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Prologue: Forbidden Fruit
The strike of a blade left me gasping for breath. Rushing pain flooded through me and spread, like a prick of a thorn that carried thick poison and aimed to leave its mark throughout my entire body.
My eyes were wide with shock, while I slowly took in the realization that I'd been struck with a weapon that was invisible to my sight until now.
As I took in the black hilt of the weapon, I absorbed the details of the hand gripping it for dear life - the thick lines of tatted marks that gave away one clue of who this perpetrator was. My lingering gaze was followed with my eyes shutting close as the blade exited my body and ignited the outward flow of the dark red liquid that kept me alive.
I should have submitted, but that was a quality I'd never been one to give in to. Yet again, my body revolted at the idea that this was the end for me as my fist moved swiftly until it punched my opponent in the nose. The crack gave me a sense of satisfaction as I lifted my leg to deliver another blow to his stomach.
The man went flying, a grunt escaping him as he crashed into the ground and skidded further back. As I lowered my leg and widened my stance, I was left a flinching mess as I immediately clenched the wound in my stomach, fighting for breath. It was as though my lungs were suddenly filling with liquid.
My body shook with adrenaline and the response of approaching death, but I ignored it as my fixed gaze settled on the man who fought to rise to his feet.
He looked at me in shock, as if he never expected that a woman as frail-looking as I could survive this long against him. He was a mass of muscle, and he reached a height of 6’0”. He was much larger than me, with my height of 5’5” and my slim frame. But that was always the first mistake of every opponent I’d faced.
The only difference here and now was that we weren't in the fighting ring.
The man readied himself to strike again, but his nostrils flared as he suddenly took an extra second to sniff the air. His eyes widened like he'd seen a ghost, and he let out a mix of curse words as he looked around, trying to find a way out.
I watched his frantic change of behavior while fighting the urge to fall back in defeat. However, I would never allow myself to do that in front of a man who played dirty. Whoever this person was, he thought killing me would somehow leave a hollow wound in the heart of that fucker I called Father.
The mere thought threatened to make me laugh at the idea of that man even shedding a tear for me. If it wasn't for my hidden talents and connections, I'd become just like my mom.
A useless waste of space that deserved to be chained and left in the dungeon for one thing only: to make babies.
She wasn't even good at that, and I was the one miracle baby he got.
If only he could see me now: his frail human daughter fighting against the big, bad wolf who thought he was doing all of NYC a favor.
No matter my insignificance, I knew one thing was for sure. If I perished tonight, all bets would be off and all of NYC would feel the wrath of the De Lucas.
I expected the man to run, but what he did was completely unexpected and left me attempting to run while I mentally cursed myself for not paying attention thanks to my damn imagination.
The loud sound of a gunshot roared through the forest, and my scream left my throat before I could stop it. That high, shrilling sound preceded the shot of pain that forced my body to crumble as I began to fall backward.
I hit the ground with a thump, but my eyes were wide open as they stared up at the starry sky. How could such a sight be so calm and peaceful when it could see me begin to struggle against the fight towards living?
My gasps were quick and breathy, while my eyes fought to stay open as they looked from side to side, as if more enemies were ready to pounce on me at any minute. I heard the rushing footsteps coming towards me, and I braced myself before I gathered my strength to combat the next attack.
I may have been wounded by a blade and a bullet, but put me in a close-combat moment and I'd prevail without question.
As if the very ground had heard my silent declaration, my opponent arrived on the scene, ready to stab me one more time with the blade that still dripped with my blood. My lips somehow managed to curl up in a smile as I lifted my hands up to stop him from his swift attack.
That shocked him as he sucked in a heap of air, but this was my golden moment to show him what a true sport I was being in letting him damage me to this extent. My fists moved quickly - almost blindingly - as I disabled the hand that held the blade and managed to get it into my possession.
The next thing either of us knew, I was stabbing him in the eye. His scream of agony was followed with a grunt as I kicked him with enough force to send him back. I couldn't roll over, but I quickly shot up and with a twirl of the very blade between my fingers, I sent it flying straight into his other eye.
It hit its mark marvellously, leaving my enemy hollering in pain as he clenched his face around the hilt of the blade. I bet he was debating on whether to pull it out or deal with the agony for the sake of saving time.
He rose up in a rush and quickly pulled out yet another gun. The safety flicked off before he readied himself to pull the trigger. All I could do was brace myself for the round of bullets that would get rid of me but at least I'd die with honor instead of as a woman who was filled with bullets and didn't lay a bit of damage on her killer.
The last sight he’d see was the sin he committed, the lingering image of my dead body and the crime he’d face consequences for committing.
A shadow suddenly blurred above me, catching my attention for a nanosecond before its gigantic body crashed into the man a few feet away from me. The man's mangled screams were only the beginning of the torture as the chorus of ripped limbs, crushed bones, and high-pitched echoes led to a gurgle. I was left in more shock than I had been when the blade and bullet injured me.
All it took was ten seconds for the deed to be done and my opponent’s remains to be scattered everywhere. The shadow turned to face me, and the full moon that took the opportunity to reveal itself from the passing cloud shone a ray of light upon the shadowy beast.
I took in the large wolf with white fur, the soft-looking coat cloaked with blood stains and dirt that must have splattered on him from the intense run through this crisp night.
