Jackson hung up the phone. Zain was staring at it with wide, surprised eyes while Wren didn’t look shocked in the slightest. Liam was frowning at the two wolves. Jackson really should’ve put it on speakerphone so they could all hear what was said.“Warrick said he’d show me the ropes. Since it’s my first time registering a wolf in the fights, and as a sign of no ill will, he can guarantee me four million, just to sign him up. We also get a portion of every dollar that’s spent betting on him and we can place our own bets down to increase our profits,” he gave the shortened version to Liam.Liam’s face slowly morphed to match Zain’s. “A sign of no ill will? What’s that mean?”Jackson grinned. “I bid against him for Wren. Honestly, he let Wren go too cheap if these numbers are anything close to standard for what kind of money he would have made, but I assume he didn’t want to get on

Nerves made it hard for Wren to catch a full breath. He’d thought he was ready. Six weeks. Six full weeks of the gym, running, more gym, more running… Jackson tried to keep up with him and remembering Jackson’s panting breath as he finally admitted he would be more useful as an observer made Wren want to smile and he was able to relax marginally.Then he remembered what was coming up and his eyes would pop open. Jackson was sleeping fitfully. Their hotel room had two beds, but after months of sleeping together, they were curled up on the one.Jackson kept twitching in his sleep. Wren pushed in closer and draped his head over Jackson’s stomach. Jackson grunted and stilled. His hand came up and clutched into Wren’s fur. “Wren?” His voice was rough from sleep. “You ok?”Wren thought he was ready. He’d thought he could do this. He really did.“Wren?” Jackson sounded more awake. He scratc

Jackson previously thought the marketplace was one of the worst places to be, but the marketplace didn’t hold a candle to this. A line of cages with numbers next to them and stats on the wall lined the hallway. Each cage was barely big enough for Wren to squeeze in, let alone turn around or be comfortable. Louis Warrick didn’t react in the slightest to the surroundings.Jackson tightened his grip on the leash he held. Wren’s claw clicked against the tile floor. Most of the cages had wolves already stashed in them. Some were snarling at the bars, lunging as best they could at people who walked by. Some didn’t move from their spots. None of them made eye contact with him as he passed by.None of them had fur like Wren.Wren’s fur was glossy and smooth. It was full and healthy. Every wolf he passed had bald spots, thick mats… Jackson barely held back his body’s reaction to gag at the scent of a particularly filthy wolf.

Wren could barely turn around in the cage, not that it mattered. The leash kept him facing forward. Even without the leash, trying to twist around in these cages would’ve been more trouble than it was worth. He kept quiet and listened to the other wolves and the crowd filling the building. He knew this. He knew what was expected of him. A calm numbness stilled the nerves in his stomach.It scared him how easy it was to slip back into that mindset. The one that let him do these things and still sleep at night.The first two wolves of the night were led away by workers with cattle prods in hand. One whimpered the entire length of the hall. Wren focused on the sound of his own breathing. They returned later and brought the metallic tang of blood with them. The rest of the day, he would be surrounded by that smell. Was he really so desensitized to other’s pain that it was the smell that bothered him more than the acts that caused it?There were too many

Wren was waiting for him in wolf form. He was cramped back into the too-small cage. Blood was smeared on the bottom. It glimmered in the light and Jackson fought the urge to puke again. Jackson hated himself as he clipped the leash to Wren’s collar and led him away. Blood glistened and darkened Wren’s fur. Small droplets dripped from his stomach as they started to walk away. Revulsion swirled in Jackson’s stomach.Warrick came up with another man and a smile. The tawny wolf was at his side. Blood stained more of his fur. Blood, so much blood.“I’ve got it all arranged. You just need to sign and send me the money then the transfer will be complete.”Jackson stared. It had completely slipped his mind, the deal with Warrick. “Yeah, let me see your license,” he said to the new man. Jackson didn’t care about this other wolf right now. Not when Wren was hurt. The man slid across his license. Jackson checked the foi