Episode3
1261 Words
CHAPTER THREE
~~. ~~
“Winner!”
The Beta’s voice boomed across the silent arena.
The word rang in my ears weirdly.
I stood motionless in the center of the blood-soaked sand, surrounded by corpses, my chest heaving. My body screamed in pain, but my mind was numb.
I had won the Omega Games.
The first human in decades to do so.
Instead of cheers, the crowd roared with disappointment and disbelief. Thousands of werewolves snarled and howled their displeasure. Even the Alpha King, still in his monstrous form, stared down at me from his dais with a look that mixed dark amusement and burning hatred.
As if I were an insult to his entire reign.
Rowan, the King’s Beta, approached me with several guards. “Come,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm. “You are to be prepared.”
I was escorted out of the arena like a prized trophy. No one touched me, but I felt their eyes crawling over my bloody, torn clothes.
They took me to a lavish wing of the Citadel I had never imagined I would see. Four human maids waited inside a marble chamber filled with steaming water and scented oils. They bowed low when I entered — trembling, wide-eyed.
I said nothing as they stripped my bloody rags and guided me into the hot bath. The water stung my wounds, but I barely flinched. My mind was elsewhere.
How do I kill him?
The silver stake was still hidden in what remained of my clothing. I had failed in the arena. I wouldn’t fail again. Maybe during the night while he slept… or when he lets his guard down. There had to be a moment of vulnerability.
And then there was him — the gray-streaked Omega who had sacrificed everything. For me.
“Vaelira sylvayne… morath kaelith.”
His last words haunted me. The way he had pressed my blade into his own chest.. Who was he? Why had he given his life for mine?
I had seen the shock and fury in the crowd when he turned on his own kind. Even the Alpha King had watched with narrowed golden eyes.
Now I was here.
A human consort to the very beast I had sworn to kill.
The maids dressed me in layers of expensive peach silk that clung to my body. Gold chains were draped around my neck and wrists. They brushed my damp hair until it shone and painted my lips a deep crimson.
When they finally stepped back, I hardly recognized the girl staring back at me from the mirror.
The reflection looked too royal.
Too sophisticated.
Nothing like the dirty, half-starved human from Sector Zero who had woken up in the cold this morning.
“If all is to your liking, we will take our leave now,” one of the maids said softly, her voice trembling.
I gave a curt nod. They bowed deeply and filed out of the room without another word.
Rowan appeared at the doorway moments later. “The Alpha King requests your presence in his private chambers.”
I let out a bitter scoff. “It hasn’t even been an hour. Is he that eager to claim his new consort?”
Rowan said nothing, his face carefully blank. His silence only fueled my irritation.
I touched the hidden pocket sewn into the silk, feeling the silver stake to reassure myself. It was still there. Still ready.
I followed him through the lavish halls. With every step, my heart pounded harder.
A consort to a beast.
Wouldn’t that make my mission easier? I would be close enough to feel his heartbeat under my fingers.
Close enough to drive the silver stake straight through it while he slept.
But a knot of unease twisted in my chest. Something about this victory felt too easy..
We finally stopped before a massive oak door. The handles were shaped like two snarling wolf heads facing each other. This was no ordinary chamber. It was built for the nobles. For royalty.
“Walk in,” Rowan said quietly. “Alpha Kaelen is waiting for you.”
I drew in a slow, steadying breath, then pushed the heavy doors open.
The entirely black interior of the room caught me off guard.
Black silk bed sheets. Black bed covers. Even the wall paintings were dark depictions of wolves in battles.
The only contrast came from the dark brown furniture and the little light dying lanterns provided.
The whole space felt cold, oppressive.
I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering against the freezing temperature. My breath came out in faint white puffs.
I scanned the room carefully, searching for any sign of the tyrant. The bed was empty. The corners were shadowed and still. No movement.
Was he even here?
A bitter thought crossed my mind. Had the tyrant sent Rowan to bring me here just to toy with me? Was this some game of making the new human consort wait like a nervous lamb in the lion’s den?
If he wasn’t here, why bother bringing me at all?
I took another cautious step forward. Just as I began to wonder if I should leave, I heard a low sound of movement coming from the washroom attached to the chamber.
The faint splash of water.
He was here.
My pulse spiked. I instinctively reached toward the hidden silver stake in my silk dress.
My body tensed, ready for whatever nightmare was about to step out.
He casually walked out of the washroom, black fur still dripping water onto the floor.
Steam rose faintly from his body as the cold air of the chamber met his wet coat.
He lowered his enormous head to peer down at me. Even in the dim lantern light, I could see the deep contempt burning in his eyes. I doubted he was capable of any other emotion — only contempt, disgust, and hatred. Perhaps that was why he had become such a tyrant.
I swallowed hard.
“What do you want?” I demanded. “Why did you call me here?”
His lips parted, revealing fangs the size of daggers. I knew he couldn’t speak. Not in this cursed form.
But then a deep, raspy voice slid directly into my mind.
“You are my consort. I do not need a reason to summon you into my chambers.”
A sharp gasp escaped my lips. He was inside my head.
How? How powerful was this lycan that he could still command such ability even while trapped in this monstrous form? Was this how he still remained in control of his wolves? Could he read my thoughts too?
I frantically tried to empty my mind, pushing away images of the silver stake, the mission, Elijah’s training. I couldn’t let him see any of it.
“Get out of my head!” I snarled.
A low, amused grunt echoed through my skull.
“Address me with reverence. I am your Alpha.”
The sheer authority in his voice slammed into me. I staggered backward, another wave of icy air brushing past my skin.
I wanted to snap back at him. I wanted to tell him exactly where he could shove his “reverence.” But my lips were glued shut by some invisible pressure.
He turned and walked toward the raised stone platform that served as his bed. He sat and those glowing golden eyes remained locked on me, burning with even deeper loathing.
“Strip.” The order echoed through my mind, daring to be defied.
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