Alpha Rogue 3 (BBW Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance) by Terry Bolryder

1
    Hawes
    T he fight is the last place I want to be right now. I don’t want to be a part of this plan. I can’t bear to have Rose around, a reminder of the time we’ve had together. Of all the time I would have liked to spend with her.
    Sure, it’s been forty-eight hours since we met. Before that I was drowning in my own self-medicated pity and my only desire was to fight and wait eagerly for the next one. But things have changed in me. I feel alive again. Or at least I did. Now I want to just go home and start to try to forget.
    I can see Rose, still standing there in the gym back at the mansion, simultaneously doing the right thing and breaking my heart. The second time it’s been broken now, I guess.
    How is it I can both respect and hate the decision she made? How can I both want to be beside her and be as far away from her as possible?
    Josh didn’t help, either.
    That’s why it’s one more fight. One last favor for Rose. And I guess a favor for shifter-kind as well. But matters of the heart rarely weigh such broad-reaching needs and concepts in the balance of decision.
    So here I am, standing in the middle of the ring. Probably my last fight. I’ll move onto something else after this. At least the venue is grand enough to make things go off with a bang. The air is still musty, rotten almost, but the space is much larger. There must be quadruple the spectators here. Their cheers fall on deaf ears though. I never did this for the applause, and I’m not in the mood to change that.
    The announcer has called the contestant. For the first time, I think I pity the person I’m about to fight. Maybe it’s because I see him as I see myself in this situation- a pawn. We’re both here to serve someone else’s purposes. Him to serve the mob’s, me to serve the Tribunal’s. Sorry pal, but you’ll have to take one for the team. I am too, it just happens to be your lot that you’ll be the one taking a beating, not me. I’ll send you flowers or something when this is over.
    My new contestant is different from the usual fare. He’s not tattoo-ridden, doesn’t look like a pirate, and now that he’s removed his robe, I can see he isn’t covered with scars or missing any teeth. I guess the mob wanted me to square off with someone who takes their personal appearance seriously.
    I take a closer look though. Mean looking guy, maybe the meanest I’ve ever seen. Short, closely shaven beard. Dark hair.
    Where have I seen that face before?
    I look around in the crowd, searching for someone short and wearing a hoodie, and find her. In the front row, watching us, is Rose. My Rose. And yet, not my Rose.
    Only Rose looks shocked and alarmed about something. What is it Rose? Can’t bear to see me shirtless like this again?
    Whatever it is though, she’s serious. I see her shouting and covering one ear with her finger, probably speaking into an earpiece.
    I take another look at my opponent. Whatever it is, Rose keeps looking at me, then back to him.
    The face is more familiar now. He sees me and looks up, eyes cold and dark, a hint of a grin in the corner of his mouth, while the announcer is finalizing his speech to the crowd.
    Vincent Legrand.
    Oh, this is perfect. Looks like I’ll be the one having the real fun tonight.
Rose
    “ I t’s Vincent Legrand ,” I shout into my earpiece. “He’s the one in the ring.”
    “Are you sure?” Josh replies. I’m barely able to hear him through my earpiece over the roar of the crowd.
    “I’m positive. I can see him perfectly from here,” I reply.
    “Not good,” he says back.
    “What do we do?” I speak loudly, trying to be loud enough for him to hear me over the crowd, but not so loud as to attract undue attention. Thankfully the bleachers are full of drunk, overly noisy, rowdy humans, so I’m guessing no one cares.
    There’s silence on the other end. I strain my ear to make sure I’m not missing anything, but there’s just a long pause, until I finally hear Josh on