Page 2 of Bad Blood Wolf

And yet, he kept coming, kept fighting—week after week, each opponent getting tougher, getting closer to beating him.

And still he came, as though defeat itself was what drew him, watching it hurtle toward him like a deer frozen between the headlights of an oncoming car, seeing the end coming but no longer able to get out of its way.

The gates clanged open and the combatants entered, Changing to wolf with a rippling shimmer of skin and fur, and the loud pops of bones breaking and re-forming.

Gray Thunder was a monster, as big and barrel-chested in gray wolf form as he was as a human. The White Tornado wasn’t quite white—more a light cream color, with a sprinkle of silver-gray around his ears and cheek ruffs, and down his back. His wolf eyes were blue instead of golden, making him look more like an Alaskan Husky than a wolf.

He paced Gray Thunder, watching, waiting. And then, with a howl, Gray Thunder attacked, and the cage shook with the clash of bodies.

It shouldn’t have been a fair fight—Gray Thunder had weight, strength, and sheer insanity on his side. White Tornado lived up to his name, moving through the cage like a whirlwind, snapping and darting away, forcing Gray Thunder to constantly change force and direction, using up his stamina.

Of course it pissed the big wolf off. He lunged over and over, trying for full body contact, getting more and more frustrated because the smaller wolf continually eluded him, twisting back for an attack before moving again.

Jasmin could see the rage building in Gray Thunder. Now… yep, he had White Tornado backed into a corner and was coming on like a freight train, going in for the takedown.

Good luck with that.

Jasmin jumped off the edge of the stall and headed for the ready area. Her fight was next, and she knew how this would end.

White Tornado would let Gray Thunder attack, and then sink his teeth in and refuse to let go. Refuse to let the blood and bites and claws and pain deter him. He won every fight by latching on to his attacker and just not fucking giving up. This one would be no different.

Over in the ready area, Jasmin began rotating her arms and legs, loosening up her muscles though she didn’t really need to. Her jag was hypervigilant, always on guard against attack, always ready to fight. And her animal’s fluid movement didn’t need a warm-up.

But it focused her mind. She had the adrenalin jitters that jonesing for a combat fix always gave her.

Women are soft. You’ll be crushed.

No.She had to block out everything, tighten her emotions to a laser focus so only the steel remained.

Losing was not an option.

The announcer came on the PA. “And the winner, by knockout, the White Tornado!”

There was a noticeable lack of applause.

The gate near her opened, and Gray Thunder was carried out by two bouncers, followed by White Tornado, back in human form. He looked almost as beaten up as the loser, covered in bruises and claw marks, with a nasty bite on his thigh and blood running from a gash at his temple and spilling down on the taut muscles of his chest.

He didn’t look triumphant. He just looked tired.

He turned his head, as if he could feel Jasmin’s gaze. Their eyes met, and something electric spilled down her spine. Excitement, curiosity, and… fear. Not his fear. Her own.

If she kept coming here, one day she’d have to fight him. But he had no arrogance for her jag to feed on, and no fear.

Nothing to fuel her rage and soothe her cravings.

At that moment, she knew, deep inside her, that the White Tornado would be the one to take her down.