over again. As my gaze shifted to Lukas’s well-toned backside, instead of admiring it, I found that I wanted to give him a giant kick in it. We continued on in silence. When I started to hear the sound of voices in the distance, reality began to set in.
White Oaks was normally home to around two hundred bear shifter residents who were full-time residents of Greyelf. With the shifter Summit that only occurred once every five years set to begin in less than twenty-four hours, I knew their ranks had swelled to perhaps double that amount. That didn’t even include the other shifter clans in the area. Greyelf was buzzing from the spate of tourist business. And here I was, human, journalist, and complete outsider about to enter a world where I didn’t belong and wasn’t welcome.
Lukas slowed and turned his head. “Are you ready for this?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I heard several loud roars then, and I knew that the color drained from my face. We were on our way to a bear match. So, of course, there would be bears there. I was smack dab in the middle of a bear shifter community, after all.
“I can hear your heart racing from here,” Lukas said. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Just do everything I say, right?”
I nodded again. “Right.” When Lukas took my hand again, this time I didn’t pull away. I needed the reassurance because the sounds of the crowd grew louder with each footstep. The path crested a small hill, and then my mouth fell open as I took in the view in front of me.
Lukas had called it an arena, and it seemed like an apt description. The path led down through a small crevice in the natural landscape. The rocky walls sloped down toward the dirt floor of a natural ravine, and I understood now why I had been able to hear the crowd so well. Their voices echoed off the rock walls. The path took a sharp turn, and then the decline grew significantly steeper as it wound down to the ground in the center. A multitude of spectators lined the walls standing and sitting all along the naturally formed rock bleachers. It was as if the place had been made for just such an event.
“Take a breath, Maren,” Lukas said. He bent closer to my ear. “Play along, and don’t cower. Not even for a moment. You are here because I want you here. You belong here with me. Don’t forget it.”
My back stiffened, which was no doubt the reaction he was hoping for. He began to lead me down the path. The crowd hushed as they caught their first looks at us. Then the low hum of whispers began. I felt the intensity of the crowd’s gaze, but I didn’t melt beneath it. Lukas needed to present a show of strength, and I was his army of one. I wouldn’t let him down. What was about to happen was too important to him for that.
I sensed that Lukas took his time making his way down the path, and I was grateful. I felt my sandals begin to slip more than once during our descent, but each time I was able to correct my balance before I stumbled. We arrived on the arena’s floor several moments later, and I saw that three men stood there waiting for us.
I had known that there was a governing body that acted as counselors and advisors for the alpha, but the clan had always been secretive about who the actual members of the council were. Because I had lived in Greyelf since I was ten, I knew their faces on sight. Doc Walden had been my family’s physician since moving to Greyelf because my dad had wanted to show how progressive we were in our attitudes toward shifters. Larry Bennett was one of the city’s councilmen, so I wasn’t surprised to see him there. I was surprised though to see Billy Miller. My mouth fell open, and I saw him grimace. I made a mental note to give him a piece of my mind later. I thought that I knew every shifter in Greyelf, but apparently there were more who hadn’t openly come out after all.
Sheriff Monroe stood off to the side. He had a thoughtful look on his face
White Oaks was normally home to around two hundred bear shifter residents who were full-time residents of Greyelf. With the shifter Summit that only occurred once every five years set to begin in less than twenty-four hours, I knew their ranks had swelled to perhaps double that amount. That didn’t even include the other shifter clans in the area. Greyelf was buzzing from the spate of tourist business. And here I was, human, journalist, and complete outsider about to enter a world where I didn’t belong and wasn’t welcome.
Lukas slowed and turned his head. “Are you ready for this?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I heard several loud roars then, and I knew that the color drained from my face. We were on our way to a bear match. So, of course, there would be bears there. I was smack dab in the middle of a bear shifter community, after all.
“I can hear your heart racing from here,” Lukas said. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Just do everything I say, right?”
I nodded again. “Right.” When Lukas took my hand again, this time I didn’t pull away. I needed the reassurance because the sounds of the crowd grew louder with each footstep. The path crested a small hill, and then my mouth fell open as I took in the view in front of me.
Lukas had called it an arena, and it seemed like an apt description. The path led down through a small crevice in the natural landscape. The rocky walls sloped down toward the dirt floor of a natural ravine, and I understood now why I had been able to hear the crowd so well. Their voices echoed off the rock walls. The path took a sharp turn, and then the decline grew significantly steeper as it wound down to the ground in the center. A multitude of spectators lined the walls standing and sitting all along the naturally formed rock bleachers. It was as if the place had been made for just such an event.
“Take a breath, Maren,” Lukas said. He bent closer to my ear. “Play along, and don’t cower. Not even for a moment. You are here because I want you here. You belong here with me. Don’t forget it.”
My back stiffened, which was no doubt the reaction he was hoping for. He began to lead me down the path. The crowd hushed as they caught their first looks at us. Then the low hum of whispers began. I felt the intensity of the crowd’s gaze, but I didn’t melt beneath it. Lukas needed to present a show of strength, and I was his army of one. I wouldn’t let him down. What was about to happen was too important to him for that.
I sensed that Lukas took his time making his way down the path, and I was grateful. I felt my sandals begin to slip more than once during our descent, but each time I was able to correct my balance before I stumbled. We arrived on the arena’s floor several moments later, and I saw that three men stood there waiting for us.
I had known that there was a governing body that acted as counselors and advisors for the alpha, but the clan had always been secretive about who the actual members of the council were. Because I had lived in Greyelf since I was ten, I knew their faces on sight. Doc Walden had been my family’s physician since moving to Greyelf because my dad had wanted to show how progressive we were in our attitudes toward shifters. Larry Bennett was one of the city’s councilmen, so I wasn’t surprised to see him there. I was surprised though to see Billy Miller. My mouth fell open, and I saw him grimace. I made a mental note to give him a piece of my mind later. I thought that I knew every shifter in Greyelf, but apparently there were more who hadn’t openly come out after all.
Sheriff Monroe stood off to the side. He had a thoughtful look on his face
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