I wake up on Friday morning to Sean flexing at the end of my bed and Braxton pouting.

"Feel better?" Braxton smiles at me, but there's sorrow in the gesture.

"I do," I tell him, granting him a comforting smile. He's blue because of his disqualification. This morning the beta tournament starts and it must be hitting him that he's sidelined.

"No cramps?" Braxton asks, worry darkening his sexy caramel eyes.

"None," I say absently. I stopped bleeding two days ago. He's being ridiculous and the show Sean is putting on for me is stealing all my attention away.

Both males stop what they're doing abruptly. Their heads tilt up with their noses in the air as they drag in the embarrassingly sharp scent of my arousal.

Darn hormones.

It's all their fault. They sleep on the bed with me now. I told Bailey all about it and she laughed, comparing them to actual dogs stealing their owner's covers at night despite having a perfectly good dog bed in the corner.

It was insulting, but also accurate. Sean and Braxton are always in my space. One of them is always hovering unless I'm dancing or skating. And, during those times, Conner is usually there.

It makes my she-wolf feel secure, but my head spins. I was so alone for such a long time. I suppose it wasn't that long, a year-and-a-half, but it felt like it stretched on for centuries. Now, I have decisions to make. Although, I've already made them, to be honest.

Their close proximity to me is driving me insane. I'm partially mated to both of them and wolves aren't meant to be abstinent when they live with their mate. Worse, they smell like each other from all the grappling during training. Braxton's elimination worked out well for that reason. Sean couldn't spar with the other beta contenders, so it's just him and Braxton sweating, straining, and grunting all over each other.

Oh, goddess.

"You need us, mate?" Sean asks with a tiny bit of hope in his voice.

I sit up and gather my blankets around me more tightly. "Nope." I roll out of bed, stand up, and cross to the windows. It's still dark outside. We have to be at the field early. ClearHowl invited just a select few guests to come and watch the challenges. None of our allies will be here, so Conner wants the three of us to be there early.

"We'll pick up breakfast at the field," Sean says as he rolls his neck slowly.

"You ready?" Braxton asks him.

Sean nods, his face still as stone, but calm. "Stretch, Daisy," he tells me. "Make sure you stay warm and limber." He rubs his hand over the hard ridge in his pants, then forces his hands down by his sides.

Braxton is still laughing at my red face as the three of us pile into the truck. We drive the short distance in relative silence, Braxton at the wheel, Sean staring straight ahead with that same hard look on his face, me sandwiched in the middle of them.

"I'm scared," I whisper softly. Sean picks up my hand and starts to play with my fingers.

"No one will beat Sean," Braxton says sullenly. I swallow, nodding my head, in full agreement despite the twinge of hurt as Braxton says out loud what I've been thinking all week. I know that no one should be able to beat Sean, certainly not me, but there's no guarantees in Challenges.

"What will you do when we fight?" I ask Sean. I want to at least put on a decent show. Maybe Sean will let me spar a little with him before he takes me down.

Sean turns his head, looking at me blankly. On my other side, Braxton lets out a soft snort. "Babydoll, Sean won't fight you."

"What? You are starting the Challenges. The order is set and you put me as the last match."

"I will never hurt you again," Sean states in a low monotone.

I fidget. "I know," I admit. Goddess knows I would love to throw some harsh words right back in his face, but deep down I know he won't ever willingly hurt me again. Thank goodness for that. I haven't protected my heart from him these past weeks. Conner's words sunk into my head. These are my males, or at least they both seem to think so, and therefore Sean will protect me... even from himself.

"We still have to fight, Sean. We should have talked about this before. Created a plan," I squirm even more, my heartbeat beginning to pick up in pace.

"Easy, mate," Sean croons, eyes caressing me.

"But, when we battle, are you going to go for the kill right away? You'll be tired," I concede in defeat. Sean will start at the bottom of the list and fight every contender until he gets to me, sans Braxton, Josh, and Damien, who all have pulled out of the competition (or been disqualified for excessive force = Braxton).

"There's no discussion, Doll," Braxton says sweetly. "Sean will kneel for you, baby."

My she-wolf jerks as if she licked an electrical socket. "What?" I ask in disbelief, staring at Sean. I turn to look at Braxton, who is grinning and shaking his head as if I'm, oh, so amusing. "You can't kneel," I protest. It's humiliating to kneel before another wolf without fighting at all.

