HUNTED

Chiara was ready; she psyched herself all evening since the attack in the bathroom. She did not recognise her sister and the acts she committed to become the next Gamma. It was only fitting that she finished what Lydia started. 

"As you have been challenged, Chiara, I will give you the choice. Human or wolf form?" Alpha Damon asked. His voice stayed strong though his eyes wavered slightly after assessing Chiara's condition quickly.

She could see the anger behind his eyes, but he was quick to compose himself. Though they rarely spoke to one another, she knew her Alpha was an honourable man who did not like the idea of a cheat. Especially a cheat that used wolfsbane to weaken their opponent; the drug was illegal except for the use on enemies.

He could easily banish Lydia for the act she pulled, but Chiara smugly smiled after he mind-linked her privately for her to 'have at her'. It made her more confident about taking her evil bitch of a sister down.

"Freestyle," Chiara announced clearly. 

There were gasps and murmurs once again from the crowd; freestyle was one of the most brutal and challenging forms of fighting. Both contenders could switch between human and wolf form at any stage. Chiara listened to some of the conversations. Most were shocked, and others worried about her sanity. She was, after all, injured, half-blind with wolfsbane in her system. But she wanted to show them that they would not get a weak Gamma; even while injured, she would show everyone, including her sister, how hard it is to beat Chiara Gattoni. 

A 'freestyle' fight would begin with them in their human forms- with a knife thrown into the arena. They could either shift or find the knife and use it on their opponent. 

Lydia giggled, "You're just making this easier for me, sis." 

Chiara did not answer her and instead walked to the opposite side. Alpha Damon stood, holding a butcher's knife in his hand, glancing between the girls, then threw it into the bonfire. The sisters sprinted forwards, both searching for the knife in the fire. 

Chiara found the knife, but instead of grabbing it, she felt her temper rise. She ran around the fire and jumped, kneeing Lydia straight in the face. The contact made a loud crunching sound, causing the crowd to simultaneously suck in a breath and say, "ooooh". 

Lydia swung a fist at Chiara, but she grabbed her knuckle and twisted it before striking at her arm. A snapping sound echoed through the woods, and everyone knew Chiara broke Lydia's arm. A swift kick to the belly and another one to her head, and Lydia flew to the ground. Chiara turned this time and reached for the burning knife in the bonfire, only to drop it as her hand throbbed in pain. 

Instead of using the knife herself, she wanted to make more of a fool out of her 'sister' and kicked the blade to Lydia's hunched over body on the ground. More murmurs in the crowd arose, making Chiara smirk. 

"I'm not going to beat a girl while she's down. Go on, pick up the knife. I'll give you a fighting chance." Chiara said mockingly. While her sister took some deep breaths and grabbed the knife, Chiara took her trainers off. She was done in her human form and didn't want to ruin her brand new trainers. 

Lydia ran straight for Chiara, the blade in one hand and lunged forwards that Chiara was quick to dodge. Lydia continuously tried swiping the knife at Chiara, but she was too agile and kept evading the blade. They kept blocking each other, then Chiara swept her leg under Lydia's knees, and she fell over. She grabbed Lydia by the shoulder and immediately screamed out in pain; the knife stabbed through her barefoot and stuck to the ground at a force.

Lydia stood back up and punched Chiara in the face multiple times until Chiara shifted on the spot, yelping as she did so, ripping her paw through the blade. Immediately, she snapped her jaws at Lydia, who also shifted and backed away. 

The black wolf approached the slightly smaller brown one that was her sister. They began circling each other widely as they assessed the other; Chiara made sure not to limp from her new injury and growled at Lydia. The crowd was roaring in the background, excited by the fight of the Gattoni sisters. But in these moments, time had slowed down as Chiara heard her heart hammer loudly in anticipation. 

Gia had stayed quiet in the background, watching what was happening the whole time, she was a prideful and vicious wolf, but she tended to observe and assess before making her move. That was one of the differences between a Gamma wolf and a normal werewolf; they were naturally tactful. Chiara and Gia were well bonded, and she knew her wolf was waiting for an opportune moment to resurface. 

"Release me, Chiara." Gia's voice was low and had a dangerous tone to it. Usually, her wolf was loud and passionate; hearing her calm voice even made Chiara shiver. 

"Okay."

Chiara's eyes shone amber, indicating that Gia had taken over, causing the pack to go wild and in an uproar. The black wolf immediately leapt forwards, making the first move, and the pair began tumbling and rolling, snapping their teeth at the other. On most occasions, even in her weakened state, Gia was on top of Lydia, ready to rip her throat out, but her sister was sneaky and kept going for her damaged arm or neck. 

After ten more minutes of Lydia receiving many bites and scratches from Gia, she managed to sink her teeth into her neck and rip into her newly healed scar. Both Gia and Chiara yelped in pain, leaving her open for Lydia to tackle. Before she went for the jugular, she decided to toy with her sister's despair and bit into her ear, ripping it off. 

Chiara cried out and saw red; just as Lydia went for her neck, she twisted her onto the ground and immediately snapped her teeth into her neck. She dragged her up and began shaking her head around. Her teeth sank in deeper, ready to snap her neck.

"Please!"

Gia didn't release her hold and growled further before letting Chiara take back the reins who kept her in her deadly grip. 

"Please what!?" She growled through the pack mind-link.

"Please, have mercy! Don't kill me! I'm your sister!" Lydia begged and cried into the pack mind-link.

