Page 65 of In Prey We Trust

They all came, and they’re here to support me.

I give them a brisk nod, schooling my face again as I approach the bench when it hits me—a gaze that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise. When I glare up into the crowd, I notice the boxes for VIPS. That’s where it’s coming from: Lucille is here. My mask drops for a moment as I look up, raising my hand slightly to flip the box off at my side. Not everyone will see it, but she will. Her eyes miss nothing and that will whip her into a froth like no other worrying someone else saw me.

Take that, Mother.

With every match, my anxiety grows. I’m managing it thanks to my guys’ tutelage, but the Heathers are flipping and spinning around like concrete-footed orangutans. They give me death glares when they pass and I’ve seen their gross Coach watching me as well while she talks into her phone. Lucille and Bruno are sending their own icky vibes and my fear of failure is edging at my consciousness. I can’t let myself down and I definitely can’t let all these jackals witness me failing on the first try. I know I can’t win every time, but this time, I have to.

“Next up, Annalise Bérgamon of Academie versus Delores Drew of Apex Academy. Delores is representing both Apex and Capital Prep tonight in her Pred Games debut!”

Just fucking great. Thanks, announcer dude.

I jump to my feet, looking out into the audience with a stone face, then stride over to the ring. The ref steps in the middle and I wait for the showboating Academie student to make her way here. Every one of them has strolled up like a fashion model and spent five minutes posing for the flashes. She finally stands in place for that part and I have to control the gut deep urge to roll my eyes. This isn’t the runway; it’s a damn fighting competition. But I let her do it as canine scents fill my nose.

She’s not a wolf, but definitely has the smell of a dog in her aura. Possibly a hyena or dingo? My lips curl up a little when I consider getting revenge on a dingo, even if it isn’t the ones who chased me last year. Honestly, I’ve got a lot of mutts to mete out justice to, so it doesn’t matter what kind. Just being one of their species helps me amp up my bloodlust. The bunny inside pushes forward, imbuing me with strength and fury as I wait for her to stop hamming it up.

Before I can stop myself, I grunt, “Yo, ref. Are we modeling uniforms or fighting? For fuck’s sake.”

My opponent’s eyes cut to me, an icy glare washing over me as the ref coughs and walks forward to call the start. Madame Chien didn’t like me pushing her out of the spotlight and it’s got her off-guard. I can use that. Dropping into a loose stance, I wait for the whistle and when he blows it, I shoot to the left before she can charge me. Annalise is quick on her feet, though; she’s able to catch herself before she tumbles, unlike Jaiyana.

That’s it, little doggy. Attack in anger with no plan.

Smirking as I dodge her next feints, I curl my fingers into fists, waiting for my moment. When she gets close enough to bark some nonsense about my mother, my left shoots upward to knock her back with an uppercut. Before she can clear the ducks from her vision, I follow it with a jab and a leg sweep, taking her to the ground. Unfortunately, her ankles find mine and she locks them, tripping me as I move away.

Now we’re both on the ground scrabbling and I kick with all the power of my rabbit. My legs are the strongest part of me and it shakes her loose, but my victory is short-lived. A low snarl alerts me she’s shifted—an oddity this early in the match. Annalise must realize I won’t be the pushover she assumed. Jumping to my feet, I square off with the canine, noting her spots.

She’s a hyena like Todd and his idiot friends… excellent.

The feral response from my bunny surprises me, and I blink as the red fills my eyes. Fabric rips as the half-shift takes over and grin around my pointed teeth. This bitch has no idea what she just unleashed. As soon as I’m shifted, I run at her with the increased speed of my animal. She leaps into the air to meet me, so I aim for her throat with my fist. The punch knocks her back with a yelp and I dive to the dirt, pinning her as my claws dig into fur.

I can barely see my opponent through the haze of anger flowing through me. Loud growls and barks fill the quiet arena as I pummel her over and over, muttering, “Stay down, you fucking mutt.”

But Annalise must be as dumb as the Heathers because she keeps squirming and fighting. Her teeth catch my arm, making me roar as blood drips on the ground. That wasn’t illegal, but it was dirty as fuck. Snapping my teeth back at her in a taunt, I wait until she ducks away from them to bury one hand of sharp claws into her leg.

The smell of blood is getting heavy in the air and deep inside, my rabbit wants me to finish it.

Shaking my head, I work to clear the mist when those thoughts come to me. I smack the ground three times to show the ref she’s out and rise to my feet, dusting my fur off. Except that’s when the goddamn fool comes barreling into me from behind before the whistle blows and I end up on the ground eating dirt. My back cracked when she hit me and I groan as I spit out the grass, then tilt my head until my neck and spine crack again.

I was going to let her live to compete again, but now I have to teach her—and everyone watching—a lesson.

Flipping my body over, I grunt as the bruises and scratches ache. The enraged dog has drool dripping from her maw as she snaps at me and I make a disgusted face. “By Mars’ sweaty bits, woman, get a hold of yourself.”

Her answer is another bark, and I realize she’s not an alpha. She can’t talk, nor can she think like anything but the animal. And she doesn’t have the push. Satisfaction courses through my veins as I fake a slash at her face, forcing her to look at me. My arms go limp, knowing she’ll head for my throat.

When she does, I move like lightning. My hands shoot up to grip her throat and I squeeze as I pray this works. Looking her right in the eyes, I boom, “Concede!”

A gasp rolls over the crowd at my shout, and it slowly turns into a roar when the hyena yips and goes totally limp.

The feeling of power that slams into me is immense. I toss her off me, getting to my feet and glaring down at the whimpering canine with a smug look on my face. You could end her now, the bunny whispers. But I don’t want to do that—not for a game. So I step on her back leg until I hear a crack as loud as her hit made on me, then hold one arm in the air for the ref. He comes running over in a flash, blowing his whistle over and over as if that would stop me from continuing if I chose.

My eyes finally clear as applause and shouts echo through the stadium. I see Fitz jumping the fucking rail from his seat in tiger form, followed by CheetahChessie. They dart around the guards, hoping to stop them as if it’s child’s play to land next to my feet in a protective stance. A loud roar follows them and before I know it, I’m flanked by the three kings, all half-shifted into massive goddamn creatures and a tiger as they stare into the audience intently.

If anyone was thinking about vengeance, this display put a libido on it before it even began.

“In a stunningly ruthless display of alpha dominance, the winner is Deloooooores Dreeeeeeeeeeeee!” the announcer shouts in a surprised tone. “We are witnessing history today at Capital Prep!”

My breath heaves as I feel all the eyes on me and the guys while the medical team carries Annalise off the field. I know this will make people angry, but I can’t keep being the bigger bunny. At some point, I had to draw a line in the sand and today was that day.

I only hope I chose wisely. Time will tell.

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