"Of course he can," Braxton says, sounding shocked himself. "What the hell did you think we were planning on doing, babydoll?"

"Winning the Beta position?" I ask weakly.

"You are the Beta," Sean murmurs, kissing Braxton's Mark on my neck. I gasp, my head lolling to the side. Sean moans softly and kisses me again.

"Fuck," Braxton breathes out. His fingers tighten on the wheel.

"That's not - The rules are clear - I mean -" I splutter as my body heats up and the males start to chuckle softly at me. "Why?" I ask finally.

Sean pulls away, looking at me steadily, but with a measure of uncertainty, until it clears back into his emotionless state. "You don't trust us yet," he states. "We will earn it, our mate." His thumb brushes my cheek softly.

"You're driving next time," Braxton mumbles.

Before Sean can respond, Braxton pulls into the fields next to the athletic center and I suck in a shallow breath. The parking lot is jam-packed, many of the vehicles sporting familiar pack plates, but not all of them. Everyone and their mother is here.

"Members of the council," Braxton says with relish as we walk past a town car with Lousiana plates.

"Louisiana is heavily occupied by witches, I thought?" I whisper. I try to peer into one of the cars, but the tints on the windows are almost pitch-black.

"Taxes are cheaper. The packs from other states register their cars there," Sean explains.

Braxton and Sean both hold my hand as we walk onto the field. Part of me wants to snatch my hands back, but I don't bother with how badly I'm shaking. My she-wolf is even worse off, her entire body quaking as she paces wobbling in a circle.

"You won't get hurt?" I whisper to Sean as we approach the area reserved for the Beta contenders.

He pulls me to the side as Braxton registers us. "We won't lose, mate," he murmurs.

"That's not what I said, Sean."

His response is to lean over and kiss me. I give in without any hesitation, twining my arms around his neck and parting my lips when he tongue seeks entrance.

"Wow, favoritism from the Beta," Braxton teases us as he returns with the vests Sean and I will wear for the matches.

Sean lifts his head, dark eyes staring at me in silent contemplation. "Mate?" he inquires softly.

"Sean?" I answer.

"Will you Mark us when we win?" he inches his mouth closer again, eyes begging me for mercy. "Please?" His lips brush mine, soft and sweet, "please, mate?"

---

Ili doesn't have a chance to answer Sean before the first match is announced. Sean has to leave to start the first match. There's no waiting, no buildup. Conner must want this shitshow over with.

I wind my fingers through Ili's, teasing her gently, "where's my kiss?"

"Will you stay with me?" she asks, her grey eyes looking toward Sean, a little lost and thoughtful. Goddess, I hope she's considering Marking us both.

I pull her against me tightly. "Always."

When the first match begins, Sean devastates the first contender. Quickly, but methodically. It's done so mechanically that the crowd actually loses some of its fervor.

"The Council is here," Vicente cautions. The LoboGris male took up his spot right behind us on the other side of the barricade holding the crowd back.

"They can't talk to Ili. She has to fight later," I say, uselessly, because the three wolves who smell of other packs are crossing over the barricade as if they own the place.

"Pendejos," Vicente mutters. I grunt my agreement, hesitating to say anything as the Council wolves come within hearing range.

"Iliana Thomas," one of the wolves says, his eyes glittering with poorly-hidden disdain.

"Beta Thomas," Ili corrects him. She's a full foot shorter than him and probably a third his size, but her dainty shoulders straighten and she doesn't back down an inch. Pride swells. My wolf starts to strut, flashing fang at the strange male, but content to let his female run the show.

"Ah, yes, Beta," the wolf says with a smirk. "It seems as though your brother-by-mating may be winning the title today, however."

I feel Iliana freeze. Hurt lashes me through the half-bond. "My brother-by-mating?" she asks coldly.

"Sean Tremaine? Georgina's mate?" he says.

I press myself against Ili's back, ready to help her in any way she needs me to. Reassurance, comfort... can I kill a council member today?

"Sean Green," she emphasizes. "Sean has kept his mother's name. Georgina told you that, surely?" Iliana says.

My heart bursts with pride. My wolf wants to piss in a circle, right around his female to let all the other males know this strong, gorgeous thing is all his.

