I wanted to avoid Ryan to let him cool off for a few days, and allow space for the raging confusion inside me, but the fight games were coming up. We still met every day, and we trained. To my relief, he didn't bring up the love confession, nor my rejection.
Finally, two days before the fight game, as he was leaving his cabin, he said, "No, you rest."
"Rest? But what if I have more to learn."
"You can't learn much else in a couple days but your body will be stronger if it gets rest, and then you can fight fresh." He explained.
I worried that he just didn't want to train me anymore. He had been acting more distant, more agitated lately.
I shifted back to human form to draw my knife, but I was backed into the corner of the arena. Her large gray wolf paused with narrowed eyes at me as if only to size me up before she sprang at me.She tore open my arm with her fangs. It ripped through one of the two scars that remained from the death blows of my last life and my blood began to spill all over the ground.Her wolf form snarled with my blood in her teeth. She shifted back to a human, her mouth still reddened, her pretty face turning up in a sinister smile. This crazy bitch scared me, more than I'd been in a long time, and I couldn't quite understand it.She lunged, and I tried to jump out of her way, but she caught my foot. I fell hard to the ground. She pinned me with her larger body, and I smeared my bleeding arm against her as I tried with all my might to free myself. "This
"I have no mate." I said as Ryan gloweringly looked off towards the distance. With a thoughtful tilt3 of his head, Dylan focused on me. He added, "I'm sorry, free she-wolf, Alyson, without any mate. Hopefully, it did not sound as if I wanted to purchase you. I only wanted to spend more time with you and know the winner better. How about dinner tomorrow?" Still glaring at Ryan, I said, "Dinner would be lovely. I'd be happy to join you at your table." Ryan growled in his throat, but he could say nothing to prevent me. It really bothered him, but he never should have tried to forbid it like he owned me. I belonged to no one. What else could I do but go against him to prove it?&nb
Ryan's POV I had not enjoyed the feast for even a second. I could not see Dylan Harris' table to make sure he wasn't touching her or acting inappropriately. He seemed like the type. Michael was trying to be friendly, "I guess you get your she-wolf afterall, since she won." My temper flared, normally I would know his humor, but instead, I grabbed him by the throat. He winced, and gagged. I threw him off. "Shut up, Michael," I said. "Don't talk about her. Ever. This whole thing is your fault." If he hadn't insisted that she fight in the games, we wouldn't be here now, and Alyson would not be sharing a table with another man. She'd denied me, and
Ryan's POV It was the sweetest night of my life, although it was not easy to control my desires. Rupert was raging inside me to mark my mate, and unhappy that I blocked him. Still, as much as I wanted Alyson, I never wanted to hurt her or force her to do anything. I was able to sleep after watching Alyson fall into peaceful slumber, tucked up beside me, breathing peacefully. Everything about her smelt enticing and delicious. I felt the stirring as we woke up at the same time. We opened our eyes together, and looked over at one another. She was smiling, biting her lower lip in an incredibly sexy way. Her straight black hair was messy and she had little dark patches under her eyes that were endearing. I would have stayed
Alyson's POV We returned back to the Starstream pack's territory. I was so pleased to see Donna again, but Ryan disappeared till later that night. I wasn't sure how we would act now that we were back home after spending the night together, platonically. Especially with Donna around a lot. Ryan returned to his cabin late. His clumsy big feet seemed to trip over a few items and crash around. I got out of my bed and crept into the main room. The smelt of alcohol hit me first. "You're drunk?" I said. 
Alyson's POV With a twisted smile, he said, "yes, you look awful." And then he buttered his bread. "Hey," I sputtered through a full mouth, throwing what bread remained in my hand at him. But I knew it was true. I didn't know if it was because of exhaustion or sadness causing my mind to flip over, but it seemed so funny all of the sudden and we both laughed. Donna was sitting down then, "Now, let's get along, children." While her tone was sharp, it was all for the joke of the moment. She was pleased to hear less hostility from Michael even if he was mocking my pain, it was more playful.&
Alyson's POVHe was snoring slightly when I woke up. My head still hurt. I gazed around my room, surprise at first to see Ryan sleeping next to me the next morning. Then I remembered last night, how much I'd wanted him and pulled him into my bed. My face flushed with embarrassment. I knew that I was drunk but, at the same time, couldn't believe that I'd been so forward, and Ryan had calmed me and made me sleep. I wondered what he thought of me now? I looked down at his face, so peaceful with his eyes closed. He had gorgeous eye lashes, thick, long and dark. They fluttered as he opened his eye lids revealing flashes of the bright tawny of his eyes. He sat up abruptly awaking as if surprised too, but then his expression softened at me.
"Ryan, I want to be with you, forever," I said, hardly believing how happy I felt, hardly remembering who I was or my purpose. In that moment, even sweet revenge seemed like it would pale in comparison to this. He was still sleepy, but he opened his eyes a little to gaze at me. His lips were curved upwards in a happy smile like I'd never seen before that radiated from his usually bedraggled and strained face. His eyes were rich tawny and amber like yellow fire. His neck was thick and masculine with veins revealing all over the muscles of his body. I marveled at how large his arms and shoulders were, and how safe and small they made me feel. My small hand was folded into his large hands. I admired the width of his forearms, even the stretch between his hands and his elbows were sexy. Everything about him was so attractive,