Imperial Moon [Complete]

Chapter Three - Colosseum

She didn't see what Tia had that she didn't.

Okay, her hair was silver, not particularly normal. But she pulled it off, her mother said so.

In contrast, she had thick black eyelashes that framed light grey eyes. The area around her pupils was tinted a warm apricot. Her father had always said her eyes looked like the sun shining on a stormy sea.

She closed her stormy eyes to the memory.

Giving her poker straight hair a final tug with a comb, Katja left the room.

The clothes that had been left for her were ridiculous.

Thick black tights with soft brown leather high-waisted shorts and a matching leather top that left most of her midriff on display, barely covering her chest.

There were no shoes. Katja didn't mind, but she couldn't fight in tights. She fought best barefoot. That would mean she would be wearing even less.

Throwing the tights on the bench in a heap, she pulled the shorts and top on. Her modesty would have to take a beating for now, better that than lose her life because she didn't want to show her legs.

She stalked out into the warm sunlight with a scowl on her face.

Tate's mouth dropped open when he saw her.

"Close your mouth, before you catch flies." Kat wasn't in the mood for him.

"So, you do have a scent." Tate exclaimed, closing his eyes and breathing her in.

When he opened his eyes again, they were cloudy. She could smell the lust on him.

"Come on, Tate, lead me to my demise."

That snapped him out of it. He pouted like a child as Katja grinned.

As they marched away from the house, she stole a look back at the window she'd seen him in earlier.

He wasn't there.

Must be at the murder party already, Kat thought.

If she wasn't the one fighting for her life, the pit would have been impressive to Kat. But she was, so it wasn't.

The pit was deeper than she could have imagined, seats carved into the earth, one seat higher than all others.

Wait, one seat? Where would Tia sit? Doesn't the Alpha's mate become the Luna? Kat was confused for a moment, before deciding she didn't care.

Tate led her down a path into the pit where she was lined up next to her competitors. She could see that some of them had refused the shower. The rogue that chased her into this territory had cleaned up quite nicely. She scowled at Katja from the end of the line.

Kat sized up her opponents. There were a couple of beefy males that might be an issue to her. If this was like the pits in the past though, they would all be thrown in together and the two huge males could kill each other before she had to worry about them.

The seats had filled up quickly, and a howl quietened the crowd. Katja looked up to see hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her expectantly.

Still, the Alpha had not arrived.

Tate hovered by the seat, clearly on edge.

They're awaiting his arrival, Kat realised.

The minutes seemed to stretch on forever as she waited. She took the time to tune herself into the others, they all had frantic hearts. One nil to me, Kat thought. They were scared. Kat had learned to welcome death when it came. The Moon had Her plan, if Katja was meant to die today then so be it, but she would do everything in her power not to.