CLASH of REALMS

FIVE

“Hey, who the f**k do you think you are?”

Here we go again.

“Walk away boys. I’m not in the mood to break your noses or any part of your body.” Didn’t mean she couldn’t, though. Why were some people sore losers?

“Don’t you dare come back here tomorrow?”

“Or what?” She asked, slamming the door of her locker and spinning around to face them. They were a foot taller than her, muscled and mean-looking. To everyone else. To her, they were two losers who couldn’t handle losing to a woman. She was exhausted and wanted to go home to eat, soak in a bath to soothe her achy muscles, then sleep. Not start another fight.

The men closed in on her, each on either side, trying to intimidate her with their weight but Savannah only sighed. How many times did she have to do this? She kneed one in the crotch and punched the other in the gut “Don’t make me angry or you’ll end up in the ER”

“Sav! You promised not to fight outside of the ring” Ash chastised walking in. He was tall, lean, and had shoulder-length hair that was tied at the nape of his neck. He was also the only man that could hold his own in a fight with her. She loved and hated him for it.

“They started it. Keep them away from me or I will cripple them” Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she left. When she'd decided to do underground fighting, she knew men would try to scare her away. A woman didn’t belong in that kind of place. An ordinary woman that was. Because Savannah Romeril was no ordinary woman.

Growing up with a drunk, abusive father had taught her that only cowards went after women and children. One didn’t need to be brave to defend themselves from such people. She knew from experience that a person would only fight back once they’d had enough. Fear tended to hold someone back. It was the reason so many people stayed in abusive relationships instead of leaving. Because they were afraid of what would happen if they spoke up or defended themselves. But for Savannah, it was different. She hadn’t stayed out of fear.

From a young age, she’d known she was different. The scratches she got at the playground healed too quickly and she could smell things from a mile away. Her broken arm which was supposed to take three weeks to heal had been fine the next day. So at the age of twelve, she’d set out to find out what she was. After months of research and sleepless nights, she concluded that she was a werewolf living among humans. Obviously, the genes hadn’t come from her useless father which meant they were from her mother. A woman she’d never seen or heard of. Jack Romeril refused to mention her. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was bitter because she’d left him with a newborn and disappeared into thin air.

That knowledge had given her freedom. At the age of fifteen, she accidentally smashed a table into two. The supernatural strength was an indication that her other side was starting to awaken. Thinking she would soon shift into a werewolf, she’d left home and gone in search of her mother. In her head, young Savannah had thought the woman didn’t stay with them simply because she couldn’t. She made up excuses for her in her head. She’d been afraid of hurting them which was why she hadn’t stayed. Once she found out Savannah was about to shift, she would go back for her. The stupid werewolf books she’d read had misled her.

One step into that world had proven her wrong. She’d bumped into a couple of werewolves who’d called her names and then tried to rape her. Luckily, a passerby had helped her. The man then told her that she was a half-werewolf, half-human, commonly known as a hybrid. She had their advanced senses but would never be able to fully shift. Therefore it was best for her to go back to where she’d come from and forget about looking for her mother. Savannah had been angry, disappointed, and sad. She roamed the streets beating up anyone who looked at her the wrong way and stole from people just because she could. In less than six months, she was known as Sav the Psycho.

Ashby had found her during one of the fights and offered her a job. She was to clean the ring once the fights were over. In return, he would give her a place to stay and food. The only reason she’d stayed with him was because the fights fascinated her. She could see the fighters’ moves beforehand and relished the way the opponents’ bones cracked because they were too stupid to see it. Some had died in the ring but she hadn’t batted an eyelash. Humans were beneath her and werewolves above her. She didn’t belong to either race so why should she care about them?

Since her apartment was close to the club, she didn’t have to take the subway. On her way home, she went through the fridge in her head, trying to see if she needed something. If she wasn’t at the club, then she was at home. Sleeping, cleaning, watching TV, reading. Anything except going out. Partly because she didn’t have friends but partly because she hated socializing with people who were beneath her. Drunk people were a nuisance to her.

A few feet away from her she saw a suspicious-looking man following a woman who appeared to be hurt. She was practically easy prey for such cowards. Savannah's nostrils flared in anger. Those were the kind of people she didn’t mind killing. Hurrying towards him, she grabbed a chunk of his hair and jerked his head back.

“Are you seriously trying to steal from her? While she looks like that?” She asked pulling on his hair so that he was forced to follow whichever direction her hand went.

“You f*****g b***h!” He tried to ram his elbow in her stomach but she moved back. Shoving him to the side. He slipped and fell on his ass

“I hate cowards like you who prey on the weak”

“Go f**k yourself,” he said scrambling away because a crowd had begun forming. She knew for a fact he wouldn’t do anything because he was afraid of being cornered.

