Christian said he had no intention of returning to Pine Bluff until he'd heard from Harper, and Rocco grudgingly said he could stay in the forest just outside Broken Hill territory – he'd tell the clan not to kill him if they found him there – and they parted ways.
Early the next day, Rocco knocked on Xander's door.
"I'm ready to fight again," he said simply. Xander gave a shout of pleasure and clapped him on the back.
"I'm proud of you, bro," he said.
For the next two days, Rocco trained non-stop. He'd learned so much from Harper since they'd been mated, and in the last few days, he'd had an important realization: if she chose him, it would make him the happiest bear in the world. But if she didn't, it wasn't an excuse to fall apart. Harper was the strongest person he knew. She'd endured so much heartbreak, but she still went on, being the generous person she was, looking after other people. He was going to do the same, and whatever decision Harper made, he wanted her to be proud of him. He was no longer an idiotic bad-boy teen. He was a grown shifter, and a Broken Hill Bear, and he was going to show everyone that he was an undefeatable fighter.
There was a fight scheduled with the Black Paw Ridge clan in a couple of days' time. Xander was fighting, of course, but there had been nervous whispers around the territory because they only had one fighter from the ruling family, while the Black Paws had three or four. That's not going to happen, Rocco told himself. He wasn't going to leave Xander and Braxton and Ryker to take down the enemy by themselves. He was going to bear up and fight their strongest fighter himself.
"Are you sure, Rocco?" Xander asked. "It's likely to be Trajan, or someone like him, and he's got a good eight years on you. I don't want to see you crushed. You've only just started fighting in the adult arena."
"I'm ready," he replied. "It's time I stepped up to the plate and made you all proud of me."
The Broken Hill Bears were fighting in what they called their home arena – which was two hours away from their territory – and it was packed to the rafters, with a whole bunch of humans waiting outside, hoping to squeeze in somehow. A fight between the Broken Hill Bears and Black Paw Ridge Bears was the most popular of all shifter matches, and the fans went crazy for them.
As Rocco got changed and warmed up for the fight, he felt no nerves at all at the prospect of fighting an older, more experienced bear. Whenever a flicker of uncertainty entered his mind, he thought about Harper and he was calm again. He hadn't heard from her all week, which had almost killed him, but he knew he had to be patient. He wished so badly that she was there to see him fight as an adult, but he knew that her presence would be with him. If he won, he'd owe it to her, and if he lost, he'd know that he'd given it his best shot, and that's all that mattered.
At last his theme tune started to play and the yells and whoops that accompanied him as he strutted through the tunnel leading to the ring encouraged him. He'd been away from fighting for a long time, and the fans had missed him. He bounced around the ring, bellowing the obligatory boasts and threats while he waited for his opponent to be announced. As a familiar song began to play, his bear gave a long, threatening growl, and a moment later, Trajan appeared in the tunnel. As the huge, ugly shifter leapt over the ropes and hurled himself into the ring, Rocco forced himself to stand firm and think of Harper. She'd taught him that mental strength is everything. And he told himself that he might be younger, less bulky and less experienced than Trajan, but he could beat him with the power of his mind.
As the crowd's excitement reached fever pitch, the starting bell rang.
The first round was hard. Rocco felt like he was fighting a brick wall. None of his punches seemed to do any damage, while a vicious left hook from Trajan had left his head ringing.
"You need to rely on your speed, your agility. Make him fight you on your own terms," Xander said, pressing a cold sponge on the back of his neck as he sat down in his corner.
As the bell for the next round went, he darted forward and attacked Trajan with an uppercut that jerked his head back. The audience cheered, while the older bear let off a snarl of barely contained rage. After that, things became brutal.
"You're doing well. Hang in there," Xander said at the end of each round, but Rocco saw concern in his eyes, and knew he was blaming himself for letting his kid brother fight such a vicious opponent. By the end of the ninth round, Rocco was suffering. He was bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow, his nose was a mess and his vision was blurred. He staggered over to his corner and sat heavily on his stool, resting his head in his hands, ashamed that his resolution was failing him. And then he heard a sound that electrified every nerve in his body.
"You can do it, Rocco. You're my hero," a strong, sexy voice said from behind him. He spun around.
"Harper!" he exclaimed, and then his throat constricted with the weight of the question he wanted to ask her, and he couldn't say anything else. She looked more beautiful than ever, her skin glowing and her eyes sparkling.
"I wasn't going to miss your biggest ever fight, Rocco," she said. "And, in case you were wondering – it's a yes!" He let off a gasp, and his heart thudded in excitement. He opened his mouth to reply, and just then, the bell rang. "Go get 'em, mate!" Harper yelled. Trajan roared, and he leapt to his feet just in time to fend off a fierce jab.
She's mine. She's really mine! he thought and his bear purred. After that, he gave it all he got, his crushing in the previous rounds forgotten. At last, he could see that Trajan was tiring, becoming slower on his feet, worn out by Rocco's fast footwork. Toward the end of the round, Rocco caught him a right hook that made him stumble, and, before he had time to recover, he body slammed him, pinning him to the ground in a chokehold. The huge bear struggled and struggled, but he couldn't regain his footing. The count started, and by ten, Trajan hadn't managed to get up. He growled and snarled, and his claws burst out and scraped at Rocco's arms, but he was beaten. The referee announced Rocco as the winner, and the audience screamed loud enough to deafen everyone within a five-mile radius.
Just then, Harper hurtled onto the stage, and threw herself at him.
"You beat him, Rocco! You really did it! I'm so proud of you!" she yelled, her face a picture of joy and pride. He held her up high, as if she was a trophy, both of them laughing, and then he led her out of the ring quickly, desperate to speak to her alone.
17
"You've seen better days, Silvester," Harper said, regarding him critically in the changing room.
"I'm sorry. I must be a sight," he replied.
"I'm surprised your brother made you fight him. Are you even supposed to be in that division?" she said, eyebrows knitted fiercely.
"I insisted. I wanted to make the clan proud of me again. I wanted to make you proud of me."
"Rocco – " she began.
"You're choosing to be with me?" he said, unable to hold back the question any longer. Tenderness bloomed in her chest as she lifted her hand and gently stroked his bruised jaw.
"For me, there was no choice. I just needed to be alone for a while to avoid being distracted by my feelings for you so that I could understand that I was doing the right thing. It's always you. It's always been you. I was always honest with Christian about my feelings. And now you've become the man that I always knew you were. I love you, Rocco Silvester, and I want you to become my mate in all senses of the word." Rocco took her into his arms. His body was slick with sweat and blood, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to be held like that, forever.
"You are my mate, Harper," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I think we were mates before we even met." She giggled.
"When we were five years old?" He frowned.
"I think our souls are one. I can't imagine anyone being more perfect for me than you."
"Same here," she replied. "Now, how about we go home and begin the rest of our lives together?"
"I'd like that a lot, Harper, my beautiful mate," he replied.
THE END
A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes
Thank you so much for reading Rocco and Harper's story! I really hope you enjoyed it and if so please consider leaving a review; even if it's only a line or two, it'll make all the difference, and it will be greatly appreciated.