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I’m pleased to see that he’s just as out of breath as I am, and I’m contemplating how I’m going to take him down when something catches my eye to my left. Without thinking, I glance that way, seeing nothing, but it was the distraction he needed. Pouncing forward, he grabs me, holding me tightly against him, his clawed hand raised high above my face. With how sharp those claws are, they’ll slice straight through me, and if they don’t kill me, the injury will certainly take me out of the trials.
However, as I prepare myself to take the hit, he pauses. The crowd is screaming now, some urging him to do it, others telling him not to. His hand twitches, but it’s his eyes that I watch, his expression fascinating to me. His face twists as he stares down at me. Gone is the anger, replaced by grief. Who is he grieving?
“There’s more at stake here,” he whispers, shaking his head slightly. “I have to win.” He says it apologetically, but I think it’s more to himself than to me.
He’s a lone wolf. They want nothing to do with any of this, so why is he still in the trials? All of the others have already failed and left at their first opportunity, yet he’s still here. There has to be a reason, and his words stick in my mind.There’s more at stake here. I have to win. The council has something over him, I’m sure of it. It would also explain why he’s so angry.
“If you beat me, then I die,” I tell him honestly. He’s listening, so I might be able to change his mind. “They’ll kill me. However, I get the feeling you’re as deeply tied to these trials as I am.”
His expression flickers, his mouth tightening.
“I won’t beg you not to do it, but if you do, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Don’t let the council make that decision for you or turn you into something you don’t want to be.”
Something shifts in his face, my words having an effect on him. Suddenly, he releases me and takes a step back. He stares at me for a moment longer, like he’s seen a ghost. I don’t say anything else, I don’t need to, so I simply wait for him to make a decision.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he raises his hands and looks up into the crowd. “I concede. I am no longer able to fight.”
The arena fills with shouts, some joyful, others full of venom, calling the male opposite me such filthy names they make me blush. Tuning them out, I take a small step closer to the male with a confused frown. I know the guards will be out soon to take me back into that damn room, so I have to be quick with my questions.
“Why didn’t you do it?” I’m happy he decided not to, but he was clearly here for a purpose, and for some reason, he gave up on that. Did I think that he’d listen to me? Given how surprised I am to be standing here, I guess not. He owes me nothing, yet he helped me anyway.
My question pulls his attention back to me, but he won’t fully meet my eyes. After studying him for a moment, I realise the expression he’s trying to hide from me is shame.
“I don’t beat children,” he tells me gruffly, shrugging it off like it’s not a big deal. “Besides, you reminded me of someone. She wouldn’t have forgiven me if I hurt you.”
“I’m not a child,” I object quietly. I don’t know why I say this, I should just be grateful and shut up, but it feels important. Thinking over his words, I can’t help but wonder if the female I remind him of is the reason he’s here in the first place. “But thank you. If you need protection, my pack and friends will help you. We won’t let you face the council alone unless you want to.”
He seems to pause, looking me over fully now, his eyes landing on my face. Frowning, he shakes his head and gives me a wry smile.
“Compared to me, you are a child. Males my age are supposed to support you, not attack you for the pleasure of our overlords.” Hatred slips into his voice now, and his gaze focuses over my shoulder, warning me that someone’s approaching. “You’re too kind to offer me your help when I was just about to hurt you. In this world, there’s not enough people like you.” His eyes are intense on me. “Don’t lose that spark.”
I’m dragged away before I can say anything, my name ringing in my ears as I’m announced the winner of the match.
The next two matches go much the same, only even shorter than the one with the lone wolf. As soon as they see I’m their opponent, they nod their heads towards me in a sign of respect and then concede the battle. I don’t even have to move from my spot. At this point, the crowd is bedlam. They want a fight, and so far, there hasn’t been much of that happening in this arena. I’ve been working out the math of it, and I’ve already had more fights than I should have, and as I wait in the tiny room alone, I wonder who awaits me next. The council won’t allow me to get through this without fighting. Honestly, I’m surprised they have not put me up against Bates or someone else who’s practically baying for my blood.
When the guard comes into the room this time, I know by the sick smile on his face that this next fight is going to be different. Every instinct in me is telling me to run away, but even if I wanted to, I can’t do that.
The door to the arena slides open, and the guard shoves me out. When I see my opponent waiting for me, I know I was right. The council has brought out their trump card, and I’m not sure I’m going to survive this.
ChapterFifteen
As I study the behemoth in front of me, my stomach drops and my palms begin to sweat as a sense of dread sends chills through my body. A bead of sweat forms on the nape of my neck, rolling past my tight shoulders and down my spine. Staring at him causes a fear in me so deep that it takes everything in me not to turn around and run. How am I supposed to compete against someone likehim?
I remember seeing this giant at the celebration last night and thinking that I hadn’t remembered seeing him before. Well, I remember him now. Where the council dug him up from, I have no idea, but I can’t help thinking snidely that it’s a coincidence that we’ve been placed together to fight. Unlike the others, there’s no way this male is going to concede.
He’s huge, easily several feet taller than Joel, and his muscles are so large it’s grotesque, with his veins bulging from his skin. His neck is wider than his head and shoulders, and he’s so large he walks stiffly, like there’s a board strapped to his spine, impeding his movements. Letting my eyes travel down, I notice how he can’t rest his arms at his sides because his biceps are too big. A small, hysterical part of my mind wonders how he wipes his butt, as there’s no way he could reach with arms like that. A tiny, high-pitched laugh escapes me, and I slam my hand over my mouth to contain it.
The monster before me must hear it, though, and realise it’s at his expense, because he narrows his eyes, somehow making himself even more intimidating than he’d been before, which shouldn’t be possible for a man in a tank top and loose shorts. It could be the fact he’s completely bald, or the permanent look of menace and destruction that he seems to carry around with him. With a sneer, he crouches and places a hand on the ground before him, looking like someone about to sprint in a race.
It’s then I notice that his feet are bare. I don’t know why I find that so startling. Perhaps the fear of what’s to come has finally addled my brain.
“Contestants.” The loud, shrill voice of the announcer rings above us, startling me from my thoughts. “This is your final fight, and the winner of this battle will go through to the semi-finals.”
The last fight, I whisper in my mind, trying to convince myself that I can do this.I just have to survive this one last fight.So far, thanks to the acts of my previous contestants, I’ve had it pretty easy and have managed to retain most of my energy. However, against someone like that, I don’t know how it’s going to help me. I can’t just keep dodging his attacks. Eventually, I’m going to make a mistake, and he’s going to catch me. We’re not supposed to kill each other, only make it so our opponent isn’t able to fight any longer. However, accidents happen, and all it would take is for him to squeeze a little too hard in the right place and the council wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore.
No, I can’t think like that. If I go into this thinking that I’ve already lost, then I don’t have a chance. The goddess is on my side, and I have the support of my mates and family to get me through this. Not to mention Star. There were no rules about using our wolves, so I’m going to utilise the fact that we can both fight together, giving me an advantage.
He’ll be strong, but he’ll also be slow. Keep moving and don’t let him get a hold of you,I coach myself, thinking back to my training. I’m not completely unprepared here. Sure, the odds are stacked against me, but they are not impossible.
