Sorry for the wait!
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This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors. Enjoy!
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Suzzanah's POV
The minute I walked onto the ground, the loud rambunctious crowd quietened down to complete silence so fast, it was like someone had muted a show on television.
With every step I took I could feel it vividly, every gaze in the Grounds directed my way, boring into me like a million and one X-ray beams. I could feel myself being scrutinized through and through- be it my attitude, my attire, my gait, my shoes, my physique, my hair, my every single molecule.
And I...was okay. I was still okay.
As I walked towards the field, Rino and Mr. Talon took their leave, going to sit in the stands beside General Reginald. And even though I distinctly felt like a lone warrior marching into battle against an enormous army, I somehow managed to keep a straight face. I somehow managed to maintain composure.
Even though the silence soon turned deafening, and the attention soon turned suffocating, I tried not to let it bother me. I tried not to let it show.
And I managed.
I didn't know how and I didn't know why, but somehow this morning, I woke up feeling different. It wasn't like I had transformed into a whole new person or anything like that, no. It was more like I had finally grown into something that had always been right there.
And it felt right.
Tipping my head up slightly, I looked straight towards the podium and it took me less than half a second to locate the prominent frame of my mate. When my eyes met his, he was already looking at me and the first thing I noticed was how dark his eyes appeared even in broad daylight.
A wave of electricity raged down my back as I watched his now obsidian eyes trail down me languidly, drinking in every inch of my appearance as though he were memorizing it. Heat rose to my cheeks and I swallowed involuntarily when I noticed his gaze linger for much longer on my legs, my hips and breasts.
I was well aware that my appearance today was very different from how I usually dressed. Roma had helped me pick out an outfit which she thought would be fit for today.
I was dressed in a low-neck green full-sleeved T-shirt which fit my frame to perfection. A brown crop vest hugged my chest tightly, accentuating my cleavage.
Underneath those, I wore dark brown jeans and knee-high brown leather boots. My waist was encircled by a brown belt with golden buttons which glistened under the sun.
My hair was tied up in a tight ponytail and I had a light dusting of makeup on my skin although the winged eyeliner made it seem far more glamorous than it actually was. My lips were painted a healthy pink and my cheeks flushed, but not from having applied any blush.
My clothing style was actually a little out-dated, but it made me feel comfortable, and judging by look in Zuerien's eyes, he approved.
I lowered my gaze unable to hold his intense one, my heart involuntarily picking up pace and a smile playing on my lips. In all my time knowing Zuerien, if there was any one thing I had realized, it was that he had never been ashamed of me, not ever.
Not by the fact that I was weak, not by the fact that I was human, not even by the fact that I was a walking talking disaster just waiting to happen.
No matter how badly I messed up and no matter how stupidly or recklessly I acted, he was never ashamed of me. Not once. He had accepted me for who I was, always, and today I wanted to make him proud.
I wanted to make Zuerien proud to have me as his Luna.
As I made my way towards the Archery field, feeling far more self assured than I ever had before, the silence around me was finally interrupted by what sounded like the movement of a thousand bodies in complete unison.
And when I turned my head to look around, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw that every head in the Game Grounds was bowed deeply in respect...to me!
I stopped in my tracks abruptly, not knowing what to do. Not only was I stunned beyond belief by this response, I had never been in a position like this before and I didn't know the protocol that needed to be followed in such a situation.
On reflex, my eyes immediately sought out my mate and found him now standing on the edge of the podium. His powerful body stood tall and strong, his handsome face sporting a confident smirk.
He knew I had no idea what to do right now.
I scrunched up my face in a silent plea, asking him to do something about this whole bowing- respecting-not talking thing that was going on. His smirked and he gave me a subtle nod before raising his head and calling out authoritatively,
"Rise"
All heads rose in complete unison, all gazes once again directed right at me.
"Be seated", he commanded and everyone immediately took their seats. They were so in sync that it was like watching the National Day parade.
I let out a small breath of relief before smiling gratefully at Zuerien whose gaze had once again returned to me. Beside him, Cole smiled at me warmly and Marco wiggled his eyebrows suggestively- his way of silently complimenting my appearance.
Grinning and giving them an acknowledging head nod, I let my gaze linger on my Zuerien for a second longer before quickly making my way to where the Women's Archery event participants had all gathered. I was still quite aware of everyone's eyes on me, but hopefully that would stop soon when the event officially began.
The minute I walked up to them, all the participants tensed.
"Luna", they said in unison, bowing their heads to me once again.
"Oh", I said, surprised by their synchronous greeting.
It was something I had seen people do to Zuerien numerous times before, but I certainly was not used to it.
"Hello", I smiled brightly at them, "I'm Suzzanah"
They all exchanged glances before nodding, "We know, Luna"
I was about to tell them to just call me by name when I remembered that last night, during my break from General Reginald's killer training, Zuerien had told me to let the Werewolf people call me by my title.
You are their Queen, he had said, They must remember that even if they become good friends with you, any disrespect towards you will not be taken lightly
I smiled and nodded at them before asking them to carry on doing what they were doing. Someone ran up to me with a bow and an arrow holder stacked with arrows while another pulled out a chair for me to sit down.
It felt strange to be treated with so much honor and respect. I had to say, I was neither used to it, nor comfortable with it, but it was definitely a better feeling than being scorned and hated for no fault of mine.
Even though I knew that everyone here was genuine about their reverence towards me, I also knew that this respect was not something I had earned. It was something that had been demanded of them, seeing as I was their King's mate, they had no choice but to honor me.
