The Mate Games
"Althea."
I still. I shiver. He says my name like it's sacred, like it's an oath he's swearing.
He tilts his head to the side, eyes roaming over my face. "Tell me," he murmurs, "what do you want me to call you?"
My eyes slowly meet his, confused by his question. "What do you want to call me?"
"I want to call you mine.”
***
Althea Gray is a bullied omega who has fought for survival at every turn of her entire life.
When she discovers her boyfriend of three years has been cheating on her, heartbreak is the least of her problems.
She's been chosen for the deadly Mate Games, a brutal competition where females from all parts of the kingdom, fight for the chance to win the favor and heart of the ruthless Alpha prince.
Prince Asher Valebrook is as cold as his ice-blue stare, and he has no interest in love.
Althea knows better than to want him, but a reckless one-night stand might seal her fate. Though she and Asher claim to hate each other, the line between love and hate is dangerously thin. With betrayals lurking in every shadow and survival far from guaranteed, Althea must play the game wisely.
But in a palace built on blood and lies, winning Asher's heart might be the deadliest challenge of all.
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Chapter: A flicker ALTHEAEverywhere is chaos.Screams tear through the air, sharp and panicked. Dust and smoke swirl around me, making it hard to breathe, harder to think. The ground shakes beneath my feet. I can barely hear anything over the pounding of blood in my ears.This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.We were in control. We had the element of surprise. We did everything right, took down the guards, held the arena in our hands.But now—Now it’s all falling apart.I shove past two of our men as another set of explosions echoes somewhere behind us. The heat from the blast pushes against my back, flames flickering at the edge of my vision. My heart is beating too fast. My hands are slick with sweat. I can still hear the sickening sound of bones breaking, of men screaming, of something inhuman roaring.I glance toward the center of the arena.And I freeze.They’ve all frozen.Every revolutionary, every soldier, every bystander, they’ve all stopped moving. Every eye locked in the same direction.At
Last Updated: 2025-06-25
Chapter: And now he’s free ASHERMy mind feels muffled. Like I’m underwater.No, it’s more like I’ve been wrapped in cotton, thick and heavy. The air is too warm. My skin itches. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I try to move, but my body doesn’t listen right away. My limbs are sluggish. My head… gods, my head feels like it’s been cracked open with a sledgehammer.This can’t be happening.We were just about to finish the ceremony. I remember the sunlight on my skin. The crown. The weight of everything pressing down on my shoulders. And then—Screaming. Metal. Pain.I blink slowly, trying to make sense of the shapes in front of me. Four figures. Standing in a circle around us. Around me and my men. They’re dressed in deep gray, masks pulled over their faces, weapons in hand. Their eyes are sharp, full of fury and fire.Revolutionaries.I can barely lift my head, but I see my guards slumped around me. Some still conscious, others not. They’re all groaning or clutching their heads. Same as me.We’ve been
Last Updated: 2025-06-24
Chapter: An empty roomALTHEAI didn’t sleep last night.I didn’t even dare close my eyes.I sat at the edge of the bed, knees pulled up to my chest, arms wrapped tight around them, and stared at the wall until the shadows began to fade and pale light crept into the room. My chest feels too tight, my skin too hot. I should feel better—safer—after Theo promised me Asher would remain unharmed. But deep down, something twists in my gut. Something raw and uncertain.Maybe because deep down, I don’t know if I believe him.I paced for hours. Back and forth across the rug until it was crumpled and wrinkled beneath my feet. Over and over again, I debated going to Asher’s door. Just once. Just to warn him. To beg him not to go through with it.To tell him I still care.But I didn’t.Because that would make this real.Because if I saw him again, I wouldn’t be able to go through with today.Today… the day he becomes king.And the same day he is overthrown.A soft knock comes just after dawn. I barely hear it at first
Last Updated: 2025-06-23
Chapter: Coronation dayASHERAnxiety is a feeling I’m all too familiar with.I wear it like a second skin. And like always, I bury it under layers of calm and control. I smile when I’m supposed to. I nod at the right people, say the right things. But underneath it all, I’m a mess of nerves.Because today… today is everything.Today, I stop waiting. I stop hiding behind duty, behind fear, behind the expectations of a father who’s ruled me even in his silence.Today, I become king.Even if it’s just temporary, acting king while my father lies in that bed with too many tubes and not enough breath, it gives me the power to choose. To act.And I know what I want.Althea.If she’ll still have me.I think about the look on her face the last time we spoke. The way she looked at me when I reached for her. The way her voice shook when she looked at me, scared to ask if I knew. I did. I knew, and I still let her walk away, because I was scared. Scared of what it meant. Scared of what her secret could be. Because one t
Last Updated: 2025-06-22
Chapter: A promise ALTHEA“Attention everyone!”Theo’s voice cuts through the chaos like a blade. The room stills, conversations dying mid-sentence as dozens of heads swivel toward the raised platform. The makeshift headquarters, an old, abandoned theater hidden beneath the city, is packed tonight. Bodies line every wall, the air thick with tension, sweat, and the unmistakable scent of anticipation.Theo stands under the cracked spotlight, tall and commanding. His face is grim, but his voice is steady.“Well,” he begins, glancing around, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”A few nervous chuckles ripple through the room. The tension is too high for laughter to last long.“I’ll start with the good news.” He pauses, letting the silence stretch just long enough to catch everyone’s attention. “Thanks to the great work of one of us, we’ve managed to get the key to the archive room in the palace. The one where they’ve kept the books we need. The real ones.”Murmurs break out instantly. The kind that hum with su
Last Updated: 2025-06-21
Chapter: I didn’t hate you, Althea.ALTHEAI pause. Just one beat.But it’s enough.Because everything in me suddenly screams the same thing over and over.He knows.He knows.He knows.I try not to flinch under his gaze. It’s too direct. Too steady. Like he’s searching for the truth right there on my face.I force myself to breathe. To calm down. I curl my fingers into the folds of my coat, grounding myself in the cool fabric. But my heart still thunders in my chest.His eyes are too sharp. Too focused. I can’t hold the weight of them anymore.I look down. Clear my throat.“What do you mean?” I ask softly, trying to keep my voice light. “What could I possibly have to say to you again?”I chance a glance up at him.He hasn’t moved. He’s still watching me, his face unreadable. But I keep going, because silence feels worse than saying the wrong thing.“I know we still had a lot to say last time,” I murmur. “But it’s fine. I guess not everyone gets closure. And I also want to tell you that I’m sorry. I’m more sorry than yo
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
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