HUNTER

 

I put my hood up and stuffed my hands in my pockets. As I made my way down the street, I couldn’t help a feeling of cold that washed over me. The moon was out. It wasn’t any different from every other night in Dirge. But in Pandora, it was colder for a reason I couldn’t explain.

The last time I’d been to the slums was a distant memory to me. I quickly remembered why when I saw my surroundings.

Every building was just as dilapidated as the next. It was like everything was in the middle of construction. The streets were filthy. The Alphas roaming around in the alleys were capable of anything and everything. The slums even smelled bad.

There was no sign of the police in this part of town. The cops didn’t have any place here. It would take something dramatic for them to bother stepping in.

I kept my head down and made my way down the street. The pheromones in the air were distracting.

“What the hell am I doing here?”

I couldn’t get Brady’s suggestion out of my thoughts.

It was a stupid idea. Heading down to Pandora to get involved in something illegal, all for a few extra silver. I guess that’s what it took to make it in Dirge these days. I figured if I were going to put my body through back-breaking labor in construction, a street fight or two couldn’t be any worse. It had been a long time since I had a chance to swipe my claws.

I was getting some attention from some of the citizens of Pandora. Prideful Alphas eyeballed me, wondering if I were trying to stake a spot in their territory.

I made my way toward Fifth Street, just like Brady suggested. It didn’t take me long to learn the truth about the rumor he spoke about.

The sound of shouting was distant but still loud. There was an anger in everybody’s voices. Along with it, the smell of sweat and fury filled my nostrils.

I moved toward an underpass and saw a small group crowded around one another. They all had their hands in the air, cheering and shouting at whatever it was they were looking at.

I squeezed my way through the crowd and saw what they were all looking at for myself.

Two wolves were in a battle with one another. Their fur bloody. Their fangs dripping with saliva. They snarled at each other to the enjoyment of the crowd.

“Finish him off!”

“You got this!”

“He can’t beat you!”

The two wolves lunged at one another and struggled on the floor. A quick swipe across the face rendered one of them unconscious. He shifted back into a man and stood victorious. Sweat covered him. Blood trickled from his cuts. But there was still a smile on his face as a man approached him and raised the winner’s arm in victory.

“We have a winner!”

There was a combination of cheers and jeers from the audience. They murmured about the bet they lost while others celebrated their winnings.

Both wolves were helped back up to their feet and escorted out of the circle of people. I sighed a deep breath of relief knowing that neither one of the men I just saw fighting wasn’t dead.

I heard stories about Pandora. The people in the slums had to do everything they could to get by. But witnessing the brutal fight in front of me, I understood where those stories came from. It wasn’t pretty. And suddenly, I was in the middle of it.

The man who declared the victor stood in the center of the crowd with his arms in the air.

“All right!” he shouted. “Next fight! Who wants to step up?”

He was a middle-aged man with messy brown hair. His jacket was dirty. His jeans were dirty. His face was dirty. It looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks. He didn’t seem to care though. He smiled and flashed his yellow teeth to the crowd, his hands still in the air.

“Nobody wants to fight?” he asked. “No fights means nobody can place any bets.”

There was a murmuring among the crowd. Everybody looked at one another, wondering who was going to step up.

I couldn’t blame anybody for not wanting to step into the center. Going one on one with another Alpha was a recipe for disaster. And in a place like Pandora, there was no telling what would happen.

But I came here for a reason. This was an opportunity I had to take.

I pushed through the crowd and stepped forward to the man in the center of everybody.

“I’ll fight,” I said.

The crowd cheered at me. The man hosting the fights looked me up and down with his brown eyes. He furrowed his brow with obvious skepticism on his face.

“What’s your name, Alpha?” he asked.

“Hunter.”

“Hunter. Who wants to take on Hunter?”

Everybody in the crowd looked around at one another once again. It was only a few seconds when a man stepped forward.

He was an Alpha. That much was certain. I could smell it on him. But he was more than that. He seemed to tower over everybody else. He wasn’t wearing his shirt, so I could see his bulging muscles. A shaved-head along with tattoos all over his torso completed the ensemble of a man nobody would want to mess with.

“Looks like we have a challenger!” the host announced. “Place your bets!”

Everybody in the crowd began shouting at one another. They held up their pieces of gold and silver as the host tried to accommodate all of them.

