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.Ashland returned to his corner, and Stoltz slipped the straw of a bottle ofhydration drink between the wire cage openings. Drink. Ashland obeyed. This round? Ashland asked, panting through his open mouth.Sweat drippeddown his face, and Stoltz wiped it with a towel. Yes.I ll tell you when.You don t make a move until I tell you, got it? Yes, Master. The werewolf nodded and took another drink. Ready? Ready. The bell rang, and the two men faced off again. 80 | LYNN LORENZChapter ThirteenStoltz s grip on the cage whitened his knuckles.A lot rested on this one round.Hetook a deep breath and let it out.Being anxious about the shifting would only putundue pressure on Ash, and that wouldn t be good.The men circled each other, and their low growls filled the air.Stoltz reached outin his mind to Ash, telling him to relax, slow down, and wait for his signal.While thewerewolves were concentrating on fighting and maneuvering, it was up to theirpartners to sense when their competitor shifted and command them to shift in defense.The air in the cage vibrated, a sure sign Tor was shifting. Now! Stoltz sent the command.Ash began his shift, throwing himself towardTor as the defender did the same.The cage took on a life of its own, as if it breathed.The men shifted, and twowolves leaped across the floor and slammed into each other.The snarls and snapping oftheir teeth brought the hair up on Stoltz s arms, just as it always had, only now, somuch more than he d ever had rode on this one shift.If he could control Ash in a sparring match with another werewolf, not just inpractices on their own, Ash would be ready to truly train with the biggest fighters.Themoney would roll in, and Stoltz could buy his next sparring werewolf.Or he could lose Ash to Tor s superior fighting skills.Sparring partners had beenknown to be seriously injured or killed working with the fighters.His insurance wouldcover only half of Ash s price at sale, and that wouldn t be enough to replace him withsomeone of the same caliber.If that happened, Stoltz would lose more than just hisfledgling business, he d lose Ash.And that thought more than any terrified him.It pushed him to make sure Ash didn t fail. WEREWOLF FIGHT LEAGUE: ASHLAND | 81They parted, Ash shaking off Tor s grip on his back leg.Blood streamed from thewound, but not enough to worry Stoltz.Ash could heal it with a shift. Get away from him, Ash! Ash rolled away, headed to the far side, got back on four feet, and stalked closer toJin.Tor plunged across the ring to stop him.Once they d shifted, the wolves couldn tthink of anything but to attack to gain a mate or to protect their mate.They weren tcapable of strategy. Wait. Stoltz knew once Tor threw himself into the air, he d be vulnerable toattack.If Ash would just keep his nerve and obey, he might take Tor.Ash whimpered but stayed crouched, bunching his leg muscles, dancing in place,ready for Stoltz s command.Just like they d practiced.Tor leaped, spanning half the distance of the cage, snarling his fury at hischallenger.Ash waited& waited& Now! Stoltz shouted, forgetting himself.Ash exploded off the floor, meeting Tor in midair, and clamped down on Tor sfront leg.The wolf howled, and they dropped hard onto the cement floor in a tangledheap.With Tor on top of Ash.Shit.Stoltz hadn t counted on that.The wolf had twisted as he fell, trapping Ashon his back under him.Ash still held on to Tor s leg, but with Tor straddling Ash swolf, and Tor s teeth empty, he smashed his paw down on Ash s head, breaking his biteand freeing his leg.Ash yelped as the bigger wolf s claws scraped across his muzzle, ripping his ear.Blood dripped onto the cage floor from both wolves injuries.Stoltz grimaced andglanced at his watch.Thirty seconds left in the round before the bell rang. Get up! he told Ash. 82 | LYNN LORENZAsh twisted, trying to rise, but Tor grabbed Ash by the throat and held him down.Stoltz grabbed the cage, his heart hammering in his chest.If Tor wanted to, or if Jin lostcontrol, he could rip Ash s throat out.Killing in the cages was forbidden.Dead wolves made for bad press and angryowners.The kind of money invested in a werewolf meant no one wanted any of thewerewolves or their mates badly injured or killed, but mistakes happened.The fight game had to ride the edge of danger, not cross the line, and the leaguecame down hard on owners whose werewolves caused unnecessary damage to othercompetitors.If Stoltz didn t tell Ash to submit, and Jin didn t tell Tor to back off, this could be adisaster. Submit, Ash! Stoltz screamed it in his mind.Across the cage, he caught Ash ssearching gaze.The wolf s eyebrow quirked up and Stoltz repeated himself. Submit. His wolf blew out breath and went limp, his tail coming up between his legs.But Tor didn t stop.Stoltz froze, his face pressed against the wires.Tor curled his lips back, bit hard into Ash s shoulder, and shook him.The howl of pain from his wolf nearly tore Stoltz apart.He bolted from his placeand ran around the side of the cage. Jin! Stop him! Stoltz shouted at Tor s little mate. Stop him! Jin leaned forward, his eyes closed, his body shaking and the chains adorning himtinkling like crystals.Tor let Ash go, backed away from him, and then shifted.Jin raced to him andthrew his arms around the big man, pulling him farther away.Stoltz got to the gate of the cage, charged up the stairs, and slammed it openagainst the wall.Waves of the animal s pain seared into Stoltz s mind as his wolf criedout for him. WEREWOLF FIGHT LEAGUE: ASHLAND | 83Ash lay on the concrete, eyes closed, unmoving.Stoltz fell to his knees and ran his hand over Ash s body.The deep gash on hisshoulder would require more than a shift; it would take stitches to close that wound.Stoltz stared at his hand, covered in Ash s blood.Damn.They hadn t been ready.He d been a fool and put everything at risk hisreputation, his business, and Ash s life.Jin and Tor hovered off to the side.Their owner approached them, storming overto the couple.He held a baton.With a flick, it extended, and he smashed it across Tor schest. Fucking wolf! You could have killed him.Cost me a fortune in damages! Tor put Jin behind him. I m sorry, Master.I just lost it.It wasn t Jin s fault. Jin, you should have called him off. Marrack glared at the slave, and then, notwaiting for an answer, he turned to Stoltz. Shit.Is he okay? Stoltz nodded. He ll take some stitches and a shift, but yeah, he ll be okay. Ash whimpered as Stoltz petted his head, doing an inspection of the torn ear.Nottoo bad.He d seen worse, he kept telling himself. Good.Jin.Tor.Get the hell out of here.Now. Marrack pointed toward the lockerroom with the baton. Be ready to go in fifteen minutes
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