SURRENDERED TO THE ALPHA KING

CHAPTER 4

AMY PIERCE

I see some humans crying with my words, while the vampires just keep looking at me with serious expressions.

"Well, that was very sad, and I'm sorry for you, Amy. But let's start our competition in a few minutes!", the king says, and everyone begins to applaud as we are all escorted out of the castle.

A few minutes later, we are all inside a car heading somewhere. I try to see where we are going at the moment, but the car windows are closed.

The car stops, and I furrow my brow as the guards open the doors. Seconds later, I realize we are in the dark forest of the castle. I step out of the car, looking at the tall trees in front of me.

No human has been here before because they say this forest is cursed, and whoever enters never returns. I see many guards here, and I stand next to the other participants.

"What you said to your mother was very beautiful.", I turn my head, seeing a girl who is also participating in the games smiling at me kindly.

I smiled back at her. Furthermore, I thought all these people were my enemies, but we are all here to be free. This means that at some point, we will have to kill and die in this game, and I am scared now.

I turn my head forward when a screen projected near a tree lights up, and seconds later, I see the face of the wolf king on the television. I know that everyone in the kingdom is watching us at this moment.

"Well, it's time to learn the rules of our first challenge that will take place in the dark forest. Many souls have never returned after entering this place. You all must run into the forest and reach the other side when the bell rings, but there will be difficulties along the way.", I keep my eyes fixed on his face.

Maybe he really is a very cruel man, because he seems to be enjoying this. I look back at the forest, seeing that the sunlight is illuminating everything, but I furrow my brow when I see the darkness starting to take over the spaces between the trees.

He continues saying things about the challenge, but he doesn't mention what obstacles we will face in the forest. I prepare with everyone else when a vampire guard appears in front of us.

I look at my shoulder, seeing the pendant in the shape of a wolf that the king gave me the night before. He said it would bring me luck, and I really need it now.

I sigh, feeling my heart beating faster in my chest, when a countdown appears on the television screen.

The forest is completely dark now, and I look at everyone, seeing that they seem very focused. I close my eyes, remembering my mother's face.

The bell resonates through the air, echoing through the dense atmosphere of the dark forest.

The sound is the signal for the race, and I, along with the other 11 participants, run through the darkness towards the unknown. My steps echo on the damp ground, but the darkness is relentless, preventing me from seeing beyond a few meters ahead.

My heart beats irregularly, driven by the adrenaline of the deadly competition. The goal is to reach the other side of the forest, but the darkness makes the mission even more challenging. I glance around, realizing that everyone is running frantically. Anxiety envelops me, but I concentrate to keep up the pace.

As I run, I try to ignore the unsettling darkness around me. The dark forest is a maze of shadows and whispers, and with each step, I feel the presence of unknown creatures lurking. The uneven terrain makes the race even more challenging, but the urgency to reach the other side drives every move.

However, a strange noise breaks the frenzy of the race. I stop abruptly, my senses alert to the unusual sound filling the forest. My eyes fix on the source of the noise, and what I see leaves me astonished.

In the center of the forest, a colossal snake statue rises, its intimidating presence illuminated by a faint light that seems to emanate from the darkness itself. I am confused, understanding that this is one of the obstacles the king mentioned.

Another participant, driven by curiosity or perhaps recklessness, approaches the statue. His fingers touch the sculpted snake's head, and in an instant, what seemed harmless reveals its true nature. Thousands of lethal and venomous snakes start emerging from the statue's mouth, sliding toward the participants in a deadly swarm.

My eyes widen at the imminent danger. I grasp the gravity of the situation as the snakes approach rapidly. Uncertainty hangs in the air, and instinctively, I step back to assess the best approach.

Chaos unfolds around me as other participants react in various ways. Some try to ward off the snakes with frantic movements, while others run toward the exit of the forest, seeking to escape the unleashed nightmare.

Determined to face the challenge, I devised a strategy. I observe the snakes moving swiftly, realizing that any direct contact can be fatal. With accelerated breathing, I weigh the available options as the dark forest turns into a deadly battlefield.

I look at the statue, noticing that its eyes are missing, as if it were a puzzle. I glance at the ground, seeing that the snakes are approaching me. Furthermore, I started running again with the others.

Some scream in fear, and others just run, like me. I look back, seeing that the snakes seem enchanted to chase us and kill us.

