Page 55 of Savage Fate

Marissa darted forward, attempting to go for my neck, but I turned to my side and blocked her strike.

Shit.

This was not the time to lose my confidence.

My sickle claws swung in the air, almost catching her face.

If I’d been a fraction of a second faster, I could have plucked out one of her eyes.

The alpha’s daughter wasn’t deterred, though. She lunged for me again, this time her teeth grazing my shoulder.

When the metallic scent of my blood hit the air, she gave a satisfied growl. Crimson stained her lupine smile.

Anger rushed through my veins, and I pawed the ground, lowering my head. Soon, I’d be tasting her blood when I sank my teeth into her neck.

Before I could charge, Fane appeared a few feet away in his phantom form.

“Don’t kill her, Teague.”

“Are you serious? She attacked me!”

“You’ll regret killing her.” He kneeled next to me. “Don’t let her provoke you into making her a victim either. If you hurt her, she’ll go running to her father.”

He was right. Marissa wanted me to look like a psychotic monster in the hopes that Camus would side with her. The alpha knew the kind of underhanded bullshit she was capable of, but she was still his daughter.

Marissa bit the air with a savage motion, her teeth flashing as she waited for me to make a move, further proving Fane’s point.

He reached out to run his hand along my side, soothing me. “You don’t need to physically maim her to show her that you’re stronger.”

A low rumble glided out as I tried to choke back the bloodlust.“Fine. I won’t blind or kill her. For now.”

“Thanks for being so rational.” Sarcasm coiled around Fane’s words. “Do I need to stick around to make sure you don’t forget this conversation?”

“Thanks for reminding me that the thrill of killing your ex wouldn’t last for long.”I made a laughing sound at his wryexpression.“Don’t worry. I’ll finish with her and meet you back at the house.”

As Fane slowly vanished, Marissa pawed the ground, annoyed that I wasn’t paying her attention. She was such a damn child sometimes. It was a wonder Dorian stayed with her as long as he did. Then again, the former beta wasn’t much better than her.

Marissa lunged again, but I caught her shoulder with my teeth like she’d done to me. The briny taste of her blood settled on my tongue.

I never said I wouldn’t hurt her a little.

Before she could counter, I released a bone-shaking growl that forced her to freeze in her tracks. Her eyes widened as my alpha power leaked into the atmosphere.

At least I’d inherited one good thing from Barric.

The weight of it had Marissa dropping to her belly, whimpering. Warmth twisted through my chest at the sight of her crawling in the dirt.

That’s right. Submit.

After making her squirm for a few moments, I drew the power back inside and trotted to my pile of clothes, shifting into my human form. Snaps and pops echoed from her as I drew my bra and underwear on.

“You’re lucky you inherited some kind of weird alpha power from Fane,” she said, flicking her raven locks over her shoulder, unbothered by her nudity. “You wouldn’t be able to make me submit otherwise.”

I shrugged, keeping my mouth sealed. Assuming it was from Fane was better than her knowing the truth. “You’re lucky he convinced me not to kill you.”

A twisted smile pulled at her lips. “Of course Fane wouldn’t want you to slaughter me. Like I told you a long time ago, Fane and I have a connection because we’re fated mates.”

“Were,” I corrected and dragged my jeans on. “You broke that connection, remember?”

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