The Alpha's Prey [Alpha-series (I)]

Chapter 29

As soon as the king set foot into the arena the stands fell silent. All eyes were on us as we headed for the pole that had been put up on the far-right side of the battlegrounds. It was another one of those outrageous additions supposed to make the spectacle “more fun”. Watching my mate fight a dozen warriors by himself while being unable to mentally ensure he was alright obviously wasn’t torturous enough. The icing on the cake was I had to do so while bound to a pole. Naïve as I was, I had laughed when Caleb had first told me about it, confident it could only be a joke.

Nope, he had been dead serious.

I winced as the king fastened the ropes that tied my wrists behind my back.

“It’s not too tight, isn’t it? We wouldn’t want them to come loose, do we?”

A malicious whisper in my ear.

I took a deep breath and answered with what hopefully looked like a friendly smile. At least I was rid of that psycho now.

The king left the arena and found his designated place on the stands before he started his speech.

“We have gathered here today to determine whether Alpha Caleb is worth of the she-wolf Gemma. As tradition dictates, he will prove his strength by fighting twelve honorable warriors each respectively chosen by their Alpha.”

Accompanied by the excited cheers of the crowd the twelve warriors entered the battlegrounds, dressed only in a pair of loose-fitting brown trousers, expressions serious. Why did they all have to look so freaking muscular and confident?

The men took a stand in a straight line in front of me, building a wall Caleb would have to penetrate to get to me.

“Alpha Caleb, do you accept the challenge to prove your worth in front of your pack and your gathered fellow Alphas?“, the king asked.

“I accept”, Caleb’s voice boomed as he entered the arena under loud shouts of encouragement. Contrary to his opponents he wore white trousers. As he found his place on the other side of the battlegrounds his gaze met mine, telling me all I needed to know while he went into full Alpha-mode, his orbs turning pitch black.

I am ready. I got this. Don’t worry.

Even with Lucy under lock, my skin tingled from the violence of my mate’s aura, proving that a werewolf didn’t need to shift to go all badass. As his dominating, brutally powerful energy washed over me my pulse slowed, the knot in my stomach not so hurtfully tight anymore.

I believe in you.

The tip of his lips curled, and I knew it wasn’t only his desire to fight. He had understood my silent message.

“Then let the fight begin!”

The king seated himself and the battle started.

While the twelve warriors slowly formed a circle around Caleb, he carefully eyed his opponents without moving an inch, trying to figure out what he was dealing with.

“Why Twelve?”, I muttered deep in thought.

“Twelve what?”