Chapter 174: Princess Fights Yuki
Third person
Yuki was slammed to the ground at full speed deep in the woods. The air left her lungs in a sharp wheeze as her body carved a furrow through the dirt and dead leaves. She couldn’t even see who had hit her until her back finally slammed against the solid earth. When she blinked her eyes open, she was staring into a pair of furious, glowing blue eyes that burned like twin stars in the shadows of the trees.
Princess.
Without giving Yuki a single moment to catch her breath or find her footing, Princess lunged. She grabbed Yuki by the front of her shirt and dragged her across the rough ground, ignoring the rocks and roots that scraped against them. With a snarl, she lifted Yuki and slammed her hard into the trunk of the nearest tree. The wood groaned under the impact, and Yuki’s head snapped back against the bark with a sickening thud.
Princess pulled back her fist, the muscles in her arm bunching as she prepared to hit Yuki’s head straight through the tree. But Yuki was fast. She managed to find a burst of energy and dashed away just as the fist connected, shattering the bark where her skull had been a second before. Even after that brutal hit, Yuki scrambled back onto her feet. She was gasping for air, her chest heaving, but she wasn’t down yet.
Princess didn’t wait. She turned on a dime and sped toward her again, a blur of motion. This time, Yuki was ready. She braced herself and landed a hard, heavy punch right to Princess’s face. The sound of the impact was loud in the quiet woods, but Princess barely flinched.
Yuki’s eyes began to glow a deep, toxic purple as she swung again, putting every bit of her weight into a second punch. As she tried to throw a third strike, Princess’s hand shot out like a snake. She caught Yuki’s arm in mid air. Without a second of hesitation, Princess twisted the limb with a brutal snap, dislocating Yuki’s shoulder joint. Yuki let out a sharp cry of pain, but it was cut short as Princess followed it up with a heavy kick straight to the center of her chest.
The kick sent Yuki flying backward. Princess dashed forward again, refusing to give Yuki any chance to recover or even think. She grabbed Yuki’s face, her fingers digging into the skin, and began to punch her with full, terrifying force. Again and again and again. Each blow landed with a dull thud, breaking skin and bruising bone until Princess finally let go.
When she was done, Yuki slumped to the ground. She was barely conscious, her face a mess of blood and swelling, though she was still somehow able to move her fingers in the dirt.
Princess stood over her, the blue glow of her eyes boring into Yuki’s soul as she bent down low.
"No matter how vengeful you think you are, no one messes with my family. No one," Princess said, her voice a low, dangerous growl. "I told you I was going to kill you, and I meant it."
Princess extended her claws, the sharp points glinting as she drove them toward Yuki’s chest, aiming straight for the heart.
"Do it. Go ahead and rip my heart out," Yuki said, her voice a wet, ragged whisper. She stared up at Princess with a look of pure defiance. "But do it, and you’ll never see your pups breathe into this world."
Princess’s eyes twitched. The claws stopped just inches from Yuki’s skin. She hesitated, her breathing coming in hot, angry puffs.
"I had a witch link my life to your precious little pups," Yuki said, a bubble of blood popping on her lips. "The moment my heart stops beating, so do theirs. We’re connected now."
"You’re lying," Princess growled, but the confidence in her voice was wavering.
"Do it and see for yourself. I have nothing left to lose anyway," Yuki said. Her bloody teeth formed a jagged smile. Even in the middle of all that pain, a dry, raspy laugh escaped her throat.
Princess stared at her, her jaw tight. She was unwilling to gamble with the lives of her unborn pups, even for the satisfaction of revenge. Slowly, very slowly, she pulled her claws back and retracted them.
Yuki laughed louder then, the sound mocking and shrill in the clearing. She knew she had won this round.
Annoyed and absolutely furious, Princess didn’t say another word. She stepped forward and brought her foot down hard, snapping Yuki’s neck with one clean motion just to silence the sound of her laughter.
Princess left her there in the woods.
When Princess finally returned to the roadside, the scene was chaotic. Beam was kneeling in the dirt, tending to her brother, Peamah. He was conscious now, though he looked pale and battered. Princess’s eyes scanned the area frantically, jumping from person to person until they finally landed on the one she was looking for.
Faye was kneeling beside Sasha. She was holding her wrist over Sasha’s mouth, giving her blood to help her heal from the stake wound.
A wide, relieved smile spread across Princess’s face. The weight that had been crushing her chest for weeks finally lifted.
Faye looked up and saw her standing there. She smiled back, a tired, beautiful smile. She tried to stand up to reach Princess, but her legs were too weak and she stumbled.
Before she could hit the pavement, Princess dashed forward and caught her.
Faye held onto Princess tightly, burying her face in her shoulder as Princess lifted her up into her arms. Princess held her close, feeling the steady beat of Faye’s heart against her own.
"Hey, Omega..." Princess said. Her eyes were teary, but she was smiling. Seeing Faye safe and alive washed away all the fear and the pain she had endured.
But before she could say anything else, Faye’s eyes drifted shut and she fainted right there in her arms.
Faye’s POV
I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I heard was the loud, rhythmic beeping of a monitor. It was a sterile, sharp sound that told me right away I wasn’t in that fucked up mansion anymore.
I was in a hospital.
The room was dim, but the first thing I saw was Princess. She was sitting in a chair right beside me, fast asleep with her head resting on the edge of my bed. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
I reached out weakly, my arm feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. I brushed my fingers through her hair, needing to feel the texture of it. I needed to be sure this wasn’t just another dream my mind had cooked up while I was still in that living room. My girl was actually here. I was safe. Home was sitting right beside me.
But I was still too weak to stay awake. My eyelids felt heavy, and I slipped back into unconsciousness before I could even whisper her name.
Every time I opened my eyes after that, Princess was there. She was always there. Sometimes she was checking on my IV, other times she was talking in low, hushed tones to the doctor at the foot of the bed.
I could only hear fragments of what they were saying through the fog in my head.
The doctor said I needed more rest. He mentioned that I had lost a dangerous amount of blood and that my blood type was rare, making the recovery slower than they wanted.
I wanted to tell them I was fine, but my eyes would close again before I could even move my lips to respond.
I don’t know how many days went on like that, blurring together in a mix of white lights and beeping sounds. But every single time I managed to wake up, Princess was right there in that same chair, holding my hand or watching me breathe.
Until one time. I opened my eyes, the room felt colder than usual, and for the first time since I arrived, she wasn’t there.
