Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,1

mate as well as the sister who’d found her way into the mix right around the time Seth connected with Dash.

Sage studiously kept her eyes averted from the scarred lion standing on the other side of the table while sliding looks to the other females. For his part, Rhys kept a close watch on her and never backed down when Lindley put himself between them with a brotherly growl of protection.

The alpha snagged his queen around the waist and jerked her to the side, causing her to miss her shot. She spun into him, nose wrinkled in faux fury and eyes shining with love and mischief. The love grew when Trent ran his knuckles over her stomach and bent to sip at her lips.

Hailey was pregnant.

Congratu-fucking-lations to the alpha and his queen.

Seth rolled his shoulders and reached for the missing part of himself. That hole inside added another line between him and the others and kept him at arm’s length. They were a proper pride. Matched up, paired off, shouting insults to one another between their private moments. Mating bonds and friendship stitched them together.

What the hell did he bring to the table? He was the odd man out. A freak. A liar.

He passed another look over the group, then stiffened. Trying to keep his reaction to himself, he swung his gaze to the televisions behind the bar, then back over the crowded dance floor. One more pass over the pool tables and dart board along the back wall confirmed what he suspected.

He was being hunted.

Fuck. Guilt stabbed at him. He needed to move on. The Crowleys didn’t deserve any of the shit that spewed when shifters realized he wasn’t like them. Even more, he didn’t want to hear it coming from their mouths.

They sure as shit didn’t deserve the trouble gunning for him.

He took one last pull from his bottle and pushed off the wall.

“Where are you going?” Dash called after him.

“Bathroom. Do we need a buddy system like the ladies?”

Hailey snorted a laugh. “For the record, it’s so we can talk trash about all of you.”

"My apologies." Seth walked backward and touched his fingers to his forehead. "Carry on."

The chuckles from the other women and scowls from their mates popped a short-lived smile on his face. His jaw tightened as he paused by the bathroom for a handful of seconds, then slipped back out of the short hallway. Using the rest of the crowd to hide, he waded through the bar and out into the night.

He just intended to scout the other patrons and parking lot. He didn’t want to sound the alarm without cause. Besides, the faces he’d seen may only have been there to blow off some steam. There was no crime in throwing back a few beers at the end of the day.

“Hey, snitch!”

In the darkest part of the parking lot, Seth turned. “Zeke,” he greeted flatly. “Enjoying the evening?”

Shit. The lion was one of the regulars at the local fighting ring.

Truthfully, he’d expected something from the moment he gave Dash the location of some pencil-dicked wolves that might have been involved in his mate’s abduction. In doing so, he’d violated one of the few rules for those working the circuit—never turn on a fellow fighter.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” Zeke growled. “We all will.”

The fucker’s dark chuckle was drowned out with a rustle of movement as more figures stepped out of the shadows.

He’d stayed away from the fighting ring on the outskirts of Bearden, but that hadn’t been enough. Seth scanned the faces coming for him and slid into a loose stance. Wolves, bears, even another lion, he’d fought most at least once. In a fair fight, they couldn’t take him down. Cowards had to come for him in a pack.

How many times, now, had he faced similar brawls? Too many to count. He’d taken beatings from boys his own age until they’d gotten big enough for their fathers to join in, too. The pride of his birth never let him forget his place.

He hadn’t run then, he sure as shit wouldn’t give bastards he’d already fought the satisfaction of running now.

Seth didn’t wait for them to make the first move. He hurtled across the group, sending a blur of fists at Zeke. Head, stomach, ribs, he aimed and punched at random, never giving the shifter an opportunity to sense the next blow.

Remain unpredictable. Be prepared for everything. His father’s words echoed through his head.

Late father. Asshole who used him and rejected him