"I've only spoken with her once," the male doing all the talking seems to backtrack a little. "She's still in a bit of pain from the rogue attack a couple of weeks ago."

Rogue attack? Fuck. Fuck. Georgina is with the council. How the fuck did Carmichael lose her?

"My poor sister," Iliana never misses a beat. "I know she wanted to be here today. To watch Sean," she adds, "her mate."

"At least he won't miss the competition for alpha female," the council wolf says. "It would be a pity if Beta Sean missed that."

Iliana doesn't let her pain show. "Mmhm. It would be."

How the fuck did Georgina escape from Carmichael-fucking-Reyes? I look across the field, ignoring Sean's systematic dismantling of Joe or Rob or whoever the fuck he's fighting now, to my brother.

Conner is studiously pretending to be absorbed in the fight on the field, but I can see his tense shoulders from here. More importantly, Bailey is hidden away behind her Dad, Rique the LoboGris Beta, and a few other wolves, as if her importance isn't that significant. Aw, shit, the game has changed. When? When the council showed up?

Then, the other male adds, "As soon as you have your official Beta, this pack can move on to naming your sister as alpha female. It's good that it will happen soon, especially considering the weakness of the soon-to-be-luna."

Iliana smiles a sickenly-sweet smile. "Georgina will be so happy to hear of your support."

The male nods, "of course. She is the mate of a Tremaine. At least it's an honorable alpha line." His eyes dart to me again. I smile, just as blandly sweet as my female. Inside, my wolf is howling for blood. Does the Grim bloodline really mean nothing to them? The GriMaw have been around for centuries with the same damn alpha lineage. It's powerful and proud, more so than the fucking Tremaine's.

"He does have a very impressive bloodline. Pure and loyal," Iliana practically purrs. "My sister is so lucky."

The male smirks as the winner of the second match is announced. Sean incapacitated his opponent without getting touched once. The council members take positions nearby, not letting Ili and I relax, but I feel Vicente leave and disappear into the crowd. A moment later, Rique, meanders away from Conner's side.

I hold Iliana more tightly, worried about her until I realize that I can't feel any confusion, just hurt and worry.

"Babydoll?" I murmur quietly into her ear. "Did you know about your sister?"

She turns her head up to mine. "Conner told me," she breathes back, mindful of the council wolf nearby. My arms tighten. My wolf snarls. The urge to put her over my knee and spank her sexy little ass grows, along with my hard-on. Ili squirms against me, going a little pale. "You were sparring with Sean when Alpha Alex called," she mumbles an excuse.

"Uncle Alex told Carm to release Georgie?" I ask. At her slight nod, I stare out into the field where Sean is covered in blood (not his own, of course, the feral fucker) and staring right at us.

"I didn't know about the whole mates thing. Georgina must be telling everyone that Sean is hers," she says softly. Pain cascades through her. Sean is edging closer to us, his eyes locked on Ili.

"I'm going to Mark him, Brax. I can't... I can't stand it."

I pause, waiting, while my heart trips over and over, stuttering, floundering. She is resolute. I can feel it. What I can't feel is how she feels about me. All she's thinking about is Sean.

"I'll... I'll Mark you right after, OK?" she promises.

"Don't," I say, a little too harshly. "Just... fuck, Ili."

"Brax?" she turns slightly in my arms. My embrace has loosened. My wolf is howling, pacing, losing his shit in my head and it makes it hard to concentrate. I can smell the scent of mating venom welling up in Iliana at the thought of Marking Sean. Goddess, it fucking hurts.

Ili presses her palm against my cheek. "Braxton?" she says again.

"It hurts," I mutter. My brain is sluggishly trying to catch up to the new game. Fuck. Those council pricks are totally off-base. Sean isn't the Beta. Conner's making it clear by not letting us in the loop. Subtle, but effective. We're cut out of this plan until Iliana lets us back in.

"Braxton," she whispers, "I'm going to Mark him. I'm going to steal my sister's mate." Her voice is so soft. Her palm rubs my cheek. My eyes slide closed. Even with them shut I can see her beautiful face. All I can smell is her sweet scent and the sharp tang of venom. All I hear is her voice murmuring to me, her she-wolf snuffling at my angry, mean wolf. She picks up my hand and presses it to her own cheek.

