16. Adrianna

16

ADRIANNA

T his motherfucker is never going to relent. Ever. I'm all for showing resilience, but damn, I'm tired of this man.

"No one is dueling anyone under the blood moon," Cassian snarls, his eyes practically black as he stares his father down.

My lips twist as I take him in, his words swirling around in my head. The way he says it makes me feel like there's more to it than usual. A kind of more that I'm not going to like the sound of.

"My challenge says otherwise," Trinity sings, her voice tainted with vengeance, and I can't help but wonder what the fuck I've done to this girl, what I've done to any of the girls that have challenged me to a duel. My lack of answer makes me feel like it's more because I'm simply breathing and it's inconveniencing them. "Now, stand there and watch as I take down this bitch to claim you for myself," she adds, making my head rear back in surprise.

"Don't you think it's weird that you're trying to fight me for him, yet you show him no respect at all? He's not just a piece of meat, you know. There's more to him than whatever title you're seeking," I bite out through clenched teeth.

"Fuck off, fae," she snaps back, but before I can even react, Kenner's all-out belly laugh echoes around us.

"Ah, but that's not the case, is it, Adrianna?"

My gaze whips to his, my chest tightening with nerves as realization washes over me.

Fuck

I sense my mother's eyes on me, but I don't pull away from Kenner's stare. I'm frozen to the bone. "What don't I know, Kenner?" Her voice is riddled with a tinge of nerves and uncertainty, and I see the amusement in Kenner's darkening eyes.

"I'll let your daughter fill you in. It's quite fantastic if you ask me," Kenner muses, making my nostrils flare with agitation.

"Addi." Concern fills my mother's voice, and I can see her shifting from foot to foot as she waits for my response, but I can't tear my eyes from Kenner.

"Don't speak to her. Crawl back under the rock where you came from, and you, fuck off," Cassian roars, jabbing his finger in both my mother's and his father's direction.

Kenner laughs, the sound laced with carnage as he steps toward Trinity, inching closer to the house. "Now, now, Son. We're here for fun, and Trinity is waiting," he explains, redirecting the topic and giving me whiplash.

"Trinity can fuck off," Cassian sneers, but I need an answer to the unease settling in my gut.

"What's the difference with it being the blood moon?" I finally manage to shift my gaze from Kenner, taking in Cassian's taut frame as his jaw tics.

"We'll get to that, Pet," Kenner answers, making Cassian's eyes practically glow as he bares his teeth.

"She. Is. Not. Your. Pet."

"What don't I know, Kenner?" My mother interjects, and my brain buzzes from all the different layers of the conversation.

This is all too much.

"I'm a wolf," I yell, sending my mother's gaze my way as her jaw falls slack.

"A wolf?" she repeats, the surprise clear across her features as I sigh.

"Isn't it exceptional?" Kenner adds, with way too much fucking glee in his tone.

"Addi." My name falls from my mother's lips once again as she steps toward me, but Cassian quickly moves to block me from her view.

"Stay away from her," he warns, anger radiating from him as Kenner continues to enjoy the spectacle.

"I'm sure it will make this duel even more exciting, don't you think?"

I didn't think it was possible, but Cassian stiffens, his muscles bunching even tighter as his head whips to his father. "Was this your plan? Push her to unlock her wolf to force her into a duel beneath the blood moon?"

I take a step back, blinking at the back of his head as I try to process what he's actually saying.

"Someone needs to catch me up. Now ."

Cassian's head dips as he turns to me, a sigh parting his lips as he brings his eyes to mine. "A blood moon duel has to be between wolves, in wolf form, and you fight to the death."

How does Kenner always stay one step ahead? Why am I struggling at the hands of this man time and time again? He's insane. Completely certifiable. I don't know what his issue is with me, but we need to wrap this up. I've had enough.

I step to the side, revealing myself to the others again, only to find Kenner shaking his head at Cassian's words. "Why would I do that when I need her for greater things?"

Greater things? Fuck off.

"You tell me," Cassian goads, hoping to get some kind of answer. But it goes unanswered as Kenner takes a step back, joining the mass of the spectating wolves as a wicked grin spreads across his face.

"Are we going to cut to the duel now? There's an audience waiting."

"They can fuck off," Cassian barks, clenching his fists at his sides as his father's grin only widens.

"That's not how this works, Son."

"I promise you, if you do this, I won't be responsible for my actions," Cassian promises, and my thighs clench. This is definitely not the time to be getting all hot and flustered over his delicious anger.

Instead of taking the threat for what it's worth, Kenner beams. "Now, that sounds like something a son of mine would say."

The distaste is apparent on Cassian's face, which sets me into action. It's time to put all this shit to rest. I squeeze his arm in what I hope comes across as comfort before I sidestep him and head toward Trinity.

