Page 51 of The Fate of Eternity

She can come for me and snarl at my father, but my sister… Nora… fuck, no.

I refuse, but my wolf refuses even more.

A yelp parts her lips as my claws connect with her chest, knocking her to the ground. My heart ricochets in my chest with every breath as my vision burns red.

Growling and snapping my teeth in her face, I curl my claws deep into her flesh, earning a shrill cry of pain that rings sweet in my ears.

It’s not enough.

The fear in her eyes isn’t enough.

The tremble in her limbs isn’t enough.

The torment I want to plague her with isn’t enough.

Nothing will be enough.

No other thoughts filter into my mind as I succumb entirely to my wolf.

My teeth sink into her neck, ripping and tearing. The taste of copper registers on my tongue, her panicked screams getting louder, then gurgly, then nothing at all.

Nothing at all.

She doesn’t writhe beneath me.

She doesn’t taint the air with her squeals.

She does nothing.

But for good measure, I sink my claws into her chest, ripping her heart from her chest, and lay it at her feet.

25

ADRIANNA

The world stops. The intoxicating weight of my worries depletes to nothing more than a distant memory as my wolf finally calms.

Blood stains my paws as I slowly inch away from Vallie’s lifeless body and the truth of what I’ve just done threatens to take over, but my subconscious keeps it at bay. For now, at least.

“Addi.” I blink up at Cassian as he calls out my name, but I continue to retreat. “It’s okay,” he promises, dropping to his knees, and the movement makes me pause. My wolf senses are in overdrive. The noise is too much, but all I can focus on is the smell of blood in the air. “Let me help you, Addi,” he encourages, inching toward me.

He doesn’t stop until his hand reaches for my fur, running his fingers through the blood-splattered matting at the side of my face. Not that he seems to care. If anything, he digs his fingers in deeper.

His touch releases something inside me, and I lean into him, finally seeing through the fog that’s clouding my vision. Two deep breaths and the familiar pain that comes with shifting spirals through my body as I transition back into myself.

My clothes are in place, but blood tinges my skin and stains my hair as a reminder of my actions.

“There’s my alpha,” he murmurs, pulling me against his chest in the most heartwarming move I’ve ever felt.

I melt in his hold, taking strength from him as my mind continues to spiral with the world around me. “Cass,” I breathe, unable to complete his name, let alone express what’s happening inside me. His hold only grows tighter as I sense a shadow cast over us.

Tilting my face, I look up to find Brody, Kryll, and Raiden hovering above us protectively.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve killed before. I killed her fucking father, but this… this feels different, and I don’t think it’s the good kind of change.

“Over there, Professor. Hurry!” The cry rings through the dining hall. The voice is unfamiliar as I lean back out of Cassian’s hold to find the entire student body gathered around the carnage splayed across the floor.

Horror dances in some of their eyes, fear in others, but what startles me the most is the respect that vibrates through the air.

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