Fate Will Have It

XXXII

Kenzie Hope

By the end of the first fight, I had already become exhausted. By the second, I wanted to die. By the third, I practically was dead. So, the surprise was apparent when, by the 9th fight, I was finally getting to Maxwell, who was conveniently last.

I had gone up against, two regular wolves, three Betas, and three Alphas. They all questioned whether a girl could take the job, rather than my right to the throne. Since I was the one with Hope Blood, the wolves would answer to me more than they would Kaden. People questioned my ability to take care of that.

Their questions were silenced before they died.

I stumbled back as Maxwell took off his robe. I wouldn't make it through this one. My left leg was searing in pain as a chunk of flesh had been taken out of it around my second Alpha fight. A ringing feeling sounded through my head, as the last Alpha had slammed my head on the only rock on the ground. There were other injuries, bleeding from various places, broken bones, but nothing that hurt as much as those.

Maxwell shifted into a rugged wolf that looked more like panther than wolf. He had a long body that walked the same way that his human did. His short stubby legs made me question how he had even be able to obtain a Beta position.

'This will be easy,' Lexus growled in my head. I voiced her growl for her, showing my vibrant purple eyes in the process. I had always questioned why people were surprised by my purple eyes. Now, as information came flooding in, I realized that only those with royal blood had my wolf's eyes. the purple was an unmistakable sign of royalty.

It wasn't until Maxwell barred his teeth at me that I realized that it would, in fact, not be easy. Silver laced his canines and with closer inspection, so did his claws. The shiny liquid gleamed in the moon light as he temped the Goddess, it was a crime in the eyes of the Goddess to kill another with the lethal substance. Although, it was not in the eyes of the wolves. Traditions like this called for whatever means necessary. I was foolish enough to think that this was below this competition.

I, too, would use whatever means necessary. This was my blood, my destiny. This was what I was born to do. Nothing would get in the way of that.

Maxwell growled after me, a sign that he was ready for the match to begin. Richard signaled and we began circling each other. I eyed the man in front of me, taking in his strengths and weaknesses. Maxwell had a slinking panther type of walk with his short, militaristic steps. He was almost dancing as he moved about the arena. That was his biggest weakness, a lack of walking properly.

Maxwell's growls and barks sounded out through the forest, sounding off his determination. Everyone knew a wolf's power laid in his growl. If he was strong, if he was weak, his growl would exhibit that. Maxwell's growl was a perfect exhibition; he wall all fake arrogance, no real power.

I growled back. It was a growl of power. It was the growl of someone with a big bite, not just a bark.

I lunged. Maxwell suddenly had left his jugular open, tempting me. Mid air, I realized that was a ploy to get me to attack him. Quickly, I changed my course and jumped on his back, something he wasn't expecting. Maxwell's body slammed up and down, up and down, up and down. His movements jumbled my brain.

I wouldn't let him buck me off. I couldn't let him. I was so close.

I needed to get him to stop or I would fall. I bit onto the first thing I found. That thing happened to be his ear.

The blood left the artery it belonged in surges, beat out by a slowing heart. Red liquid oozed down my face, the substance dripping off my snout and onto his back. It shot out of the place Maxwell's ear once, gliding to the floor like rain water.