I don't feel it, but the intake of breath that comes from behind me confirms I've slipped through whatever protection Cassian had in place.

"Addi," he breathes, despair etched into every letter as I stare down Trinity.

"I'm not scared of you," she sneers, raking her eyes over me from head to toe, and I shrug.

"Good, because I'm not scared of you either." Disregarding her, I look over her shoulder to where Kenner stands. "So, to clarify, this duel is in wolf form and until death. Is there anything else I should know?"

I don't trust him, not one bit, but it's worth asking.

"No," Kenner confirms, nodding victoriously as Trinity tilts her head to come into view again.

"Do you always talk such a big game?" she asks, trying to provoke me as I shrug again.

"No, I feel like actions speak louder than words."

Without another word, I step back and channel deep down into magic, past every ounce of my fae magic until I connect with my wolf. She dances over my skin, sending ripples of fire through my veins before I feel the first bone break.

The pain is intense, but nothing in comparison to the first time. It happens in the blink of an eye, and I quickly find myself on all fours, paws scratching against the hard ground as I look across the short space to find a cream-furred wolf staring back at me.

Under different circumstances, I'd say she was beautiful, but my wolf quickly bats the thought away as I let her take over. It's the strangest sensation I've ever felt. We're one, but we're still so different.

Before I can overthink anything, my wolf kicks into full force, leaping toward our target. Trinity does the same, charging toward me with purpose until we barrel into one another.

Spiraling through the air, we land with a thud, and she has the advantage. Pinned beneath her, I scratch and claw at her fur, trying to free myself, but it's not easy.

"Get up, Addi," Cassian growls, cutting through my panic, and it's like his words set me alight. With my next kick, my back paw meets her side just right, and she grunts as her hold weakens. I slip from beneath her as quickly as I can until we're both back on all fours, circling each other.

My chest heaves with every pant as Trinity bares her teeth at me. She races toward me in the next breath, and I marginally miss her approach, whirling around only to find her coming back at me with purpose.

This time, she leaps through the air, landing on my back with her teeth on full display, and we both stagger to the ground again. Rolling, the battle for control leaves me dizzy until we come to a stop. I snarl, fury burning through me at the fact that she's on top of me again.

I need to act now. I need to act fast. I need to act like a wolf.

Her front paws press into the ground on either side of my head as she growls in my face, covering me with far too much saliva for my liking, but it only serves to spur me on. Thrusting my claws into her side, she whimpers, but it doesn't stop her onslaught of trying to sink her teeth into my throat.

One nick of an artery, and I'm gone. But now just isn't my time.

Snapping my teeth back at her, I dig my claws even deeper into her flesh, earning a howl of pain this time. I manage to use it to my advantage, twisting us, but instead of trying to lunge for her once I'm on top, I do it in the process.

My wolf takes over, rage, vengeance, and determination flooding me as my teeth sink into her exposed throat.

The howl turns into a gargled cry as I bite, tear, and relish in the copper taste on my tongue.

Any fight from Trinity quickly dwindles to nothing as I let my feral side take over. I have to prove myself. Not to Kenner, not to my mother, not even to Cassian, but to myself.

I see nothing, I hear nothing, I feel nothing but the lifeless wolf in my grasp. Only when hands pin my waist do I remember I'm not alone. My instinct is to fight them off me, but the sound of Cassian's whispers in my ear makes me pause just in time not to rip his throat out, too.

Blinking, I slowly take in his features as he looks down at me with a softness in his pretty stare like I've never seen before. He's given me a lot of firsts these past twenty-four hours, all soft and sweet, while all I'm offering him in return is a crimson trail of blood and chaos in my wake.

"It's okay, Addi. I'm here. I've got you," he murmurs, the comfort slowly allowing me to loosen my grip on Trinity.

Exhaustion clings to my wolf enough to acknowledge I need to shift back. My chest heaves with every breath as I groan through the pain once again. I know I'm back to myself when my fingers curl into Cassian's t-shirt and my body sags with a mixture of relief and disbelief.

An almighty roar echoes in the distance, making me frown as I peer up at Cassian.

"What's going on?" I breathe as he places me on my feet. I keep my eyes locked on his as I get steady, and once I'm stable, I glance over my shoulder to see we're nowhere near the group anymore. "What the fuck?"

"We need to go, Alpha," he states, linking his fingers with mine. "But you'll run faster like this now," he explains, but I'm not following.

"How are we…where's…"

He must sense that I'm going nowhere without answers because he sighs, scrubbing at the back of his neck as he looks deep into my eyes. "You wouldn't stop, and Kenner was mad." I search his eyes for more, making his lips purse as he sighs again. "He was trying to fucking take you, and I needed to get you out of there. She offered a distraction and I took it."

"Who?" My heart races like I already know the answer, and when he stands tall, eyes wide with surprise, I know my thought is confirmed.

"Your mother."