage and takes my hand in hers to calm me. "Storm, he's not as tired as he appears. It's all a ruse," she informs me. I examine Makai more closely. Somehow, I could feel him. He appears tired, but now that I'm not distracted by worry, I can see the little smirk and the way his tiredness appears calculated. He would move as if he was tired, then forget himself by doing a quick move. He would then return to looking tired.

I know Makai. I've seen him tired from days of no sleep while painting a new inspiration he couldn't put off. I know him, and he doesn't look like this when he's tired.

"You're right," I agree, amazed. "He appears to be... having fun with this."

"I don't think he's even broken a sweat," Aris comments as we observe Makai. He looks so powerful, his toned n***d chest gleaming in the sunlight. I'd never get tired of looking at that chest.

Beta Paul returns to the microphone after Makai has dispatched the wolf he had just fought.

"Are you not entertained?!"

He gets a resounding cheer in response, which he eats up in delight, and when the noise dies down, he booms,

"Now for the night's final twist, enjoy!"

The arena falls silent in anticipation, all eyes on Makai. Even if I tried, I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. And for the first time since I've watched him fight in the Pit, I'm not worried. I only feel pride. I'm immensely proud of this strong man with the biggest heart who always fights fearlessly in the Pit for his pack.

When the Pit's entrance is reopened, the arena was filled with renewed euphoria, with everyone on their feet as two large wolves ran into the arena to challenge Makai.

He meets them halfway with a slight grin, shifting into the large, blue-black wolf I've grown to enjoy seeing over the years.

The best part of watching Kai fight is always getting to see his beautiful wolf because that was the only time he shifted in my presence.

My wolf is twitching with excitement. Makai's wolf always excites him.

Makai jumps over the other two wolves in the Pit and makes a quick turn as he lands, facing the wolves once more. The two wolves charge toward him, fangs bared, and attack him at the same time, both chomping on his side.

As blood begins to drip from Makai's side, the air fills with loud gasps.

Makai's wolf whips around and kicks the first wolf, sending him flying across the arena.

He dodges the second wolf's incoming attack and bites his neck before the wolf can attack him again, darting out of the way as the first wolf charges from the opposite side.

The two other wolves slam into each other with crushing force, their teeth buried in each other's bodies before realizing they had attacked each other rather than Makai.

Unfortunately, it was too late for them. They pass out, reverting to human form, and are taken away while Makai howls his victory. The crowd stands and cheers loudly. I close my eyes briefly. I'm relieved that it's over, and I'm proud that he's mine. I know he is, even if we haven't confirmed it yet.

I'm not sure when Paul left the Pavillion, but he's now in the Pit with Makai, who has shifted back to human and is standing by him.

"And once again, Wild Makai is a champion!" he screams, and the applause grows louder.

My family doesn't know the plan Aris and I have made to find my mate. They assumed that he would be one of the men who would visit our Pavillion. After each pack event, pack members visit the Alpha Pavillion to meet with us and discuss any issues.

They had the same access to my parents during the week for various pack issues, but pack members generally prefer to talk to my parents here rather than in their offices.

Since Quinn has taken on more of the alpha duties of late, some people come to see him too.

I don't think I'm as important as my parents and Quinn, but most of the time, after seeing my parents, pack members would come over to say hello to me. And they often bring little gifts. I enjoy visiting with people, so this is the best part about these events for me. After Makai, of course. Nothing beats seeing a shirtless Makai or watching Makai's wolf in action.

Aris and I had devised a straightforward strategy. Because I already know who my mate is, she will simply ask for an introduction, and when he approaches, I will stumble as if falling. She said the Rekan wolf would not let me fall in his presence, so he would have no choice but to touch me. It was deceptive, but I don't want to touch him without his concern knowing how he feels about it. I want him to touch me instead.

Makai has never visited Alpha's Pavilion. After the fight, he always returns home immediately. Aris had told Beta Paul that she wants to meet his champion to prevent him from leaving before we could put our plan into action.

During the 5-minute break after Makai had fought half of his contenders, she had requested in a voice loud enough for my family to hear, "Paul, you've got yourself quite a champion on your hands. I'd like to meet with him after the fight."

My mother's face had the appearance of having bitten a sour lemon. "Here? Are you going to meet him here?"

Aris had looked her in the eyes with steely brown eyes and asked mildly, "Is there a problem? From what I understand, all pack members are welcome to come here to meet you."

Mom's mouth had opened, but she hadn't said anything because it was true. Her reaction does not surprise me. I know she can't stand Makai at all. And for reasons I don't even know.

It hurts me that she treats him in that snobbish manner. Hopefully, her attitude will change once she knows we're mates.

"Or am I the problem? Would I be getting in the way of your meetings? Perhaps you would have me go meet him instead?"

"Of course not, your Grace," Dad had inserted instantly, sending Mom a warning glare.

The idea of sending the Divine Priestess out to meet anyone was absurd. The fact that she took the time to come here in the first place is an honor, and we can't afford to offend her.

Mom blushed with embarrassment and bowed reverently towards Aris. Aris returned my gaze with a smile.

"I'm sorry about that, Your Grace." I apologized, embarrassed by my mother's behavior.

Aris had dismissed it with a graceful wave of her hand. "It isn't your fault. And it's Aris to you, Dear. We're friends, are we not?"

I had beamed happily, delighted that she was confirming our friendship.

So now we wait while Makai receives his honors, and I'm dying of excitement for the moment of truth.

After Paul's final remarks, Dad stands up to make his remarks, congratulating Makai and thanking everyone for coming. He also tells them to keep enjoying the festivities because more music and drinks have been set up on the other side of the arena. After his speech, the crowd begins to disperse.

When Paul returns alone, I'm disappointed, but that disappointment fades when he tells Aris that Makai requested to go home and take a quick shower before meeting with her.

I go through the motions of meeting other pack members while waiting for him, feeling dizzy and weaker with each passing moment. After Aris leaves for a moment to use the restroom, I excuse myself to sit at the back of the Pavillion where no one will see me. I don't want to be seen in this weakened state.

I get uneasy after a while of sitting and abandon the foldable plastic chair I was sitting on. I walk aimlessly to the edge of the Pavilion and lean against the rails, my hands gripping the metal in support. I decided to find my seat again when I feel too weak to keep standing, but change my mind and walk back to the front after hearing the whispers and feeling the change in atmosphere in the Pavilion.

I see Aris and Makai approaching and have a brief moment to think ironically that I don't have to pretend after all before my legs give out from under me.

I'm not sure how he does it, but strong arms catch me before I fall to the ground, and my entire body shakes as if I've been struck by a bolt of lightning.

As I stare into glowing gold eyes, my eyes widen and my fangs drop. Makai's fangs had also dropped, and I can feel my own eyes glowing as well.

"Mate!" He growls in a deep voice that is clearly his wolf's, and when I hear another voice return the sentiment with "Mate!", it takes me a moment to realize it was me- my wolf.

I raise my hands to brush the top of his hair affectionately before I lose consciousness, passing out with a smile on my face.

Mate. Makai is my mate.