The rounds had been underway to see who’d be Gabriel’s mate. Five girls had cowered away to lick their wounds, and the pack were in a frenzy at the excitement of it all. Many of the pack had changed into their wolf forms as they were baying for blood. The challenge of a near-death tournament wasn’t enough, they wanted real life (or death) action, it seemed.

The final two girls entered the area. They slid their feet in the blood that laid on the plastic sheeting, trying to get a better grip. Rose, a large girl, removed her sweatshirt ready for her fight with Jasmine, who now looked a little worried. Rose was twice Jasmine’s size and looked as if she could squash her in one easy movement. Gabriel looked on and hoped that Jasmine would come out of this, the victor. She was blonde and sexy too.

“FIGHT!” he yelled.

The girls approached each other cautiously, Rose held her arms out in a wrestling pose. Jasmine slapped at Rose’s hands to try and lower her guard. Jasmine knew there was no way she was going to tackle Rose in her human form, so she charged Rose and slipped behind her. As Rose was turning, Jasmine called on her inner wolf. Rose turned to meet Jasmine’s paw at the side of her face which sent her crashing to the floor. Jasmine moved to pounce. Rose called her inner wolf and as Jasmine lunged forward she was greeted by the hind legs of Rose. She kicked with all her might and sent Jasmine flying into the crowd, who fell hard against the table that was set for the food.

Jasmine stood and rolled her neck and flexed her shoulders. Her head bowed, yet her gaze remained fixated on Rose. She made her way back onto the plastic sheeting and threw herself at Rose’s legs, kicking them from under her. Rose fell to the floor and Jasmine quickly straddled her chest and lashed at her jaw with her left and then her right paw. Rose raised her paws in defense and snarled as paw after paw smashed into her face. Saliva flew, which soon turned to trickles of blood and saliva, mixed together in a horrendous mess. Rose tired as Jasmine lunged her head through Rose’s guard and locked her jaw onto her neck. She bit hard until Rose tapped the floor in defeat.

Jasmine jumped from Rose’s spent body and raised her arms into the air. Rose changed back to her human form and made her way to the losers’ area, where she stood in a small crowd at the side of the stage.

“It looks as if we’ve got our final winner,” Gabriel boomed, relieved that Jasmine had won.

Jasmine joined the winners circle as Gabriel looked at the table that was smashed into pieces. He shook his head as his plan for a grand feast of fresh thawed meat went out of the window, at least for the moment.

“We’ll have a break for thirty minutes while we try and fix this,” he yelled over the chants from the pack. “If we can’t fix it, we’ll have the highlight of the night before we find my mate.” The pack roared and howled in delight. “If you want blood, and a fight to the death, then that’s what you’ll have!”

The pack jumped up and down with excitement and apprehension. The smell of fresh blood was going to fill the air, and that would fulfill their needs and satisfy them from the lack of hunting they hadn’t been doing of late.

“Are you sure about this?” Maria asked Gabriel.

Gabriel rested his arms on the side of his chair and swiveled to face Maria. “Yes! I’m certain, Noelle’s no use, she’s human now and she’s a hunter. And one less hunter (in my eyes), is one step closer to winning the war that’s coming.”

Maria couldn’t see any way out for Noelle, even if she managed to win one or two fights, there was no way Gabriel was going to let her go from the Towers, alive. This was going to be the night that Noelle would die, and there was nothing Maria could do to help.

A waitress walked to Gabriel and gave him a drink. He took a sip and turned back to Maria. “You better go and get her ready in a few minutes,” he said.

“Okay, yes, let’s see if they can do something with this table first,” she replied.

Gabriel sipped again and swallowed the mouthful of whiskey. “It won’t make any difference, the crowd want blood, now. I've promised them blood before food, and that’s what I’m going to give them.”

Maria tilted her head to the side. “Did you hear anything? It was like a bang.”

Gabriel shook his head. “It’s more than likely the thunder, there’s a real storm overhead.”

