What the hell was he doing?
Bear growled, the gym growing silent as Morpheus whistled as he did his workout in front of me. I kept my head away, trying not to look to avoid any confrontation, but obviously Morpheus wanted it.
“Or maybe your mate would like to see me do some sit-ups? My abs need a workout today.”
Morpheus flipped over, his sweaty body leaving sweat marks on the cement floor. He rolled up his body, his abs contracting with each crunch.
“Ahh, um.” I looked to Bear, to Morpheus, and the silently laughing members of the gym.
Bear’s face was nearly purple, and he had a vein twitching on the side of his forehead.
Bear was not amused.
“Ah, Morpheus, he’s gonna shift if you don’t stop.”
“That is my plan. I wanted to see how big his bear really is. I want to show him I can beat him even in my human form.” He continued to do his sit-ups.
“But you can’t, uh, heal very well,” I added.
Morpheus shrugged his shoulders. “A little pain will feel good.”
Oh dear.
Again he went to do his sit-ups. I rose from my seat, my hand reaching out to calm Bear. I had to do something. He was my responsibility right now. Teddy was coming up fast, and I wasn’t going to let him rip someone to pieces.
As soon as I took my last step, a cool body ripped me away. Anaki whispered in my ear with his minty breath. “Come on, let them have a little fun,” he said playfully.
“But Morpheus—”
“Is a big kitty. He can handle himself.”
Morpheus shot him a look. “I resent that.”
Bear let out a thunderous roar, the sound reverberating through the room as his powerful back bent and fur billowed outward, filling the air with a musky scent. The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices mingling with the sight of Bear gracefully landing on his front paws, causing the ground to tremble beneath him. As he vigorously shook his fur, a wave of excitement and awe rippled through the room.
“And that is what we needed,” Anaki said proudly. “To get everyone’s spirits up.”
What the hell was going on?
My mouth hung open while I watched Morpheus laugh and run around the ring, jumping inside. Bear slung his head back, saw Anaki had me, and backed away. Bear nodded, crawling inside the ring and roaring again.
“Anaki! He can’t do this!” I yelled over the cheers.
A group of rowdy men burst through the gym doors, their laughter echoing off the walls. They carried trays of ice-cold beers, the condensation dripping onto the floor. The air was filled with the scent of freshly popped popcorn and the faint aroma of roasted peanuts. The scene was a chaotic spectacle, resembling a circus.
“It’s high time this club had some fun, and you get to witness some of it. Are you ready to see your man in action?” Anaki winked at me and pulled me to the chairs that were being lined up around the boxing ring.
Bear rebuilt the boxing ring all morning, all for someone to piss him off so he could fight in it?
“Why couldn’t you just ask him to fight instead of pissing him off? That wasn’t very nice,” I asked.
Anaki put his arm around me and gave me a to-go box from the bar holding a large salad with a chicken breast on top. “Eat up.” He jutted out his jaw. “For one, it’s funnier this way, and two.” He sighed. “The bar needs a distraction, and an illegal fight is the way to do it.”
Journey sat on my side holding a bag of popcorn, while Delilah sat beside Anaki, handing him a bag as well. “You ready for this?” Delilah shouted over the noise. “It’s my first fight. I’m super excited. My pup is all squirrelly right now, knowing his daddy is about to take a chunk of Bear’s butt.”
“Hawke is fighting?” My voice rose to a squeal.
“And Grim.” Journey popped some popcorn in her mouth. “He’s last, though, because he will probably make the biggest mess.”
