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CHAPTER ONE

ELENA

The warehouse is already packedwhen we arrive, and the scent of sweat coats the back of my throat. The low roar of the crowd presses in on all sides, and I try to take deep breaths. The electric charge in the air is almost palpable, but whether that’s in anticipation of the match or the fights that will break out afterward, I can’t be sure.

It looks as though every shifter in the state has turned out for this bout. Shifters from other packs — and otherspecies— don’t mix well, so this type of match has always struck me as a recipe for disaster.

Glowing lupine eyes follow me through the crowd, though it isn’t the sort of attention a girl wants. They can tell that I’m human by my scent — probably the only one here.

A few of the wolf shifters recognize me as Rafael Cabrera Garcia’s little sister, and they quickly avert their eyes. Others glare openly as I pass. I jerk my chin up higher.

To her credit, Carmen keeps a firm grip on my hand asshe elbows her way through the crowd. She seems oblivious to the looks we’re getting, but she’s more astute than she looks. My best friend since childhood is a she-wolf — and a ballsy one at that.

I can’t tell if it’s fear or resentment that makes the other shifters look at me that way. Maybe it’s the implicit threat that surrounds me like a halo whenever I touch down in my brother’s territory. I’ve been away so long, I almost forgot what that felt like.

I might be defenseless against the wolves, bears, and mountain lions packed into this place, but if any one of them touched a hair on my head, they’d be dead before they could find an exit.

It should make me feel invincible, but it only highlights my weakness. Loud noise has been a trigger for me since the accident, and I can already feel the migraine coming on. My palm is sweaty in Carmen’s grip, but I don’t say anything. She’s my one friend who hasn’t treated me differently since it happened, and I don’t want her to start now.

Finally, the huge chain-link panels of the cage come into view, gleaming under the spotlights. An enormous octagonal ring looms over the crowd.

Two male shifters are pacing the cage — a wolf and a black bear, by the look of them. They’re in human form, shirtless and sweaty. The rules of the match stipulate that they’re not allowed to shift in the cage, which makes this a test of self-control as much as fighting prowess.

As I watch, the wolf shifter pounces, cutting in with a jab-hook so fast that I don’t evenseethe strikes until the bear stumbles back. The wolf follows up with a kick that catches his opponent in the ribs, andthe crack that echoes through the arena makes me cringe.

The crowd cheers and boos, stomping their feet, and my unease intensifies. There’s nothing like violence to whip up a crowd, and when that crowd is made up of apex predators, things can escalate quickly.

Carmen catches my eye, and I wrinkle my nose.

“Why did you drag me here?” I yell.

I just flew in for Carmen’s wedding. This match was an unplanned detour on our way home from the airport.

“Ilovewatching sweaty men duke it out. Don’t you?”

I scrunch my eyebrows and shake my head. As Carmen’s maid of honor, I made sure to plan an outrageous bachelorette party, but a bunch of shifters slinging bloodaren’ton the menu.

I look back in time to see another kick connect with the bear’s jaw. The wolf continues his punishing sequence of strikes until he has his opponent pressed against the cage wall.

The wolf’s limbs move in a blur of violence — so fast I can’t follow their trajectory. I can only understand what happened by the bear’s reactions. A ferocious growl rends the air, and then things take a turn.

The bear catches the wolf around the neck and yanks the man’s head to his chest. Once they’re in the clinch, the bear pivots until they’ve traded places. He delivers blow after bone-cracking blow. He’s not as fast as the wolf, but he’s stronger.

Watching them go at it, it’s easy to see why shifters need a league of their own. They’d demolish any human in a UFC fight and expose their kind on live TV.

Blood sprays the cage floor as the bear lands one nastyblow, and the metal panels groan against the weight of the shifters. The roar of the crowd is deafening.

The wolf hits the mat in a bloody heap, and the screams and shouts rattle my eardrums. The ref shoots forward to call the knockout, and the crowd gets even louder. My temples throb, and colors blur in my vision.

Someone thrusts the bear shifter’s fist into the air, and he glares out at the spectators, chest heaving. A look of power and pride burns in his eyes. It’s not just a victory for him or his family. It’s a victory forallthe bears in attendance.

There’s some shifting and grumbling as the spectators find their friends or leave to get drinks, and when I look over, I see a familiar face in the crowd.Raf.

My brother turns his head at the exact same moment, and our eyes lock across the room. Surprise flashes through his eyes just before his brow creases with worry. That concern morphs into disapproval as he turns and stalks toward me.

Shit. I know that look. It means I’m about to be in trouble.

What was I thinking, letting Carmen drag me here?