And someday, I hoped I could change that. If I was going to be respected by them, I hoped it would be because they wanted to, not had to.
And I would do everything in my power to show them that I was worthy of their honor. As their Queen, I owed them this much.
"Welcome everyone to the last day of the Annual Games", Marco started to announce at the podium, just as all the participants took their seats again.
"There is a very long series of events that will be taking place today", he said, "Hopefully we will be able to see them all through provided...the weather stays fair-" he narrowed his eyes at Rino.
Rino grinned, scratching his head sheepishly and chuckles sounded from all across the stands.
"And also provided nothing else goes crazy wrong today like it did yesterday", Marco continued, "The very first event for today will be the Archery competition, and because I fervently believe in the principle 'ladies first', the Women's Archery Event will precede the Men's Archery event, and will be our opening event of the day"
Marco went on to explain to everyone the rules of the event, which I had already been told by General Reginald during practice yesterday.
The Game rules here were quite simple, whoever hit the gold ring or the ring closest to the gold ring maximum number of times, won! I hadn't paid attention to exactly how many matches there would be, but I had heard that they would be different from the conventional human archery matches.
The initial rounds would be the same, stand in one place and try and hit the target. Then as we progressed towards the final round, the tasks would get tougher- starting from hitting multiple targets to hitting moving targets to finally hitting targets while the archers themselves were moving.
Since Werewolves and other Supernaturals had heightened senses, shooting at normal targets apparently wasn't much a challenge for them, so they decided to spice things up like this.
Had someone told me all this last morning, I would have been overwhelmed beyond belief and very blatantly refused to participate. But after all the training General Reginald had put me through, I was actually feeling confident.
I was feeling confident...that I could win, even though I was the only human participating.
Although most of the crowd had now turned their attention to Marco's announcements, I could still very intelligibly feel one intense, piercing gaze on me. My skin instantly heated up, knowing that it was Zuerien. I raised my head to find him leaning over the podium railing, all his attention directed solely my way.
The participants around me also noticed this and started to glance not-so-subtly between the both of us knowingly. The look of Zuerien's face was so intense and overwhelming that it was doing all sorts of pleasurable things to my insides.
Clearing my throat, I quickly looked away from him and instead I let my eyes wander the crowd till they landed on the person I had desperately been waiting to see.
Alpha Penson was sitting behind General Reginald, looking hale and healthy and I let out a relieved breath at the sight of him. For a minute I thought his gaze met mine so I raised my hand slightly and waved at him. And when he immediately waved back, I couldn't help the grin that made its way to my face.
Hello dear one, he said via mind-link cheerfully, how are you?
I think the question is, how are you? I replied.
All better, he told me and I realized with relief that the hand he had used to wave at me had been his injured hand. It was completely healed, I'm sorry if I worried you
Oh please, don't worry about it, I replied, I'm just relieved that you're alright. I think that was the most reckless thing I have ever seen you do
He chuckled, Well, I can't let you children hog all the action now can I? he said.
I exhaled a laugh before asking again, You sure you're okay?
I saw him nod, I'm fine Suzzanah, don't worry about me, he said. He fell silent but something told me there was more he wanted to say to me, so I waited, not taking my eyes off him. After another moment of hesitation he began,
Suzzanah-
"Will all participants please make their way onto the respective places on the Archery grounds", Marco's announcement interrupted our mind-link and I looked around to find everyone standing up.
I did too, before asking Alpha Penson,
What were you going to say?
He was quiet for a second before answering, Good luck, dear one
I smiled and nodded at him, his little endearment making my heart warm. I knew that that probably hadn't been what he had wanted to say, but if Alpha Penson had chosen to not tell me now, I doubted there was anything I could do to persuade him otherwise.
As I walked, once again I felt the tantalizing heat of my mate's persistent gaze boring into me. I bit back a smile, not looking his way but instead choosing to mind-link him.
Stop staring, I told him softly.
I can't, he replied, his deep, velvety voice making my heart flutter.
Zuerien stop it, you're distracting me, I said, strapping on my glove.
On the contrary, you're distracting me, he replied, I'm about ready to pick you up, pin you to a tree and kiss you breathless
I sucked in a shocked breath before immediately looking around nervously to make sure no one had heard me.
Do you like that idea, heart? He asked me, his voice getting huskier by the moment, making my breath catch in my throat.
S-stop it! I gasped out, Get out of my head now
No
Zuerien-
I love what you've done with your hair, he said, the silver streak suits you beautifully
I smiled at his compliment. The silver streak in my hair had spread even further, starting at my roots and reaching up to my earlobe while the rest of that tuft of hair remained dark brown like the rest of my hair.
It was weird how the silver streak remained confined to only that one thick lock of hair, but I was also grateful for that fact. The idea of having completely silver hair didn't appeal very much to me.
Returning my attention to Zuerien, I grinned, Thank you
Now that your hair is tied back and out of the way, he said, it gives me the perfect view
My brows knit together in confusion, something about his sentence sounding strangely inappropriate.
V-view...of what? I asked.
Your neck of course, he replied sounding very pleased, And the exact spot on it where I'm going to mark you as mine
Blood rushed to my face and a feeling of exhilaration washed over me at the same time. The way he said it made my throat go dry as I imagined what it would be like to bear his mark on my skin- a symbol to let everyone know that I belonged solely to him.
Trying to stay focused, I pulled out an arrow from my arrow holder and twirled it between my fingers.
And what makes you think I'll let you sink your teeth into me, Alpha? I asked him coyly, trying to ignore the fact that my heart was going crazy inside of me.
He chuckled softly, the seductive, melodious sound wreaking all sorts of havoc inside me.
