But damn.
I get she was trying to advise, but why so blunt?
Also, why advise to go the solo path?
And then it clicked.
Of course.
It was because of what she was...a fox.
That may not be what was behind her sudden push for to give up, to walk a more solitary road, but...unlike wild beasts like wolves or lions, foxes weren’t known to be pack animals.
They didn’t thrive in groups.
They were solitary by nature—creatures that hunted, lived, and survived alone.
So to her, being surrounded by a horde of noisy goblins, having to watch try to shape them into sothing greater, felt wrong. Unnatural.
I let out a slow breath, my chest tightening with the realization, before finally eting her molten gaze.
"Thanks for the advice," I said evenly, "but I’m their leader. And I’ll continue to be their leader."
Even if I wasn’t perfect at it. Even if I sucked at it half the ti.
It was who I was now. And no fox, no matter how smug, was going to shake from that.
"You don’t understand," she said, her voice cool but edged with fire. "Our lives are linked now. That ans every decision you make is tied directly to . So I’m going to choose what is best for ."
My brow twitched. Best for her?
"What’s best for you?" I shot back, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "Shouldn’t that be—oh, I don’t know—’ what’s best for us?’"
She didn’t respond. Not even a twitch of an ear. Just silence.
Fine. If she wasn’t going to answer that, I’d push further.
"And what exactly is this decision that’s so perfect for you?"
I pressed, narrowing my gaze.
Her molten eyes t mine, unwavering. "Getting stronger. Fast. That’s the only goal worth pursuing. Not wasting ti catering to so many useless goblins."
I froze, teeth grinding.
Useless?
"They’re only going to hold us back," Ariel pressed, her tails flicking as she leaned forward. "Make the smart decision, goblin."
My brow twitched.
Now she was saying ’us’.
"There is no us, fox," I snapped, my voice low but firm. "And as for whether or not they’re useless, that’s for to decide...little fox."
"It’s Ariel," she corrected automatically, sharp and petulant.
I didn’t respond.
Didn’t even blink.
"This is the problem, goblin," she said, her voice tightening. "I do not want what you’re pushing. The idea of it disgusts ."
I narrowed my gaze:
"That is none of my business. I do not care what you want."
She paused for a couple of seconds, her ears twitching, then spoke again—this ti in a darker tone, low and edged with venom.
"Then we might have a problem on our hands...Goblin."
The underlying threat in her voice was impossible to miss.
And it freaking vexed .
My jaw tightened as I leaned forward, eting her molten gaze head-on.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" I growled, my glare hard enough to cut. Whatever she was thinking, whatever she was planning, I was ready to deal with it.
Her expression shifted, hardening, the smugness draining away until nothing remained but a cold, flat stare.
Then the air itself seed to shift. Heavy. Hostile.
My instincts scread at , telling to be cautious.
"Goblin," she said, her voice carrying the weight of command. "Get rid of your clan mbers. They’ll only hold you back."
I narrowed my eyes, a slow burn rising in my chest.
So that was it. That was what she really thought.
I hadn’t realized how dangerous her thoughts were until this mont, but now she was laying them bare. And honestly, it was a good thing.
Better to see her fangs now than later. Better to deal with this while the wound was fresh, before it grew into sothing worse.
"If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can help," she said flatly, as if offering to fetch water instead of suggesting sothing monstrous.
I froze.
Then slowly turned to her, my eyes widening as rage bubbled up from deep in my chest.
"Little fox," I said, my voice low and dangerous, "do you understand what you’re saying?"
"My na is Ariel," she snapped back, her aura flaring hot, pressing against the air like a rising fla.
But I didn’t flinch.
I leaned forward, my glare sharp enough to cut.
"You just revealed evil intent toward my clan mbers," I said, my voice hard as steel. "And I will not let that slide... little fox."
I stressed the words on purpose, twisting them like a knife.
At this point, I didn’t care about her pride, didn’t care about the matriarch fox.
Screw her mother.
No one—fox or otherwise—was going to threaten or my clan and walk away unchallenged.
"Goblin! I believe I told you my na is Ariel!"
She rose to her feet, blue flas sparking to life around her, hovering in the air like ghostly embers. Her three tails unfurled and swirled behind her, radiating power.
"You did," I answered calmly, my tone sharp as a blade. "But I do not care. Little fox."
That did it.
Blue fire surged outward in a violent wave, the room instantly sweltering. Heat pressed against every surface, making the air shimr. The stone walls groaned faintly as the temperature spiked.
But I remained exactly where I stood.
[Fractured Existence] flared to life instinctively, the distortion wrapping around like a second skin. The heat washed past as if I weren’t even there, brushing against harmlessly, the inferno reduced to nothing more than a warm breeze.
Her power roared. Mine simply ignored it.
And then—footsteps.
Zarah appeared at the entrance, her eyes narrowing the mont she saw the scene. She didn’t even need to ask to know sothing was wrong, but still her voice cut through the tension.
"Chief, what’s going on?"
Ariel’s head snapped toward her, molten gaze hardening.
I felt the intent rolling off her in that instant, sharp and lethal.
And imdiately, I knew...
User Comments
0 comments from readers