SURRENDERED TO THE ALPHA KING

CHAPTER 3

AMY PIERCE

My eyes sweep across the room, capturing glances that intertwine with mine, like shadows lurking at the edges of light. The presentation begins with a parade of varied skills and abilities. Each participant leaves their mark, a reminder that despite the connection we share as prisoners, we are competitors in this desperate struggle for emancipation. Time drags on as I observe, aware that my turn is approaching.

Finally, the moment arrives when I am called to present myself. I rise from the chair, following a vampire guard who leads me into the training room. My hands tremble, and my mind echoes with my father's teachings on weapons and hand-to-hand combat. I chose this modality, a choice that reveals itself as an inheritance I carry.

Entering the training room, I encounter a diverse collection of weapons, each representing a unique challenge. Nervousness grows as I examine the arsenal before me. Daggers, swords, and spears—an array of options. The metallic scent permeates the air, a promise of imminent conflict. The room is a simulated battlefield, a territory where every move will be judged.

I lift my head, realizing that I am being observed by vampires and wolves of the monarchy through a glass at the top of the room. Their gaze is penetrating—a critical assessment of each participant, a glimpse of the audience that will decide our fate.

I decide to start and choose two large daggers, feeling their weight in my hands. I walk to the center of the room, a deliberate choice symbolizing my readiness for the challenge ahead. Silence takes over the room as all eyes focus on me.

My heart beats irregularly, but I take a deep breath, absorbing the tension in the air. The competition is fierce, and the desire for freedom is the fuel burning within all of us. Seconds feel like hours as I await the signal to begin.

Without warning, I initiated my movement. The daggers cut through the air in precise motions, an extension of the tireless training I received from my father. The room becomes a chaotic dance of blades and agile movements, a display of skills cultivated in secret in the hope of breaking the chains that bind us.

The eyes on the glass intensify, and expectations rise. Every step, every strike, is a silent declaration of my determination. Adversity manifests in impassive faces, and the metallic sound of the daggers resonates in the confined space of the training room.

I stop my movements when I see a vampire wearing white clothes and a kind of helmet on his head entering the room to fight with me and help me demonstrate my skills to the monarchy's wolves and vampires.

I have never fought a vampire, but I know he won't use supernatural powers because he is fighting a human. The training room is immersed in expectation as we position ourselves, daggers gleaming in the subtle light of the environment. The vampire is an agile presence, moving with the dexterity that only vampires possess. As if they were a natural extension of his hands, the daggers danced in the air before he positioned himself for the start of the demonstration.

Without warning, the dagger dance begins. The room is filled with the fast and precise music of the movements. I, moving in sync with the vampire, reveal the skill I acquired over years of training. The daggers cut through space, dodging and attacking, creating a spectacle of agility and coordination.

The audience watches in silence, the monarchy's eyes fixed on our demonstration. Each movement is an expression of skill and mastery, a lethal art that transcends physical barriers. The flashes of the daggers reflect the determination and strength within me.

I spin quickly, and seconds later, our daggers meet again, and I can feel the sweat against my forehead.

At the peak of the demonstration, we decided to switch to a different modality. The daggers are collected, and we prepare for a new dance, now without the blades to separate us.

The transition is smooth, a choreography of calculated movements. Our bodies intertwine and separate, creating a sequence of precise steps. Each movement is calculated, an expression of strategy and agility.

I clench my fists, dodging all the vampire's attacks before he manages to knock me down with a move, but I quickly get up and continue my fight.

The spectators, observing through the glass above, are captivated by the change in modality. The physical fight reveals a new dimension of my abilities, a strength that goes beyond dagger handling.

I brace for each move, anticipating his gestures as if reading his mind. Tension grows in the room, and suspense hangs in the air as we engage in an intense dance of strength and strategy. The vampire, with a skillful move, momentarily surprises me, but I quickly recover, maintaining balance between us.

The vampire extends his hand, acknowledging the skill I showed. I accept the gesture with gratitude.

