Rylee tried to fight out of Talon’s and Draco’s grip, but it was no use. They held onto her arms as she tried to run in place, knowing there was every effort expended on their part.
“Rylee, stop,” Talon whispered.
“You knew!” Rylee yelled.
She smacked Talon in the shoulder, which made him let go. Draco was still holding her by one wrist while Leo stood by the door, looking onward to where they had taken Gage.
“I just found out!” Talon hissed. “Either way, it wasn’t my story to tell, Rylee.”
She managed to shake Draco away from her wrist and stumbled backward onto the couch. She stood up frantically, impulsively going into a fighter’s stance as she scolded them.
“All of you!” she screamed. “You all knew he had to claim me, and what did you do? Nothing!”
All three of the men watched her as she fell into anguish, projecting the pain that wasn’t hers to give away.
“Why didn’t you tell him to do it? If you knew the consequences, why did you wait around and do nothing!”
“He hates himself, Rylee.” Draco jumped into standing in front of Talon. “You know that better than anyone. He has never wanted a woman, a mate, or even someone to fuck around with. He thinks he doesn’t deserve it.”
Rylee was still feeling the hot rage coursing through her veins, but some logic was slowly pushing against it. His friends had just as little power and influence over him as she did. They couldn’t have made him do anything, the same way that she couldn’t convince him that he was worthy of love.
“There was nothing we could say to him,” Draco continued. “He told us about you, but we never knew you were his mate. He would never admit it, even to himself probably.”
Rylee raised both hands in the air and waved them at the men. They were right, of course, but she wasn’t going to admit that just yet.
“Where is he fighting?” she scowled at them. “Take me there.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Leo said, standing in the doorframe. “The council has made their decision. It's too late, Rylee.”
Rylee felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She stomped past Leo and looked back at the three men who knew the most about her beloved. They loved him, too, despite the words coming out of their mouths.
“It's never too late,” she said assertively. “Take me to the ring. Now.”
Draco, Talon, and Leo led Rylee to what looked like a boxing venue within headquarters. She could hear feet stomping and a rush of loud applause as they approached. Talon touched the door vibrating from the enthusiastic screams.
He let out a huff of air which got on Rylee’s nerves.
“What?” she snapped at him.
“Are you sure you want to see this?” Talon asked.
Rylee certainly did not want to see her lover mangled in some battle, but she hadn’t even approached the idea that this was what she might witness. She had to do something to stop it, but she wasn’t sure just what.
“Just let me in, Talon,” Rylee said harshly. “Let me face what I need to face.”
Talon looked at his friends, who all gave him a reassuring nod. Rylee was sure that something telepathic passed through them, too, without really knowing how.
Talon pushed the door open, and a wave of sound smacked Rylee in the face.
They were at the top of concrete stairs, looking down into a stadium where a caged ring sat in the middle. She gazed down in horror to see who she knew was Gage, shifting before her eyes from his human form into what looked like a huge grizzly bear.
Rylee had heard of what seeing a man, or woman shift may look like. The skin didn’t burst away but simply disappeared, repealed by plumes of red-shaded fur the same color as Gage’s hair and beard. Claws sprouted from his fingers, and fangs appeared in his mouth like a row of knives. He roared much to the delight of the crowd.
“What the fuck,” Rylee whispered.
His opponent was also a bear, but Rylee hadn’t seen him shift. She was watching her beloved intently as they charged one another, her entire future placed within the outcome of a single psychotic event.
The other bear had the upper hand instantly. He flew at Gage’s face, spewing blood onto the mat and making the crowd jeer. Rylee covered her mouth in horror as the bear tackled Gage to the ground, pushing his head against the cage and thrashing at him with his blood-soaked paws.