My former childhood tormentor deadpans me and she’s certainly getting ballsy in my presence. Good. I hate it when she’s meek. It’s wrong; I want her to treat me like an equal.
She knows how strong I am now, and believes I may even be stronger than the goddess Persephone over there.
“Who else? You’re the only other queen in our pack apart from Natasha, who’s still MIA.”
She is. She hasn’t been seen since the voting ceremony. Why is a small part of me worried for her?
“She’s beckoning us,” I note, watching the way Persephone wags her finger at me, her eyes blazing.
Tiff replies this time. “She’s beckoning to you. She hardly sees us insignificant bitches.” The redhead downs her wine.
They’re not insignificant, but I don’t bother arguing with her. They will only scoff at me anyway.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go over.”
I lead the way as the three of them follow, and to my surprise the crowd parts. They mumble and whisper, but I don’t bother listening to what they say.
I only have eyes for Persephone.
We stop before the small stairs leading up to her dais, and now the four of us wait as she gorges on a grape offered to her by a male servant.
I stir uncomfortably. She looks so erogenous. I’m getting aroused just watching her eat that fruit.
Now that I’m up close, I get a proper look at her, and suddenly I don’t feel so fantastic. She’s like a supermodel: long, toned legs, thick brown hair, and tiny waist.
No wonder Natasha hated her; Persephone makes her pale in comparison.
Once the goddess is finished eating her grape, her purple eyes fall on me, and I can’t look away. She has me pinned in place as she rakes her gaze all over me, assessing my worth as a fighter. I hope she likes what she sees.
It appears she doesn’t find me wanting and even offers me a charming smile, her teeth dazzling. “I’ve heard so much about you, Ylfa Wolfe. The new queen of the Northern Pack. I hear you’re even stronger than that... what’s her name... Natalie? Nicole?”
I don’t bother correcting her. Honestly, it’s just great to hear someone speak so derogatively about my former bully.
Persephone hisses at the memory of Natasha, then plucks up a chalice of wine from a server’s tray. “Moon’s above, what a detestable female. I see you’ve stolen her place this year at the queen’s tent. Good riddance. Her display earlier at the ceremony was shameful.”
A memory of Natasha blocking Patrick’s path to the stage whirls up before me, and my wolf’s claws come out. I will get her back.
Both Persephone’s and Agatha’s names were pulled from their own pack’s ballot, so I will be competing with them both. I can’t wait to see how they both fare in a fight.
Persephone sighs and rises to her feet, stepping down from the dais. She’s not as tall as Agatha, but she still has a good few inches on me. She places her manicured hands on my shoulders, gazing into my eyes with a smile.
“I can tell we are going to be the best of friends, Ylfa Wolfe. You’re not like that Naomi. You have honor... I am eager to compete with you at the games... ”
I arch an eyebrow. I don’t even have to be so close to her to smell the bullshit she’s spewing, and I guess this is what Chelsea warned me about.
She does act sweet to your face, but I know deep down she hates me. Though not as much as she hatesNaomi.
She doesn’t know what I’m all about yet, and as Silver warned me with Agatha, she’s wary.
After all, I came from obscurity. I was once a dud with no wolf to call her own, and now I have one of the strongest in my pack.
Maybe even enough to rival my own alpha’s.
Well, I’ll go along with her fake sweetness.
Offering her a smile of my own, I batt my eyelashes.
Persephone sees the challenge. Her lilac irises flash slightly, but then she hides her ire behind another fake smile and leans forward, planting a kiss of death on my cheek.