The announcements are hazy background noise. Sean isn't wasting any time. My heart beats with the countdown of blows from the field. My sense of hearing intensifies. The noise of the crowd fades. All I hear is my heart thudding in time with the strikes of Sean's fists against flesh as if I'm there with him. An opponent getting the shit beaten out of him.

"Just a minute..."

Thomp. Thomp. Another contender down. The last one before Ili. It's time. It's time to give up my female to another male, however briefly. It hurts so bad. My wolf howling drowns out the rest of the announcements. The world is buzzing. I'm drowning in pain already. I need to find someone to help me when Ili leaves me to battle Sean.

"Easy, Brax. It won't take long, now."

I love you. I love you, Ili. It's going to hurt. The crowd jostles us as they surge forward, cheering Sean on. The fucking hero, yeah? The male who rejected his truemate for her sister. Asshole. How many wolves here know that? How many suspect and still they cheer for him?

"Shh, Braxton. Hold on to me."

Hatred and anger bubble up. My wolf snarls. He's ready. We'll drown this pack in blood to teach them humility. My brother is across the field. Sean is tired. Dad is MIA. There's no one to stop a rampage before I deliver some fucking justice for my female.

A growl bubbles up. I hear the announcement. Iliana's name. Sean's name. The two together make the scales tip. My wolf lurches to the surface. It hurts.

"I have to go, baby. Stay on your feet. Hide it for now."

She called me-

Sharp teeth bite into my wrist. It's as fast as a rattlesnake bite, swift and sure, right into my vein. The world goes completely quiet. My wolf halts, abruptly, nearly overturning himself into the dirt he's churned up under his paws.

My eyes spring open. Grey pools meet mine. Determination, caring, stubbornness. Sean was right, she's so stubborn. My claws curl, black and ugly, against her perfectly-smooth cheek. Her skin is like porcelain, fine and unblemished. Beautiful.

Blood drips down my wrist as she releases it. My arm falls, heavy to one side as the mating venom travels through my body. It's slower from my wrist to my heart than it would be from my neck. Instinctively I tuck my wounded wrist against my pants, out of sight of the crowd that is turning to look for the last beta contender. The pretender, as far as they're concerned. Wolves see us standing together. The second son of the infamous Beta-who-should-be-alpha, and Iliana, the rankwhore.

My wolf is weak from the venom, but he's strutting anyway, so proud of his mate. His ears twitch, his senses sharpen, muscles flex. He's aware. He hears the foul little whispers. The rankwhore. Uncle Alex warned me of this. Rankwhore. Weak. Nothing like her sister, who should be the alpha female. But she's with Sean now, isn't she? It can't be. They were kissing earlier. You're confused. Will Sean hurt her? His own mate's sister?

No one sees the Mark on my wrist. No one calls us out. Iliana kisses me on my cheek and only I see the faint trace of my blood on her lips.

Sean is howling on the field. Snarling and growling and pacing like madness has taken over. Gone is the cool, almost robotic, beta contender. In his place is a feral, vicious monster. His eyes glare at me, but the crowd thinks he's furious with Iliana. Whispers swell, ebbing and flowing around me. He can't hurt her because he loves Georgina. I don't think so? What's wrong with him? The Beta is livid. With the rankwhore? Hasn't she been playing both males? Why is she still chasing Braxton? They all train together. Is he just pussy-whipped?

How is ClearHowl still so clueless?

Iliana Marked me.

I stiffen my knees as weakness steals over me. Ili leaves my side to walk onto the field, her head held bravely as she approaches the insane male in the center of the field.

I can't move. I'm too weak. I can't save my mate from Sean.

He roars as she approaches, fangs flashing. I think I can see, even from here, the bruising darkening on his body from his mate's betrayal as his wolf goes berserk. His dark eyes look ink-black as his pupils bleed into his irises. I take a wavering step and nearly fall. A hand claps my shoulder.

"What is his problem?" Vicente is back. I sway and his hand tightens. "What's your problem, cabrón?"

I can't speak. Fear ices my veins, chased away by the delicious burn of Ili's Mark on my wrist.

"Did she Mark..." Vicente cuts off his own words sharply. His eyes turn, filled with fear, as Ili bravely, foolishly crosses the field to the raging, dominant male.