The present overlapped with the past, and it wasn’t the first time Dahlia Elrod had shifted into her wolf in an attempt to take me down. I stood my ground, staring at her straight in the eye as she lunged forward but was quickly held back by the metal chains that constrained her limbs.

She growled, snarling and snapping her jaws as dribbles of saliva dripped from her mouth and onto the cold floor beneath our feet. Even as a wolf, her eyes had gone red with fury, adrenaline filling her body as she fought against the restraints.

Even though I knew I was safe, I couldn’t help but recall Gus’s words when he entered my room earlier.

’When pushed to the edge, their adrenaline and determination to live will drive them to do incredible feats.’

I swallowed, calming myself down. No matter what feats she accomplished, it wouldn’t be as powerful as winning against four heavy-duty silver chains. If she had, she would be the first werewolf to accomplish such a feat, and I would’ve died to who could be the most powerful werewolf in all of history.

"Don’t even bother," I said. "You’re not going to be able to break out of those chains. Not when you’re in such a condition."

I gestured to the food on the ground, left forgotten by Dahlia.

"Maybe if you had that, you would have a better chance against my mother and her men," I said.

She looked down to where I was gesturing, and when Dahlia’s line of sight landed on the bag of food I brought her, she snarled even more. Lines began to form on her snout, and she swiped the food off the ground, practically throwing it in my face with her paws.

I ducked just in time for the bag to hit the door with a thud, the food splattering against the metal before dropping to the floor in a mess.

"Why do I even bother?" I muttered out loud, shaking my head. It wouldn’t be considered an act of kindness if the recipient didn’t want it, and that was a saying I understood now. "I am not going to waste my time with you. I have better things to do, so good luck to you. Hope you don’t die so quickly."

Unsatisfied with what I had to say, Dahlia pressed forward again. She tugged and growled against the chains, and I jolted when I heard a snap and a clang. Her right paw had broken free, pulling the chain straight off the wall as it clattered noisily onto the floor. The smell of burned fur and blood quickly filled the room, and I could see Dahlia’s features contort with agony.

However, she didn’t cease her movements despite how much it was hurting her. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

One by one, the chains fell to the ground, and by the time I came back to attention, she had pulled herself free from the binds. The silver chains were still cuffed to her limbs, but now, there was nothing holding her back from touching me.

"Shit."

Pulling the door open, I bolted out of the room without looking back, running aimlessly down the corridor. I heard a clash and a bang behind me, and when I finally turned back to sneak a glance, Dahlia had already pushed down the silver door as though it was made of nothing but harmless paper.

She panted, growling before her eyes locked with mine, her paws hitting the floor hard as she shot towards me like an arrow through the dark.

Out of all the times Dahlia had attempted for my life, she had never looked this crazed. It was as though with each failed attempt, she had grown more and more lustful for blood, an obsession that wouldn’t end until she had my head torn apart from my neck with her own two hands.

She sprinted down the corridor, and likewise, I ran as fast as I could without stopping once to look at her.

I should’ve never thought of helping her! Dahlia Elrod didn’t need my pity! What was I even thinking?!

The hairs at the back of my neck prickled to attention, and I quickly ducked. Right as I did, a paw swiped above my head. If I hadn’t moved in time, her razor-sharp talons would’ve taken my head clean off just as she wanted.

I slid across the floor, my hands squeaking against the tiles as Dahlia bent down low. She growled out once, howling into the night, the sound reverberating through the tower so loudly that it felt as though the walls were shaking.

Great. Just perfect. If my mother and Gus hadn’t guessed what I was up to, they would know now that there was a mad werewolf roaming the hallways of my hunters’ headquarters.

I reached for the back of my pants, my fingers curling around the handle of the revolver without a second thought. As Dahlia charged straight for me, I pulled the gun out. Time seemingly stood to a still as I cocked the weapon and pulled the trigger, my body jolting from the recoil.

It was just like at practice― the silver bullet whizzed from the weapon, shooting out of the barrel before finding its target. However, unlike at practice, this time, the target wasn’t made of wood, but of flesh and blood.

The silver bullet soared through the air before finding its target, burrowing itself into Dahlia’s skin and flesh. Blood spurted from the wound as she cried out in pain, the silver bullet lodged in her shoulder, narrowly missing her chest.

She reared back in pain, and when she took another step forward despite the injury, my mind went blank.

Do or die.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I aimed, squeezing my eyes shut before allowing my finger to press down on the trigger. The force of the trigger pushed back against my finger before sending my arms jolting with the recoil.

I heard the cylinder thud against the ground as the blast went off, followed by the slam of Dahlia’s body. The smell of blood quickly permeated the air.