MARKED BY THE CURSED ALPHA

CHAPTER 7

Kayda's POV

A soft knock echoed through the room just as the first rays of sunlight slipped through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My eyes slowly fluttered open, and for a brief moment, I forgot where I was. The soft mattress beneath me, the elegant chandelier hanging above, and the faint scent of fresh flowers almost convinced me that the past few days had been nothing more than a terrible nightmare. Then reality came crashing back. Blackwood Palace. The Survival Game. The ten girls who had been executed right before my eyes. I let out a slow breath before sitting up on the bed. Across the room, Emily was already awake, standing by the window with her arms stretched above her head. As soon as she noticed me, a warm smile spread across her face. "Good morning," she said cheerfully, though the dark circles beneath her eyes betrayed how little she had actually slept. "Morning," I replied quietly. Beside us, Sophia groaned as she threw the blanket aside. "I can't believe I actually slept," she muttered, running a hand through her messy hair. "Guess my body gave up after yesterday." Emily chuckled softly. "Either that or these beds are too comfortable to resist." A small laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. It felt strange... laughing in a place where death waited just outside the door.

The bathroom door slowly opened, and Nina stepped out, already dressed in the black training outfit that had been neatly folded on her bed the previous night. "Did anyone else barely sleep?" she asked while drying her damp hair with a towel. Sophia raised an eyebrow. "I slept like a rock." Nina sighed. "Lucky you. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept hearing those gunshots." The room instantly fell silent. None of us needed to ask which gunshots she meant. They were permanently carved into our memories. Just then, Aria slowly sat up from her bed, rubbing her swollen eyes. It was obvious she had been crying. Emily immediately walked over and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Hey... are you okay?" Aria nodded weakly before shaking her head. "Not really," she admitted in a trembling voice. "I kept dreaming that I raised my hand too." No one knew how to respond. Emily simply wrapped an arm around her before forcing another smile. "Well... good thing you didn't." She looked around the room before raising both hands dramatically. "Good morning, survivors!" The unexpected greeting caught all of us off guard. Sophia rolled her eyes with a laugh. "You're unbelievable." "I'm serious," Emily replied proudly. "We're still alive. That's worth celebrating." Even Nina smiled this time, and somehow the heavy atmosphere lifted, if only for a few moments.

A loud knock interrupted us. Before anyone could answer, the door swung open and two palace maids entered, followed by four armed guards dressed entirely in black. The contrast between the maids' gentle smiles and the guards' emotionless expressions was unsettling. "Good morning, ladies," one maid said politely while bowing slightly. "Breakfast will be served shortly in the royal dining hall. Afterward, all contestants are required to assemble in the central courtyard for an orientation tour of Blackwood Palace. You have fifteen minutes to prepare." Without another word, the maids placed neatly folded jackets at the foot of each bed before leaving as quietly as they had entered. The guards remained outside the door, waiting. Emily looked down at the matching black jackets before letting out a nervous sigh. "Orientation?" she repeated. "I wonder what that means." Sophia slipped on her jacket and shrugged. "Whatever it is, I doubt it'll be pleasant." I silently tied my hair into a ponytail before taking one last look around the beautiful room. Yesterday, this place had seemed almost welcoming. Today... it felt like a beautifully decorated prison. Somewhere beyond these walls, forty frightened girls were waking up just like us, each wondering whether they would still be alive by tomorrow morning. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the door with the others. Whatever awaited us outside... there was no turning back now.

The royal dining hall was unlike anything I had ever imagined. Long marble tables stretched across the enormous room, covered with enough food to feed hundreds of people. Freshly baked bread, pancakes drizzled with honey, scrambled eggs, grilled meat, fruits from every season, pastries, juices, and steaming cups of coffee filled every corner of the tables. Despite the feast before us, the atmosphere remained strangely quiet. Forty girls sat together, but very few actually spoke. Some stared absentmindedly at their plates while others nervously glanced around the hall, as though expecting someone to suddenly announce another execution. Emily tried convincing Aria to eat, gently placing a slice of toast onto her plate. "You'll need your strength," she whispered. "Whatever happens today, you can't face it on an empty stomach." Aria hesitated before taking a small bite. Across from me, Sophia was already finishing her second plate. Catching us staring, she shrugged unapologetically. "If tomorrow's going to kill me, I'm not dying hungry." A few girls nearby laughed quietly, and for a brief moment, the fear hanging over the room eased ever so slightly.

