Shifted Perceptions (Alpha Division) (6 page)

Chapter 10

The place was packed with shouting, excited people. They cheered and hollered, jumping
up and down, waving their hands, as they watched the fight going on in the arena below. The building was huge and built like a stadium, with seats going up the sides and around.  And down at the bottom, where Stone and I stood, was the arena. Oval shaped with a dirt floor, the sides were enclosed with a twenty foot high fence. It was
The Trench
all over again.

I did notice a few differences, though. One being
, this building was not secretly hidden in a basement, but open for anyone to see. Built in a large field right outside of town, it was hard to miss. Second was the fighters weren’t in their animal forms. I knew they were shifters, but they circled each other as humans, making it look more like a raw MMA fight.

“What is this?” I asked Stone
, as I took turns watching the fight and getting a feel for my surroundings.

“Welcome to The P
it,” he said, glancing down at me. His face was unreadable and I got the sense that he was waiting for my approval. He wasn’t getting it.

“Huh, do you impress all your dates with illegal fighting?”

He tilted his head, as he studied me. “No. And I will admit, this isn’t exactly legal, but we run a clean show here.”

“Clean show?” I asked doubtfully.

He gave a single, tight nod. “No drugs allowed in The Pit. If you’re caught using or fail your drug test, you’re out.”

I glanced back at the ring and watched the fighters intently. They were kicking the shit out of each other for sure, but I didn’t see anything abnormal. Their eyes were normal in color and neither were
they drooling that nasty red foam. But most noticeable was that If they were drugged, they would have shifted uncontrollably.

“I have some business to take care of,” Stone said, gaining my attention again. “Will you be okay here with Ben?”

I looked over at Ben and smiled. “Yep, we’re good. I can handle Ben if he gets out of line.” Ben’s attention was on the crowd, his gaze roaming the spectators, but I saw him roll his eyes at my comment.

“I’
m sure you can,” Stone chuckled. “I’ll be back soon,” he said before walking over to Ben. He whispered, “Watch out for that one, she can take you down.”

Ben nodded
, as his eyes met mine, “I know.”

“But if something happens to her, you’ll have me to worry about.”

“Understood.”

“Goo
d,” Stone said and walked away.

I watched him disappear into a darkly lit
doorway on the other side of the arena. I stood next to Ben and asked, “Where is he going?”

“That’s where the fighters get ready. His office is back there too.”

Ben crossed his arms and continued to keep an eye on the crowd, as I watched the fight, impressed with their skills. Wincing when one of the men did a swift uppercut, knocking the other off his feet, I tilted my head  to speak without taking my eyes off the fight. “How are you doing, Ben? Love the name by the way. Makes you look smart.

“Shut up, Foxy.”

“Seriously, it suits you.” He only grunted and my jaw clenched in anger. I took my eyes off the ring and leaned closer. “Why the hell didn’t Teij tell me you’d be here, Bear?”

“You didn’t look sur
prised when I walked up earlier.”

“Good acting,” I growled.
“Why are you here?”

“The same reason you are, the mission.” Bear narrowed his eyes
, as he glanced at me.

“Really?” I asked. “Does Teij even know you’re here?”

Bear’s arms dropped to his sides, as he turned to completely face me. His expression was one of pure shock. “What the hell, Foxy? Of course he knows.Why else would I be here?”

“I
don’t know,” I raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”

“I am not a traitor, Foxy, and you know it,” he growled.
His face turned red, as he glared down at me.

“Just asking,” I shrugged.

“What about you?” he suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing on my surprised face. “You looked mighty cozy with Stone tonight at the bar.”

“What? You know how this works.”

“What does Paul think about the way you're going about it?”

“Who cares what Paul thinks,” I hissed. “What does that even have to do with anything?”

“Just asking,” he shrugged, mimicking me, as he went back to scanning the crowd.

“You didn’t answer me. Why didn’t Teij tell me you were here? And how did you get inside so quickly? I’ve only been here a couple of days.”

“I’ve been here a few days,” he snapped. “Pretended to follow the circuit and started asking around to see if anyone needed a bodyguard. I got lucky when Stone hired me.” I nodded and looked around the arena. No one was paying attention to us, but we really needed to watch what we said.

Bear’s eyes cut to mine briefly before looking away. “As to why Teij kept you in the dark? I don’t know. But he had to have a good reason.”

“Right.” Like punishing me for getting one of our own captured, or worse. And now I was questioning Bear’s loyalties, when I knew without a doubt he’d be the last one to do something like that. And from the look on his face, I could tell I messed up. He wasn’t just pissed, he was hurt. Just one fuck up after another, I thought.

“Listen, Bear, I believe you. I just had to ask, you know? I trust all of you guys. Well, most of you..
.”

“We’re a team, Foxy. You have to trust all of us or none of us. If you don’t, it could bring us all down.” Bear’s voice softened
, as he spoke and I knew I was forgiven for being such a bitch. He was right too, of course, but... “I can’t change overnight, Bear, but I will try.”

