Chapter 46: To Change The Course Of A Battle
For a moment, I feel as if the railing gave way behind me, the world rushing past me as the ground gives way, and I fall into darkness.
But Kade is lying, and I’m still standing.
That bond wrapped tightly around my soul is silent but still taut. Horror does not begin to describe the sensation that courses through me at Kade’s words, even as I tell myself over and over that they’re not true.
They can’t be.
I’m not capable of imagining a world in which Will is gone.
“Liar,” I snarl, baring my teeth at him.
“You saw the blood, my dear. If my brother is still alive, he won’t be for much longer. It’s best if you make your peace with that,” he says, and he has the audacity to chuckle at my reaction.
I hold the curved dagger so tightly my knuckles turn white.
“I can give you everything. I have wealth, lineage, and an army at my command. When my brother survived the crash, it was a mistake. When you survived, it was a happy accident. Don’t you see? You’re the most beautiful she-wolf in Wynter City, with all the power of the Silver bloodline in her veins; a worthy Luna for the Alpha King.”
He’s delusional. Absolutely fucking nuts. But he’s right about one thing.
Will is running out of time. Even without that unnerving quiet in my heart, I heard the gunshot. I saw the blood. I can still smell it, clouding my other senses and driving me into a frenzy with the need to find him. I need to protect him.
“Marry me, Jane. Marry me, and no one else has to get hurt,” Kade says.
I’ll have to get through him first if I want to find Will. I chose my retort carefully for once.
“If this is your idea of a proposal, you’ll have to do a lot better than that. For starters, it’s not very romantic to hold a woman at gunpoint.”
“Says the girl wielding a wolfbane dagger,” he says, pointing at the curved blade.
It’s hardly a fair comparison, but I raise both of my hands and crouch to the ground. My movements are slow and deliberate, but the gesture is not a sign of surrender: it’s a challenge.
“You say you’re an Alpha, but you hide your claws behind bullets,” I say, holding his gaze.
I place the dagger on the floor but keep it close within my reach. Kade’s pride gets the better of him, and he takes the bait, mimicking my actions.
“I don’t need a gun to claim what’s rightfully mine,” he says, kneeling to slide the weapon onto the floor.
“Prove it. If you want me, come and get me, asshole.”
The second the gun is out of his grasp, I lunge.
Adrenaline surges through me as I shift in midair.
The transformation is not what they show you in horror movies. There’s no tearing skin and rearranging bones. There’s no blood, no drawn-out, painful changes. It happens in the blink of an eye and the beating of a racing heart like a sharp exhale. From within me, the spirit of my wolf springs forward, shredding through the invisible power that keeps it contained. It courses through me like a bolt of lightning and bursts out of me, fully formed.
Kade was not prepared. By the time I land, there is nothing human or delicate about me. I slam against him, claws slashing at his chest. It takes him a moment to recover enough and shift as well, but that moment of surprise allowed me to get the first blow in. He’s frazzled and furious, his dark eyes wide and indignant even in his wolf form.
Will’s wolf is a deep grey, black fur speckled with white that shifts with movements. My silver wolf. But Kade’s fur is a murky black streaked with brown that makes his coat look filthy, just like his soul.
He growls and retaliates, but the element of surprise gave me the upper hand. Considering how much bigger he is than me, I’m going to need it. I dodge his blow, ears slicked back as I growl at him. The sound comes from deep within me, low and rumbling.
I bite at him, but he pushes me off, his claws digging into my skin under the thick layer of white fur. I yelp and writhe against his weight as he snaps at my neck. Horror floods me as I realize the savage brute is attempting to mark me, trying to claim me as his mate.
Unfortunately for him, this bitch bites back.
I am the princess of wolves, daughter of Markham and Elizabeth Silver, heir to the last Alpha King and Luna Queen of Wynter City. And my parents taught me well.
I twist out of his reach, and my fangs sink into his hide until he howls in pain. He shakes me off and shoves me back. My muscles scream in pain as I hit the floor, sliding across the marble. I lose the sense of time and space, lose all sense of myself beyond the flash of tooth and claw.
But he’s big. He’s much too big, and I’m running out of time. In a contest of sheer physical strength, I’ll never win.
I pant, forcing my breathing to steady as Kade circles me, and I let him corner me against the edge of the mezzanine.
He leaps toward me, and I dive out of the way. The thought of Will’s calm blue eyes is enough to tame the wild power coursing within me, and I shift back into my human form as I roll out of Kade’s reach.
Kade collides with the railing, but it doesn’t budge. I shudder involuntarily, and the sensation of my naked, human body sliding across the marble floor. But I land precisely where I wanted to, and I manage to steady myself enough to reach for the wolfsbane dagger. Kade shakes his head, momentarily started by my sudden transformation.
The silver blade glints dangerously as Kade lunges toward me again. My fingers curl around the bone hilt, and I thrust the dagger up right before his weight crushes me.