Maria looked at Gabriel and offered a false smile. With a bit of luck, there’ll be a real shitstorm for you.

Gabriel’s head snapped toward Maria. “I heard something.”

He sat and listened. Gabriel’s ears pricked up when he heard the sound again. He listened and started to climb out from his chair. Gabriel was about to send someone to check, but a huge roll of thunder rattled the entire building.

“See, I told you it was the weather. No one could get in here if they tried, not unless they drove a truck through the front doors. But you won’t get a truck up the steps,” he said, slumping back into his makeshift throne.

“I suppose you’re right, as always,” Maria said.

“I thought you were going fight for my hand, anyway?” Gabriel asked.

Maria smiled and gave Gabriel a wink. “I never said that, we all have sexual needs that need fulfilling. I used you as much as you used me,” she said in a calm tone.

“Hmm! And I was thinking you had a thing for me,” he replied.

Maria shook her head. “If I remember rightly, you made numerous points of telling me where I stood, as a priority.”

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “I did, didn’t I? Maybe I was foolish, or maybe not. It’s something I’ll have to live with.”

“This table’s trashed Gab,” one of his men said.

Gabriel looked to Maria. “You’d better fetch the girl.”

* * *

Declan tossed his cup amongst the construction rubbish. He stood and stepped into the pouring rain. His hair was flattened against his head and rain cascaded down his face. He marched across the street and snapped into his wolf form as he climbed the stone steps to the apartment. Declan’s fur was soaked as he raised his head and watched the sky.

There sure is a storm coming tonight… and it’s coming for you, Gabriel.

The lightning struck, and Gabriel counted, “One… two… three… four.”

A huge barrel of thunder rolled overhead. He stood and waited. Another bolt of lightning. Declan counted again. The same four seconds, and so the storm held its position.

Lightning. Declan counted in his head and then smashed his fists against the front doors to match it. Dents appeared where his fists pounded at the steel. Lightning. Four. Declan roared and hit the doors again. He saw them bow a little in the middle. Declan pushed his clenched fist against the door. He could hear a creak before the lightning struck again. He raised his clenched fists and started to swing them toward the door as the thunder rattled, just a second after he hit it. He heard the echo from inside the lobby.

Shit.

Declan waited again and crashed his fists against the door. This time he was a second late. That freakin’ storm’s moving. Declan snarled and checked the street behind him, water gushed into the drains and he knew no one would venture out on a night like this. Declan counted again. The thunder was now at three. He stepped away from the door and waited for the lightning.

On two, go.

Lightning struck. One, two, and Declan launched his body at the door. His shoulder hit as the thunder filled the sky. The doors pushed inward and Declan could see the light from inside the lobby. Declan stepped back from the doors and readied his shoulder. He breathed deeply again, and could feel his nostrils flaring as he exhaled through his snout.

Lightning. “Aargh!” he yelled as thunder rattled.

His shoulder hit the doors. The twisted metal buckled. The door now leaned at a strange angle. Declan crouched and stood in the apartment lobby as rain smashed against twisted metal and ran across the marble floor.

Honey, I’m home…

Declan stood and listened. The place was silent, apart from the sound of the rain behind him. He could hear a faint noise from the stairs leading their way to the basement. He walked across the lobby and stood at the top of the stairs as water dripped from his fur. His eyes squinted as he listened. The jeers were silent and then got louder for a second before they faded out again.

Someone’s just opened the basement door.

Declan stepped down the stairs. He smashed the lightbulbs as he went. Better in the dark… I’ll cast no shadows.

Declan walked down the hallway. He paused at the freezer room door and could smell the meat that sat in the freezers. He could smell something else. It was a smell he'd known before. It was stronger, this time.

Edmund; he’s laced the meat, the sneaky bastard.

Declan walked to the basement door. He lifted his head to the glass square. He saw the crowd jumping up and down; human and wolf form as one. The jeers and chants were loud, and Declan wondered what they were cheering for. Gabriel must be having his ritual to find his mate. But all the pack were involved in the jeering. The second option he thought of was the most likely, which meant Declan needed to make his presence felt —right away.

