Chapter 2
1653 Words
My heart thrummed with excitement as I looked at myself in the mirror. The smooth fabric of the dress hugged my figure perfectly; adding sensuality to my appearance.
The seamstress had done a good job, using a deep shade of crimson and pairing it with black gems. Just a bit more patience, a little more effort and nobody can stop me from becoming the Luna of this pack.
A figure sauntered into the room, wearing similar red robes. My face heated up, and I bit my lowered my gaze. After all, this was my first time being intimate with a man.
Though Cassius and I had a deep relationship in the past, he was too much of a coward. He didn’t even dare to kiss me.
The bed shifted beside me, and he sat down. My heart started beating like a drum as he drew closer and nibbled my ear. “Little Princess.”
“You!” Pushing the man away, I jumped to my feet. “What are you doing here, Cassius?”
“I am here to take what is rightfully mine.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his lap. Wrapping one of his arms around my waist, he pulled me closer. “Do you still remember what you promised me when I won the life and death match?”
My heart trembled, and I gulped. “That… that was back then… Now, I am already Loren’s wife. You can’t possibly….”
“I can’t possibly what, Little Princess.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over my lower lips. “Don’t worry. I have already told Alpha Loren about this. We made a deal.”
“Deal? No, that’s not possible. Loren wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Why do you look so surprised? If you want to use other people, you should be prepared to be used.” His grip tightened around my waist painfully and his eyes turned red with hatred. “I am no longer the useless guard, Hera. I am the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. It’s only natural that Loren wants to please me.”
A loud knock pulled me out of my reverie. “Hera! Open the door quickly! It’s urgent.”
“What is the matter, Ariel? Why do you look so agitated?”
“It’s Cassius!” She panted. “You… you have to stop him. He’s gone to the Life and Death arena.”
“What!” My heart sank hearing this. “Why did he go to the life and death arena? Didn’t I already reject his proposal yesterday?”
“You rejected his proposal.” Ariel’s face turned pale. “No wonder he took such a drastic step. You know how much Cassius loves you. He must be taking part in the match to prove that he is worthy of you.”
My mind blanked out and my ears started ringing with a strange buzz. It didn’t work. Rejecting Cassius’s proposal didn’t work. He was still going to take part in the life and death match.
“What are you waiting for, Hera?” Ariel grabbed my hand and tugged. “Let’s go and stop him. Could it be that you really want him to fight to his death?”
Her words snapped me out of my daze, and I rushed out of the house. “Let’s go. As long as we can stop him, everything will be fine.”
“Stop right there.” The guards at the entrance blocked our way. “This isn’t a place anyone can enter.”
“My brother Cassius is taking part in a life and death match today. We just want to stop him.” Ariel struggled to push her way past the guards. “Please let us go inside.”
“I am sorry, but we have to follow the rules. If you want to enter, come back with a pass.”
“Is there really no way?” I took off my golden chain and handed it to the guard. “We really have to stop him.”
The guard gave me a strange look and sighed. “There is no point going inside now. The mechanism has already been activated.”
“Hera, you wait here. I will go and see if Uncle Derek can help us with this problem.”
Life and death arena was an independent space governed by its own rules. Once activated, it couldn’t be stopped unless the participant won or died. Though I knew this, I let Ariel leave. If she stayed here, she would feel even more anxious.
“Why is he so stupid?” I ran my fingers through my hair as I paced up and down the street anxiously. “Couldn’t he have at least discussed it with me before taking such a measure?”
“Watch out!” An icy voice rang out as I bumped into something solid. “If you don’t have eyes, you should just stay at home.”
“Sorry,” I apologised, looking up reflexively. “I was a bit distracted so….”
The rest of my words got stuck in my throat and my eyes widened. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “It’s you.”
The man’s expression changed, and he narrowed his eyes, “You know me?”
“I… No…” My voice became hoarse, and I barely managed to utter the words. “I don’t know you.”
He grabbed my hair and dragged me closer, his intense gaze piercing right into my soul. “In this world, I hate two kinds of people the most; liars and opportunists. So, you had better tell me the truth.” He tugged at my hair harder. “Let me ask you again. Do you know me?”
My heart drummed against my chest. What rotten luck! Of all the people, I had to run into Dmetri, the infamous assassin known for his eccentric nature.
“I… I really don’t know you.” The way he kept looking at me. It was as if he could see right through all my lies. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm down and recall everything I knew about him.
Clearing my throat, I tried to come up with a better explanation. “Last year, I saw your performance at the Silver Moonfest. So, I recognised you. Other than that, I don’t know anything, not even your name.”
“You saw my performance? Great!” His lips curled into a cruel smirk. “How about you tell me what you liked about it?”
“Your ripple technique that used leaves to mimic the sound of wind and waves was quite fascinating.”
“You really did see my performance.” His expression softened, and he released me. “It’s difficult to find someone who has the same taste in music. How about you drop by the Lycan Palace three days later and appraise my new piece?”
‘Why in the freaking hell would I want to be in the same place as a top-notch assassin? Do you think I am crazy?’ I shouted in my head, but on the surface, I smiled at him sweetly. “It will be an honour.”
He handed me a metallic token and walked away. When he was completely out of range, I shouted in annoyance and despair.
What in the world was going on? The problematic situations that had happened in the past occurred despite my best efforts to avoid them. On top of that, there were new problems cropping up like algae in dirty water.
“Hera….” Ariel’s voice trembled. “Why do you look so gloomy? Could it be that… brother…?”
“Don’t worry. Cassius will be fine. He might not be very strong, but he has a strong will. A mere life and death battle can’t defeat him.”
“Now that I have heard you say that, I feel that this match was totally worth it.”
I was standing with my back to the entrance and didn’t notice when Cassius arrived. When I turned around to look at him, I could help but let out a gasp.
His body was covered in cuts and wounds. The hilt of an arrow was still sticking out of his chest. His face was pale and his robes were soaked in blood.
When this incident happened in the past, I hadn’t even bothered to check on Cassius. So, I didn’t know that he had been so seriously injured during the match.
“You are such an i***t!” My voice became hoarse at the sudden upsurge of emotions. “Who asked you to do something like this? Even if you don’t care about your own life, you should think about your mother and sister.”
“Hera is right.” Ariel sobbed. “If you do something like this again, I won’t forgive you.”
Cassius didn’t pay attention to Ariel. His warm eyes remained fixed on me. It was as if we were the only ones in this world.
“Hera, now that I have won this match and become a palace guard, do you think—”
“Cassius, you are seriously wounded. Let’s get you treated first.” Without giving him a chance to explain, I hired a carriage and helped him inside. The ride was quite bumpy, but Cassius didn’t seem bothered by it. ‘
He looked quite pleased with the way things had turned. On the other hand, I was going crazy with anxiety.
I had decided that I won’t even step into the palace, but could I really stay away from it?
That Lunatic Dmetri’s invitation wasn’t something I could ignore. Moon Goddess knows what he would do if I didn’t turn up three days later.
- Writer
