30

"How dare you, you absolute bastard!" I screamed, the words ripping violently from my throat. A blind, roaring wave of heat consumed my mind, erasing every single drop of caution I had left. I didn't care about rules, I didn't care about pack laws, and I certainly didn't care that she was a trained warrior. I rushed forward, my feet digging fiercely into the dirt as I lunged straight at her face. Every single cell in my body just wanted to fly at her, tear that disgusting, smug look right off her face, and stick my fingernails deep into her eyes.

But before I could even cover half the distance, Ella’s arms suddenly wrapped tightly around my waist from behind. She threw her entire body weight backward, straining against my forward momentum as she forcefully dragged me away from the smiling bully. "Luna Fedora, please stop! Calm down!" Ella pleaded frantically, her voice trembling with panic as she struggled to hold me back. She leaned in close to my ear, her breathing shallow as her eyes darted nervously to the surrounding crowd. "You are the Luna of this pack now! Getting involved in cheap, public street fights like this will completely ruin your reputation and reduce your royal aura. Besides, you can't fight her right now. She has been training for combat her entire life, and she is just going to brutally beat you up. For your own safety, you have to just take a deep breath and let this go!"

Lucy didn't move an inch. She stood perfectly still in the center of the field, her chin lifted high as she watched my desperate struggle with an expression of pure, cold amusement. Within seconds, three of the muscular female warriors from her elite personal squad stepped out from the hushed crowd, moving in perfect sync to stand right behind her like a protective wall. Lucy slowly crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing into two icy slits as she stared down at me.

"What's the matter? Are you scared now, you pathetic, frightened little puppy?" Lucy mocked, her voice echoing clearly across the completely silent training ground. She took a slow, menacing step forward, a cruel, mocking sneer twisting her features. "What did I tell you when you first arrived here? I gave you a very clear warning to stay away from what belongs to me, and you foolishly thought I was just playing a joke. Well, the joke is officially over. Today, I am going to make you pay for every single mistake you've made, and I am going to completely disgrace you in front of every single person in this pack."

A cold, hard determination suddenly replaced my panic. I violently jerked my body out of Ella's grip, straightening the front of my shirt as I walked right up to Lucy, stopping only a few inches away from her face. I looked her dead in the eye, a sharp, biting smile touching my lips. "Oh, wow... so this is what you actually do with your empty days?" I scoffed loudly, gesturing toward her stiff guards. "Walking around like a child, causing pathetic trouble wherever you go? It’s completely obvious that you and your useless little minions have absolutely no real jobs to do around here. Imagine spending your entire life desperately fighting over a man who clearly doesn't want you." I tilted my head, letting out a sharp, insulting laugh. "Is that really how desperate, cheap, and utterly worthless you are? Do yourself a massive favor and go get a real life."

Lucy’s face instantly twisted into a mask of pure, ugly rage. The veins on her neck popped out as she clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. "Fine! You think you have a big mouth, don't you, you little rat?" she hissed, her voice shaking with anger. She thrust her finger directly into my chest. "I challenge you to an official, formal duel right here and now. Let's settle our scores once and for all on the dirt. Just me versus you, with no one to save you."

I didn't flinch away from her finger. Instead, I let out another slow chuckle, looking at her with total contempt. "You really think you can intimidate everyone just because you know how to swing a wooden stick, don't you? Well, it’s not going to work on me," I stated firmly, tossing my head back. "I am absolutely not fighting with you. And guess what? I spent the entire night sleeping comfortably inside the Alpha's private bedroom yesterday." I leaned in closer, my smile widening as I watched her eyes flash with absolute horror. "I am guessing that little piece of information makes you feel significantly more jealous by now, doesn't it? So, since you are so desperate to find someone to fight, why don't you go find a corner to piss on yourself, or go hit your head against a brick wall? Because no matter what kind of pathetic drama you pull, the Alpha King is never, ever going to choose a woman like you. I am truly sorry."

The color completely drained from Lucy’s face, turning her skin a ghostly, unnatural shade of pale. She slowly folded her arms over her chest, the furious expression on her face suddenly melting into a bizarre, chillingly calm smirk. "Enjoy your little victory while you can, Fedora," she whispered, her voice dropping into a low, ghostly rumble. "Because you are going to be completely dead very soon."

My heart skipped a painful beat, and I paused, my throat suddenly going dry.

Lucy noticed my hesitation and stepped even closer, her hot breath fanning across my face as she lowered her head. "I said exactly what I said," she repeated, her eyes gleaming with a strange, unstable light. "You are going to be dead very soon. So, I am just standing here calmly letting you run your pathetic little mouth right now because I know, with absolute certainty, that your time is running out. Even if Michael doesn't end up choosing me in the end, at least I will still be standing here alive while you are rotting in the ground."

I just stared at her in absolute horror for a long, heavy moment. My brain scrambled to process the terrifying weight behind her words, completely unable to understand what kind of dark threat she was hinting at. But as I looked at the twisted, glassy look in her eyes, a chilling truth was confirmed in my mind: this woman was a complete and total psycho. There was absolutely no point in wasting my breath or arguing with a lunatic who had completely lost her mind.

I turned my back on her, exhaling a shaky breath as I grabbed Ella’s arm to leave the field. "Let's go," I muttered.

"Oh, no you don't. Not so fast, Luna," Lucy’s voice rang out behind me, dripping with venom. Before I could even take a single step forward, two of her large female guards rushed around me like lightning, their heavy hands clamping down hard on my wrists and locking my arms behind my back so tightly I couldn't move. I struggled against their iron grip, but it was completely useless.

Lucy casually walked over to one of her followers, snatching a tall, sticky protein drink right out of the girl's hands. She marched back over to where I was pinned, a wicked, victorious smile stretching across her face. Without a single word of warning, she raised the cup high and poured the thick, cold liquid directly over the top of my head. The sticky fluid drenched my hair, matting the strands to my skull before dripping slowly down my face, my eyes, and staining the front of my clothes.

The moment the drink ruined my outfit, a loud, cruel wave of roaring laughter erupted from the hundreds of pack members watching from the sidelines, their mocking voices echoing brutally through the open air as I stood there completely humiliated.