"The Laws of the Jungle"

The bitchy girls giggled and pushed each other. My senses were heightened, drawing in their scent. Dark eyes found mine as the leader of this feline pack turned her head toward me, a flash of her animal in her eyes as she held human form...Jaguar fast, strong, a good climber. And the other one by her side, gold shone in her eyes, thick, powerful thighs, strong jaw...Lioness. I'd need to watch out for that one.

But it was the cautious glance of the last girl which sent my senses on fire. Long and lean, she was built for running. She was built for the chase, and when she looked at me with her animal eyes, a light smattering of black spots akin to a cat's fur surrounded the corners of her eyes. Cheetah.

Her muscles were soft and relaxed, everything about her was calm, like she could be taking a stroll on a lazy Sunday evening. She looked almost bored. But deep inside, my senses were firing. Careful

now.

I dropped my hand from my mouth as the boys eased back on their haunches, a deep snarl echoing from the alpha- Judas. But as I watched him, he turned into someone else, someone with a cheeky smile and gorgeous brown hair.

And I was thrust into Beverly Hills 90210 once more. Only this was no re-run. This was real, it was happening. 

I cut Ava a glance and saw her visibly shaken. Her skin grew pale, she looked like she might lose her lunch. You best not stand too close.

I took a slow slide away from her and caught the rise of Ms. Lucas's hand. "Good luck, students...may the best hunter win.

And with the drop of her hand, a howl tore through Judas, and the rest of the pack followed.

But the girls were already gone, each one tearing off into different directions, leaving the boys behind, eating their dust.

"Come on." I turned and grabbed Ava. "You're hunting with me."

"But...but I don't..." she spluttered.

I wrenched her close, lips curling to expose my fangs.

"Today you do." And we lunged in the direction of the cheetah. My breaths came hard and fast, not for survival but for the scent. I dragged in the air, catching the faint scent of flesh and fur...and something else. Blood.

A deep rumble filled my ears. I turned, catching the panicked gaze of Ava as she just looked at me.

"What the fuck," she murmured.

But I wasn't listening, not to her anyway. I was listening to that screaming inside my head.

That hidden voice l'd ignored my entire life. I couldn't ignore it now.

I raced after that heady feline scent and caught a dark blur plunge through the trees at my right. The wolves were hunting, but they may as well have been a herd of elephants, crashing and laughing. This was funny for them... but not for the girls.

To them, this was competition.

Ava stumbled and fell, slipping on sodden leaves before I caught her fall. There was a flash of brown, fast, darting through the trees, and the scent of something dangerous followed. Something ancient...

"I can't do this." Ava tore her sweater from my arm. "I said I can't do this!"

Darkness came for me, in a flash of white teeth and black hair. I shoved Ava, using everything I had, and turned as the Jaguar hit me hard.

I took the brunt, flying backwards through the air before that hunger inside me took control, catching the fall before I landed on my feet. Hair flew into my eyes, blurring the feline. I brushed hair from my head.

"Watch it, bitch," she snarled tossing her long hair over her shoulders.

There was an edge of rage in her eyes. She didn't want me here, didn't want me anywhere near her precious class or her boyfriend.

And with a cruel smirk, she turned.

"What the hell was that?" Ava gasped and shoved from the ground, flicking away stuck leaves against her ass. "You just don't get it, do you?" I turned to her. "Get what?"

"I can't do this." She threw her hands into the air. "I'm not made for any of this...l'm not made for anything!"

Hysteria crowded her tone. I shook my head as she gave a brutal groan and turned and walked away. "I thought you might be different. Thought you might be...Oh hell, I dunno what I was thinking."

And she just left.

Left me alone in the damn woods and confusion.

A flash of brown cut to my left, low against the ground, and it was that ancient power that called to me. I knew danger when I sensed it. Knew it in the cutting glance of my parents. I knew in the ancients, the most powerful of all of us. And it was this I narrowed in on. I shoved forward, leaving Ava behind.

The flash of brown jumped and panicked. I could hear the tiny erratic beat of the hare's heart.

A flash of white against its fur 4. It was number 4. But that was the one I wanted.

A sudden snarl came from my left. The Lioness was a locomotive, head down, golden eyes blazing as her yellow hair streamed out behind her.

But it wasn't the hare she was charging at...

It was me.

I leapt as she reached out, swiping the air with savage claws.

"You're gonna wish you never came here," she growled.

She had strong, thundering steps, punching the ground, but she wasn't agile. I lunged out of her grasp, turning on a dime to scan the trees. "What the fuck do you want from me?"

"Leave Bestias." She slowed, heaving, rasping breaths filled the air. "And never come back."

Anger burned inside me. I sucked in a breath, moving as she moved, trying to flank my side. "Not going to happen," l answered. "You just made yourself an enemy."

She smiled, and that sight made my stomach clench.

She may have made herself an enemy.

But l'd just made three.

She straightened and then turned. "One way or another, we always get what we want."

I shook my head and watched her. Hell, I watched everything now. The snap of a twig made me jump. I scanned the trees and then searched for the number 4 hare.

He was gone...just like the one goddamn chance I had at having a normal life.

I'd left behind a life of backstabbing bitches for a pack of front stabbing bitches.

"Well shit."

I turned and made for the thick corpse of trees that ran along an embankment and caught the snap of a twig behind me.

Something made me clench my fist and turn. They wanted me weak, wanted me scrambling. I shook my head.

That wasn't me, not the real me. Not the one deep inside. I shoved forward, searching for that blur of movement.

There...

I whipped my gaze toward the movement and shook my head.

If I had sleeves, l'd roll them up... and right now I really wanted goddamn sleeves. I charged forward, keeping my steps light. |left nothing behind. Not a scent. Not a sound. Adrenaline roared through my veins. My jaw ached; fangs desperate for release. If this was what it meant to be a hunter like my father, then maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

In this moment I was the apex fucking predator.

I lowered my head, focusing on that movement as it came around the towering brush, and with one sudden shove, I lunged through the air and hit the blur from the side.

We went down in a tumble, arms and legs flying everywhere.

The lunge might've been a ten, but the fall was definitely a one.

There was a rush of warmth breath and an oof underneath me. An elbow jabbed in my side. Something clonked me on the head. "Ow...oww!" I roared as we came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the embankment.

I lifted my head, catching the silver shine against deep brown eyes and then perfect crimson lips.

"You?" he snarled, grabbing my waist. There was a flash of hatred, the same one I saw before when we slammed into each other.

"Y-you!" I stuttered.

And in my head, all I could hear was my father's rage. All the centuries hating them...fighting them. "You just stay away from me.

His eyes widened; there was a flinch of surprise. "Wait," he muttered and shook his head.

"Yesterday you... You took me by surprise. I didn't mean..."

I shook my head at the sudden turn around.

Didn't he know?