Oh... my teeth aren't the only things I will be sinking into you, heart, he drawled out and immediately the arrow slipped out of my hand and fell to the ground.
Oh my God!
A loud gasp escaped my lips and my eyes went wide in shock as all the blood in my body bombarded my face and my head whipped towards the podium.
There he stood in all his glory, his hands in his pockets, his head held high, his dark eyes watching me as though I was the only person present here, the intensity in their depths making me feel absolutely bare to his gaze.
My heart was about ready to burst out of my chest any minute and my chest was heaving rapidly, and I found myself out of breath before the Games had even begun.
Electric tingles seared through my skin and heat pooled in my most intimate of places. It was safe to say that he had caught me completely off guard with that comment, and I was starting to feel things that no one had ever made me feel before.
In the middle of a freakin competition!
At the sight of me absolutely flustered through and through, a slow smirk made its way to Zuerien's face. I knew he could see the effect he had on me, and I knew it gave him immense satisfaction too, seeing me all hot and bothered like this.
I immediately looked away from him, feeling extremely embarrassed. From the looks that the others around me were exchanging, it was obvious that they had started to figure out what was going on. If my luck was really that bad, which it usually was, then they could probably smell my hormones or something.
Oh God! This is so mortifying!
Trying to snap out of it, I quickly slapped both my cheeks and shook my head.
Problem, sweetheart? Zuerien asked, amusement heavy in his voice.
I didn't reply, choosing to ignore him now. Dusting the dirt off my arrow, I mounted it on the bow and turned to look at my target. It was much further away than the distance at which human archery targets were placed, but I could still see my goal quite clearly.
Gold ring
So you're going to ignore me?
Yes!
I didn't reply, still acting like I couldn't hear him. An attendant suddenly came up to me and handed me a pair of glasses which helped visualize long distances more clearly and easily. Seeing as werewolves had extremely heightened sight, this was an attempt at making the competition somewhat fair for a human such as myself.
I smiled and accepted the glasses, tucking them into my belt for when I'd need them, because I was quite sure I would. I wasn't going to be overconfident and tell myself otherwise.
A good archer needs to be aware of both his or her strengths and weaknesses, because on the battle field being cocky can get you killed
Those were General Reginald words to me, one of the many advises he had given me during training. Whatever he had taught me yesterday had not been from the point of view of helping me win in a competition, but from the point of view of helping me win on the battlefield.
I had never even imagined that there would come a time when I would receive training on how to survive in an actual war. And although I still hoped that circumstances never got so drastic, I was grateful that I knew at least a little bit about the battlefield. Because if such a fight ever did arise, I didn't want to be a burden on those around me.
"Q-Queen"
I turned to find a familiar face before me.
"Matree", I said before smiling, "Hi"
"H-hello Queen", she said in a small voice, and I noticed she kept her head down the entire time, "Um...I'm your opponent in the first round"
"Oh good! Let's both do our best", I said, extending my hand towards her.
She nodded before taking my hand in her slightly trembling one. Fear and guilt traveled down my body, making me frown at the woman before me, who was the source.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, "Are you not well?"
She shook her head, still not looking into my eyes, "N-No, I'm f-fine. I just...I..."
"Go on", I said softly, making her finally make eye-contact.
She gulped, "I'm just...I'm so sorry about what I said to you that night", she breathed out, "About...that rumor"
Realization dawned on me, so that's what she was feeling so troubled about.
"I swear I didn't mean to hurt you", she told me, "I'm so sorry, I was completely out of the line"
"Its okay", I told her, squeezing her hand encouragingly, "Its all in the past now. Just forget it"
"I just...feel so guilty", she said quietly, "And I think most people here who misunderstood your relationship with the Alpha feel that way"
"Oh brother", I said shaking my head, "That won't do at all. I can't be going up against guilt ridden opponents. For all I know, you guys might just let me win without even trying"
She didn't reply but kept looking down at her feet regretfully.
I sighed, "Are you really sorry?" I asked her.
Her head shot up, "Yes!" she cried out, "I'm so extremely sorry about everything!"
I smiled, "Then that's enough for me", I told her, "I forgive you"
"R-really?!" she asked, her face lighting up.
I nodded, "Really! So make sure you give your best today, alright? I look forward to competing with you"
"YES! YES I WILL!" Matree exclaimed smiling brightly, "Thank you Luna! Thank you so much! I feel so relieved!"
I smiled and nodded at her, feeling happy that she was no longer drowning herself in guilt. Oddly enough, it made me feel lighter on the inside too.
Just as I stepped away from her to take my position once again, my back hit a smooth hard wall behind me and given how my body temperature immediately spiked a thousand degrees, I knew exactly who the wall was.
"Care to let go of my mate's hand anytime soon?"
Matree let out a horrified squeal before promptly pulling away from me and bowing deeply, "I-I apologize A-A-Alpha", she said.
I turned around to find Zuerien watching Matree with narrowed eyes, before they darted to my face and his brown orbs softened.
"Zuerien, what are you doing he-"
"Don't ignore me", he cut me off, "I'm not in the position to control myself right now"
I gave him a look, "Are you ever?" I asked.
His lips curled upwards, "Not when it comes to you", he said, making my heart skip a beat, "Besides, its not my fault that you look sexy as sin right now"
My cheeks flamed and he added, "I can't wait to have you alone after this competition. Hot and sweaty will be an even sexier look on you"
"Zuerien!" I whisper-yelled, my eyes bulging out of my sockets, "Goodness! That mouth of yours is going to make me lose this competition"
He smirked, "Or it could help you win", he said, bending closer to me. I immediately pressed my hands against his chest, thinking he was going to kiss me in front of everyone, but instead, he added, "By wishing you good luck"
A smile tugged on my lips before I gave in and chuckled softly. He too smiled before taking my hand in his.
