OrionI sit in the back of the SUV, my eyes scanning the desert landscape as we drive toward the fight. It’s not far from the Vegas strip, but the location is hidden enough that only those with inside knowledge can find it. I feel the weight of the night pressing down on me—Zane’s name ringing in my ears like a fucking drumbeat. I force my mind to settle. Focus, Ri.Legion Vega is sitting beside me, his sharp gaze fixed ahead. He’s Arkyn’s youngest, the one who doesn’t carry the baggage of Legacy’s reputation. He looks to be about eighteen or nineteen; tall and lanky. He has long blond hair, a stark contrast to Legacy’s black hair, and when I first saw him, the color of his eyes surprised me.One is the red of his Lycan, the other is purple. “His hybrid status is still in question,” Arkyn had said. “We’ve met his Lycan and tailed beast, but that doesn’t explain the purple eye.”Well, then.While Legacy’s been making a name for himself as a loose cannon, Legion has kept his head down
OrionThe roar of the crowd thunders in my ears, and I force myself to stay seated, fists clenched as I watch the fight below. Two wolves are tearing into each other, blood splattering the dirt, the sickening crack of bones breaking ringing out like music to the savage bastards around me.A flash of Aeron’s face hits me—the haunted look in his eyes when he told us about being used as bait. The sheer fucking terror he’d endured in a place like this.The bile rises in my throat, and I swallow it back. I can’t afford to lose my shit now. But seeing this… seeing the bloodlust, the way the crowd eats it up, it makes me want to tear this entire place apart.I glance over at Zane, who’s standing off to the side, near the shadows. His expression is blank, a mask of indifference. But as I watch him, something shifts. He frowns and starts looking around, his eyes scanning the crowd like he’s searching for something… or someone.Then his eyes land on me.I see the shock flicker across his face,
OrionI jerk back, my eyes narrowing as I take a step toward the door. “This was never about me,” I mutter, more to myself than to Zane.“What was that?” Zane asks, tilting his head with that same infuriating smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing.I don’t respond. Instead, I bolt from the room, slamming the door behind me. Something’s off—Zane’s too calm, too confident. The sounds of the crowd grow louder as I make my way down the corridor—cheers, growls, and the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh. The usual chaos of the underground fights. But as I approach the arena, there’s something else. A sound deeper, more primal, shakes the walls.A roar.I rush into the arena, and the sight in front of me makes me pause.In the middle of the pit is a massive three-tailed fox, its white fur gleaming under the dim lights. The crowd is on their feet, screaming and roaring with bloodlust. The fox is surrounded by five wolves and a panther, each one circling, waiting for an opening. But
ZaneI walk through the back streets of Las Vegas, weaving through the crowds like a ghost, slipping between darkened alleyways and neon lights that make my skin crawl. The buzz of the city used to get to me—the constant noise, the faces—but now it’s just static. My mind’s too damn busy to care about the chaos around me.Legion shifted back tonight. Fuck. I didn’t see that coming. All the planning, all the months of pushing to get him into that fight, and he fucking shifted back like it was nothing. I’m not sure if it’s pure luck or if Arkyn’s little training tricks are more effective than I gave them credit for. Whatever it was, it put a serious wrench in things.I shove my hands into my pockets as I approach the run-down building, the smell of incense thick in the air. The witch always loves her theatrics. Natasha’s door is already cracked open like she’s been waiting for me. Of course she has. She knows everything before I even step foot in the room.I push the door open with a la
OrionI step out of the Vega pack house, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease just a little. Being around Arkyn and Legion always puts me on edge—there’s too much at stake right now. But it’s nothing compared to the weight I carry whenever I think about Zane. The thought of him makes my blood boil. And now I have to leave this shitstorm for a bit, handle a few errands for Nero, and get back to dealing with all of this.I tug my jacket tighter as I make my way through the streets. The cold air helps clear my head. Nero sent me to Vegas with a list of things to handle, and the faster I get it done, the sooner I can get back to helping Arkyn and figuring out how deep Zane’s bullshit goes.First stop: I’ve got to meet up with a few shifters who’ve been keeping tabs on what’s happening back home. I’m not in the mood for small talk, but I need the intel. It’s been too quiet lately, and I don’t trust that. Quiet usually means something’s brewing.I find the shifters near the warehouse di
ZaneOrion’s words echo in my head like a gunshot, shattering every bit of composure I have left.“You have no idea how much you broke me. You fucking destroyed me, Zane.”I’m frozen against the brick wall of the alley, my body still vibrating from the way his hands had pinned me there moments before. It’s not like I haven’t heard anger from him before. I’ve heard rage, bitterness, hate—but this? This was something else. This was broken, raw. And it’s my fault. All of it.My legs give out, and I sink to the concrete floor. I press my back against the wall, my head dropping into my hands. My chest feels like it’s being ripped apart, the pounding of my heart loud in my ears. It’s almost funny—people always thought I was cold, that nothing could touch me. But Orion’s words cut through me like a fucking knife, carving me up from the inside out.I knew how much I hurt him. I’ve always known. That’s why I stayed away. That’s why I left. It was supposed to keep him safe, keep him from ever
OrionI’m gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. The road blurs in front of me, but I don’t slow down. I can’t. The streetlights flash past, their yellow glow streaking across the windshield, but all I see is Zane. His face, his voice, the fucking way he kissed me like none of this ever happened.“You have no idea how much you broke me.”I can still hear my own voice in my head, those words spilling out before I could stop them. I meant them, every damn one, but I wasn’t ready for the look on Zane’s face after I said them. The shock, the guilt, the pain. Like he didn’t expect me to still care.I slam my foot on the gas, the car roaring down the highway as I head toward Arkyn’s packhouse, trying to outrun everything. My heart’s pounding in my chest, and my breath comes out in ragged gasps. I can’t think straight. Everything’s spinning, and it feels like I’m suffocating.How dare he try to fucking apologise like he didn’t rip out my heart? Then he tries to kiss me a
OrionI sit at the long wooden table in Arkyn’s study, my phone balanced on speaker in front of me. The room is quiet except for the low hum of Legion’s breathing and the occasional shuffle of Arkyn’s chair beside me. The tension in the air is thick as we wait for Nero and Aeron to join the call. My leg won’t stop bouncing under the table, and I grit my teeth, trying to calm down, but I’m still too rattled from everything with Zane. I shove the thoughts aside for now. This call is too important to get distracted.The phone crackles, and I hear the familiar voice of my older brother, Nero, come through. “Orion, Arkyn, you there?”“Yeah, we’re here,” I say, my voice a little rougher than I’d like. Arkyn nods silently next to me, his sharp gaze flicking between the phone and the door, always alert, always ready.“Good. Aeron’s with me,” Nero continues, and I can hear a faint rustle as Aeron presumably shifts closer to the phone on their end. “Let’s get started.”“Aeron,” I say, leaning