Page 7 of Under A New Moon

Galen still had her securely beneath him, his focus elsewhere. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Wait- wait, wait, wait.”

“What?”

Too loud. She was being too loud.

He clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced into the darkness. They were right under the street light, exposed for any passerby to see. “We’re being watched.”

A muffled shriek escaped her and she bit his palm, hard.

He hissed and levered up, checking the wound. “Jesus, what the hell-”

Another strike made stars burst in his vision.

He wrangled the rabid PEACE agent until he pinned her down with his forearm, their noses nearly touching. “Shut up. And give me a sec. There are others, and we can’t exactly afford company if you haven’t noticed.”

“Bullshit,” she whispered back. “Let me up.”

“You think I’d be fucking around at a time like this?”

“You tell me,” she said in turn, her gaze dropping down in disgust. “You seem a little too excited about this whole thing.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not- that has nothing to do with- fucking hell. Just shutup.”

Surprisingly enough, she did, gritting her teeth the whole time.

It gave Galen a chance to truly listen. They were too close, and there were five, at least, probably more. None of the scents were familiar. Just like back at the warehouse. Couldn’t he get a break?

He bowed his head and closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint their location.

That’s when another blow sent him reeling. He fell to one elbow and the agent slammed a knee into his crotch. An explosion of pain rocked him to his core.This bitch, he thought, shielding himself from her quick barrage.She doesn’t let the fuck up.

She was a skilled fighter, and cheap as they came.

Her hits came quickly, distracting him from the enemies all around. “Stop!” he shouted, using a thigh to protect his bruised balls.

Galen reached for her, missed, and regained his footing.

He had to calm down if he was going to talk some sense into her. The wolf wouldn’t be any help, against her. She could take advantage of the change and get him mid-transformation. She was a PEACE agent if her word held any weight.

Instead of attacking, he slowed and watched her moves. She changed it up pretty frequently but there was still a pattern to her attacks. He saw an opening and took it, wrangling her with an arm around her neck.

He was so bruised that when she kicked and flailed, he almost didn’t feel it anymore. He pressed his bloodied lips to her ear. “We’re both in danger if you keep this shit up,” he said, “There are at least five shifters out there waiting to pick off the winner. Come with me, and we may have a chance.”

She paused, and he thought he’d finally gotten through to her.

A laugh escaped her, quiet at first, then louder, hateful. To his surprise, she slipped out of his grip and sucker-punched him in the gut. “You’ll say anything to get out of this fight, won’t you?” she asked as he doubled over. “I’m not giving up, so stop being a coward andfight me.”

Six

Darla

Darla knew fighting a wolf was always hard, but Galen was an adamant opponent.

He didn't seem to have any formal training. His style was unrefined, but he had strength and speed. Still, she could win this. She saw her opportunity.

She fainted right, and she could almost see where her blows would land laid out for her—years of training and muscle memory at play.

One to the gut. And then, when Galen moved forward, she'd grab, twist, and snap his neck.

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