"Remember though, if you get too tired or feel even the tiniest bit uneasy or uncomfortable, you need to tell me alright?" he said.
I sighed and shook my head, "Honestly, you worry too much Alpha", I told him softly.
"Not without reason", he replied, "Besides, you're my mate. Worrying comes with a territory"
"I'll be careful", I told him reassuringly, "And tell you if I feel off at all. I promise"
He smiled before nodding, "Okay, do your best"
I grinned, "I will", I replied, "I'll make you proud"
"I already am", he told me before placing a kiss on my hand.
A plethora of loud gasps echoed from all around me and when I turned around, all the participants were staring at us, looking about ready to pass out from shock any minute.
Mr. Talon had once told me that Zuerien hardly ever showed affection towards anyone. So seeing him kiss my hand may have been like seeing Lord Voldemort kiss Harry's lightening bolt scar or something.
Did I just compare my mate to Lord Voldemort?!
The minute Zuerien looked at the gawking women, they hurriedly lowered their heads and looked away.
Yup, Lord Voldemort it is
Returning his gaze to me, he tucked a strand of stray hair behind my ear. For a brief second, a strange look of unease crossed his face and I immediately frowned in puzzlement.
"What's wrong?" I asked and he swallowed.
"Its nothing really", he said, but when he noticed that I didn't buy that, he added, "I just...have a bad feeling"
My frown deepened, "About what?" I asked softly.
"Nothing in particular", he told me thoughtfully, "Its just this ominous feeling I've had since I woke up this morning. A gut feeling of something...bad"
My brow furrowed in worry and he immediately shook his head, "Don't worry, its probably nothing", he told me, "Just concentrate on your Game alright?"
I gave him a small smile, although still feeling unconvinced.
"Good luck, heart", he told me tenderly before bending close to my ear and adding, "And don't ignore me again or I'll carry you out of the Game grounds and really enjoy punishing you"
In a flash my face turned beet red once again and my heart started to do the salsa with my lungs, making me cough in shock. Zuerien took that moment to place a swift kiss on my cheek before walking away with an extremely smug look on his face.
Why that sneaky no-good were-animal!
I wasn't the only one who had been caught off guard by his actions. I was pretty sure I saw a considerable number of people either trip or fall out of their seats in the stands.
I was still blushing profusely when a loud whistle sounded, announcing the beginning of the first round of the Women's archery event. Pushing thoughts about Zuerien out of my mind, I returned my attention to the Game.
Each player was to shoot three arrows, and I told Matree to go ahead first and shoot. She nodded and took aim, now looking much more relaxed. Her form was lovely but watching her now I could immediately pick up a few mistakes that I myself had been making until just yesterday.
And when she fired her arrow it sunk beautifully into the inner red ring.
8 points
I smiled as she fired the next two arrows, both landing close to the first one on the inner red ring. The crowd cheered and clapped as all the other participants who had gone first also finished taking their shots.
Matree looked at me and grinned, "That was me", she said, "Your turn Luna"
I nodded as she moved away, before turning to face my target. A wave of excitement washed over me and I took a deep breath before mounting and nocking my arrow onto the bow. The crowd had fallen uncannily silent once more, but it served to help me concentrate.
Just as I was about to pull at the bowstring, from within the silent crowd, two loud, wild, maniacal voices started to cheer like crazy.
Two familiar voices.
"WOOOO!! QUEEEENN! GOOOO! KILL THAT TARGET!"
"GO ANNAAA! WOOHOOO! YOU CAN DO IT!"
Oh God.
I turned around to find Rino and Prophecy practically jumping all over the people around them, cheering madly. My cheeks burnt a bright red for the nth time that day as I watched Cole and Marco try and get the two of them to quiet down.
Despite being a wee bit embarrassing, the gesture was also extremely encouraging and filled me with warmth and confidence. Silently thanking the both of them for their unrestrained display of support, I let my eyes wander till they found the General.
He was sitting leaning forward, his attentive gaze directed right at me. When our eyes met, he gave me very subtle nod and I nodded back in acknowledgment before returning my attention to my target.
My heart thumped in anticipation of what I was going to do. My entire body felt charged, adrenaline burning through my veins. As I prepared to pull back the bowstring and take aim, I realized that no one else was shooting, even though all the participants going second were supposed to be aiming and firing right now.
I turned my head to find that everyone, even the participants, were watching me intently, not caring about their own targets. I could feel their curiosity and expectation coursing through my own body, making me inhale deeply.
They wanted to watch me take my very first shot. They wanted to watch their Luna as she upheld her very first word of honor to them.
I had told them it was my responsibility to prove to them that I was worthy of being their Luna, worthy of ruling over them alongside their beloved Alpha King.
It was my responsibility, and I would fulfill it.
Be strong, Anna
Remembering Karina's advice, I pulled back the bow string and aligned the arrow with my target. The action came much faster to me than it would have yesterday. My muscles stretched comfortably, no longer feeling stiff like they did before and I found that I didn't need much time to correct my alignment either, my aim felt perfect at the very first go.
I could tell that everyone was holding their breaths, waiting for me to shoot. Their excitement was almost as unfathomable as my own.
You can do this, heart
I smiled at the warm, confident, reassuring voice of my mate that filled my head. I didn't even need to turn my head to know where he was standing. I could feel him that strongly, as though he were a part my own being.
