Connor had come into his power. And Connor had the power of an Apex.

“I fucking knew it,” Dan said with no little pride.

The rest of the crowd had gone silent.

Desperation glowed on Cade’s face. He knew he had no options now, so he stood up and roared his anger. He ran forward, apparently intending to tackle Connor to the floor. But Connor rotated, kicked Cade in the stomach, which had him hitting the floor hard enough to bounce. He groaned, and Connor fell on top of him, put a knee in his lower back, then grabbed Cade’s right leg, and twisted to put pressure on his knee.

Cade wheezed in pain, hands grasping at the floor.

“We done?” Connor asked.

It was five long seconds before he gritted his teeth, pounded a fist on the floor.

There was utter silence.

Slowly, Connor climbed to his feet, pushed his hair from his eyes. “You lost, asshole. Get the fuck out of our bar.”

I saw the flash of silver behind Connor. Fucking Breonna. She was fast, and she came at him with the speed of desperation.

I pushed forward and put my body between theirs, then executed a low kick that had her sprawling to the floor. The knife popped out of her fingers, reflecting light and magic. I caught it neatly with one hand.

“Never pull a blade on a shifter,” I said, and felt Connor’s body close behind mine. I held out the knife, and he plucked it from my fingers.

“Thanks for the assist,” he whispered, his voice low and full of magic and power, and it sent a delicious shiver down my spine.

“Anytime,” I said, working to maintain my own control.

“Haul all three of them out,” Gabriel said, stepping forward on the dais again. “I want them out of the city within the hour.”

“On it,” Dan said, and he and a couple more shifters moved to their new charges. “Let’s go, assholes. You get to ride in the back of a van for a while.”

* * *

Connor could have shifted to heal the injuries instantly. But he hadn’t. At least not yet. Maybe because he wanted the Pack to see what he’d taken on, and what he could withstand. Or maybe he just wasn’t feeling the pain yet; power was a hell of an anesthetic.

“This won’t be the last challenge,” Gabriel said when we’d assembled in the family room again. “But you held your own, and you will again. An Apex must be strong to hold the Pack together.” Then he shifted his gaze to me. “An Apex’s mate must be equally strong. For they help hold the Apex together.” He grinned. “And nice kick.”

“Thank you. I was trained by the best.”

Gabriel snorted. “Of course you were, kiddo. Sullivans fight for what they care for. That includes you.” He turned away to talk to his brothers, and I looked at Connor, found him grinning hungrily at me.