“Are you going to stop me?” I stood and looked at Thinius. “Or are you?” I tilted my head. “I will tell you right now that you won’t win.” My smile grew bigger. “But please, try.”
Thinius stepped closer to me. “You shut this table down now, or I will make you.”
I turned back to the crowd and noticed a few were staring at us, and I gave them a tired smile. I turned and raised my voice. “These three here are trying to stop you from applying to become the queen. They want me to close down my table here because I work around the council’s system of rejection and give your applications straight to the king for him to go over and decide for himself.” A gasp went through the crowd and some pulled out their phones. “The king himself has stated any applications that go to the council fall under their purview and will be held to their strict standards that they get to decide, but any applications that go to the king will fall under his own standards and he will make the final call.” I looked at the three behind me. “These three want to make it impossible for any of us to even be considered as the queen.” I walked to the table and held out my hand. I waited for a tablet to be up into my hand and I flashed Nina a huge smile with my fangs covered in my blood.
“Don’t” She tried to raise her hand, but it was still healing.
“Oh, Nina. You stupid fool. You see, I wasn’t going to apply. I had no inkling to assume I would ever even make it into any running to be queen. I’m rash, angry, hurt, and all I have is my mother. I have nearly zero backing and sure I have power, and I’m sure there are other girls that would make a better queen, but you forced my hand.” I clicked through the application, filling it out as I went.
“Stop her.” Nina tried. But I just laughed.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find a worried Brandon there. “Don’t.” I lifted a brow, and he tried to smile. “I mean, do whatever you want, but I thought maybe we could…”
He trailed off, and I softened my eyes. “Just because I apply doesn’t mean I’ll get chosen. I’m doing this to make a point, not to become queen.”
“Make a point, you’re lying.” Nadine screamed, and I felt my face shift a little. Brandon watched me for a second and then dropped his hand.
“I trust you, Amy.” I closed my eyes as I stared at my mate. The man that was my everything in my last life. Those four words would have saved everything, changed everything. We could have had a family, our pup, we could have grown old together. But he said them too late. And if I was honest. I didn’t think he even meant them now.
I smiled at him. “Thank you.” I turned back to the trio. “I hope when the king sees my application, and these videos, he understands why I did this.” Then I lifted my finger and hit send.
“No!” Nina tried to stop me, but she fell short.
I handed back the tablet to the next woman. “Go ahead. Everyone here deserves the chance.” She smiled as she took the tablet.
“Thank you.” She filled out the form but then froze as Thinius threw out his aura. It rushed out like a thick blanket of power, and I watched as everyone dropped to their knees. Even Toya was trembling, holding on by a thread.
I turned around, and I felt the room shift. Thinius was staring at me with sweat beaded on his brow. His eyes were shifted to his wolf, a dark chocolate brown, average for a wolf. Just like him. I walked closer and his eyes widened. “Oh Thinius, you have to try harder than that.” The smile that broke across my lips was pure Nix, full of her hatred of power, abuse and killing intent.
“How is this possible?” His words were a bare whisper as he stared at me, slowly walking towards him.
I laughed, what else could I do, when a man stood in front of me sure of his strength and he was realizing it wasn’t doinganything? He pushed more, the strain evident on his face, but it barely moved me. Sure he was strong for other wolves. But not me.
He didn’t even come close to the king’s strength and even Rowan couldn’t put me on my knees.
Not with his power, anyway.Nix’s voice was amused, and she pushed a thought into my mind. I was on my knees in front of Rowan and his hand was in my hair. I pushed the thought away.
Not now.I admonished her, but I felt the heat crawling up my neck as she laughed.
A pained moan snapped me back to what was going on. I could feel that Thinius was pushing himself to his limit, but it started to hurt everyone else. I turned to find everyone, including Toya, pressed to the ground. I felt my eyes narrow as I turned back to see Nina staggering to her feet, and Nadine smirking.
“Are you done?” I tilted my head.
“What?” Thinius growled out, but Nina froze.
“I asked if you were done?”
“Uncle?” Nadine’s face fell as she looked around the room.
“Yes? This is all of your power, right?” I took another step as another pained mewl went out.
“This isn’t possible.” Thinius panted.
“I guess it’s my turn, then.” I took one more step, putting myself in front of everyone on the floor, closer to the trio, and released the clenched fist around all of my power, and my aura slammed out. The three dropped to the ground instantly. Their faces pressed directly into the marble floors as everyone behind me slowly got to their feet. My aura blocked out Thinius’s, and everyone was finally able to move, and the pain they were feeling was gone. I heard a groan, and I looked back to find Brandon getting to his feet, a bruise on his cheek, and I winced. “You look like you hit the ground pretty hard.”
He nodded and rolled his neck. “Yeah, he was pressing pretty hard.”
I just nodded and turned back to the trio. Then I had an idea. I stepped next to Thinius and dropped into a crouch. “You like pushing your limits right, Thinius.” I looked to the two girls just behind him. “Do you know I’ve never actually pushed my limits?” I cracked my knuckles on my hands. “I think I’m going to give it a shot.” I pulled my power out instead of letting it flow, and I focused my aura on the trio at my feet.