I didn’t pay any attention to the action surrounding me. I just looked forward at the burly man I was about to fight. He stared back at me with the intensity of the Alpha that he was.

A few moments later, the host of the fight walked up to me.

“Hunter,” he said. “Are you sure you wanna do this? There’s still a chance for you to back out. No shame in walking away.”

“Yes, there is,” I replied.

“Of course,” he said with a smirk. “A true Alpha. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

He held up a small pouch in front of me.

“Everybody is betting against you,” he said as he shook the pouch before me. “You beat this guy, you’ll make a lot of money. I’m the only one betting on you.”

I didn’t know the guy but it was clear he didn’t have my best interests at heart. He was only looking out for himself, just like everybody else in Pandora.

I ignored him. He moved out of the way to let the fight begin. I removed my clothing while my opponent did the same.

In the blink of an eye, I shifted into a wolf. The wolf staring back at me growled loud enough for the rest of Pandora to hear.

The fight was on.

The crowd began to cheer as I circled my opponent. It had been a long time since I’d been in a fight. Living in Dirge, there was no need to fight as often as we once did when we were in packs. But I still knew what I was capable of. Now I had to show it.

The brown wolf lunged at me and snatched his jaw. I rolled out of the way and swiped him across the side. I drew blood but that didn’t stop him. He turned his head and snatched at me again. I narrowly escaped.

I had to stay focused. Just one bite, one swipe, one mistake. That would be all it took for me to lose this fight.

I drowned out the sound of the men cheering all around me. The brown wolf continued to press forward but I maintained my composure. One swipe of my claws. Then another. Then another. I drew blood on his fur but he didn’t stop.

My opponent was significantly larger than me. He could take a beating and he was proving it. But I was faster than him.

He labored to breathe. His movement slowed. The smell of his sweat filled my nostrils. I knew he didn’t have much left.

I moved forward to finish him with one last swipe but my confidence got the best of me. Before I could react, a massive paw against my chest sent me flying back.

The crowd gasped in response. I rolled over on my side and struggled to get back up to my feet. I was bleeding. I was bruised. And I was having trouble thinking straight.

“Get up, Hunter! Come on now! You got this!”

From the corner of my eye, I could see the host of the fights with his fists tightened. He was the only one in the crowd rooting for me.

I shook my head and regained my focus long enough to duck out of the way of the massive wolf trying to pounce on me. Before he could turn around to attack me again, I swiped with all of my strength across his face. My paw collided with his head and sent him reeling to the ground. He fell and laid on the floor in a daze, his mouth open as he tried to catch his breath.

I waited a few seconds for him to do something but he didn’t.

It was over.

“Hunter!”

I shifted back into my human form and hunched over with my hands on my knees. The host patted me on the back but he was the only one that seemed to be in a good mood. The crowd all groaned and started to disperse after helping my opponent back up to his feet.

“Great job, Hunter!”

I turned my head up and saw the pouch of money he held in front of me. The sight of it was enough for me to straighten up and snatch it out of his hand.

“Thanks,” I sighed.

“You know, you’ve got some real talent. You must not be from around Pandora.”

“No, I’m not from around here. I live in another part of Dirge.”

The fights were over. Everybody went on their way. I gathered my clothes and walked down the street but the man with the messy brown hair continued to follow me.

“My name’s Saxon,” he said.

“Saxon… Nice to meet you, Saxon.”

“Listen. I could get you another fight lined-up real soon. You could make a real decent amount of silver.”

I stopped in my tracks and stared at Saxon.

He smiled at me. His skin was tan and weathered. His teeth were still yellow. Considering he just made some money off of me, it was obvious why he was in such a good mood. I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Thanks,” I sighed. “But I think I’m done for tonight.”

I looked down and saw the blood on my chest from where my opponent slashed me. Saxon noticed my injury but shook his head.

“You’re an Alpha,” he said. “You’ve been through tougher shit than that. What do you say—”

“Not tonight.”

I walked away from him and he called out to me.

“Hunter! You know where to find me. You hear me, Hunter? I’ll be right here!”

He didn’t bother following me thankfully.

As I made my way down the streets of Pandora, I sighed in relief knowing that the worst part was over. Having a small bag of silver in my pocket made the injury I had a little more bearable. But I was still counting the seconds until I could finally go back to the part of the city where I felt more comfortable.