The Wright (Friday Updates)

Proposition

"Cayman is the winner! Finish your bets, because the next fight will begin shortly! And this one has a prize!" The announcer spoke into his magically enhanced speaking-trumpet. Rather slender and gray around the temples, I doubted that he was a shifter himself. He turned to his right and extended a hand down into the crowd near his small platform, helping a female up beside him. "This is Rebecca, a wolf-shifter looking for some company for tonight and tomorrow," he said with a lewd wink.

Hands were dragging the unconscious wolf from the ring, surprisingly aided by the gray who had transformed back into a naked man. Rebecca put a hand on her narrow waist and waved with the other, smiling flirtatiously.

"There's no stigma for one night stands for shifters," Toddy supplied. "She is looking for the strongest male to sate her appetite."

"Gross," I said. "Are there not tons of children running about from these pairings?"

Toddy shook her head. "No, no, no. They have to be in heat to conceive which is triggered by their fated mate so there is no worry about that."

"Ah."

While Rebecca was stunning and obviously confident, I would never be able to sleep with a stranger each month, urges be damned. Virginities were sacred to some religious humans, but not to any other species. Some with marks wanted to wait for their fated mates, but I had always dreamed of Rafi being my first. However, years came and went and I realized it would not happen.

I tried dating, but other than a few short-lived relationships, I had no real experience with love. One fumbling night and a quick poke hardly whet my appetite for further explorations. In fact, I often worried that I would not want to lie with my intended when the time came. Sex was so unpleasant, I did not understand how any woman would seek it out.

Toddy had told me that it only was uncomfortable the first couple of times, but I had no interest in trying again.

The announcer leaned over the crowd, many males leaping at the opportunity to fight for Rebecca. He seemed to be listening to the offers below, glancing from one male to another as though he was looking for something in particular. With a nod and a pointed finger to one, he turned to ask Rebecca a question to which she raised a sultry brow and gave a shrug. The announcer then selected the second participant, much to the lament of many others.

"Contestant number one is Theo, a Ranked wolf from the Second District in Nyrheim. Contestant two is Bron, a bear-shifter from the eastern Wilder."

The wolf, a male as massive as any other well-muscled shifter tossed his legs over the wall and landed on the floor, covered in rubber mats. His hair was a ruddy blonde, but the scruff on his jaw was rust-colored indicating that his pelt would likely be a combination of the two. Four raised scars stood out on his right arm, dragged from shoulder to elbow, with more peppered over his chest and throat. This male was a seasoned fighter.

The other male was even larger, like a heavyweight competitor with a thin layer of fat on his musculature that made it seem bigger. His brown hair was shaggy and ruffled, a wild gleam in his dark eyes.

The wolf lifted his lip in a snarl, his own gaze blazing golden.

"Three rules, stay in the ring, no weapons, no killing. First to submit loses. Ready yourselves!"

Eyeing the bear, the wolf searched for any weaknesses while he shucked off his sweatpants. His transformation was quick, falling to all fours, far larger than any wild wolf. His coat was indeed sandy, his back, ears and sides of his legs streaked with the red-brown color. The bear made no move to change, but did let out a low and moaning growl.

Bells, I would not want to face either of them angry. They could crush my body to dust with a single blow.

"Oh, my," Toddy fanned herself. "Are they not both impressive?"