Noelle! Shit! Gabriel’s using her as entertainment.

Declan pushed the basement doors and slid inside. He walked around the back of the pack and was surprised no one noticed him enter the room. He stood and lifted his gaze over the crowd, and he saw Noelle in the center of the basement, facing another girl.

Tanya, damn. She always had a thing for Gabriel.

Declan looked to the left of the basement. He saw Gabriel sitting like a king with his glass in his hand. His eager face was fixed on the two girls in front of him.

Gabriel raised his hand. “This my friends, is a fight to the death. Tanya and Noelle —the huntress who has killed many of our kind.”

The packed booed and jeered. Shit, even the one’s on my side want Noelle dead.

Declan spotted Maria who stood back from Gabriel and wasn’t watching the show. He knew she was the only one who wasn’t taken in by this fight to the death. Dustin had trained her well to see past all of this.

“FIGHT!!” The sound rang deep inside Declan’s ears.

* * *

Noelle gestured to Tanya to bring it on. Her stare was fixed on Tanya, and she watched every move. Noelle had trained for times like this. One-on-one combat, and she had a surprise in store for Tanya. She had a surprise in store for all of them watching, actually.

Tanya spread her legs and readied herself to launch her body at Noelle. She called her inner wolf and changed before Noelle’s eyes. Noelle stood firm with her hands at the ready. Noelle smiled and placed her hands behind her back as she circled the area. Tanya moved and circled.

“Come on then, make your move,” Noelle said. “I thought you were tough. I’ve got my hands behind my back. How easy do you want it?”

Tanya snarled as Noelle mocked her. She flexed her shoulders and jumped in Noelle’s direction. Noelle stepped to the side and pulled her hand from behind her back.

Thanks Lucas, I wondered when this would be useful.

Noelle plunged the ceramic knife into Tanya’s shoulder. She had no intention of killing her, she just wanted to render her, so that she was unable to fight. Noelle had lost all sense of killing werewolves. Declan had opened her eyes to how they were.

Gabriel stood as he saw Noelle plunge the knife into Tanya. Noelle pulled the knife free and wiped it on her jeans. “Gabriel, is that the best you have?” Noelle said, as Tanya hobbled to the side and hid behind the rest of the pack. Gabriel fumed that he'd been tricked. “Is there anyone else who can take this bitch on and teach her a lesson?” he bellowed. The crowd fell absolutely silent. Gabriel turned to Maria. “Get your ass up there and prove your worth.”

Maria shook her head. “I’m not fighting for you,” she barked.

Gabriel grabbed ahold of Maria’s hair and dragged her from behind her chair. “I said, get your fucking ass up there and fight.” Gabriel threw Maria onto the blood covered plastic sheeting. She stood and walked to the side of Noelle.

“I’m with her,” Maria called back to Gabriel.

“You are a fucking traitor,” he yelled as he turned into his wolf form and stood up from his seat. “I should rip you both to shreds.”

“Come on them,” Noelle yelled, now holding the knife firmly in her grip.

Gabriel threw his glass on the floor. The sound of broken glass filled the basement. “You think you two can take me on?” Gabriel asked as he stepped onto the fighting area. He stood on his hind legs. He towered over Maria and Noelle. His head tilted from side to side as he weighed up his attack. With his eyes fixed on both Maria and Noelle, Gabriel shouted, “If there’s anyone else here who feels the same way, form a line and I’ll show you all.”

Soft mutters spread through the pack as it parted. One figure formed a line to take him on. Gabriel watched as Noelle and Maria’s gaze turned to the left. A smile rose on both of their faces.

“Who dares to challenge me?” Gabriel barked.

“I do!”

Gabriel turned his head to the crowd. His fists were clenched as he squinted toward whoever dared to challenge him —and his authority. Gabriel’s eyes widened and then his jaw widened to match.

“Declan!”

“I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll knock your house down.”