10 Chapter 10: Bullseye
Her brows rose. “A bet?”
“I-I’m terribly sorry, Miss Lowett,” he stammered, bowing slightly. “On behalf of the
family… Miss Michelle’s behavior is completely unacceptable-”
Her face was flushed, not just from the near fall. She looked away quickly and pulled out of my grasp. “I had it.”
“Yeah.” I crossed my arms, trying not to smirk. “If I win, you come down, greet me properly
-no attitude, no insults, no throwing things. Just a normal introduction.”
I held up my hand, cutting him off. “It’s fine,” I said calmly. “Really. I’ve had worse things
thrown at me.”
The acorn hit one blade mid-air, sending it off to the side-but the other sank right into
the center of the bullseye.
I turned my back to the target, closed my eyes briefly to picture the distance, then
snapped my arm up and released.
I raised a brow. “You want to race me across the yard? Climb trees? Cartwheels?”
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I let her lead the first round, then slowly picked up my pace. By the time we hit our third lap, her breathing had gotten heavier. She tried to jump a low hedge, but her foot slipped.
Her eyes narrowed. “Name’s Jasmine,” I added. “Might want to remember it. I’m not that easy to scare off.”
“Alright,” I said, spinning one knife once before gripping it properly. “Let’s do this.”
Her ears turned red as she snatched the knife from me. “Whatever. That wasn’t a warrior
move. Where’d you learn that?”
The butler hesitated for a second, then quietly pulled three small throwing knives from a leather pouch by the tree and handed them to me like he was holding a tray of explosives.
I now had four knives with me.
That only made me more curious.
The butler chuckled. “Impressive. Very impressive.”
The butler looked like he might pass out. His eyes were wide as he turned to me.
She didn’t respond at first. Just dusted off her pants and kicked at the grass.
She let out a surprised yelp-but I was already there.
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10 Chapter 10: Bullseye.
I turned around and gave them a grin over my shoulder. “Dead serious.”
She scoffed, but I caught the hint of a smile. The air between us had changed. It felt
lighter.
Thunk!
She didn’t even blink. “All of it.”
The butler gasped. “Miss-!”
She hopped down from the tree, grumbling. “That wasn’t fair.”
She was just lonely. She was tired. Tired of being treated like an afterthought in her own
home.
No wonder she acted out. This girl wasn’t mean.
“Completely,” I said. “Unless… you’re scared you’ll lose?
“Last tutor.” She sounded annoyed now. “She didn’t care about teaching me. She just wore tight clothes and waited around hoping my dad would show up. They all do.”
I caught her by the waist just before she hit the ground.
His towering figure filled the doorway. Sharp suit. Strong jaw. Gray eyes that somehow
always seemed to see too much. He looked straight ahead until those silver eyes met
mine.
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Chapter 10: Bullseye
She let out a laugh. “And if I win?”
A tiny smirk touched her lips. “That’s kind of cool.”
After the knife-throwing challenge, Michelle wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
The butler stiffened beside me. “You’ll what?”
Michelle gave a dry laugh. “Okay, lucky shot.”
“I’ll hit that bullseye three times. With my back turned.”
Behind me, the butler let out a strangled sound. “Miss Jasmine, I don’t think that’s—”
“I know,” I said, bumping her shoulder playfully. “You’re lucky I’m your tutor.”
I shrugged and readied the next. Another spin. Another flick of the wrist.
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10 Chapter 10: Bullseye
I looked toward the big fluffy dog, now napping in the shade, then back at her.
I smiled and stepped forward, pointing toward the wooden target nailed to the far wall of the garden-it looked like someone had used it for throwing practice before.
We started with a simple sprint across the garden, then added some flips and vaults over the benches. Michelle was fast, her movements wild and sharp like a pup who’d taught herself everything. But I’d spent years training my body to do better than my peers.
“Of course,” I said with a grin. “I just felt like showing off my reflexes.”
I tilted my head. “Last what?”
Then just as I moved to throw again-I caught the quick whip of something flying through the air.
