Page 134 of Wolf Blood

It was the first time that things between us had felt normal since Velour turned me.

That was enough to make my throat thick.

Bloom and I weren't just friends. We were family. We had been, since before we shared an apartment. She was my anchor more than she ever realized, and I was hers too.

Her grip on my hand tightened as the fight began.

Maverick and the other guy both shifted forms, and lunged for each other's throats.

Even with vampire speed, I couldn't take it all in. I slowly zoned out as I watched their teeth snap and their bodies collide.

Skin tore.

The scent of blood grew.

My fangs throbbed. Then descended.

My vision blurred.

A pair of wolfy canines grazed my ankle lightly, snapping me out of the haze just in time to see Maverick's opponent choke out,

"I yield."

Both men were bleeding, but Mav's opponent was significantly worse than the Alpha.

Bloom held my hand so tightly it was numb.

Maverick stepped back, and my best friend let out a breath of relief so heavy, I almost hugged her.

Mav offered a hand to the man on the dirt. He scoffed at the Alpha, slowly rising to his feet on his own. When he spat in mine and Bloom'sdirection, Maverick went deathly still.

"You'll eventually get sloppy and lose," the man growled at Maverick.

One of the Wilder Pack enforcers strode out of the crowd. I hadn't noticed where they were sitting, but it was near me and Bloom. Two others were at his heels.

Next to the other werewolves, these men looked positively savage.

All of the blood drained slowly from the challenger's face when he saw them. I was pretty sure the Wilder Pack was just as well known as the Alpha Pack, in a very different way.

The first Wilder wolf challenged the guy Maverick had just defeated, without another word.

He looked like he wanted to refuse, but he didn't. He asked for an hour to eat and recover, which was apparently standard.

The Wilder wolves agreed to the wait, and stayed where they were while Mav accompanied the other asshole and a handful of enforcers to find a snack.

He and Bloom exchanged a long look that told me they were having a mental conversation. He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes at him before he left.

"Why doesn't the challenger say no?"I asked Rhone.

"Pride. Shame. Instinct. Social expectation."

"He's going to die, right?"

"Yeah, he's fucked. He knows they'll kill him either way. Might as well go out with dignity."Rhone shifted back to his human form and pulled on the shorts he'd been wearing earlier. "Bloom,you're coming with us. Harper needs to bite me, and Mav doesn't want you away from my side or his."

"I'm fine," I protested.

He shot me a look that said he saw right through my bullshit, and I sighed.