I’m everything.
But now, in this moment, I am nothing more than a predator craving its sustenance.
I bite down on my own tongue, tasting the tang of my own blood.The taste distracts me, and I stare into Eris’s eyes.Her growls subside to a low rumble.
She doesn't move away.Instead, she watches me, her gaze sharp and attentive.
She knows what I am, knows what I thirst for.
She’s daring me.
Daring me to take what I crave.
I could take it so easily.Sink my fangs through her coat and into her flesh, drawing what I desire from her body.Let her give me her own strength to defeat her.
And then it clicks.
This is the test.
My stepfather’s test.
I can hear him inside my head, jeering at me, mocking my blood lust, my thirst for wolf blood.
I won’t give him the satisfaction.
With raw, unfiltered power—no magic this time—I summon every ounce of strength in my body.A guttural roar tears from my throat as I throw Eris off me and hurl her to the ground with soul-shaking force.My muscles burn, my breath heaves, but I don’t hesitate.
I stand tall.
Unyielding.
I don’t need Eris’s blood.
I don’t even need Alara’s training.
I need only what I possess inside.
This will be a purely physical fight.
And I will fucking win.
59
Eris,sprawled on the ground, shakes herself and lets out a feral snarl.Rage burns in her eyes and she lunges again.
But this time, I’m ready.
As she leaps toward me, I spin on my heel and sidestep, swinging my arm in a wide arc.I connect with her flank and send her crashing into a nearby tree.
For a moment, she lies there, dazed.
I don’t waste the opportunity.With a burst of speed that surprises even me, I’m on her before she can recover.I lock my hands around her throat and squeeze.
I squeeze, but only enough to remind her of the strength and power I wield.
She claws at my arms, struggling beneath me.
But she still has the upper hand.We both know it.In her wolf form, she’s stronger than I am.