Chapter 14

Rumors spread like wildfire on estates such as this so it did not take long for word that our next challenge would be the combat challenge to reach the end of every love sick she-wolf. Suddenly everyone was spending their afternoons fighting in the grass and chopping up practice dummies. Even Oakley wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty if it earned her the crown. 

We were at this point well into fall and the naked branches of the trees reached up into the sky like long skeletal fingers. The leaves that were previously coating the ground in red and orange has thoroughly turned brown and crushed up pieces of them kept getting caught in my fur as I spared with Rayven and Jules on the lawn. 

"Is Dani too tired to join us again?" Rayven asked picking a leaf out of my hair as we rested between matches. 

"That's what she said. I don't think she is very interested in fighting. Or winning this wolf games, honestly." I said with a shrug.

"Why doesn't she just ask them if she can go home? Surely the pack doesn't want a Luna who doesn't even want to here." Jules suggested.

"I wish. She's just as terrified of the idea of leaving as she is of fighting." I said

"Oh no," Rayven responded, "Is she still going on about her crazy conspiracy theory? That nobody is getting home." 

"I don't know," I shook my head sadly, "How could someone be staying inside making themselves crazy on a beautiful day like this?"

"We should have a picnic!" Jules exclaimed, "But first let me have one more round against Elma. I think I've got it this time."

I threw off my long fur lined jacket and transformed once again into the calico wolf. At first Jules and I prowled in a circle trying to each get the other to fall for a fake lounge. Jules bared her fangs and paws at the ground and I responded in suit. Finally she had enough and leaped towards me mouth open wide, but at that very moment I dodged underneath her, too close to bite. I thrust my head upwards managing to change her momentum mid air and sending her rolling onto the grass. Before she could get back on her feet I responded with a leap of my own. Pinning her to the ground with my body weight I put my teeth against her neck forcing her to submit. I smiled and looked up out of breath to see, to my surprise, that Rayven wasn't the only one observing our match. Beside her stood the looming form of the vampire king. 

I squinted my eyes, what could possibly bring him here? It looked like trouble to me. 

"Victor here, said he'd take on the winner" Rayven explained when I reached her. My eyes widdened in shock. She must be joking, the mere idea of it is absurd. He'd probably kill me! Vampire and werewolf relationships are strenuous at best and I had disrespected this long before when I ran into him. Now he was going to make me pay.

"You can't always count on your opponent being another female wolf. You need to be prepared for anything," he said choosing his words carefully like he was setting an inescapable trap. I huffed. He smiled knowing I was caught exactly where he wanted me. He rolled up the sleeves of his black velvet dress shirt to reveal his pale bloodless forearms. Surely he can't expect to fight in that. 

"You can't always count on being dressed for battle either," he said as if he could read my mind. 

"Go Elma" Rayven cheered. I tried to make a circle around him searching for weaknesses. I had never fought someone who wasn't a wolf before. Even in his fighting stance his only two legs made him look unbalanced to me. Taking the only opportunity I had I jumped forwards turning my head sideways to take a chunk out of his calf and knock him to the ground. Before I could get my teeth around him I found my head slammed into the dirt. He quickly let me up again and I shook myself off. He pushed my head into the ground with only one arm. How could he be that strong? He looked downright slim compared to most male wolves and yet that simple move required greater strength than I had ever seen. I couldn't afford to hesitate to try and figure that out. I snapped my teeth at him, but he just raised his eyebrows. 

"C'mon puppy, let's see what you've got." he egged me on. I lunged again but this time he spun to the side and threw his wait against my side easily knocking me off balance and onto the ground. Before I could even realize what happened I felt an impossibly heavy leather boot pressed against the side of my skull. My claws scratched at the ground trying to gather the strength to push him off and get up, but it was all in vain. Not wanting to look too desperate I submitted politely by going limp under his boot. He kneeled down keeping his weight firmly on the side of my skull. I felt the sharpened nails of his own hands grazing my neck, probably looking for the thickest vein for him to feed off of. His lips getting nearer and nearer to my skin.

"Nothing you have the power to do can hurt me. I hope you realize this." he whispers. Why must he play with his food? If he wanted to kill me he should do it already, no reason to destroy my pride more than he already had. I whimpered helplessly. 

"Good." he said and released me. In shock I immediately shifted into human form and sat there naked on the grass, massaging my neck, as I watched him walk away without another glance.