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921 Words
When Beta Alex arrived at Alfa Mir’s castle, the Alfa was in the middle of training his wolves.
"Alex. It’s been years. What brings you here?"
Alex answered with a grimace. "A small problem."
Without turning around, Alfa Mir said, "A fly is small, Beta, but it still makes you sick."
"You're right, Alfa. The house we went to for that gambling debt they showed us teeth. They even..." Alex was struggling not to laugh.
Mir finally turned. He saw the look on Alex's face.
"Alex, should I beat you now, or wait until tomorrow night when I'm in a foul mood and tear you apart slowly?"
Alex let the laughter escape.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Stop laughing, damn it, they're watching."
Alex fought to control himself, then waved at the men behind him. "Leave us."
Once they were alone, Alex said, "I wouldn't have said this in front of them. This is just for you."
Mir moved like lightning. He had Alex by the throat, pinned against the wall. "Are you going to talk like a man, or should I paint the floor with your guts?"
"Alright, Alfa, take it easy," Alex said, tapping the Alfa's arm three times.
Mir threw him to the ground.
"Talk. One word."
Alex coughed. "The girl at that house the one we went to for the gambling debt she challenged us."
Mir raised an eyebrow, now listening carefully.
"She said she'd beat you, pay the debt, and demanded a hundred thousand gold on top. When I tried to object, she said, 'What's the matter, don't you trust your boss? Or do you think he's just overgrown and useless?'"
"I got carried away. I told her, 'Beat the boss and I'll give you two hundred thousand out of my own pocket.'"
Mir stared at his Beta, shook his head, and walked off without a word.
He turned back. "That girl's familyI'll get them last. I'll turn their bones into toothpicks. I'll drink wine from her skull."
Alex laughed, shaking his head as he followed. "She turned me, a Beta wolf, into a kitten. I can only imagine what she'll do to you, Alfa."
Alyona had been training all night, tirelessly.
She'd lost herself in the rhythm, dancing with the wind, when suddenly silence fell.
She took a deep breath. "What brings you here, old man?"
"Your time has come."
"For what?"
"You know everything, Alyona. You know you're no ordinary human. I see the animals under your command."
"Yes. What do you want from me?"
"Don't fight in that match tomorrow night. Everyone will find out who you are."
"Why would they? For years they've been searching for a male bastard. It hasn't even crossed their minds that I'm a girl."
"The potions I gave you are no longer enough. They only cast a shadow now."
"The necklace."
"The necklace protects you, but if it falls during the fight, you die."
"Give me three minutes, old man. I'll take the money and vanish."
"Do you think you can simply escape this magical world?"
"That's the hope. Otherwise, what's the point? I'm not here to die a bastard, abandoned by the father who wanted me dead, am I?"
"But you will take your revenge."
"And you will die in the process."
Voldemort smiled, and vanished with a wave of his staff.
Alyona collapsed to her knees, pulled them to her chest, and wept.
But when she rose, she left her childhood behind. She wiped her tears and walked home.
She dressed like a man, threw on a hooded cloak, and slipped unseen to the cage-fighting arena. She took a seat in the shadows, waiting.
Beta Alex had kept his word. The two hundred thousand gold was ready.
The first round began. The man lasted three seconds.
One by one, they fell. No one lasted longer than three seconds against her opponent.
Alyona studied every move.
Alfa Mir turned to Alex. "So, where are your challengers now?" he said mockingly.
"I don't know, Alfa. Maybe they got scared and didn't show," Alex said.
Mir threw his head back and laughed. "You're dealing with children," he said, shaking his head.
He stepped into the cage, threw a punch at the air, then scanned the crowd. "Hey! The one who challenged mecome out. I'm waiting."
The crowd roared, echoing his call.
Everyone was on their feet. Everyone except Alyona.
"If you're scared, you should have kept your mouth shut," Mir said.
Alex made to leave the cage. "Wipe that family off the earth, not a speck left."
But as Mir moved to go, a voice cut through the noise.
"If you're going to run, don't bother fighting. You oversized, useless mutt."
The word "mutt" froze Mir in his tracks. He didn't turn, but his breathing quickened, his body began to shift. His nails lengthened into claws, fur bristled across his skin.
He was about to roar, to turn, to tear into her
And then he saw her.
A small, frail thing, barely 1.60 metres tall, swallowed by a cloak. He stopped mid-shift and burst out laughing. The transformation reversed. He was human again.
Mir looked at Alex. "This is it? This is what had you all worked up? One sneeze and he'd fly away!"
The crowd joined in. Everyone laughed.
Alyona cracked her neck left and right. "Patience," she muttered. "Patience."
"I thought whoever dared to challenge me would at least be imposing," Mir roared with laughter. "But this? This is a quarter portion no, an eighth! A child!"
The crowd howled.
- Writer