I nodded, knowing he'd know it was for him.
Keeping my eyes trained solely on the gold ring, I took a deep breath to calm the last of my nerves.
Be strong, Anna.
I will Rina, I will.
No.
I...am.
The arrow flew out of my grip like a missile on course, so fast that I almost didn't see it go. And before it even hit the target, I was already reaching for the next arrow.
The moment I heard the distinctive thud of the first arrow sinking deeply into the target, I fired the second one which cut through the air like a bullet, almost invisible to the human eye.
The third arrow followed almost in split second succession, exploding out of the bow far more powerfully that the earlier ones. And had I not stopped myself in record time I would have been firing yet another one without even realizing it.
When the final arrow sank into the target like hammered nail, I exhaled the breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding. I could see my three arrows clearly, their tails pointing in different directions but their heads embedded in the very same place, right next to each other.
Within the Gold ring.
Before the feeling had even sunk in, the stadium erupted in thunderous applause, making me jerk out of my own self-induced archery daze and blink at ovation in shock.
I was greeted by several exhilarated smiles and fanatical cheering. My own face also broke into a wide grin before a soft chuckle of relief escaped my lips.
"My God Luna! That was incredible!" Matree cried out in elation, "I literally didn't even see the arrows move, they were that fast!"
My eyes widened, I thought I was the only one who didn't see them, because of my limited human vision. I smiled at her and nodded before turning to face the person whose reaction I was most eager to see.
Zuerien was clapping heartily, his hands extended above his head. A large grin was plastered on his face which was probably the best gift I could have asked for in return for my hard-work.
Next to him Cole and Alpha Penson were clapping just as gleefully while Rino and Prophecy were doing some kind of victory dance on the stands. I chuckled at their reaction, and shook my head. Marco who was still at the podium grinned and winked at me, giving me two 'thumbs up'.
The only person who didn't clap or cheer was, as I had expected, General Reginald.
When my gaze met his, he leaned back in his seat smiling at me but doing nothing else. I knew what that look was in his eyes, I knew what he was telling me.
You want me to applaud? Show me something extraordinary.
I smiled knowingly before turning back to everyone and motioning for them to calm down. It was still only the first round. And I was certain that I wasn't the only one who could pull off a stunt like that. I looked at the other participants and motioned for them to take their places.
"Please carry on", I told them, "I very much want to see your skills as well"
They nodded at me before taking their positions and firing their arrows. And as expected three of them got managed to get a perfect result just like me.
I clapped heartily for them, appreciating their skills. There was no reason why I should be the only one who got acknowledged. Right now I was a participant, just like everyone else and we all deserved equal recognition.
The second round rolled in I stepped forward first. My opponent was a she wolf I had never met before. The task was to hit five targets placed haphazardly on the field within a span of 1 minute.
I drew my arrow and aimed with ease, firing as though it was second nature to me. I got all five targets right in the 'bull-eye'.
My time: 23 seconds.
After I was done my opponent stared at me for a good minute, as though trying to decide if I was real. I grinned at her and wished her the best of luck. She got three targets perfectly and two off by a few centimeters.
Her time was 56 seconds.
As the third round set in, I felt as though I had been shooting arrows for centuries now. Every movement I made felt fluid and professional, every aim I took felt perfectly precise and every target I shot at felt vaguely familiar, as though I had done this a million times before.
The third round was considerably harder than the rest as we were required to shoot at moving targets. And only two participants with the highest scores would advance to the finals. This round was not a one-on-one. All of us were competing against all of us.
My first target was a large piece of cardboard that had been strung to a tree branch about 10 feet off the ground. It was swinging back and forth in a rhythmic motion. After observing it for a few seconds it became easy to take aim and my arrow found its golden target without much of a problem.
The second target however had me doing a double take because apparently we were required to shoot at moving people. Well, to be precise, at the targets that the moving people were holding.
At first the thought horrified me. What if a participant missed and stuck an arrow through someone's head?! But then I noticed that people posing as targets were wearing thick protective helmets and armor. To top it off, any arrow which misfired immediately disintegrated in thin air, burning to ashes far before it could reach the target.
I smiled and snuck a quick glance behind me.
Zuerien's doing, I knew.
Pulling out an arrow, I took aim. The guy I was supposed to shoot at was incredibly fast on his feet. He moved from one tree to another in random motion, with no particular pattern whatsoever. And the minute I had him locked on, he'd disappear behind yet another large tree trunk.
Time was running out, I had barely 15 seconds left and I realized that I was the only one who hadn't fired my arrow yet. The other two participants had already taken their shots and only one of them had managed to hit the target.
Licking my lips, I tried not to think about the timer and concentrated on my target. He may be fast, but he had no choice but to leave his hiding place repeatedly to come into view again. I just had to fire the minute he stepped out from behind the cover.
10 seconds.
I licked my lips and strained my eyes, trying to predict the guy's movements. The crowd around me was deathly silent, all awaiting the minute the arrow would leave my bow. I held my breath to relieve myself of the distraction of my heavy breathing and concentrated solely on the target plastered to the guy's armored abdomen.
7 seconds.
Come on Suzzanah, you can do this
The voice didn't belong to me or any of my friends, but it did belong to someone who had grown familiar to me.
6 seconds.
You have all the skill you need, you can hit that target
The voice was soft, reassuring and comforting, just like it had always been and I found my initial surprise at having heard it rapidly turning into determination.
5 seconds.
Concentrate
I nodded and re-oriented myself, focusing solely on the moving boy. The voice was there in the back of my mind, like a guiding light in the midst of chaos.
