Round after round passes, and I’m devastated when I start to see Luca flagging. It’s not obvious – not to anyone but those of us who know him intimately. But his blows – they’re a little bit slower. His footwork just the tiniest bit sloppier.He also stops showboating a bit between rounds, instead h
“Ariel!” Rafe shouts, his arms going around me, holding me close. I press my eyes shut, my hand pressed to my side.The bell rings, stopping the round – thank god – and I can feel Luca’s relief. But still, the pain radiates, and I stay pressed to my brother’s side.“Ariel!” my mom gasps, suddenly ne
Luca, I’m horrified to see, is not the same as he was at the beginning of the fight. Gone is the brash young man, all confidence and vigor. Now, as Ben said, all that’s left is the bulldog: grim determination, his jaw set as he moves into the ring.The Atalaxian, I can see, is likewise changed. He k
“Four!”I hear my name being shouted behind me – my family – but there’s no time – and it doesn’t matter if it’s not safe –I’m moving fast, thanks to my wolf instincts and my training at the academy, and I can feel my canines elongating to points in my ferocity as a snarl rips from my lips, because
Events move too fast for me to comprehend them all as I stand with Bruce Grant at my side, watching my mate fight for me, for our nation, for our pride against the enemy.And something is different in Luca now – it’s like he’s a new man, newly made. His fists move light lightning, and he dodges all
“No,” I murmur, shaking my head, denying it – categorically. “I helped, Luca, but you…” I take a moment then, looking around at everyone shouting his name – chanting it – shouting and screaming his victory. “Luca, this is all you.”He just shakes his head at me, marveling a little, loving me a lot,
I have to admit that the entire world feels a little surreal three hours later when I’m sitting pressed between Daphne and Ben in a booth, laughing and watching as Jesse, and Rafe, and Luca spray bottles of champagne into the air and down onto the crowd below, who are all going mad for it, screaming
Something has shifted between us now, after tonight – after I’ve finally realized how deep our bond really goes. Luca and me – we’re tied now, both in the nation’s mind and in our souls. I don’t really know how to describe it, even now as I watch him dancing with Jesse, both of them singing along to