After breakfast, every contestant was escorted outside into the palace's central courtyard. The moment I stepped through the enormous double doors, my breath caught in my throat. Yesterday, we had arrived unconscious and frightened, too distracted to notice our surroundings. Seeing Blackwood Palace beneath the morning sunlight was an entirely different experience. It was breathtaking. The palace stood proudly atop a gentle hill, its towering white walls gleaming beneath the clear blue sky. Massive fountains danced gracefully in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by colorful flower gardens that stretched farther than the eye could see. Elegant marble statues lined the pathways, each carved with incredible detail. Beyond them stood rows of towering trees carefully trimmed into perfect shapes, while crystal-clear lakes reflected the magnificent building behind us. In the distance, I spotted enormous training fields where dozens of warriors dressed in black sparred with swords, spears, and bows. Every strike echoed across the grounds, reminding us that strength ruled this place. Even farther away, beyond the palace gardens, stood a dense forest surrounded by towering mountains. It looked beautiful... almost inviting. Yet something about it sent a strange shiver down my spine.

"This place is huge," Emily whispered beside me, her eyes wide with amazement. "It's like a city hidden inside a palace." She wasn't exaggerating. Everywhere I looked, servants moved quietly through the gardens while guards patrolled every path with frightening discipline. No one appeared relaxed. Every movement was precise, almost military. A tall man dressed in a black uniform stepped forward, introducing himself as one of the palace instructors. "Welcome to Blackwood Palace," he announced. "For the next few days, these grounds will become your home." Home. The word sounded almost laughable. He slowly began leading us along the stone pathways, explaining the purpose of each section of the palace. The eastern wing contained the royal residence, a place strictly forbidden to contestants. The western wing housed the medical center where injured participants would be treated if they survived their trials. The southern grounds contained training arenas, obstacle courses, and weapon practice fields. The northern side opened toward the vast forest, where several of the Survival Games would take place. As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that every corner of the palace had been designed for one purpose alone... survival.As the tour continued, we eventually arrived at the northern edge of the palace grounds. Unlike the colorful gardens behind us, this area felt strangely cold and lifeless. Towering black walls stretched endlessly in both directions, separating the palace from the massive forest beyond. Thick iron gates stood firmly shut, each guarded by heavily armed soldiers whose expressions never changed. The forest itself was eerily quiet, its ancient trees so tall that they blocked most of the sunlight. A cool breeze drifted through the branches, carrying an unsettling silence that made my skin crawl. One of the contestants standing a few steps ahead of me leaned toward another girl and whispered, "If we could somehow get over those walls... we could escape through the forest." Although she had spoken quietly, the palace instructor stopped walking. Slowly, he turned around and smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was the kind that made every hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"So..." he said calmly. "Some of you are already thinking about escape." No one answered. The girl who had whispered immediately lowered her head. Without another word, the instructor lifted a small silver whistle hanging around his neck and blew into it. The sharp sound echoed across the grounds. Within seconds, dozens of palace guards appeared from seemingly nowhere, surrounding us in a perfect circle. Before the shock could settle, loud mechanical sounds echoed beneath our feet. Hidden watchtowers slowly rose from the ground, each occupied by archers already aiming their arrows directly at us. My heart pounded wildly as another whistle echoed from somewhere inside the forest. Low growls answered almost immediately. One after another, enormous wolves stepped out from between the trees. Their silver eyes locked onto us as they prowled silently along the outer walls. Some were larger than lions, their sharp teeth glinting beneath the morning sun. Aria instinctively grabbed my arm, trembling so badly that I could feel it through my sleeve. None of the wolves attacked. They simply watched... as though waiting for someone foolish enough to run.

The instructor calmly folded his hands behind his back. "Now allow me to answer the question none of you dared ask aloud." His voice remained perfectly steady. "Beyond these walls lies over fifty kilometers of protected forest. Hidden beneath the ground are traps capable of killing an adult within seconds. Every section is monitored day and night. The wolves you see before you have been trained to hunt anyone attempting to escape. If, by some miracle, you survive the forest..." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "...you'll discover that every road leading away from Blackwood Palace is guarded by the Alpha King's warriors." A heavy silence settled over the contestants. Every tiny spark of hope vanished from their faces. There would be no escaping this place. We hadn't been brought here to compete. We had been brought here to survive... or die. The instructor gave one final glance toward the enormous black gates leading into the forest. "Enjoy the rest of your day," he said quietly. "Because tomorrow morning, those gates will open." My eyes remained fixed on the towering entrance as an icy chill spread through my body. Somehow... I already knew. Once those gates opened... nothing would ever be the same again.