Howling Fury (Book 1) (Being Edited)

Chapter 34

Brandy's teeth flash and I quickly dodge out of the way. She lunges after me and I twist my body, snapping at her. I miss her by inches but I feel a sharp pain in my back leg. I throw my body forwards and she comes with me, refusing to loosen her grip. I turn my head and watch as she tries to dig her teeth in further.

My eyes meet hers and I growl, slowly drawing my lips back over my teeth. She growls in return but doesn't loosen her grip on my leg. We stay like that for a few minutes, neither of us refusing to break eye contact.

"Oh my god." I turn my ears towards an unfamiliar voice but otherwise don't react. I flare my nose and can tell almost instantly that the newcomer is human. I can't see him but I can imagine what he looks like; standing there with his jaw hitting the floor, not knowing what to do. A second presence joins the first. This one is a human as well.

"What the hell? What's going on here? Why are they fighting?" the second voice asks. I pull my eyes away from Brandy and look at the two humans. I don't recognise either one; which isn't a surprise since I don't go out of my way to socialise with them.

The pair just stare at me with wide eyes. I growl at them and they quickly back up. I don't have time to deal with humans. It's too dangerous for them to be here and I honestly can't be bothered trying to save them should Brandy decide to attack. I bare my teeth and snarl at them both.

What little colour remained on their face quickly drains and they practically fall over themselves and each other to get away from us. They scream incoherently as they run away and I allow myself a split seconds of amusement. Humans are so skittish that it could be sad if it weren't so funny.

My mind snaps back to the here and now and I flatten my ears to my head, slowly turning to face Brandy again. I meet her eyes and I see such a vast mixture of emotions swirling within them. Anger, fear, determination and malice. She doesn't exactly know how she's going to beat me but she's determined to try. I think it's about time that I burst her little unrealistic bubble.

I throw my body to the side and twist. At the same time I bare my teeth and grab anything that looks remotely like white fur. My mouth meet something solid and I bite down hard. My teeth sink into flesh and I pull. I pull until Brandy releases my leg with a howl of anger and pain. I growl softly and snap my head, throwing Brandy's white wolf away from me. She lands roughly and rolls across the floor, colliding with a load of chairs.

She digs her claws into the floor and slides to a stop, leaving massive groves in her wake. Her body crouches and her head lowers slowly. She bares her teeth and growls at me, her eyes filled with rage. I just bare my teeth and growl in return. She betrayed the pack. She led the rogue wolves here and then stood by and let Lucas die. My levels of mercy have gone from very little to none.

I step forwards slowly and allow my eyes to meet Brandy's. All the anger, the uncontrollable rage that's been consuming me since Lucas's death surges to the surface as I stare at the one responsible for my friends death. Valentine may have killed Lucas but Brandy is the reason he's dead.

Blood drips from Brandy's back and I can't help feeling a small stab of satisfaction. I guess the part that I managed to grab was her back and it looks as though I had hurt her pretty bad. I relax my posture and give her a growl before turning to inspect my own wound. I ensure I keep an ear locked onto Brandy in case she decides to attack while I'm distracted.

I look at the blood running down my leg and sniff carefully at the wound. It doesn't seem to be too deep and I put a little weight on it. A dull throb of pain twists through it but it seems to be fine otherwise. I huff and return my gaze to Brandy who is inspecting the wound on her back.

Brandy's eyes find mine again and she growls at me. I take a deep breath, open my mouth slightly while baring my teeth and turn my exhale into a loud snarl. Brandy blinks slightly, suddenly unsure of herself and I take a step forward.