Chapter Fourteen

THE FEARED WOLF

LUCIEN 

I could not stay in my room anymore. My chest felt tight. My hands were shaking. And the  anger inside me would not calm down no matter how much I breathed. I kept hearing their voices in my head. Weak. Limping. Useless.

You cannot protect anyone. Your brother is ready. You are not.

I stood up from the bed, opened my door and stepped into the hallway. My leg hurt with every step, but the pain only made me walk faster. The guards stared at me as I passed, but no one dared to speak. I pushed past them and headed to the west wing.

Darius’s room.

My heartbeat grew louder with every step. I reached the door, grabbed the handle, and pushed it open without knocking.

Darius was inside, polishing his sword, looking calm and proud as always. He looked up at me, annoyed.

“What do you want now?”

I walked in and shut the door behind me. “I want to talk.”

Darius laughed. “About what? How Father embarrassed you? Or how you embarrassed yourself?”

My jaw tightened. “Why did you tell him you wanted to compete with me? Why do you want the throne so badly?”

He smirked. “Because I can actually lead the pack. You can’t.”

“I never said I wanted the throne,” I said.

“Exactly,” he replied. “That is why you don’t deserve it.”

I took a step closer. “Stop making decisions for my life.”

Darius stood. “Someone has to. You can’t even decide if you should stand or sit.”

The anger inside me snapped.

I punched him.

He stumbled back, shocked. He touched his mouth and stared at the blood on his fingers.

“You hit me,” he whispered, like it was impossible.

“Yes,” I said. “I hit you.”

He lunged at me.

We crashed into his table. His fists slammed into my face again and again. My head hit the edge of the wooden desk. I felt blood rush into my mouth. My leg buckled, and I fell to my knees.

“You think you’re strong?” Darius shouted. “You think you can fight me?”

I tried to stand, but he kicked me in the ribs. I fell again.

People had always said Darius was the better fighter. Faster. Stronger. Trained. Perfect.

My wolf growled inside me.

I pushed myself to my feet again.

He punched me in the jaw, and I tasted blood again. My vision blurred. I grabbed his shirt and tried to push him back, but he was stronger. He hit me again and again until I fell to the ground.

“Stay down,” he said.

I wiped the blood from my mouth.

“No.”

I stood again.

He punched me straight in the stomach. I bent over, gasping.

“Stop,” I said.

“Or what?” he mocked. “You’ll limp at me again?”

That was it.

That sentence broke something inside me.

My wolf snapped. 

I felt something rush through my blood. My body shook. My bones stretched and twisted. Pain hit me everywhere, but I didn’t care. My hands fell to the floor as fur pushed from my skin. My teeth sharpened.

Darius’s eyes widened. “Lucien—no—”

But it was too late as my wolf took over.

I roared and lunged at him. He tried to dodge, but I grabbed him with my jaws and threw him across the room. He hit the wall and fell, gasping and coughing.

I attacked again.

He tried to defend himself, but the wolf was stronger. Faster, angry and wild. 

I bit his shoulder. He screamed.

I slammed my paw onto his chest. His bones cracked under the pressure. His eyes filled with fear.

“Stop!” he shouted. “Lucien—stop!”

But the wolf didn’t listen.

I was going to kill him.

My wolf wanted to kill him.

He had mocked me. Hurt me. Stolen everything from me.

I growled and lowered my jaws to his throat.

But before I could bite—

A massive force hit my side.

I rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall. My wolf snarled and leaped up again, but another wolf blocked my way.

This wolf was huge, bigger than Darius, bigger than me. Dark brown fur. Golden eyes.

He attacked me.

He slammed into me again, teeth grabbing my shoulder. I bit him back. We rolled on the ground, claws and jaws ripping into each other. I felt blood on my fur. Mine. His. I didn’t know. I didn’t care.

He threw me against the bed frame. I hit the floor hard, but I jumped up again.

I lunged at him.

He dodged, grabbed my neck, and pinned me down. His weight crushed me.

My wolf struggled, furious, wild.

But the other wolf was older. Stronger. Almost unbeatable.

Finally, he slammed me into the ground so hard my wolf howled in pain.

Everything blurred.

My bones cracked again as I shifted back into my human form. I lay on the cold floor, shaking and covered in blood.

The other wolf shifted too.

A tall man stood where the wolf had been.

My cousin.

Alec.

The strongest warrior in our family.

He looked down at me with cold eyes. “You almost killed your brother.”

I couldn’t speak. My chest burned. My leg throbbed and I  could barely breathe.

Darius lay on the floor, crying and holding his shoulder.

Alec grabbed my arm and forced me up to my knees.

“Stand,” he demanded.

I couldn’t.

Then—

The door slammed open and father  walked in.

He looked at the destroyed room.

The blood.

Darius injured.

Me, half-naked on the ground.

Alec holding my arm.

His jaw tightened. His eyes burned with anger.

“Lucien,” he said slowly, “what have you done?”

My voice trembled. “He started—”

“No,” Father snapped. “Do not speak.”

Darius groaned. “Father… he tried to kill me.”

Alec spoke next. “I stopped him before he ripped Darius’s throat out.”

My father turned toward me.

His voice was sharper than any blade.

“You are an embarrassment.”

I closed my eyes.

“You attack your own brother? In his room? Without control? Without sense?”

I didn’t answer.

Father stepped closer until he stood right in front of me.

“You are dangerous,” he said. “You are unstable. You are a threat to this pack.”

His words stabbed deeper than claws.

He raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“This crime deserves punishment.”

Alec let go of my arm.

Darius smirked through his pain.

“You will not escape this.”