The Traitor Panther

Chapter Ten-Cleo's POV

Her name is Lacy. Pack guard, very strong. Don't let her get behind you.

I don't need to cheat to win. I say to Ike in my head before blocking him off and focusing on the girl in front of me.

The crowd was yelling again, shouting insults at who they didn't want to win. Most of them were yelling at me, to be honest.

That doesn't matter. I nod. My panther is right. I have to focus if I want to win.

She's short and heavy looking, like a battering ram. She has her legs spread and her knees bent. Her arms are spread open like she's going to bear hug me.

"Begin!" I hear Ike yell.

The crowd roars, demanding my defeat.

Dirty dogs. Agreed.

Lacy charges me, and I can tell she is in fact going to bear hug me. Or tackle me at the very least.

Easy enough.

Once she gets just close enough to me that she thinks her move has worked, I step to the side, making her stumble over my leg and fall forward. I snake behind her, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back as hard as I could. There's a loud cracking noise as her skull smashes into the ground, and I feel my blood running hot. I loved fighting. It was one of the few things I was actually good at.

The crowd is silent for a moment, watching Lacy lay motionless on the ground.

And then, much to my surprise, they erupt into roars of praise for me. I feel my brows lift in surprise. They hated me so much a few seconds ago.

Matt and another guard approach, picking Lacy up by the shoulders and feet and shuffling off with her. I look to the next girl, staring into her dull green eyes.

"Next." I say, moving back to stand in the middle.

"Next, is Gwen." I nod, watching the girl move to stand in front of me.

"Hey, I just wanna say, I don't really want the Luna spot." I tilt my head in confusion at her. "I don't even really think I can beat you. I just want to see how you fight face to face." She smiles sweetly at me, and I narrow my eyes at her. She's tall and skinny with an asymmetrical black bob. I remember seeing her fight in training before. She's very quick, and everyone says she has some secret ability that makes her very hard to beat.

"Begin!" One down. Onto the next.

Before I can even move, Gwen has leaped off the ground and is attempting to jump over me. I grab her ankle as tightly as I can and use all my strength to whip her around. I let go, sending her flying. I expect her to crash to the ground in defeat, but she rolls on the ground and lands on her feet and hands like a cat. She smiles again, showing her teeth. Wait a minute... are those...

She's running at me again, this time going for my legs. Instead of attempting to stop her or move out of the way, I plant myself even more firmly and prepare for impact.

I see an evil smile filled with blood lust stretch over her lips, and I'm once again shocked by the sight of her wolf canines glinting at me. How is it possible that she had those right now? Could she partially shift? That was an incredibly rare gift.

She crashes into me, causing me to slide back about a foot before I dig my heels in and stop her from pushing me any further. Without thinking, I bring my foot down on hers as hard as I can. She yelps in surprise and attempts to jump back, but I grab her by the throat before she can slip away from me again. She claws at my arm with her razor-sharp wolf claws as I pull my fist back. Panic is growing in her eyes. She doesn't look as cocky as she did before.