Adrenaline Like Never Before

Ever since I stepped into Stormclaw, I hadn't dreamed of becoming anything too special. While girls like Aubrey dreamed of becoming the Luna, or even the Luna Queen, I didn't dare to dream as big. After all, why would the Moon Goddess pair me, someone with no wolf, with someone so far up the food chain?

All I had hoped for was someone simple, someone whom I could call my own. I didn't ask to have Damon Valentine as my mate.

He had sullied a sacred pairing, a match that was supposed to be made by the Moon Goddess herself.

I was his fated mate, that was evident from the very first moment we had met. The sparks between us had been undeniable and with every touch, Damon Valentine had the ability to set me aflame.

Yet, he had found himself others to become his chosen mate, others who now bore the same marks on their neck as mine.

"You're not special, Harper," Susie continued to speak, no doubt silently rejoicing in my pain. "Even if I'm not here, there are still other women who will please the Alpha in bed, other women who will warm his sheets. My only question is why he would pick someone like you to join the ranks."

She scoffed, tugging at the gray collar around my neck. Unlike just now, when I had tried to pull it off myself, it didn't magically tighten. Susie didn't tug hard either; she merely looked at it and rolled her eyes before letting go.

"And to think he would give you such a high status right on the first night," she commented sulkily. "Seems like you must at least have a few special moves in bed that could please him. Who knows how many other men you've already been with."

"Susie, that's enough," Elijah warned. He finally stepped forward, having seen enough of our confrontation. He pulled Susie's hand, tugging her backward and away from me. "Don't you have something better to do than to waste your time here? Are you that keen about dropping down yet another rank so quickly?"

"Get your hands off of me, Elijah!" She wildly swung her hand, struggling out of Elijah's grip before taking a step away from him. Susie glared hard, then said, "I am the Alpha's woman. You are merely a third-in-command, not even the Beta. Who are you to order me around like that?"

"You've said so yourself," I said lowly, speaking before Elijah had the chance to. 

Both heads whirled around to look at me. Susie's eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead when she noticed the cold smile on my face.

"You're just another whore in the Alpha's personal brothel. Who are you to order the pack's Charlie around?"

"I'll order whoever the fuck I want around," Susie growled. "If one of us bears a child for the Alpha, who knows? He might make us his Luna. I am planning on being the first."

"You're a chosen mate," I pointed out. "Even if there is a Luna of the pack, it will be his fated mate. Not you."

"And I suppose that person would be you?" Susie sneered. "Don't make me laugh. I've heard of you, Harper Gray. The unwanted daughter of Stormclaw's Alpha. The werewolf that has no wolf. You're just a half-breed scum. The Moon Goddess will never pair you with the Alpha. Who knows what sort of dirty tactics you've pulled just to become his chosen mate?"

"I don't need to do anything," I honestly replied. This time, it was my turn to smirk. "Damon Valentine simply attacked Stormclaw, met me, and decided to bring me back with him." 

Leaning in close to her, I smiled right in her face. How hilarious. The tables had turned and it was now Susie trembling with anger.

"Let's get this straight, Susie. Damon chose me. He settled with you. Probably needed a warm hole to fuck while waiting for me to show up."

Susie's eyes darted down, eyeing my collar for a second before looking back at my face. Her face fell even further. Judging by her reaction, it seemed like the difference in our collars must've backed up my words. Perhaps we were differentiated by the colors we were assigned. If Susie was so unsatisfied with her darker collar, then a lighter one must surely represent a higher status.

"You skank!" She screeched in anger before pouncing forward― it was so sudden that neither Elijah or I had prepared for it. 

Her claws had extended out, ready to strike. It swiped down and I instinctively reached out in an attempt to protect myself, my reflexes trained by the endless amount of beatings I had taken. 

However, unlike the times Aubrey had been behind the strike, Susie's claws did not land on my face. It hadn't even grazed my skin.

My eyes had been closed, bracing for the impact, but when I realized that there was no searing pain, I opened my eyes. I sucked in a breath of cold air, my eyes widened into the size of saucers as I stared at my hand, firmly grasping Susie's wrist between my fingers.

She struggled and trembled against my grip, growling and spewing an endless stream of profanities as she tried to break free from my hold so that she could follow through with her attack.

For some reason, however, I could match her strength. Or more accurately, I could easily defend myself from her blow― she was no match for me.

"Let go, you bitch!" she screamed. Hidden among her rage was fear. It coated her irises, dancing in the hidden gaps of her expression. 

I understood why she felt that way. After all, if I had no wolf, I would have no strength. According to the rumors — and based on what she herself had witnessed when I was first brought to Fangborne — I shouldn't be able to counter her so effortlessly.

My blood was roaring in my veins. I could almost hear it, along with the wild thumping of my heart. Suddenly, everything seemed like it had been enhanced. It was as though I had been drugged, my body filled with an immense amount of adrenaline that pushed it to perform further beyond what it could ever do.

I grinned, smiling maniacally at her.

"Let go, you say?" I nodded slowly. "As you wish."

Without another word, I pushed her away with as much strength as I could, slamming her back several feet until she smashed against the wall on the other side of the room, leaving Elijah and me speechless with surprise.