Instead, I went back to the old way of looking at things and used my eyes, ignoring my headache. The challenger didn’t look like the same werewolf who’d attacked us on our way back from breakfast. The sprinkling of fur starting to cover his skin appeared lighter than the original challenger’s dark grey fur.
I began to doubt this fight was just another mating challenge. Their movements increased in speed until they mostly blurred. I could hear when one of them connected, but not see it. The solid ‘thunk’ of it reverberated through the house.
I hoped Clay gave more than he received.
In the few minutes since the start of the fight, the sky began to lighten. Down the road, a few of the streetlights blinked off. They needed to end this soon, but the fight didn’t seem to be winding down.
Neighborhood dogs barked in earnest creating a chorus. In spite of the noise, I still heard the back door open. So did Clay.
In a fierce move, he hit the other werewolf in the head with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the ground. Clay didn’t wait to see him land. He turned and ran for the house before I could even think to scramble under the bed and hide.
The front door slammed again. I thought of the damage and winced. The temperature in the room dropped further.
Clay and the new werewolf met in the living room with a thud. I didn’t think, just sprang from my crouched position near the window to scramble over the bed. It might be safer hiding, but I worried more not seeing the fight.
Easing myself off the end of the mattress near the door, I stared out at the fight. Glad Clay couldn’t yell at me to get back, I edged closer trying to make them out in the dim living room.
Two shapes struggled in the center of the brown rug. I identified Clay, his back to me, by his long hair. The other man had his arms wrapped around Clay attempting to squeeze him. Clay fisted his hands together and hammered them down on his attacker’s face. They broke apart, the attacker almost bumping into the TV.
Cold air wrapped around my legs. I glanced at the front door, which stood ajar, but didn’t move to close it.
When I looked back at the men, I had a clear view of the attacker. My breathing stopped. I stared at the man, stunned.
I’d grown accustomed to the stomach acrobatics I suffered every time I looked at Clay. Feeling it when I looked at this new wolf devastated me. I gasped in a ragged breath, hurt by fate’s cruelty. It distracted the newcomer who met my eyes with recognition and then calculation. Clay took advantage and brought him down like the one outside. The sickening thud made me cringe.
Without thought, I moved out into the living room and stared down at the unconscious man. His short sandy blonde hair contrasted with the brown of the rug. It moved in the cold wind sweeping the floor. I didn’t feel it as I studied his tall lean frame. He had no facial hair. Except for the tall part, he looked like Clay’s opposite.
How could I feel that pull for two men? Sam assured me that I would know when I met the right one because there would be a pull, a burning curiosity like no other. This didn’t make any sense.
His hand lay on the carpet close to me. His fingernails had partially shifted before Clay hit him, changing from pale pink to a glossy black. Looking closer, I saw his ears had shifted too.
“What do we do Clay?” I looked up at him and found him watching me closely. I gave no indication what I felt toward the man on the floor. “He’s part changed. With the noise of you two fighting outside, I’m thinking the police will be here soon. Can we leave him here like this?”
Clay nodded and motioned for me to go back into the bedroom. His knuckles bled and he had the start of another black eye. I wanted to walk to him and hug him, but felt too confused. Instead, I turned away to hide my watering eyes.
I didn’t look back at the man on the floor as I walked into my room. In the distance, I heard sirens.
Fate or not, I belonged with Clay. He’d earned my loyalty. But I wasn’t sure anymore if I was his prize or punishment.
Shaken, I let Clay put me back into bed. Having all the doors open made the heat kick in. It did little to warm me. He left me in the room, closing me in and leaving me to my thoughts. Moments later, I heard the back door close and then nothing as the sirens got closer.
Reacting to someone other than Clay felt like cheating and it bothered me a lot. I didn’t know what to do about it or how to stop it. It wasn’t something I could talk to Clay about. I hurt him enough already. If I could trust Sam, I could maybe ask him.
The sirens quieted with a chirp before they reached the house. Muted red and blue lights danced on my bedroom wall by my head. I wondered what Clay planned to tell them. No matter what I’d just felt when I’d looked at the man passed out on the living room floor, I trusted Clay completely. He had a plan and I just needed to wait.
But Clay didn’t come back in. Instead, I heard a knock on the front door and then the murmur of several voices. I waited shivering with exhaustion and pain from pushing myself too hard too soon.
Chapter 18