[Silas’s POV]
"This way, sir." Clifford murmured, motioning for me to follow him up a winding staircase that led to the VIP seating of the arena we were currently in. "Alphonze and Hubert are waiting for your arrival."
"Thanks," I responded, giving a slight nod. "You’re free to go. I can take it from here. "
"Of course."
I waited as Clifford gave a quick bow before turning and making his way towards the general seating.
I lifted my gaze and took in the stairwell. It really was too much for an arena like this, but did I really expect any less from Alphonze?
"Welcome!" The man himself boomed once I reached my destination. "I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come."
"And why wouldn’t I?" I asked, remaining nonchalant. "You invited me personally after all."
Honestly, if Lennox wasn’t participating in these games, I wouldn’t be here. I simply came to watch her in action and make sure that Alphonze didn’t take a fancy to her.
"Come, have a seat." Alphonze announced, motioning towards a cushioned chair. "The games are just about to begin."
Nodding, I took the seat he directed directly beside Hubert, his father, then turned my attention to the large window in front of us.
Down below, the stadium was packed with onlookers as a dozen women hyped them up as if this was some sort of football game. Well, Alphonze did like to do it big.
"How have you been?" He asked, conversationally, pulling out a cigarette. "It's been ages since we’ve seen each other."
"I apologize about that." I responded. "I’ve been out of the country until about a week ago."
"Oh, and where did you visit?" Alphonze asked, seeming genuinely interested. "I’ve been so bored sticking around here, but father wouldn’t allow me to go anywhere due to preparing for this day."
"It was a well-needed get away." I responded, praying that the games would start soon to end this conversation.
As if the goddess herself was on my side, a loud crackling filled the arena, followed by music, signaling that the competition was about to begin.
"WELCOME ALL!" A deep, booming voice announced, sending the audience into a frenzy. "THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TODAY TO HELP US PICK THE BEST LUNA! FIRST UP FOR THE GAMES WE HAVE KNOCKOUT!"
As the emcee spoke, two figures walked out onto the grounds. Leaning forward, I found my eyes coming to rest on one in particular. Despite being in just a t-shirt and shorts, with her long light brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, I recognized her.
Lennox…
It looked like she would be one of the first to participate, and her opponent, a tall blonde with a lean figure and porcelain skin, was Stacy. What a perfect pairing. Sister against sister, but this meant that Lennox was sure to win since she was the true beta heir.
"This should be interesting." Alphonze murmured, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. "They both have great figures, don't you think?"
"The shorter one has better hips for child bearing." Hubert responded. "The other is too lean."
Remaining quiet, I watched as Stacy and Lennox stood inches from each other while a referee explained the rules of the game to them. Once he was finished, he made his way back to the side of the grounds and blew his whistle, indicating the beginning of the games.
Immediately, Stacy surged forward, attempting to attack, but Lennox easily dodged. Correcting herself, Stacy tried to strike again, but was once again evaded.
Like that, Lennox dodged while Stacy attacked. It was almost as if the two women were doing an intricate dance, but in reality, it was clear that Lennox was attempting to tire Stacy out before making her move.
Cursing, I found myself hoping that Lennox would somehow mess up or that Stacy would actually be able to succeed.
If Lennox were to win this first round, she would move onto the next and Stacy would be disqualified entirely. If that happened, the chances of Alphonze claiming Lennox grew greater, and there was no way in hell that I could let that happen.
"Oh look!" Alphonze announced, drawing me out of my head.
"What is it?" I asked, looking towards where his finger was pointing.
A gasp escaped me as I found Lennox landing her first blow on Stacy, followed by a kick that sent her flying, causing the overzealous woman to stumble and then crash to the ground, leaving half her body hanging out of the circle. Shit.
"AND WE HAVE OUR FIRST WINNER!" The booming voice called through the roars of excitement being made by the game's attendees.
Frowning, I jumped up as Lennox was led away to wait for her next turn.
"What’s wrong?" Alphonze asked, eyeing me suspiciously. "The next round is just about to begin."
"Bathroom."
Not waiting for a reply, I quickly made my way out of the room and down the stairs.
Once I reached the bottom, I extended my senses until I could feel Lennox amongst many other hopefuls.
"There you are." I smirked, beginning to move.
I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do once I found her, but I couldn’t let this continue. Otherwise, I risked losing her to Alphonze, and I would be damned if I let that happen.
[Lennox’s POV]
"Nice try." I giggled while Stacy glared at me from the ground. "But you should have known better."
"You…"
"This way, miss."
"Saved by the ref." I sighed, turning away from Stacy and taking in the referee that was making his way towards me. "See you later, sister!"
Lifting my hand, I gave a small wave before allowing the referee to lead me off the pitch and back towards the waiting room.
When we arrived, all eyes fell on me as mouths turned down with looks of disdain.
"Didn’t expect to see me, did you?"
Ignoring the clear hate that was beginning to fill the room, I made my way towards a seat in the corner and plopped down.
"Sorry to disappoint."
Crossing my arms, I fixed my gaze on those that were still watching me. If it wasn’t for the rule that we couldn’t fight outside of the games, I was sure that they would probably be jumping me right about now. Not like they’d have a chance.
"Why are you here?" One asked, fixing her dark gaze on me. "I thought you died."
"Is that what they told you?" I asked in amusement. "Seems your bestie lied to you."
By the voice and the looks alone, I knew that the one that was questioning me was Kayla, one of Stacy’s best friends. She bore witness to the abuse I suffered, even sometimes joining in on it. Funny that Stacy didn’t bother telling her the truth of my disappearance.
"I guess that’s what they told everyone." I continued, taking in more of the eyes that were watching me. "How does it feel to know that you’ve been listening to the words of manipulators all along?"
"Shut up!" Kayla growled, attempting to get up from her seat but stopping as the person beside her placed a hand on her shoulder. "If anything, you faked your death and tricked them!"
"Did I?" I asked in amusement. "Well, I suppose even doing that was better than living in hell."
As Kayla opened her mouth to respond, the door to our room burst open and Silas stormed in. His wild eyes took in the area until they came to rest on me.
"Time to go." He growled, storming towards me. "You shouldn’t have even come here."
"Wait…what?" I gasped, as I was being lifted from my seat and thrown over his shoulder. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
