The Bride Games

The Bride Games

Ember-

We were

led as a group from the main lodge and seated on wooden benches facing what looked

to be a large arena, all of us looking uneasy in our lovely red lace gowns. The

men were situated to the side of us, lined up and looking incredibly fierce. James

moved to the middle of the open space with Titus and Lucas at his sides. “Women,

we welcome you to the Black Moon bride games. The men will be competing today

for your love. As your Alpha, I promise my protection to each of you; every

warrior here has proven his worth. You will be well provided for and treasured

as new members of this pack. I congratulate you in advance on your matches.”

James moved his attention to the men beside us and addressed them. “Black Moon

men, I know you will fight with honor for your mates. As you know, we have

drawn names for the first round. The winner will advance and move on to the

next round, and so on, until we have a victor. Your places will be counted, and

that will determine the selection order. Rounds are won by forcing your opponent

to submit, knocking your opponent out, or, if necessary, death. Good luck to

you all.”

I looked at Lucas,

fear twisting itself into knots inside of me. The word death wouldn’t stop

bouncing around my brain. I knew they were desperate to rebuild their lives,

and this had been their path to the brighter future they were hoping for, but

killing each other? Did I truly hear him correctly? Could I lose Lucas to this

game? The competition hadn’t even begun, and the thought of being chosen by another

or now the possibility of Lucas’s death made my chest ache. This is madness.

Ava grabbed my hand and brought my attention back as a shadow came over us.

James stood above me, inching closer until his lips were next to my ear. His

breath tickled and made goosebumps appear along my skin. I shivered with his

closeness, “Mine.” Was all he said, low and husky, as he bent down and kissed my

neck, making every hair on my body stand at attention. As quickly as he appeared,

he left, taking his shadow and promise with him. The sound of my racing

heartbeat and quick, heavy breathing drowns out the noise of everyone around me.

I closed my eyes, trying to regain control of my body. I slowly opened them

only to see that the Alpha’s little spectacle had drawn the attention of the

men standing to the side of us and most of the women. My fellow captives looked

at me with pity, but how the men looked away from me as if I were something

forbidden made me want to run. This all felt so incredibly f****d up. I am not

the only woman who is struggling with this new reality. Some cry or are visibly

frightened and angry, while others sit silent. It is hard to know if they have

resigned themselves to this fate or if they are just bracing for what happens

next. I still know relatively little about these women who sit here with me,

all of us sharing in this unknown future. I hold tightly to Ava’s warm, small

hand and take comfort that I am not alone here.

I take one final

heavy breath, pulling my shoulders back. I won’t allow him to keep rattling me.

Admittedly, I had been attracted to the Alpha and curious about him; now, all I

wanted was for him to disappear or, with any luck, lose today. My eyes met

Lucas’s again, and he gave me a sweet smile that I returned. I wanted him to

feel secure and know that despite being terrified, I believed in him. I hated

that my future, not just mine but all of us women, was being decided today, not

with any input from us, but by a game played by men. Lucas was my safe place

and future; I silently prayed to the gods that he would win my hand today. If

he succeeds, I will be free from the Alpha’s claim.

The games started without any disorder as if this had been planned and each man knew his part. Every

fight is a spectacle of its own, with men who all seem close and friendly being

paired with one another and brutally pounding the other bloody until one is

decided as the victor. The sight, although terrifying, was exciting. Seeing the

passion and strength each of them had and the way the small group of men in the

audience cheered was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was primal,

barbaric, awful, and thrilling. The fighter I couldn’t peel my eyes away from

was Lucas; my Lucas, the way he tore through his opponents was jaw-dropping. I

couldn’t believe how fast he moved; it gave me hope that he could win. Although

the thought filled me with shame, in truth, it felt good to know he fought so fiercely

for me that he wanted me. I refused to even look in James’s direction; I didn’t

want him to have the satisfaction of my attention.

Although a bit chaotic to watch, the games seemed to flow with

ease. Each time a match had a victor, he would stand to the side as the losers

from their rounds faced off in their own contest if they were physically capable.