He nodded and I pushed
away those thoughts and focused back on the job. “Have you seen Red?”

“No,”
Bear sighed. “I’ve looked, but I’m not left alone often and no one is talking.”

“What about The P
it? Is it as legit as Stone claims?”

“Yep.
They’re volunteers and get a fair cut of the winnings. Even the losers get a little compensation. And all fighters are drug tested before each fight. I’ve seen no sign of the drug being made or being used by anyone.”

“Shit,” I hissed.
That sounded almost noble. Where the hell was Stone hiding his dirty little secret?

“But,” Bear murmured, turning his head closer to mine. “I did notice some guys entering a hidden door earlier, before the fights began. It was back there,” he nodded toward the
doorway Stone had gone through. “I plan to check it out tonight, if I can get away from my babysitters.”

I glanced around. “Where are your babysitters now?”

“They’re around. Your boyfriend’s coming back.”

Watching Stone walk leisurely toward me, his confident stride de
manding respect and his suit twisting and bunching in all the right places, I was sure I felt my thong falling down on its own. My body didn’t care if he was one of the bad guys and my mind was starting to agree.

Stone’s gaze scanned the crowd once before connecting with mine and holding. Of course it was intense, it always was and I knew something would happen soon. All this sexual tension was starting to get to me. And I could admit, Paul was part of it too. Somewhere, somehow, something needed to snap. And I was afraid that something would be me.

Bear snorted beside me and I hated to admit it, but I jumped. “You need to get that out of your system soon,” he said. “Or it’s going to interfere with the job.”

“I would never let that happen. He is the job. Nothing more.”

“What about Paul?”

My eyebrows drew together
, as I broke eye contact with Stone to look at Bear. “What are you talking about?”

“If you don’t know, then you need to pay
better attention.”

Oh, I was paying attention alright and it seemed everyone else was too. I did need to get control over the situation, that was true.
It couldn’t be more than just sex. I didn’t roll that way, but I was pretty confident that once would be enough to put me back on track and my mind off my libido.

Bear’s question floated t
hrough my mind, though. What about Paul? Stone was easy, but Paul? I couldn’t sleep with a man I practically hated just for fun. But did I really hate him? Or was I holding onto a hollow grudge? The answers to those questions scared me more than I wanted to admit.

Stone made his way
to my side and stroked a finger across the frown lines on my forehead. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

I smiled and shook off my useless musings. They were getting me nowhere. “Nothing in particular. Just over thinking things just like us women do.” He raised an eyebrow
, but didn’t comment. “So what was the trouble?” I asked.

His sigh was full of exhaustion with a bit frustration mixed in. “One of my fighters is sick and I don’t have anyone to replace her.”

Lie. Bear’s eyes cut to mine briefly, confirming the accusations. If all of his fighters were shifters, as I suspected, then no one was sick. We didn’t get sick, only beat up or dead.

I looked back at the fight. A
bell rang and the two men separated, going to opposite sides of the pit. Both were heaving and bloody, but not to the point of no return. End of round one.

“I’ll do it,” I said suddenly.

“What?” Both Bear and Stone shouted at the same time. My grinned focused on Stone. “This isn’t a fight to the death match is it?”

“No, bu
t–”

“Then I’ll be your replacement. Looks fun,” I shrugged.

“Foxy, I don’t think–”

“You think I can
’t do it?” I interrupted again. “Because you saw what I did to Thelma and Louise. I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. Look..
.” He glanced at Bear, then grabbed my arm, pulling me a few steps away. Like that would keep Bear from listening. “I know you can handle yourself,” Stone continued. “But there’s something you don’t know about the fights.”

Just then another bell rang and the fighters leaped back into their positions. This time, though, the shorts they
were wearing before were gone.

“You mean they’re not human,” I said just before both men sank to the ground on their hands and knees.

Stone shot me an incredulous look, but I wasn’t sure I believed his surprise. “You know?” His words were drowned out by the roar of two male tigers showing off their dominance.
Pussies
.

“Come on, Stone, be real. You’re surrounded by shifters and from the looks of it, all the time. You mean to tell me you didn’t know I was one as well?”

His eyes turned cold and hard, just like his name. That’s what I thought. “Put me in, Stone. I’m volunteering.”

Chapter 11

Paul

Standing in the shadows and out of sight as best as possible, I leaned against
the wall, watching Foxy as she talked with Bear. Even with my abilities, they were too far away for me to hear their words. But I could see the look on her face. So she knows Bear’s inside too now. I could only imagine what she was thinking. That probably no one trusted her. That wasn’t exactly true, but she needed to be kept in the dark for her own good. If Foxy knew she was getting help, she would have protested and put up the biggest bitch-fest, thinking she could do it all alone. I snorted at the image in my head. Her face red, her fist clenched, as she fought long and hard for her independence. It would have been beautiful. But, she needed to learn that just because you can take care of yourself, doesn’t mean you have to forgo support. It’s a hard lesson to learn. One I just recently discovered myself.