“Bastard. Come back when you grow a pair” Savannah yelled then turned to the woman “Are you new here? You should be wary of such people”

“Did you just call me weak?” The woman asked, her eyes blazing with anger “Being covered in bandages doesn’t make me weak”

“Are you kidding me? I just saved your ass. The least you could do is thank me. Not snap at me” ungrateful asshole. This was one of the reasons she didn’t bother with them.

“Thank you for what? Did I ask for help?”

“Yeah. Sorry, my bad” Savannah sneered sidestepping her. She’d only taken two steps when she heard a thump “Don’t look back. Keep going Sav. Keep moving... Damn it!” She took a peek over her shoulder only to see the woman who didn’t need help on the ground. She had just fainted “Not my busine...” It hit her then. Her scent. If she left her there, the people surrounding her would call an ambulance. Crap, someone was already dialing “DON’T!” she screamed going back “I know her. I’ll take her to the hospital” Before anyone could say anything, she threw her over her shoulder and left.

“For someone your size, you sure weigh a ton” Savannah grumbled all the way home. Inside her studio apartment, she dropped her on the bed like a sack of potatoes then collapsed beside her “Why the f**k did I even bother?” She better thank her when she woke up or Savannah would... What could she do to a full-blooded werewolf? She’d never fought one so she didn’t know who’d win that fight. That didn’t mean she’d submit easily.

Getting up, she headed towards the bathroom but tripped on something and landed face flat on the floor. Cursing, she took the bag, realizing it belonged to the woman “Even her belongings are f*****g ungrateful” Savannah murmured opening it. Only to gasp in shock. Who, in this day and age carried that much money around? No wonder that bastard was angry she’d ruined his plans.

“Put it down”

Savannah snapped her head up “You really don’t have any manners. Do you?”

“The last person who tried to rob me lost an arm. Now put it down before you lose a body part”

She remembered why she hated both humans and werewolves. While humans were stupid, werewolves thought they were above her. Well, maybe they were but they didn’t have to flaunt it. She knew they would never accept her and she’d made peace with that. Had even gone as far as to steer clear of them. Maybe that had been the problem. She should have made a name for herself so that they’d steer clear of her. It wasn’t too late for that. She could take this woman’s head off and send it back to her people so they’d know who she was.

“Seriously lady, is it that hard to say thank you? I literally saved your life back there. You know what would have happened if they took you to a hospital. Don’t you?”

“That is none of your business. Give me my bag back and tell me where I can find the nearest hotel”

“Are you ordering me around?”

She got out of bed and stopped in front of her. Her eyes glowed a golden color and every word she said compelled Savannah to obey. She tried to resist but her insides felt as if they were on fire. In the end, she did as she was told.

“Don’t ever challenge me hybrid. It won’t end well” she said then she was gone. A few minutes later, Savannah came out of the trance and jumped to her feet. Fear and anger making her body shake.

“What the f**k was that?” She wondered out loud. Could all werewolves do that? She hadn’t been able to do anything. It was as if the woman had gotten in her head and taken control of her. To the point where Savannah could only obey. If she’d wanted to, she would have killed her or ordered her to kill herself. Fuming, she ran a hand through her hair. How come she’d never read that anywhere? Only vampires could compel others. Since when did werewolves start compelling each other? Or was it because she was a hybrid? Could other wolves do that to her?

The idea of being helpless like that scared her more than she would ever admit. Who could she talk to about that? The only person she got along with was Ashby but he didn’t know what she was. Even if he did, what could he tell her? He was human. She had no family or friends to talk to. Suddenly she regretted not trying to make friends. Surely she wasn’t the only hybrid to ever exist. There had to be others. If she’d searched for them, maybe they could have been friends. Or just acquaintances who exchanged information with her.

“I’m an i***t,” she told herself heading to the bathroom. It was never too late to make friends.

A week later, she found the woman sitting outside her door. The first thing Savannah noticed was that she looked different. Healthier. Her soft, creamy skin glowed and there was color in her cheeks. Dressed in a black, blazer dress and a pair of strappy heels, she was far from the bandaged woman she’d carried home.

“What do you want?”

“A place to stay. I’m running out of money and I haven’t found my friends yet”

“No. I don’t want to ever see you again so please leave” Savannah replied realizing she was a little scared. What if she imposed her will on her again?

“Thank you for saving me and I’m sorry for using the command on you. I was a little angry”

“The command? What’s that?”

“You don’t seem to know much about us. Let me stay in your house and I will tell you everything you need to know. I’ll even teach you how to resist the command”

“I can resist it?” She asked then caught herself “No thanks”

“Okay. How about this? I can make it so that hybrids are allowed to live among us. You don’t have to be an outcast anymore”

Savannah snickered “Yeah right. And I can make pigs fly”

“I’m being serious. Help me now and I will return the favor later” Shifting the bag she was carrying to her left hand, she extended her right one “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ariadne De La Hayes. The werewolf Princess and soon-to-be queen”

“What?”

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