Chapter 76
I strode toward Victoria, the soft fabric of my dress whispering with each step. I could feel the weight of my shiny necklace resting against my collarbone. Damn. I should’ve taken it off and handed it to Jason for safekeeping. What if I lost it in the fight? Too late now. Running back to him would only make me look weak, and that wasn’t an option. Instead, I’d make sure Victoria never got her hands on it. To irritate and unnerve her, I swayed my hips as I approached, my lips curling into a savage grin. When her hateful eyes locked on mine, I raised my fingers in the shape of a gun and aimed them right at her.
Victoria snarled, her expression a toxic cocktail of venom, hatred, and white-hot jealousy.
“That hussy’s ass is mine!” Diane’s voice thundered behind me. She charged toward BJ like an unstoppable force before I could grab her.
Princess BJ met her head-on, rushing forward like a bull seeing red. They collided in the center, an explosion of fury and raw energy.
Our vampire forces and Victoria’s French shifter army remained motionless for the moment, both sides bound by the unspoken rules of the duel. But they were taut, poised like arrows notched in a bowstring, ready to spring at the slightest provocation. I stalked closer, my eyes never leaving the skirmish, scanning the opposing forces for any signs of foul play. My dark wind coiled and whispered around me, ready to act if needed.
Then, cutting through the tension, a deep, resonant voice echoed across the battlefield. It sounded like Oldy’s, its timbre unmistakable. “The Alpha King has arrived!”
My heart slammed against my ribs, though it wasn’t fear that spiked my adrenaline. Confronting that egotistical jerk held no terror for me, but his arrival could complicate things. If he’d brought a significant force, the duel could easily spiral into chaos.
I quickly surveyed the area, recalculating the odds. Patrick and his royal guards were nowhere in sight, which was unsettling. Patrick didn’t operate in plain view; he was a strategist, a shadow in the background, always preparing for the worst. I was willing to bet he and his team were lurking nearby, hidden and ready to yank Diane, Paris, and me out if the tides turned against us. It was classic Patrick—always a backup plan, always an exit strategy.
The shifters parted as the Alpha King made his entrance, his presence an unspoken command. Oldy and an elite force of warriors flanked him, their polished armor gleaming under the harsh light. The French shifters stepped aside, creating a wide path for him until he stood at the front, towering over the battlefield.
The tension thickened, the air practically crackling as the duel teetered on the edge of escalation. Whatever happened next, it wouldn’t be simple.
His piercing blue gaze locked onto me, and the shock that registered on his face was instant and undeniable.
I stood there like a vision, draped in an elegant gown that hugged every curve, my designer high-heeled shoes adding height and poise, and the diamond necklace sparkling around my neck like a declaration of power. I hadn’t just dressed to impress; I’d dressed to dominate. The irony wasn’t lost on me—I’d flatly refused to wear heels when we’d been together, telling him outright I wasn’t about to contort myself for his benefit. But for Jason? I’d worn them without hesitation and only complained about their height twice, mostly to amuse him.
Leaving the shifters’ territory had been transformative. I’d grown taller, matured, and blossomed into a version of myself that I could barely recognize. Back then, in the Alpha King’s presence, I had dimmed myself, fading into his shadow without even realizing it. Now, I burned like a star—bright, untouchable, and undeniable. And this radiance wasn’t for him. It was for Jason, who never tried to contain me.
That realization must have been a dagger to the Alpha King’s ego. His lips pressed into a thin, unforgiving line, but his eyes betrayed him. Possessiveness, lust, and greed shimmered in their depths, layered under a mask of jealousy and rage. His gaze flicked to the way I leaned slightly against Jason, and it was clear he hated what he saw.
Jason, as always, was right there with me. He moved like a shadow, a guardian who needed no invitation to stand at my side. Where I went, he followed, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. I smirked inwardly at the thought, knowing the hold I had on him. The magnetism between us was undeniable, though I never pointed it out aloud. Jason would either scowl or sneer in response, and I didn’t feel like giving him that satisfaction. Instead, I let him figure it out on his own—he always did, eventually.
My attention shifted back to the duel as Diane and BJ clashed with all the ferocity of two predators fighting over the same prey. I’d decided to let Diane have the first few rounds. She needed this, the chance to face BJ on her own. But I wasn’t naïve enough to think she could take BJ down solo. BJ had been trained since childhood and was taller, broader, and heavier. In shifter combat, size and strength weren’t just advantages—they were weapons. Hatred alone wasn’t enough to win a fight, no matter how deeply it burned.
I watched their exchange closely, calculating when I’d need to step in. BJ and Diane were locked in a brutal dance of blows, kicks, and snarls. They tangled together, clawed at each other, and darted away before colliding again like two forces of nature. It was primal, savage, and raw.
Then BJ saw her chance. She found an opening and seized Diane by the hair. Her claws gleamed, poised to slash toward Diane’s exposed neck. Time slowed as adrenaline surged through me. My body moved on instinct, faster than I’d thought possible, even in my heels.
I closed the distance in a flash and grabbed BJ’s wrist before her claws could make contact. With one sharp, deliberate movement, I bent her wrist backward, forcing her to release Diane. BJ’s snarl turned into a pained yelp, her furious gaze snapping to mine. I smiled coldly, my grip tightening as the air around us seemed to hum with impending violence.
I told my friend as soon as she was free, “Stay with Jason.”
She wanted to protest or use this chance to drive her claws into BJ’s gut.
“This is a duel,” I said, my eyes warning her. “Go, Your Grace.”
She stepped back, her eyes widening in shock. She’d just experienced my alpha power, which had never cowered before Asshole even when I was in my weakest state. Without a word, she bowed deeply and scrambled back toward Jason, and the vampires immediately had her in their protective ranks.
BJ tossed an array of black spells at me that were meant to blind me then maim my nice face. She must think that if I looked butt-ugly, asshole Jehg wouldn’t look at me twice. She was a sad example of a woman devoting everything to a man, no matter if the man was a pig or not.
That was why this coward bitch had rushed toward Diane and me to pick a fight. She’d planned to fight dirty, trusting too much in the dark witches’ nasty spells.
“If you use those spells on anyone else, they’ll achieve your desired effect,” I told her. “But your naughty spells can’t harm me.”
“Freak!” she cursed and hissed. “How’s this one! Die!”
She tossed a black spell at me that looked like a tiny pin. I opened my mouth and ate it. That was the wrong move, and now my eyes stung with tears.