I stiffened as the tight-ass man
approached them. Stone. I hated that Foxy had to get close to that son of a bitch. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way and I didn’t think it was because he was leading a pack of murderers and drug dealers, though, that was enough for me to want to kill him.

No, there was something else. He didn’t feel right. The fact that Foxy
was attracted to him made it worse. I had no problem admitting my attraction to the saucy fox shifter. She turned my world on its axis. From the moment I saw her, at that first meeting with the Alpha Division, when it had all been a lie, I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake her.

There were many reasons for why I couldn’t go through with my father’s plan all those months ago. His ideas of a perfect, full blooded shifter world, of ruling them with threats, drugs and God knew what else
, was wrong. I knew it before I even agreed to help him, but I just couldn’t say no to him. But when I saw Foxy, standing straight and proud as she shook my hand and welcomed me into her team – the way she looked at the men, with a sense of family, pride and loyalty – I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t follow his demands any longer.

My attention caught as I watched Stone pull F
oxy away from Bear a few feet, obviously looking for a small amount of privacy. Their faces were too close for my liking and Stone looked like he was trying to get through to Foxy. She looked like she was about to drop to the floor laughing. He obviously didn’t know her well. Nothing got through to that woman. At least nothing Stone did or said would. I, on the other hand, had a plan to make her see what was right in front of her.

My dick hardened at all the breathtaking plans I had... To make her cum over and over
, until she couldn’t see straight and submitted her pleasure to me and only me...

My wicked grin faltered
, as the two made their way to the darkened entryway behind the arena. I had already checked out that area and knew they turned toward the fighter’s quarters. My eyes narrowed. What were they up to?

I glanced at Bear. H
e was watching the two leave as well. This didn’t seem right... Just as I was about to follow, Bear’s gaze caught mine. His face was pinched with disapproval, but he pulled up a hand, showing me the signal that everything was okay and to stand at ease. What the hell?

Though everything in me wanted to ignore Bear and go after Foxy, find out what she was getting herself into now, I stayed back and waited
, not so patiently, for them to return.

Keeping one eye on where Foxy and Stone had disappeared
, I watched the fight. It was almost over, as one of the tigers clutched the others throat in his jaws. He pushed him to the ground, the roar echoing off the walls of the warehouse, as he forced his opponent to submit. And the losing tiger did just that, laying down and giving up.

The bell r
ung and the winning tiger leapt away, prancing around the arena in victory. My brows drew down in confusion, as I waited for the killing blow, but it never came. The tigers shifted back into their human forms and left the ring.

So
, it wasn’t a death match, I mused. I wasn’t sure what to think about that, but it really wasn’t important. It wasn’t what we were there for. If these people wanted to watch and bet on fights, that wasn’t any of my business. What was, was that humans were participating. That was a death sentence for the one who let out our secret. And as much as I wished that person was Stone, he couldn’t be touched by the law. He was human. Someone else was behind all of this. A shifter had to have hired Stone.

My thoughts were cut off when there was a sudden f
lurry of activity. Curses were shouted, as people rushed to the other side of the building where bets were being taken. I guessed the next round was about to start, but what was the upset?

My eyes scanned the arena and came to rest on the woman waiting to enter the ring.
She wore tight black shorts, a hot pink sports bra and her brown hair was pulled up and out of her face. I couldn’t tell what animal she was from this distance, but it was obvious from the way she was bouncing on her toes at the entrance to the ring that she was about to fight. My eyebrows lifted appreciatively at the thought. My night might have just gotten a little more pleasant. Nothing like a good cat fight.

Just then boos filled the arena. Apparently whoever else was fighting wasn’t like
d very well. I felt bad for the bitch, but it would be funny as hell if she won and cost all these people their money. My gaze sought after the tall woman’s rival, and when I saw her, my heart stopped.

Foxy wore something similar to the
other fighter, though, her top was blue and green instead of hot pink. She cracked her neck from side to side, as Stone leaned down to whisper something to her. My vision blurred and turned red, as she nodded, her eyes focused on her challenger.

What the fuck was she thinking?

I shook my head and kept shaking it. Then I realized it wasn’t just my head. My whole body was trembling. My fist clenched at my sides and it took every ounce of my control not to leap down there and wring her neck, just before scooping her into my arms and fleeing the building.

Through the red haze of my anger, I watched as the two women stepped into the ring. The cage closed behind them, and in seconds the bell rang, starting the fight. They circled each other, looking for the right opening, and of course, Foxy jumped into it right away, swinging and kicking her opponent.

What the fuck was she thinking? I thought again. Actually, what hell was
I
thinking? This was Foxy. Did she ever do anything without thinking it through first? I knew that wasn’t fair to her. She was one of the best on the team, but damn that woman! I was going to kill her! And then I was going to fuck her six ways till Sunday until she promised never to do anything so stupid again. I was going to make her cum so many damn times, she would beg me to stop. But I wouldn’t. Not until that tart mouth of hers admitted her foolishness.

Oh,
Foxy, Foxy,
I thought, as my body flared with lust
. When this fight is over and you’re running on the heady adrenaline of your win, I’m going to make you pay.