4 seconds.
The guy shot out from behind yet another tree and just as I loosened my grip on the arrow, he disappeared again.
Patience, don't rush
3 seconds.
Tightening my grip on the arrow once more, I anticipated his next move and changed the angle I was standing in. Pulling the bowstring back a little further, I narrowed my eyes, zeroing in on the spot I wanted to shoot at.
2 seconds.
Ready.
With a firm nod, I fired the arrow, even before the guy emerged from behind the tree.
1 second.
The guy jumped out of his hiding spot and cried out in alarm as the arrow shot right at him and sunk into the thick target strapped to his torso.
0 seconds.
A loud whistle sounded announcing the end of round three and I ran towards the guy who was now sprawled flat on the ground on his back.
The minute I reached him, the first thing I noticed was my arrow sticking out from right in the middle of the golden target. I immediately got on my knees next to the guy.
"Are you alright?" I asked, putting my hands under his shoulders, helping him up.
I heard a muffled chuckle as the boy sat up and removed his large helmet before turning to me. It was a yet another unfamiliar face, yet very welcoming because of the huge grin plastered across it.
"That", he said, beaming, "was incredible Luna"
I let out a huge sigh of relief and slumped back, smiling, "Thank you"
It was only then that I heard the crowd going wild, hooting and shouting far louder than ever before. I shook my head, before wiping the sweat on my forehead. That had been far more intense than I had expected it to be.
Both I and the boy stood up just as Marco announced that I had advanced to the finals. Half the crowd shot out of their seats waving their hands in the air and cheering excitedly. I chuckled at the sight, feeling for the first time, like I was a part of this people.
And it was, in all honestly, a really nice feeling.
"Luna", one large man walked up to us, "This way to your last round"
I nodded and was about to follow him when the target-boy called out to me.
"You'll win"
I turned to find him grinning at me confidently, "You'll win for sure Luna"
I smiled, "Thank you, I appreciate the encouragement", I told him.
"Oh its not encouragement. Its a fact", he told me, "I have no doubt about it, you'll win"
I frowned, not understanding why and how he was so sure. He leaned in slightly.
"You wanna know why I'm so sure?" he asked and I nodded skeptically.
His grin widened, "Because this round was made especially hard for you alone", he told me, "Instead of having one of the omegas be the target, like for the others, the General asked me, a full-fledged warrior to be your target"
My jaw dropped as he added, "And his only words to me were 'Don't get hit'"
Why that infuriating son of a wolf!
My head shot towards the stands where the General was seated. I couldn't see him clearly but I just knew he would have a smug smirk plastered on his face.
"I really did do my best to not get hit you know", the boy's words made me turn back to him. "But seeing as you still managed, I'm absolutely sure. You'll win"
I smiled at him wholeheartedly, "Thank you for agreeing to do this for me", I said.
"It was my absolute pleasure, Luna", he said, bowing deeply to me. I could sense the genuineness in his words and it made me feel strangely proud of myself.
You should be
My eyes widened as her voice filled my head yet again. She laughed softly.
Lets go, she said, We have one more battle to win today.
My lips involuntarily curled upwards in a smile as I started to tread towards my last destination. Her voice was like a powerful booster, strengthening me from within, and I wondered why she always had this effect on me.
Why she had told me once earlier that she would always be with me.
And why she had just used the word 'We'
We have one more battle to win today.
Me
And...
The dark haired spirit from the woods.
Her words, as always had left me feeling puzzled. Why she said things the way she did, why she used the words she did, it was something I was yet to figure out.
But the biggest mystery of them all was still the same.
Who was she?
Chewing on my bottom lip, I followed one man towards the area on the field where the last round was to take place. The minute I walked back onto the Archery field, I sensed it, strongly and distinctly, the powerful feeling of something going incredibly wrong. It hit me hard, nearly making me lose my balance for a second.
My head whipped from one side to the other, eyes searching for the source of that powerful ominous feeling, but just as suddenly as it had appeared, the feeling also disappeared, leaving me feeling completely baffled.
What the heck just happened?
My gaze immediately shot towards the stands where my friends were seated and the first thing I noticed was the striking lack of a few members, starting with one vibrant blonde haired young woman.
Where?
My eyes widened in alarm.
Where's Prophecy?!
My gaze swept over Zuerien, Cole, Rino and the General's frames and I found Marco still standing at the podium.
So the other person who was missing was...
Alpha Penson
My frown deepened as I wondered whether or not this was something I needed to be worried about. The rest of the crowd looked more energetic and fired up than ever but I didn't miss the slight tension in the company of my mate and friends.
"This way, my Queen", the man who was leading me said, motioning for me to walk towards the center of the Grounds.
I nodded absently and started to walk behind him again, still staring at Zuerien and the others. Almost as if he has sensed me looking, Zuerien's head turned and his eyes found mine. The frown on his face immediately softened.
Suzzanah, are you okay?
It always amazed me how he never failed to ask me that, even when I wasn't the one in the potentially 'not okay' situation.
I'm fine, I replied, Where are Prophecy and Alpha Penson?
His frown returned, They...stepped out for a minute
Is something wrong? I asked, feeling worried, Has Prophecy-
No, she's still here, Zuerien replied even before I could finish, Don't worry. I'm sure its nothing. They'll be back soon
Even though he was trying to reassure me, I didn't fail to notice how his tone remained laced with apprehension.
Just concentrate on your Game sweetheart, he told me, You're doing brilliantly
I smiled halfheartedly and was about to prod some more when yet another familiar voice called out from behind me,
"So, its you and me in the final round"
My body whirled around and I came face to face with none other than the icy blue eyed warrior Annabelle Black.