I look ahead, feeling my lungs begging for air, but I can't stop running now.

Something hits my foot, and I scream as I fall hard to the ground. I look back, seeing that the snakes are approaching. I am terrified and can't get up at this moment.

"Come, quickly!", A hand touches mine before pulling me up, and I look to the side, seeing the same girl who spoke to me earlier.

We start running again, and I furrow my brow when I see some kind of lake. I shouldn't do this, but I hesitate before jumping into the water and sinking down.

It's very dark, and when I open my eyes, I see something shining at the bottom of the lake. I realize that this may be the missing piece to ending this challenge.

I control my breath underwater before reaching out to grab the shiny red stone. Furthermore, I resurface, looking at the object in my hand and quickly realizing that it is one of the snake statue's eyes.

I leave the lake, searching for the girl, but I can't see her. Maybe I'm making another mistake when I start running in the opposite direction of the end of the forest, holding the snake's eye in my hand.

I hear a very loud scream and look to the side, seeing that the snakes are attacking one of the participants who won't stop screaming. I start running faster, dodging all the snakes with difficulty, and at this moment, I see that another person in front of me has the other eye of the snake.

Likewise, I jump at strategic points before placing the snake's eye on the statue, and seconds later, the snake's mouth closes, and I sigh before running back to the end of the forest.

I need air, and I turn my head, seeing one of the participants dead on the ground. I run faster, seeing that I am close to the end of the forest.

Adrenaline completely takes over me when I am with the other participants at the end of the challenge, and I carefully check my body to see if I was bitten by a snake, but it didn't happen.

Someone died today in the forest challenge, and I am lying on the bed in the castle, looking at the ceiling of the room, when I hear the door of my room being opened. I am completely surprised when I see the king coming to me alone.

I stand up, making a quick bow, seeing that he is looking at me with a small smile.

"You did very well today."

"I didn't know you were the king the night before.", I say, seeing him getting closer to me.

"Well, now you know, Amy.", he says, and I furrow my brow, still looking at him.

"How can you let this happen? Someone died today, and you act like it's not important.", I know I'm talking to the king, but at this moment, I need answers that only he can give me.

"There are things in this world that we cannot avoid, even if it is the most horrible thing that exists, there is always a reason, Amy."

"It gave you luck today.", he whispers, raising his hand to touch my shoulder, where the wolf pendant is.

I stay silent, seeing his golden eyes fixed on my face. I feel something strange when I am very close to him. Furthermore, I still can't explain this very well.

"Just keep it up, Amy.", he murmurs, holding my face, and seconds later, our mouths are very close to each other.

I almost died today, but tonight in the castle, I don't have the courage to move away from him. I am just a human girl fighting for my freedom, while he is the king and has a lot of power over everything.

Not only that, but I keep looking at his lips, and I quickly close my eyes when I feel his hand touching my waist and making me closer to him.

Seconds later, my heart beats faster inside my chest when we are kissing, I can't pull away, and it's as if something very strong is attracting me to him.

The kiss starts slowly, and a little later, I sigh against his lips before raising my hands and holding his face so that he kisses me more intensely.

This is my first kiss, and I don't want it to stop. I am confused, but I don't let these feelings dominate me when I feel him laying me down on the castle's large bed.

"You are my favorite, Amy..."

I open my eyes, seeing that I am lying on the bed while the wolf king watches me with golden eyes. I still don't know the reason, but I feel like kissing him again.

Furthermore, I lay my head on the bed when I feel his warm lips on the skin of my neck. I am wearing a kind of lace nightgown that the castle servants put on my body.

I bite my lips hard, feeling my hands pulling his hair, and I moan when I feel his tongue playing with my warm skin.

Likewise, I had never felt anything like this before. I open my eyes, feeling his lips find mine again. The kiss this time is more intense, and I moan once again.

The king's large hands moved down my body before squeezing my waist tightly. I have no more strength to resist his kisses and touches at this moment.

We are still kissing when we hear a very loud noise, and I open my eyes, moving away, and see that the castle walls seem to tremble with the impact of the sound.

The king gets up quickly before approaching the window of my room, and I sit on the bed before doing the same, seeing the serious expression on his face.

I can hear screams and guards running through the hallway, and I approach the window before widening my eyes when I see many humans running toward the castle gates as a sign of attack.