Her expression shifted and her gaze sharpened as she focused on me. I could see the flicker of interest there, behind all the bravado. “You’re serious?”
For a second, we were both still.
The blade hit the bullseye. Clean.
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10 Chapter 10: Bullseye
“That’s a little rude,” I said calmly. “You could have really hurt someone.”
Michelle crossed her arms. “Fine. Teach me.”
I grinned and flicked both remaining knives in one motion.
“I’ll leave.” I said simply. “You won’t have to deal with me ever again.”
“I get it,” I said gently. “I didn’t grow up with much attention either. I’m from a normal
family in Ashborne. My parents were always working to earn money, and it still wasn’t
enough. When I grew old enough, I also worked a bunch of jobs for my allowance.
Tutoring, carnival games… Even helped out at training camps.”
I gripped the handles and let the weight settle in my hands. My wolf stirred, alert and
focused.
I turned my eyes back up to the girl in the tree. Michelle hadn’t moved an inch. She didn’t
look scared. She looked proud of herself.
Michelle ran towards the front doors like her life depended on it.
“My sister used to help sometimes,” she added, kicking at a pebble. “But since she got
engaged, she barely talks to me. And Dad…” She paused. “He’s always working. I see
Milky more than I see him.”
Dead on.
“Not a great way to make friends,” I said. “But I’ll give you this-it was a good throw. Fast
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release. Solid aim.”
“What’s your challenge?”
She didn’t reply. Just leaned back against the tree trunk with her arms crossed, staring at me like she was trying to figure me out.
But I just smiled, twirling the blade lightly in my fingers. I looked up at Michelle, still sitting in that damn tree like a smug little queen.
Thunk! Clink!
Michelle stared, her mouth slightly open. “You threw two?”
Still, I didn’t show off. Much.
Thunk!
hoped her father would accept me. While I passed Michelle’s test, he was the one with
the final say.
The taunt worked entirely as expected. Michelle Laken bristled like an angry cat at the
insinuation that she was a coward.
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“Gymnastics,” she said, hands on her hips. “Let’s see if you can actually move or if that was just a show.”
That explained a lot.
The butler had already opened the door. My breath caught in my throat.
I hurriedly smoothed my hair and straightened my shirt, my heart thudding louder with each step I took after her.
“Sure did.” I turned to her and held up the knife that had been knocked away. “Technically, this one was yours.” I tossed it up once, caught it, and walked over to hand it to her.
An acorn. Cute.
I heard her shift slightly on the branch, the faint rustle of leaves. My senses sharpened.
Michelle leaned forward, clearly more interested now. “You’re serious?”
Gareth Laken.
“You threw the acorn,” I said, laughing. “You gave me the chance. So, thank you.”
“Hey,” I called out, stepping a little closer to the tree. “Wanna make a bet?”
Dead center again. The butler made a small noise of surprise. Michelle’s smirk faded slightly. “That was a fluke,” she muttered.
Her whole face lit up as she gasped, “Daddy’s home!”
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10 Chapter 10: Bullseye
I let out a soft laugh and tossed the knife up, catching it again with ease.
“I’m not talking to you,” I said gently, keeping my eyes on Michelle.
And just like that, I knew I’d passed the first test.
“Yup. Had to impress drunk wolves who thought they were better than me.”
“You’re better than the last one,” she muttered after a moment.
He blinked at me like he didn’t know if I was joking or insane.
“A carnival,” I said with a wink. “Part-time job, throwing for prizes.”
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“I don’t need to know your name,” she said, flipping her ponytail. “You won’t last till the
end of the week anyway.”
Michelle glanced at me, her expression softening just a little. “Carnival games?”
She blinked, surprised. I could tell she didn’t expect me to catch it. Her lips parted, but she
quickly covered it up with a scoff.
Then the doorbell rang. Michelle’s ears perked up.
I didn’t hesitate – my hand instinctively shot up and caught it in one clean motion.
I laughed, stretching my arms. “Alright, let’s go.”
11 Chapter 11: Mistaken Intentions