"Roomie!" I exclaimed wide-eyed and a scowl immediately materialized on her face.
"Not that ridiculous nickname again", she said, "How many times have I told you not to call me that!"
I blinked, "You're my opponent in the finals?" I asked.
She smirked, "Sure am", she replied, "Ready to take the beating of your life?"
I snorted, "You wish", I told her, raising my head, "I'm not losing to you roomie. At least not without giving you a run for your money"
"We'll just have to see about that now won't we?" she said and I grinned, "I guess we will"
"Warrior Black, Luna Suzzanah, please take your positions", Marco announced in the microphone.
Annabelle and I nodded at him before looking back at each other, our eyes gleaming competitively. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so fired up to win at something, but now that I was, I was going to do my best to follow the feeling through.
"May the best archer win", I told her with a smirk.
She returned it, "And whoever wins gets to use both the bathroom and the door to our room at the staff quarters", she replied.
My jaw dropped, "Gurl! I'm going to destroy you in today's competition!" I shouted back laughing, "There is no way I'm losing the chance to finally get access to that bathroom!"
She snorted, "Why though?" she asked, raising one eyebrow, "Its not like you'll be using the room very often from now right?"
Her eyes subtly glanced away from me and my gaze followed hers, landing on Zuerien. I immediately felt heat rise to my cheeks as I looked back at her wide eyed.
Oh she didn't mean-
She grinned, "I'd say I'm going to miss you", she said starting to walk past me to take her position, but stopping briefly next to me, "But I probably won't"
I was about to give her a look of mock hurt and disbelief when she added in a softer voice, "After all, I'll probably be seeing you around a lot more than usual now, right...Luna?"
My eyes widened in unmasked disbelief as Annabelle gave me one her most genuine smiles before walking away with her head held high. I found myself smiling back at her, relishing the strange friendship that we had established.
That was the first time she had called me Luna.
And it was the probably the most genuine address I had received all day.
As I took my position in the column next to Annabelle, I tried not to think about the weird feeling I had gotten a few seconds ago, or the fact that Alpha Penson and Prophecy were still missing or that Zuerien's uneasy gut feeling had started to affect me as well.
I cleared my head and concentrated on the task before me. The final round of the Archery event was about to begin. The round was divided into two parts.
First: The Unlimited Target Challenge
Both I and Annabelle had to keep hitting target after target, and whoever missed the gold ring first would lose.
Second: The Running Archery Challenge
Both of us had to hit 10 targets while we were running. Whoever hit the most number of targets in the gold ring would win.
Re-strapping my glove, I stared at my target and wondered if I should put on those precision glasses they had given me. The target was much further away than what I had expected. Next to me Annabelle was already ready to begin. We were to take consecutive shots till one of us missed.
The crowd was extremely hyped-up, most of them were standing and leaning over the stand railings to get a better view, which was funny because they had incredible sight. The buzz and excitement in the air was almost palpable and I knew that I needed to up my game to a hundred percent for this final round.
Show them what I was really capable of.
"You wanna go first?" Annabelle asked me and I shook my head, "No"
She nodded and immediately took aim. Her form was absolute perfection, I couldn't pick a single fault with it. Before I even knew it her arrow was shooting across the grounds, landing perfectly in the golden ring.
The crowd went wild, pumping their fists in the air as she lowered her bow and gave me a cocky smirk. I gave her an impressed nod before taking aim, keeping my eyes trained on the gold ring.
And when the arrow left my bow, it wasn't even in the air for a second before it sank into the gold on the large target. The crowd erupted in applause once again but almost immediately another thud sounded as Annabelle's second arrow found its target perfectly.
I wasn't about to fall behind. Without waiting, I nocked yet another arrow and fired. Yet another 'bulls-eye'.
And then she fired again, and I followed not a second later. Yet another target was pierced, yet another gold ring was impaled. We were neck and neck in the competition, neither losing out, neither missing a single target.
The match was so intense that the crowd had stopped cheering and was now gawking in disbelief, not making a sound. As arrow after arrow was fired relentlessly, it started feeling less like a tournament and more like a quest. It was like with every arrow I fired, I was searching for something within me to awaken.
A searing heat had started to spread across my skull, before concentrating itself in one particular part of my head. My body felt like it was on fire, my muscles contracting of their own accord, limbs moving on reflex. Archery felt so deeply instilled into my system that shooting arrows felt as natural as breathing or blinking- neither of which the crowd seemed to be doing right now.
A peal of lightening struck the suddenly stormy sky and I grinned knowing this was Rino's doing. He was creating what he had described as 'the perfect atmosphere for a battle between legends', as he had explained after Cole and Zuerien's match on the first day of the Games.
I didn't even need to turn around to know that Zuerien and Marco were probably giving Rino 'the look' right now. A gust of cool wind flew past us, feeling incredible against my flushed and sweaty skin.
Excitement and exhilaration flowed through my veins like red hot blood, not just my own but that of every other person in the grounds. And I realized that for the first time in forever, I actually felt like the Queen I was intended to be.
For the first time in forever, I felt unstoppable.
The emotions of my friends only served to heighten that feeling, as I felt them flood my body like a tsunami. I felt Cole's thrill, Marco's excitement, Rino's glee, General Reginald's anticipation, Mr. Talon's expectation and Zuerien's pride.
But the feeling that both surprised and relieved me most, was emanating from Alpha Penson.
Was he back in the grounds? Was Prophecy with him?
I wanted to turn to look for him, but I was too engrossed in the match to do so.
