Page 35 of Forged Alliances
Chapter Sixteen
Dominic Enrico was one mean-looking sonofabitch.
Clouds darkened overhead, the air thick with the promise of a storm, but even without the clouds, Dax could’ve scented out the foreboding on the breeze a mile away. He stepped into the ring to face Enrico, a Latino guy who cast a mighty-long shadow and had more scars than teeth.
“Didn’t realize I’d be fighting a bulldog,” Dax called, unable to help himself in the shit-talking department. “Might want to wipe the bit of drool dripping from your scowl. I know I’m attractive, but I trust you can control yourself.” A groan came from someone in the crowd, sounding all too similar to Sierra. He scuffed his boots along the ground, kicking up dirt around the clearing in the process. His heartbeat thudded a staccato beat at the impending fight, and his lion paced in anticipation.
Another threat to his home and his people. Yet another fight that could result in the dissolution of the Silver Springs pack.
Enrico growled, but he didn’t seem to have the reactionary anger of the bear clan alpha. This sort of bitter rage consumed a person until it thudded in their chest to the same tempo as a heartbeat. Which meant his favorite strategy of pissing the opponent off until they made a mistake wouldn’t work. Sierra’s warning resounded in his head—the worry rang clear in her voice.
Dax glanced at the crowd. Most of the Silver Springs and Red Rock packs had shown up for this match, but his focus zeroed in on the lithe woman with her arms crossed and a scowl on those beautiful lips. Ever since yesterday, when they’d had their conversation, excitement twisted his chest, as if he prepared to dive off a cliff into the ocean. All he had to do was beat Enrico first.
Dax stretched his arms over his head, beginning to pace around the clearing in preparation for the fight. The midday sun shone without mercy, causing sweat to bead along his forehead.
Jess stepped into the ring, her presence like a lightning strike of focus. All the Tribe members had the sort of power that snared awareness at once.
She clapped her hands to get attention, though she didn’t need to—the entire crowd had silenced the second she stepped into the ring. “You know the drill, boys. Animal forms for this fight. Dominic Enrico of the Yellowrock pack and Dax Williams of the Silver Springs pack, you are to face one another in combat over this terrain once possessed by the Silver Spring shifters. The first one who doesn’t rise, loses. The winner will advance to face the final combatant.”
Her voice rang out through the quiet clearing, and goose bumps trailed up Dax’s arms. Like the last time, both of them stripped down and tossed their clothes to the edge of the ring. This was the sixth day, the final challenger keeping him from tearing his brother to pieces. He couldn’t lose.
The air thickened with tension from the oncoming fight, from the onlooker’s bated anticipation. Enrico’s muscles tensed as the shifter readied to lunge, to fight, and to kill. His amber gaze glittered with menace, and a low growl emitted from his throat. Dax lifted his chin, meeting him head-on. This was his home, and he’d defend it with pride.
“Ready?” Jess called out, lifting her palms. The sunlight sparked through the trees, blinding him for a second. Dax sucked in a deep breath and let it flow through him to settle into his muscles.
“Fight,” she shouted.
Once the words passed her lips, Dax transformed into the mountain lion, claws and fangs emerging as his body shifted until he crouched on all four paws. From across the clearing, Enrico shifted as fast. A hulking, obsidian wolf with a multitude of scars patched through the fur stood in the place of the Latino man. Before Dax could scope out his opponent’s movements, Enrico struck.
The wolf tore across the clearing in several powerful strides, not hesitating for a breath as he loped toward him from across the clearing. Dax barely had the time to register the wolf, let alone where he was going to strike. Those razor claws glinted in the sunlight as Enrico reared up to swipe. Dax pivoted to the side on pure defense as the claws descended. The sharp points whizzed by him, slicing through tufts of fur. He lunged away from the wolf, his heart slamming.
Even as Dax backed away, Enrico didn’t halt his relentless pursuit. The wolf moved fast and fluid, despite his size, with the same agility as Sierra. Dax couldn’t exploit sloppy movements or lack of speed, nor could he wait for this guy to screw up with the dogged way he lunged into battle.
Another swipe. And another.
Dax dodged out of the way, unable to gauge anything beyond the immediacy of the claws flashing toward him. Fuck. Those amber eyes burned with tempered rage, and the wolf lunged for him with immense strength and power. Dax didn’t swerve this time, tumbling ahead with a flying leap to put more distance between them. He landed on his feet, feline grace turning his motions fluid as he whipped around to face his opponent.
The wolf charged for him again with speed and power to rival his own. Except he’d gotten pointers from Sierra, a wolf equally as stubborn who possessed enough spirit to lay waste to an army. Enrico favored his back paws with the way he shot off them after each step, propelling him forward, faster. He dipped his muzzle in the direction he aimed, giving a micro-second of an indicator as to where he’d lash out.
Dax began his back-and-forth rhythm, ready to let the attacker closer this time so he could try to gauge a weakness. The wolf reared to the right, those claws glinting as his front paw twitched.
Dax pivoted to the left, circling around Enrico. However, the front paw never rose. Instead, Enrico slammed it down on the ground, using the force to pivot around. Before Dax could dart out of the way, fangs glinted with the wolf’s lunge. The tips sank into Dax’s shoulders, pain exploding through him. He thrashed back and forth to toss the wolf off him. When the bastard pulled away, chunks of flesh went with him. The ache cramped Dax’s stomach, hot waves rolling through at once. Blood pricked to the surface, pooling at the injury.
Fuck. He backed away from the wolf, his shoulder throbbing. Already Enrico had scored a major blow, and Dax hadn’t even scratched the bastard. Letting that urgency overrule his senses wouldn’t help, but he had to take an offensive role to stand a chance. Enrico bared teeth stained in Dax’s blood as he stalked around, readying to launch into his next lunge.
No more trying to create distance. Dax didn’t back away and instead focused on the shift of the wolf’s paws and the tilt of his muzzle signaling the direction. Enrico sprang from his haunches, rocketing in Dax’s direction. Instead of swerving out of the way, Dax held his ground, pounding a marching beat back and forth while his muscles tensed at the ready. He ignored the pulse in his shoulder and the flow of blood as droplets hit the dusty ground, instead honing all his attention on the attack.
The wolf’s claws flashed, but Dax didn’t budge. He swiped back, knocking the front leg out of the way.
Enrico swung again, the other side this time, but Dax remained steady, blocking the limb before those claws could land. Swipe after swipe, Dax deflected each one, staying afloat in the thick of the attack rather than seeking a way out. Each time he caught movement, he followed with a defensive tactic, over and over again. Shouts and hollers rang out from the captivated onlookers, familiar voices cheering for him. The support intensified his focus.
Enrico clenched his jaw, a red flag. As the wolf lunged for him, the jaws snapping like before, Dax surged to meet him. Right as those fangs threatened to descend, Dax smashed his muzzle along the side of the wolf’s jaw, throwing as much force as he could manage into the blow. His own skull throbbed upon impact, but Enrico backed away, snapping.
Couldn’t let the hit slide. If the wolf wanted to wear him down, Dax would be a storm.
He seized the opening, lunging for the wolf.
Forget a fight with claws; Dax’s jaw widened as he descended, slicing through the short distance between them. His teeth sank into Enrico’s throat and he latched on with all his might. Enrico thrashed back and forth, claws slicing into Dax’s side, and still he refused to let go. Deep gouges bloomed along Enrico’s sides as he frenzied, desperate to get out of Dax’s grip. However, he was just as capable of stubbornness, just as unwilling to budge.