The Alpha’s Bald Luna

The Onyx

TRIGGER WARNING - TORTURE AND VIOLENCE

~ KELANI ~

A steel cage, similar to the dome itself, descended from the top of the dome to the center of the arena.

“Today’s first lawbreaker is a Shana male who has always been very vocal against the policies of His Majesty King Aries. Of course, there is freedom of speech in Shanakoi. But last week, he went as far as committing blasphemy against our beloved king. For that, he will be welcomed into the cage.”

I gave up trying to figure out where the voice was coming from and how it could be so loud to watch a young man who couldn’t be many years older than me being forced into the cage by two guards.

“King Aries is a tyrant and you all let him get away with it! He takes your bread and gives you crumbs to be grateful for! Let Koi be the judge!” the young man screamed furiously.

I looked to the princess for a reaction. King Aries was her father after all. But her face was expressionless as she watched.

By the time I turned to look back at the man in the cage, he was on fire. Literal fire. The crowd roared in… excitement.

The man continued preaching as he burned, his words frequently interrupted by the sound of his own screams. “I might be dying but you all are already dead. Dead in conscience. Dead in courage. Dead in AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!”

He struggled out of his clothes until he was stark naked, his body riddled with red burns as he ran around the cage in a frenzy, looking for an escape. The cheers got louder. Dear Goddess, what the hell is this?

A pool of water suddenly formed above him, whirled for a few seconds, before dropping on him in an intense splash. That was when I saw them - two Shana males standing beside the cage.

One was making movements with his hands and the water followed the movements. It whirled around the caged man. Whipped him. Strangled him. Attempted to suffocate him.

The first man stopped his hand movements and his companion took over. The fire returned.

The two men took turns tormenting the caged man with fire and water. His body burned, then he cooled, then burned, then cooled. Over and over again. The spectators went crazy with excitement as the torture intensified and the caged man’s screams grew louder. Then fainter.

I turned to the princess in panic. “What the hell is going on?!”

“I told you to brace yourself,” she replied with a smug smile that irritated me to my stomach, “You see, when someone is sentenced to death in Shanakoi, they can either be outrightly killed by our warriors or brought here to be a spectacle and entertain bored Shanas with their death. The latter is highly preferred by my people as you can tell by the turnout.

We get creative with how each person is killed. Some are bathed with an itching herb and thrown into the cage. They peel their skin off themselves.

Or they might be overdosed with our most potent aphrodisiac. Then put in the cage where they can’t help but masturbate in the full view of the kingdom till their s*xual organ falls off, inevitably killing themselves.

Some are given a potion that makes them hungry. I mean insatiable. So they are put in the cage with food and they eat and eat and eat till their stomach ruptures.

Other times like this, Shanas are called to do the job with their gifts. They have fun using their powers to torment the lawbreaker.

It’s all about the most undignifying way a person can die. Many people take their lives themselves instead of stepping into the cage. Others still choose to attend their execution, hoping that something would happen at the last minute to save them. But nothing has ever happened, not in a hundred years.”

She relayed all these casually, like she was sharing the weather forecast for tomorrow.

I struggled to hold in my tears as questions ran through my mind. The people who were gathered here cheering, did they not think that it could be them someday? Or someone they cared for?

A night ago, if the princess hadn’t saved me, it would have been me in that cage. I wondered what kind of torture they would subject me to. Or what the booming voice would announce as my crime. Being the daughter - I mean, son - of an Alpha whose land their king wanted?

“Stop crying. You’re attracting unnecessary attention to us.” Princess Orlanda snapped at me.

I couldn’t. The smell of burning flesh was now overpowering and it reminded me of my last night in Left Stone, walking through my pack square. Seeing my parent’s…

No! I had to get out of here before I retched and emptied my guts on the princess’s fancy dress.

The princess saw me moving away. “Don’t leave.”

“I can’t-“

“Stay here. It can get crazy during these events. You don’t want to be out there alone.” she advised.