This created places while the winners from that round would also face off. This large group filled The space around us with grunts, howling, and cheers. Although there was definitely a fierce competitiveness to them, they

joked with each other and seemed genuinely happy for the winners. There were

very few serious injuries, which was incredibly surprising due to how violent

the matches looked. Two men were excluded from the brotherly-like competition:

James and Lucas. After they won their rounds, they separated from the others, glaring at each other with a dark, brooding heat. The men who were already out

and had their respective places set openly eyed the women and spoke quietly

with each other. The man, whom I assumed to be the group's doctor, was bandaging up a few men who had sustained small injuries. I saw how he joked with the men; to me, he looked like a kind, gentle person. He had already fought and

placed mid-pack; he was someone I thought might be good for Ava. I knew she

didn’t want anyone, but if we all would be claimed, I wanted her to be with

someone kind. I didn’t know much about shifters in general, thinking that they

had been extinct for some time, but I remembered hearing that they healed

quickly. Something about the blood they had made them stronger. I wished I had

listened more to the stories my parents told us as kids about them, but I guess

now I would have to learn. These shifter men interested me; just being here

made me feel like I was a part of something special. They were people who had

been reduced to a fairy tale. I look at them all very much alive and wonder

what other things walk this earth that I know nothing about.

The number of pairs fighting started dwindling until only two men were left. All thoughts of adventure and lore were halted; I

clasped my hands to my chest as the brothers squared off in the middle of the

arena. “Last chance, little brother.” James spit out as they circled each

other. “I won’t let you take her from me. Ember is MINE!” Lucas’s eyes flashed red,

and he charged his brother full-on, jumping at him and throwing him to the

ground. Quickly, James flipped Lucas onto his back, taking the position above

him and landing punch after punch, bloodying him until he could roll out

from underneath him. Lucas then moved behind him, putting James into a

headlock. With James held tight to his body, he was able to land blows to his

body while strangling him until James broke free of his hold. They battled blow

after blow, bleeding and taking hits that would surely lead to other injuries. I

had to put my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming out. Every part of my

body itched to run to them and break the fight apart. I felt pain radiate

through my body, gathering in my chest as I saw the damage they were doing to

each other. They had mostly been evenly matched throughout until James was able

to get on top of Lucas again, dishing out huge hits to Lucas’s head. “Give in,

brother, or I’ll kill you.” James began shouting as the crowd grew uneasy. The

lightness and comradery have all gone now. Lucas began to fade out of

consciousness, his head slumping back as he continued taking hits from his

brother. A shrill cry came out of my mouth as I ran towards Lucas, not even

thinking, just reacting to his pain. “Please stop! You’ll kill him, stop!”

Before I could reach them, I was grabbed by Titus and held back. “No!” Was all

he said to me in his commanding voice. Tears ran down my cheeks as I pleaded

with James to stop. He looked at me after he struck his final blow, knocking

Lucas out. He stood tall, covered in dirt and blood, and gave Titus the nod to let

go of me. As soon as his large arms released me, I ran to Lucas and dropped

down beside him, pulling his head into my lap and stroking his face. I didn’t

even see the crowd staring in shock at the spectacle we were making. At that

moment, I didn’t care what any of them thought about me. “Please don’t die, you

promised.” The doctor came running over and dropped down beside us. Before I

could plead with the Doctor to save him, I was pulled up forcefully by James’s blood-covered,

cut hands. My hysteria was cut short when I heard his domineering voice bark at

me. “He’s not dead, Ember, but I will kill him if you touch him again, understood?”

I met his black eyes and nodded, dropping my gaze to Lucas, who was now being

hauled off to the sidelines to receive treatment. Knowing he wasn’t dead took

the heaviness off of my chest. It was instead replaced by a different kind of

dread when I realized the man’s hand that was clamped down on my wrist had won.

He was today’s victor and therefore got the first choice of bride. I was taken

back to my seat, and Ava grabbed me quickly, trying to soothe me, but all I

felt was emptiness. My chance of love and adventure was gone now, with darkness

replacing it. The only thing that brought me any comfort was seeing Lucas begin

to regain consciousness under the doctor’s care. The sky grew dark as the games

ended, signaling it was time for us women to be ushered back inside, where we

would be placed forever in our new chains.