I breathe heavily, trying to catch my breath when my presentation ends. Furthermore, I hear applause and turn my head, looking at each member of the monarchy.

Then, surprise envelops me like a veil when my eyes meet those of the man from the night before.

The same intriguing smile that greeted me in the darkness of the forest now adorns his lips as he watches me through the glass. Confusion takes over me, and questions form in my mind.

The man, with his majestic presence, is no ordinary stranger. He is the wolf king, the supreme authority of the wolf monarchy that rules this supernatural realm. I had never seen him before, and the revelation of his identity sparked a wave of surprise and confusion.

I continue to fix my eyes on him, recalling every word he said to me the night before when we met in the forest.

Furthermore, I breathe with difficulty at this grand revelation. I was in the presence of the most respected member of the kingdom, and I did not know it. He did not reveal his royal status when he spoke to me the night before.

My mind tries to process the connection between the forest man and the wolf king before me. The smile lingers on the wolf king's face, indicating that he recognizes the confusion in my eyes.

Finally, I realize someone is calling my name, interrupting the whirlwind of thoughts.

Reverence becomes my response, a demonstration of respect before the monarchy that observes my exit from the training room. Every movement is calculated, an expression of courtesy in an environment full of intrigue and challenges.

"Amy Pierce, that was a beautiful presentation, thank you for showcasing your skills.", he says with a serious expression, and I nod before forcing my legs to walk out of the castle training room.

I am guided by vampire guards to a room in the castle, and I am extremely surprised to see a beautiful long red dress on the bed for me.

I sigh, hearing some vampire maids enter the room and tell me they will help me get ready. At first, I am confused, but then I realize that tonight there will be a ball in the castle for all the competition participants.

The games will start tomorrow, and they want to thank each of us for our presence with drinks and delicious food. But that will never change the fact that many of us will start dying tomorrow.

The ball has many more people than I imagined, and the participants are the only humans here. I notice that many vampires and wolves are staring at me non-stop, and it makes me very uncomfortable.

To my total surprise, the wolf king is sitting on their throne, watching us. All humans seem excited and drink as if tomorrow does not exist, but I can't drink alcohol to numb my pain.

The hours pass, and I see the wolf king's golden eyes watching me as I pass through the double doors into the corridor, heading back to my room.

Tomorrow my life will change, and I can't stay at that ball watching everyone laughing and having fun when many people will die tomorrow as they eagerly watch.

The hours pass slowly, and the day of challenges begins. I am in front of the mirror, observing the type of clothing I am wearing this morning.

I sigh, feeling my body tremble when I see the red and black jumpsuit I am wearing, and the castle maids have tied my hair. In a few minutes, it will all begin.

None of us know what the first challenge will be, but I'm sure it won't be easy. I hear my heart beating harder within my chest when the door of the room opens, and two vampires follow me to a part of the castle where many people are gathered.

There is a very high stage, and all 11 participants are by my side. I can see the king sitting behind me, and I look at the crowd, seeing that vampires and wolves are looking at us with smiles and cheers, while humans look at us with expressions of sadness.

My eyes fix on my mother, and I feel my eyes fill with tears when I see her looking at me.

I turn my head, seeing the wolf king standing up and standing among us before smiling at everyone as if he didn't care about our lives. I was really wrong when I thought he was different from everyone else.

"Welcome, everyone, to the annual competition that takes place in our kingdom every year, where 12 brave young people will fight for freedom, and there will be only one winner at the end of the competition. Ladies and gentlemen, you may start placing your bets on the winner; I already have my favorite participant.", I turn my head when he says that, but he is not looking at me at that moment.

He gives a speech about the beginning of these games, but I can only think about my mother and our pain. I blink my eyes when it's my turn to speak a few words after all 11 participants have done so.

I approach the center, seeing everyone looking at me, and at that moment, tears wet my face, and I wipe my eyes before starting to speak, looking at my mother.

"Mom, I'm doing this for us, my father left us forever, and I promised I would come back to you. I'm promising that I will do my best to come back to you.", I say this with my voice choked, and she cries more, nodding her head.