SAMANTHA
His wrath made my heart race.
Jayce was like a loose cannon. Unpredictable and volatile. One wrong word and he exploded. I secretly hoped he would not unleash his anger on me in such a public space. I hoped he would not yell at me in front of everyone. I hoped he would forget I existed.
I didn't know if he was going to get angry and turn into that einges creature I kept seeing in my dream. Or maybe, he could get irritated and become a fire breathing dragon. Who knew?
After his words, Jayce's gaze shifted from me and landed on his brothers. Finnian and Darlington stood on either side of me, their hands still on my arms.
"Are you sure you will not step aside?" Jayce asked. His voice was low and dangerous.
Finnian, with a taunting smirk, yanked me toward him. His challenge was evident in the way his fingers tightened around my wrist. He was not letting go.
Startled, I stumbled. My feet tangled beneath me. I would have fallen if Darlington had not caught me. He steadied me with gentle hands. Then he smiled at Jayce. A smile of resolve. A smile that said he would not back down.
"No," Darlington declared with equal intensity. "I do not want you to go."
"Excellent!" Jayce's eyes blazed. "Then you cannot blame me for my actions."
Actions?
What actions?
What was Jayce going to do?
Jayce's rage exploded.
A feral howl erupted from his chest. It was loud. Primal. Terrifying. The sound shook the room. The walls trembled. The floor vibrated beneath my feet.
Everyone scurried.
The room was so small. Too small for what was coming. Women screamed and ran in every direction. They knocked over stools and dropped their toothbrushes. They trampled each other trying to reach the door.
Even the other two princes stepped back. For just a moment, they cowered at their brother's prowess. Their hands remained on my arms, but their bodies recoiled.
They held onto me.
As I regained my footing, I saw it.
Jayce had turned into a massive black wolf.
His fur was dark as night. His eyes were blue. He looked every inch of deadly. His muscles rippled beneath his coat. His fangs were long and white. His claws scraped against the stone floor.
The sight nearly took my breath away.
Fear gripped me. Memories of his threats and him looking at me like I was prey came back into my mind.
My heart rang in my throat.
With another fierce howl, Jayce lunged.
He came straight at me. Straight at Finnian and Darlington. His massive body flew through the air, teeth bared, claws extended.
My vision narrowed. Time slowed. I couldn't turn into my wolf yet.
It was a nightmarish scene. Terror filled every corner of the room. Jayce, from the Lycan bloodline, was a force of nature. He was extremely powerful and unstoppable.
And I lacked the strength to escape.
In that instant, Finnian and Darlington moved.
They pushed me backward. Hard. I stumbled. My feet tangled. I landed on my butt. The impact jarred my spine.
When I looked up, I saw that both princes had transformed.
Finnian's wolf was silver. Pale as moonlight. His eyes were grey and cold. Darlington's wolf was dark brown. Almost black. His eyes were warm gold.
They were locked in a fierce struggle with Jayce.
All of this was because....of ME!!
The three princes were the epitome of werewolf strength. Their transformation only amplified their power. Their claws tore through the air. Their fangs snapped at each other's throats. Their bodies collided with brutal force.
Their clash turned the training room into a battlefield.
Screams erupted as everyone fled.
Women pushed past each other. They crawled under tables. They climbed over benches. Leslie dragged herself toward the door, her face bloody, her eyes wild.
Inside my head, Cece loved this chaos.
"Yes!" she cheered. "Fight for me, boys! Fight! Show me who wants me more!"
"Cece, this is not a game!"
"It is absolutely a game. The best kind. Look at them. They are destroying each other for us."
"They are going to kill each other!"
"Then we will have one mate instead of three. Still a win."
"You are insane."
"I am flattered. Look at them. Look at what we have caused."
I pressed myself against the wall. My body was shaking. My hands were cold. My heart was pounding.
The fear of being caught in the middle of the fight gripped everybody. Women screamed and cried. Stools flew and toothbrushes scattered across the floor.
Ms. Daisy, observing the fight, began to cry. Her hands were pressed against her cheeks. Her face was pale.
"Please, Your Highnesses, stop this please!" she begged. "The room will be destroyed! We will all be killed!"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The princes were too engulfed in anger to hear her warnings. They snarled and snapped and tore at each other.
Daisy narrowly avoided being trampled. A wolf—I could not tell which—crashed into the wall beside her. She screamed and dove out of the way. Her fear was obvious as she scrambled toward the door.
The battle became harsher with every second.
All I could hear were--snarls, growls and crashes.
Wood splintered, class shattered and even the walls cracked.
Everyone ran out of the room.
Women poured through the doorway like water through a broken dam. Leslie was badly injured. Her face was wounded. Blood dripped down her cheek. Her eyes were filled with fear. She crawled on her hands and knees, dragging herself toward safety.
I stayed pressed against the wall.
I could not move. My legs would not work.
Almost giving up, Daisy appealed to a servant nearby. Her voice was desperate. Broken.
"Go get the king here! Now!"
The servant nodded and ran.
Immediately after she spoke, a stool was hurled from inside the room. It flew through the air, spinning end over end. It smashed through the glass windows. The shattering sound was deafening. Glass exploded in all directions.
The stool nearly hit Leslie. She cried out in fright and covered her head with her hands.
The battle raged on.
And I stayed pressed against the wall, praying that no one would remember I was there.