So all I could do was wonder why right at this moment, Alpha Penson was feeling such immense nostalgia.
When I fired my 28th arrow, catching yet another target in its golden core, from the corner of my eye, I saw Annabelle throw me a swift glance. And immediately afterwards, when she fired her next arrow, instead of hitting the golden ring right in the center, it hit somewhere near the periphery, just barely making the target.
I saw her flinch as I fired my 29th arrow and with yet another impeccable result. I felt so in tune with my inner archer that I could almost shoot with my eyes closed. Hurriedly, I saw Annabelle grab her next arrow, take quick aim and fire, and even before it hit the target, I knew that it would miss.
The arrow flew beautifully across the field, sinking deeply into inner red ring, a hairline breath away from its intended target. The large TV screens in the stadium replayed her shot showcasing how she missed by just a centimeter.
Annabelle cursed under her breath and I saw her turn to look my way. I took a deep breath knowing that the next shot would be the deciding shot. If I made this next target, I would win the first part of the finals.
Without wasting another minute, I drew what could be my last arrow. Mounting it on my bow, I took aim, the action coming with complete and fluid ease. I sucked in a slow breath, taking time to perfect my precision even though everyone in the grounds was currently dying of anxiety.
I swallowed hard, feeling sweat trickle down the side of my face, knowing full well that I could make this shot. I could win.
So I never even imagined that the minute I'd let go of my arrow, I'd hear yet another familiar, raspy, ghostly voice that chilled me right down to the bones.
Lunaaaa...!
My body jerked in shock out of control and the arrow flew out of my hands, soaring haphazardly through the air before sinking deeply into a faraway branch. A torrent of shocked gasps and shouts echoed from everywhere as my body whirled around, my wide eyes searching everywhere.
It was him! It was him!
The blue-green eyed ghost!
My breath came out in gasps, as I scanned my surroundings, but he wasn't there. My heart was racing so frantically within my ribs that it physically hurt the inside of my chest.
I'm sure it was him. I'm sure!
After a few more seconds of wild searching, I became certain that I couldn't see him, but somehow, I just knew that he was here somewhere, because, although vaguely, I could still feel it, the dark aura that that blue-green eyed spirit had always emitted was all around me.
Something's wrong
Suzzanah?
My eyes immediately found Zuerien's wide ones as he began to walk towards me, looking extremely worried. Rino and the others had also stood up, watching me with concerned gazes while the rest of the crowd watched on bewildered.
Are you alright?
I immediately shook my head at Zuerien and smiled, halting him in his tracks.
I'm fine, I told him in as steady a manner as I could, Just fine
He didn't look convinced, What happened? he asked and I turned to look at my arrow, which was embedded somewhere up in a tree, nearly a mile away from the target.
I winced, Uh...I...messed up, I said, not knowing what else I could say.
"Suzzanah", Annabelle's voice made me turn to look at her. She was wearing an utterly baffled look, just like most others in the crowd, "The hell was that?" she asked, "Are you alright?"
I nodded absently, unable to shake the weird ominous feeling inside of me.
Something's wrong
The crowd had started murmuring, not knowing what to make of how things had turned out. Since my shot had been so off the mark, Annabelle had won this round by comparison, but no one seemed satisfied by how it had ended, not even Annabelle herself.
Suzzanah
Zuerien's firm voice made me glance back at him. His jaw was clenched and eyes were hard as he watched me.
What are you not telling me? He asked and I gulped, wondering how to tell him about the blue-green eyed man's voice without making him freak out and put me on house-arrest again.
Still, since I had promised to tell him if I felt like something was wrong, I decided to do so anyway. But just as I began to explain, I was interrupted yet again.
"LUNAAA!"
My heart nearly slammed out of my chest as my head shot to the side, but this time so did everyone else's because this time, the source of the cry had been living.
I jerked in alarm when my eyes found Luna Prophecy at the far end of the Grounds, and I realized that she had been the one who had yelled. She was being supported by Alpha Penson while her panic-stricken face stared into oblivion.
"NO! LUNA QUEEN! DON'T GOOO!" she screamed horrified, before breaking free of Alpha Penson's grip and dashing on-wards as fast as she could.
Confusion and chaos bombarded my mind as I watched Prophecy run across the field. What was she saying? Why was she saying it? What was going on here?!
"QUEEN! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! DON'T!" Prophecy shouted once more, just as Marco caught her in the middle of the grounds, trying to get her to snap out of her frenzy. People in the stands started rushing towards her worriedly and I too ran up to them, followed closely by Annabelle.
"Prophecy!" Marco said, gripping her shoulders firmly as she tried to free herself of his hold, "Prophecy, what's happening?!"
"STOP HER!" Prophecy cried out hurriedly, not even looking my way, "STOP THE QUEEN!"
Zuerien's arms came around me protectively from behind while Marco's head jerked towards me, his face scrunching up in utter confusion. I too stared back in complete befuddlement. Prophecy was screaming for someone to stop me, but I was right here and she wasn't even looking at me!
"Its a vision!" Alpha Penson called out as he ran up to them, his voice laced with anxiety, "She's having a vision!"
A vision?!
"A vision of what?!" Marco shouted baffled as all our gazes locked onto the still struggling Luna Prophecy.
But when the answer came, it sounded from two different sources, one of whom was Prophecy while the other was a male werewolf who ran onto the ground looking wild.
And it chilled me down to the bones.
"ROGUES!"
****
A/N
Hey guys,
I wont say much in this A/N except that I may have a wee bit of a surprise planned for you all.
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
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Until next time,
All my love
Angel