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  We approach the ring, and Leo steps in front of me. He climbs in with ease and holds the ropes for me to jump in. As soon as my feet touch the mat, the crowd goes wild, chanting my name. My opponent waits for me in the far corner with a scowl on his face and a focused stare. Leo takes my robe off my shoulders and steps down to stand with Mike.

  The bell rings and my adrenaline picks up. Sweat is pouring down my face and the roar of the crowd is deafening. My opponent steps closer and I can smell him — bear. I smile to myself this won’t be an easy one. Placing my hands up to my jaw, I get into a fighting position. My feet are spread just shoulder-width apart, my knees bent.

  A growl passes his lips, and he wastes no time in attacking. His massive size and strength will make it look like he has the advantage, but I’m faster and more agile. You can see his temper riding along his face. He’s leading with his emotions.

  He throws a right jab which I weave away from. I anticipate his left hook and block it with my right arm. A pang of pain travels up into my shoulder, but I take it. He drops his right hand down to put more power behind his punch leaving him wide open. Big mistake.

  Throwing my own hook I get him right in the nose. Blood pours down his face and his eyes wince close. He hobbles backward, shaking his head leaving himself exposed, yet again. I seize the opportunity and begin to rain punches down on him. A crack echoes around the ring, and I know I’ve broken his jaw. Blood sprays all over my gloves and his body jerks back hitting the ropes. I pause a second to see if he’ll bounce back but he only teeters forward and falls to the mat.

  “One, two, three…” the referee calls out, counting to ten. He’s laid out on his stomach unmoving, blood pooling around his face. He probably has a few fractures as well. Thank the gods for shifter healing otherwise he’d be out of commission for a very long time.

  The bell digs signaling the end of the fight. The referee grabs my hand and raises it above our heads. I’m declared the winner. 59-0, that’s my undefeated stats. Something I should be proud of, and yet all I feel is loathing.

  Moving out of the ring, Mike wraps the horrible material around my shoulders and we walk back to the dressing room. If the crowd was loud before, it’s nothing like now. They’re going nuts, chanting my name, clapping and standing on their feet. They love me. They love that I beat people up for a living.

  “That was a great fight. Under-five minutes. I’m proud of you son,” Mike whispers in my ear. I control my need to roll my eyes. I’m only his ‘son’ when I win a big fight. If the cash wasn’t flowing he wouldn’t be around, regardless if he says I’m his golden boy.

  Security gets us through to the locker room. People try to push and shove just to get an up-close look at me. Something I’ll never understand. When we finally make it to the back, girls are lined up along the hall waiting for a chance to be chosen. They all want the same thing. My money and my fame. To be on the arm of a champion fighter. Someone to take care of them and let them spend endless amounts of cash that come with this profession.

  “Get them out of here,” I spit out in disgust. Leo speaks into his coms device and makes it clear to the rest of the team. In five minutes this hallway will be empty. The girls going home disappointed.

  Mike gets the door and the sight that hits me as I step into my private locker room stops me in my tracks. The alpha, my alpha, is standing in the middle of the room with a scowl on his face. Fuck.

  “Nice fight, but we have other things to talk about,” he says, standing with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s always been one to get right to the point, and this meeting isn’t a welcome one, even if he is family.

  “Oh yeah, about what?”

  “Your mating.”

  He lets this hang for a moment between us. This is a topic I like to avoid at all costs. I don’t want to be mated, not now anyway. Women are complicated and I like my life nice and simple.

  “There is nothing to discuss, Declan. I told you a long time ago I’m not going to mate. That’s why I gave up being an Alpha. You should understand that I can’t be persuaded.”

  “I know you pig-headed son of a bitch, but it’s different now. I’m sick.” His defiant stance softening. His arms relax at his side and he looks down at his feet.

  “What?” My voice becomes louder than appropriate for indoors. Running my eyes over him, I check for injury and signs of deterioration, but I see none. Declan is a big guy, well over 6 '5". His chest is large and he stretches out all his shirts. A mop of dark hair covers his head, and streaks of grey can be seen on the sides. He’s always been the strong one, the one to hold everything together. He stepped up when I couldn’t. He’s a better man than I am.

  “I have cancer. It’s early, stage II. The doctors think that they can cure it, but there is always a risk. I can’t have something happen and you’re not mated. It’s serious now. You need to get over yourself.”

  “Cancer? Shifters can’t get cancer. What type are we talking about here?” My voice cracks. The room shifts as I think about what this means. My brother is sick. An Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in North America. He has a disease that shouldn’t be possible. I’m torn between breaking something or pulling him into a hug.

  “Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It’s in my lymph nodes. Julia noticed the bump under my arm. I got tested for everything that could harm a human or a wolf. Nothing hit until they did a biopsy, and it came back positive for cancer. The pack doctor doesn’t understand it. Seems like this strain is mutated to target just shifters. He’s as baffled as I am.”

  “I… I’m not sure what to say. I’m sorry.” I feel like shit for giving him an attitude before, but it’s well warranted. He knows I’m not going to mate. I can’t, she left.

  “I plan on beating this thing, but there is always a chance. I need you to step up if something should happen. It can’t be Kiaran. He’s an idiot and will fuck everything up. It needs to be you.”

  The weight of his words presses heavily on me. I’ve never wanted to be alpha, it’s always been Declan who was best suited for the position, but if something happens, I’ll have to take over whether I want to or not. All of it would become my responsibility. All 674 pack members would look to me to lead them. I can’t do it, especially without her.

  Mike and Leo will be okay taking care of the gym if I leave, but I don’t want to. I can’t go back and face what I did. My wolf needs to get this aggression out. It can’t be contained for long. I won’t be able to control my wolf.

  “No. Make Kiaran mate. He can do it. He’ll love it.”

  “You know I can’t do that. He’s still acting like a pup. His mind is on pussy, not on pack business. It would be a nightmare. And who would take care of Julia and Mannix?”

  “You had to bring the baby into this? Gods, Declan this isn’t what I want.”

  “We don’t always get to choose what we want, Colin. It’s either you do this and keep fighting or I shut this whole thing down.” He gestures around him. Even though this gym and arena belongs to all of us, as alpha, Declan has control of everything. He could take it all away. “I don’t want to force you, but I can’t take any chances. No one will fight you for alpha, and I need that guarantee.”

  Clenching my jaw, I turn away from the brother who I trusted to never come to me with this. There’s nothing left to say. As much as I hate fighting, it’s what I need to do. My wolf demands blood. If I didn’t, there would be problems. I’d be out of control. He’s pushed me into a corner.

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