Chiara dragged her sister's almost limp body forwards and looked at their Alpha.

"It is your choice, Gamma Chiara." Alpha Damon's voice boomed across the pack mind-link. The crowd was silent and waited in anticipation at what Gamma Chiara would do. 

"Remember this day! This is the day Lydia tried to take down her own sister and failed. On this day, she stooped so low as to burn my face in wolfsbane and claw at my neck before this fight. Lydia Gattoni does not deserve to be in a pack such as this! Because Lydia is not honourable…" Chiara mind-linked the pack before throwing her sister to the side and stepped over her again, her fur bristling, "Mercy would be me killing you, sister. And THAT you do not deserve."

"I hereby banish Lydia Gattoni from the Silver Crescent Pack. Leave immediately. If not, you will be killed on sight. This banishment also includes the Blood Moon Pack.. You will now live as a rogue," Alpha Damon commanded, his voice reverberated across the forest, his words a finality. 

Lydia looked at Chiara before mind-linking her privately, "You think this is the end?" She scoffed, "This is only the beginning. I will become more powerful than you, and when I do.. I will come back and destroy everything you ever loved."

With that, she turned around and immediately jogged off until her wolf's silhouette became one with the darkness. She didn't even say goodbye to their parents, making them both sad and ashamed to have such a daughter. They hugged Chiara in her wolf form before the ritual was continued for her to become the official Gamma after fighting her rivals. 

From that day onwards, Chiara was respected and feared in the pack. The Silver Crescent pack was known as the deadliest, but her fight against her sister caused rumours to spread far and wide across the packs, rendering the pack more feared. There were other instances that 'added fuel to the fire', but the fight between the Gattoni sisters was one always whispered about when a new arrogant wolf wanted to take on the first female Gamma.

..

"Lydia was a rogue for two years before returning to the pack bringing back two kids that some rogues took in a hostage situation. I am pretty certain she was the mastermind behind it and killed the rogues she was in league with." Chiara finished her story and looked back at Aila as the sounds of the coffee shop they sat in began to get louder once more, and she became more aware of her surroundings. 

"But, that's Lydia.. she earned some trust within the pack. Well, some younger members of the pack who are naïve and fell for her charms," Nairi added before taking a sip of her cappuccino. 

Chiara's face and tone were indifferent to such a memory as she told it. One look at Aila, and she could see the shock and disgust at what became of her sister. 

"So, if I were you. I'd always watch your back. Not that you need to, you have me," Chiara grinned mischievously. 

"That's messed up!" Aila blurted out; her eyes were wide as she looked at the Gamma, "I'm so sorry that happened to you!"

Chiara shrugged in nonchalance, "It is what it is." 

She finally took a sip from her cappuccino and grimaced at how the drink was now barely warm. When she looked back at Aila, she realised the girl hadn't looked away; she wasn't used to people openly staring at her for so long. Chiara would give them a death glare, and they would scamper off, too afraid to say anything. Nairi, Beta Kane and Alpha Damon were the exceptions. The only other person she would blush and felt beautiful under his gaze was her Xander. 

No, don't go there. 

Gia cried, and her eyes became watery at the thought of her mate. She took a deep breath in and calmed her racing heart. This was not the place to become emotional. She turned her head to look at Nairi, who began talking about Lydia, and how even being blood-related didn't stop Lydia from trying to gain power. It didn't matter if it was by killing her sister; power was everything to her.

After the minor distraction of her friend's voice, she then began to zone out; she didn't need to continue listening. After the night her sister tried to take her down, she found herself trusting people less and less and started getting a reputation as a stone-cold killer. She didn't care; whatever kept people from trying to stab her in the back and turning the knife while smiling to her face.

Chiara also became a very patient woman. Once she saw how calculative Lydia was, she started to think more like her and knew as soon as there were signs that Alpha Damon may have found his mate, she would try and take him and the crown. So, Chiara waited and decided to befriend Aila; she wasn't fake, far from it. Her acts so far were what she would do as a Gamma anyway, and she did like Aila, but now she was relying on the Luna to kill Lydia. 

Chiara glanced back at the stunning girl before her; her long white hair fell past her shoulders and nearly to her waist. No marks were blemishing her flawless skin; even her doe-like eyes were such a shade of blue that made Chiara's deep blue orbs feel bland in comparison. The girl didn't need makeup either; she was naturally beautiful, with her sharp features and pink, full lips. 

Chiara mentally slapped herself; she was meant to be assessing her physique, not how good looking the girl was. Aila was around 5ft8, she guessed as both Nairi and herself were taller than her, and her curvaceous body was already toned. Meaning Aila was physically active before being kidnapped and turning up to the pack as a newbie. That, she could work with. Her fighting still needed improving by a lot, but the girl had guts, and she was happy that her future Luna was her. Chiara couldn't imagine it being anyone else. 

She knew that Lydia was not about to let the 'newcomer' ruin her plans of being a Queen. Chiara did wonder if her becoming a rogue drove her delusional to the point where she believed that Alpha Damon, even without a mate, would ever go for her. The day she stooped as low as to half drown her sister in a bathtub of wolfsbane was the day she lost all respect from the pack, especially from the Alpha. 

Chiara sighed; she never bothered thinking too much about how her sister's brain worked. It normally caused her to get a frightful headache, and as a Gamma, she would never show weakness. Unfortunately, Lydia was precisely that, a weakness.

Lydia's time was running out, and Chiara couldn't wait to be finally rid of her.

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