Page 73 of Dark Bonds

Amanda and Chloe. Great.

Amanda’s new haircut makes her look sharper and more dangerous, and her smile is all teeth and no warmth, reminding me of a shark circling its prey. Her school uniform, a mockery of modesty in the biting January air, clings to her form like a second skin. Her bare legs defy the elements, her pale flesh pebbled with goosebumps, while her button-down shirt strains against her bra, creating a makeshift crop top that screams of desperation and misplaced confidence.

Beside her, Chloe stands like a living shadow, the evil doppelganger to Jessica Rabbit’s crimson allure. Her uniform, worn with deceptive propriety, only serves to accentuate the dangerous curves beneath. She is a study in contradictions—alluring yet repellent, beautiful yet terrifying. In her, I see the truth of nature’s most beguiling predators, such as a coral snake’s hypnotic patterns. These two are beautiful, sure, but in the way a Venus flytrap is beautiful. Get too close, and you’re lunch.

I grind my teeth, breathing through my nose as I focus on their cruel smiles. Malice practically swirls around them like an aura, and for all I know, it might be.

“Ah yes, the Kardashians of Shadow Locke,” I drawl, not even glancing at my scattered belongings. These two are the real danger here. “Pray tell, to what do I owe the pleasure of the wannabe Housewives of Shadow Locke?”

As I speak, I feel the shadows at my feet stirring, responding to the surge of anger and fear I’m trying to keep in check. This confrontation is about to get interesting, and probably not in a good way.

Amanda’s lips curl into a sneer. “Cute, Frankie, real cute, but we’re not here for your Dollar Store wit.”

“No?” I ask, slowly getting to my feet. My knees throb, but I ignore the pain. Show no weakness. “Then why don’t you enlighten me?”

Chloe steps forward, her eyes glittering with malice. “It’s simple, really. We’re here to give you a friendly warning.”

I can’t help but snort. “Friendly? From you two? That’s rich.”

Chloe continues as if I hadn’t spoken. “You see, we couldn’t help but notice how cozy you’ve been getting with Leo and Matteo lately.”

A chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the January air, and Blackwood’s words from class echo in mymind.Some ambitious females have been known to eliminate rivals for the powerful males they’ve chosen, not for their own position.

I force a casual shrug. “They are my friends. What’s it to you?”

Amanda laughs, the sound sharp and cruel. “Friends? Oh, honey. You really don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?” I snap, my patience wearing thin.

Chloe’s voice drops to a near whisper. “They are mine, Frankie. Leo and Matteo? They belong in my pack, and I won’t let some half-rate shadow shifter with delusions of grandeur get in my way.”

I feel my shadows responding to the anger bubbling up inside me. “I hate to break it to you, Chloe, but people aren’t possessions. Leo and Matteo can make their own choices.”

“Can they?” Amanda asks, her tone feigned innocence. “Or are they just drawn to the shiny new toy? The girl with the mysterious past and the... unusual abilities?”

My blood runs cold.

Chloe steps closer, her voice low and dangerous. “Listen carefully, Frankie. I don’t care about your little crush on Bishop, or whatever’s going on with you and that freak Dorian, but Leo and Matteo are off-limits.”

I stand my ground, even as every instinct screams at me to run. “Or what?”

“Or we’ll show you exactly why female pack leaders are the most feared in our world,” Amanda hisses.

I remember Blackwood’s words.Female pack leaders face unique challenges. You must be stronger, faster, and more cunning than your male counterparts. The price of failure is not just defeat, but often death.

The weight of those words settles on me like a shroud. Is this what my life will always be now? A constant battle for survival, where even friendships are seen as threats?

For a moment, I consider backing down. It would be easier, but then I think of everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve survived. I’ve faced worse than these two wannabe queen bees.

“Here’s the thing,” I say, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. “I don’t want a pack, and I don’t want to lead anyone, but if you think you can push me around like some shadow puppet, you’ve got another thing coming. I won’t let you threaten me or try to control who I’m friends with. That’s not how this works.”

Chloe’s eyes narrow. “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just about friendship. It’s about power, about building the strongest pack possible, and I won’t let you interfere with that.”

“I’m not interfering with anything,” I insist, my voice low but steady, like the calm before a storm, “and I won’t be bullied into submission. I’ve faced worse than you two.”

Amanda laughs, the sound echoing across the now empty quad. When did everyone else leave? “Oh, Frankie. You have no idea what you’re up against.”

As if on cue, the shadows around us begin to writhe and twist, responding to Chloe’s and Amanda’s power. I feel my own shadows stirring in response, ready for a fight I’m not sure I can win.

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