“My bad. I thought it was crazy already.” I scoffed.

But I didn’t want to risk finding out what she meant so I stayed. Closing my eyes, I willed my mind to stop concentrating on the gore happenings in front of me and think of other things. Happy things. My mother’s yummy garlic bread. The yellow frilled dress I had been saving for meeting my mate. Making origami figures with Nikolas.

My attention was fully regained when the voice announced the fourth and last lawbreaker who would be executed tonight.

She was an older female and she was wailing even before being dragged into the cage.

“I am a mother! Please, do not do this.”

As usual, the echoing voice boomed over her cries, announcing her crime. “This Shana female dared to deceive the entire kingdom of Shanakoi. She birthed a female and lied about the baby’s gender. She announced him as a male!”

I froze. Exactly my case - lying about my gender.

“Of course, she couldn’t hide for long. Shanas are vigilant and intelligent. In just a week, she was caught. Let’s welcome her to the cage.”

I didn’t want to see what her punishment would be. I shut my eyes again, even more tightly, but that didn’t keep out the haunting sound of her shrill screams. If this was how the Shanas punished their own kind for deceit, what would they do if they discovered mine?

I thought of confessing the truth that I was female but that would mean needing a chaperone to go anywhere. How am I supposed to plan my revenge if I am forced to stay indoors day and night? Being a male was the only way I could survive in Shanakoi. It was the reason I was even useful to the princess at all. There was no going back now. I had to guard my secret with my life.

I heard Princess Orlanda gasp and my eyes flew open. “What is it?”

“That’s Philip’s brother,” she pointed to a man standing many rows beneath us, “I need to speak with him. To ask if he has seen Philip.”

She was already gathering her dress train, meaning to approach the man. It was my turn to be worried about the princess bringing attention to us. Onlookers will wonder - what could the mad princess possibly want with a human slave? And King Aries had told me I would be responsible for her safety.

I stopped her. “Let me ask him for you. Give me a minute.”

I began to make my way down the bleachers. Now that the event was nearly over, I got a few stares but I kept going.

I was finally a few steps close to my target when all the torches in the arena suddenly went out and the stadium was thrown into darkness, save for the faint moonlight that filtered in from the caged dome. The crowd erupted in a deafening roar.

The event was officially over and people began making their way out of the arena in seeming hurry. I wondered whether to go forward to the exit or backward to the princess.

“Off the way!” a stout man shoved me aside.

At first, I thought it was the heat emitting from hundreds of bodies but then I saw it. Fire dancing in the air. The ground beneath my feet started shaking violently. I knew exactly what it was - Shanas exploring their gifts. Only that this was the wrongest time.

Making a quick decision, I rushed forward. I had to make it out of here fast, then I would look for the princess. I soon realized that the first part of my plan was not going to be easy as the crowd was very rowdy.

Bodies were pressing against me in every direction. Feet crushed my feet. Someone’s elbow hit my bound breast so hard, I had a white flash. More dancing fire, more quaking earth.

In the midst of this commotion, a voice called out. “Look! It’s the bald Alpha!”

I almost turned to see this bald Alpha before I realized it was me. I, Kelani Hulker, arguably the most beautiful girl in Left Stone, was the bald Alpha. I felt my heart squeeze.

Everything after that happened fast. A small group gathered around me in seconds. Young Shana males.

“You’re a werewolf, right? Show us how you do it,” one teased, “I heard you have to strip first. Let’s help you with that.”

“Let me go, please.” I begged as they tugged on my clothes, laughing and jeering.

“Not before you show us your wolf. Let’s have a fair fight. You can use your powers and we’ll use ours.” another grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

Just then, I heard a growl. They heard it too because the hands that were pulling me in every direction stilled.

“Let him go.” a voice commanded, deep enough to rattle my bones even with all the turbulence around me.

I looked up to find the same blazing brown eyes from last night. Alpha Mardeo.