Galen's Lovely Mate (Saber Chronicles Book Four) by R.E. Butler Page B

and Slade, and his sister, Lia –
had all found their mates within a week of their arrival at Belle
Terra. He and his brothers had joined up with the National
Were-Fighting Association, which was owned by an alpha wolf named
Jonathon Black. Alaric had been having the mating dreams for more
than a year when he finally found his truemate, the sister of the
master vampire of Belle Terra.
    Galen glanced at the clock on the nightstand
and groaned. It was before dawn. He hadn’t slept well in a week. He
woke up frequently because of the dreams, and more often than not,
he was completely aroused. How anyone could be turned on by colors
in a dream and no other indication of what they meant he didn’t
know.
    Deciding to duck out and go to the arena
where the NWFA fights would be held that night, he got up, dressed,
and hurried from the hotel. The NWFA arena had at one time been a
high school football stadium. A developer had purchased it, turning
it into an event arena where everything from concerts to stunt
shows amused the locals. He drove the SUV he shared with his family
to the arena. For the year they’d traveled with the NWFA, they’d
also shared an RV, but it had since been emptied of their
belongings and given to another group within the NWFA who needed a
place to live.
    He pushed open the doors to the training
center within the arena and found the workout room empty. A
four-lane track ran the perimeter of the large room, and within the
circle was every kind of exercise equipment known to man. Popping
his earbuds in, he turned on his mp3 player, turned up the volume,
and headed for the weight bench.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Galen waited in the staging area for his turn
on the sand. The previous week had been the inaugural fight, and
the crowds were just as intense as they’d been that first time. He
never fought without his family by his side. Alaric and his mate,
Aubrey, and Slade and his mate, Gretchen, were in the owner’s
private box so they could watch the fights. He felt strangely
alone. Although he liked the idea of being the big winner – he and
his brothers never lost their fights – he didn’t like how it made
him feel to stand by himself while the other fighters stood with
others.
    Wolves stood with their pack, bears with
their sleuth, and lions with their pride. The saber stood
alone.
    Shaking the odd thoughts from his mind, he
watched as Jonathon Black, the owner of the NWFA, escorted a group
of VIPs through the staging area. Scenting the air, he knew they
were all human. He could never figure out why humans enjoyed the
fights so much. Maybe because it was carefully controlled chaos. Or
maybe they liked watching shifters beat each other all to hell, but
only from a safe distance.
    Ignoring the group, Galen concentrated on the
fights ahead. Several minutes after Jonathon took the humans from
the area, the fights began. He watched on the monitors as a young
wolf was tossed around like a ragdoll by a lion. It was against
NWFA regulations for one male to kill another during a fight, but
there were times when some of the fights got a little too close to
the line.
    As he stepped out onto the sand with the bear
he was supposed to fight, the crowd roared its approval. The bear,
a big male named Grenich, grunted at Galen as they squared off. The
fighters never socialized outside of their own groups. Galen was
going to be leaving Belle Terra in a few months if he hadn’t found
his truemate by then. He hoped that as the NWFA progressed on its
journey across the country, that he’d find her, and he hoped like
hell it was soon.
    Grenich’s fist flew past Galen’s face,
narrowly missing his jaw. Galen spun to the side and kicked out,
nailing Grenich in the knee. The bear roared in anger, and Galen
saw his fangs elongate as his fury grew. He didn’t like getting
hit. Well, who the hell did? Dropping to the ground to avoid the
bear’s wildly swinging fists, he drew on his cat to enhance his
strength and speed. The bear