In the Alpha’s Arms

Hell or High Water

The mans evil grin showed a few missing teeth, probably knocked out and floating in this murky water. He had an old slash over one eye and several bruse blooming across his cheeks. He seemed exhausted, maybe hoping to take on an easier target as a break. From what Lita had seen, once a person started fighting, they were expected to continue without stopping. Tap, knockout or death. Those were the only options for stopping. Chris had bern the only exception she’d seen and she was sure most of that had to do with his position as one of Maxims trusted. If her being thigh deep in freezing rain was any measure, he probably hadn’t done good things to cam that position.

He lunged fast, tagging her in the chest twice. The hits were firm enough to make her stumble but hardly full power. Was he playing with her? Figuring the longer it took him to put her down, the more time he had before a real opponent. Or was he thinking she was like the other women? Could he not tell she was just as trained as he was? If not more so. His hits were sloppy, she knew but she couldn’t tell if that was because he was exhausted or not.

Lita then realized something that should have been obvious from the start. None of these men knew her. None of them knew she could fight or that she was an Alpha herself Not Chris, not Rem. Hell, it was likely Maxim didn’t even know the full truth of her. That’s why he’d been so concerned over dinner. Why he wanted to know if the reports about her wolf were true.

They all just saw a weak girl, injured and alone in the fighting pit. They saw prey, an easy kill. And she’d be damned if she’d give them what they wanted. What Chris wanted, What this man before her wanted, She wasn’t prey anymore.

The man brought his fists up to jab her again and without thinking, she swiped his legs. He went down hard, splashing water over himself as she climbed over his body. Never give them a chance to refaniale, Ace had said, How many fights had he proved just how effective that tactic way? And she wouldn’t waste the knowledge, holding the man’s head under with everything she had. It was him or her, kill or be killed.

he thrashed below. His face came up to spew water as he attempted to push her off and her fist slammed into his jaw. She didn’t bother wicking away the liquid he spat. If she released even an ounce of pressure, he’d be on her. The best thing she had in her favor was the water and his exhaustion because she surely wasn’t in premium shape. She could already feel her muscles rebelling against the

water again, his fight lessening. The next time he forced his face up, she cracked his nose and that time he went down and didn’t come back up. She didn’t move

around the neck by a forearm. Another man held her from behind as she tried to kick away. Her wild eyes briefly met Chris’s bemused ones overhead as she was dragged towards the middle of the pit. And his grin sent heat through her. He was enjoying this, watching her fight practically naked. Watching her kill

right, it meant Nyx was getting closer and closer to the

all really this unstable? Unpredictable? The man’s arm tightened enough to cut off her air. And

his midsection. He threw them backwards into the water, trying to scare her into releasing him. So they both went, and her head dipped under. Her back smacked hard against the concrete below, his bodyweight forcing the air out of her lungs. Ice flushed through her nose,

he honor his submission? Were these men even honorable? They seemed barbaric. Like they wouldn’t give a damn if she tapped and begged for her life. She could drown him now and be done with the doubt. But she would likely drown herself trying,

at the water in her nose and

apparently, the cluster of men nearest her, were all ready to gang up. There was that male