Chapter 3

The mood of the whole event felt different when I was speaking to another wolf who was forced to come here against her will. And she didn't beleive she had a chance at all.

"Why not?" I asked, hoping to sound sympathetic and not relieved that my own chances had just gotten a little bit better. 

"I'm-I can't do it. I wish they'd just let me leave right now since I've taken the time to show up. You've heard about the challenges the potential Lunas have to undertake haven't you?"

I shook my head, a little embarrassed that I had been so confident in myself just momements before. 

"They have to win a fight. A real fight, I heard. Not just anyone can become a Luna, these Games are about weeding out the weak so that a pack gets a Luna of good quality." 

I never was much of a fighter but I remembered that I used to beat my little brothers when we were just pups. Of course once you reach your twenties your little brothers aren't so little anymore and it becomes wise to avoid a fight. Maybe I wasn't experienced, but I had some time to train and they wouldn't put me up to it on the first night at dinner. Would they? 

"A Luna needs more than just physical strength." I said to reassure the both of us, but I felt good and  sobered up from the thrill of this place by the time I made it to our cabin, unpacked and headed off to dinner. What else would a Luna need to win a fight? Compassion and moral backbone? Didn't seem like much compared to a couple years of physical training. It was dark as we took the stone path to the dinner pavilion and torches stuck into the ground lit our way every six feet of so. My roommate, who's name I learned was Dandilion, and I walked in silence both becoming aware of our own inadequacies compared to this place and preparing ourselves for the embaressment of our lives. Noise filled the air as we approached the pavilon and the long tables crowded full of wolves chatting amongst themselves or howling at the moon in excitement. We sat ourselves down at a table just as the Alphas mother stood up to get the festivities underway. She was dressed in royal purple and brown and was positively dripping in jewels. 

"Welcome, welcome, all you beautiful wolves from our Great Forest! You have all been summoned here to compete to become my son's mate and our packs Luna," she paused for a moment as wolves in our crowd clapped and barked in approval. 

"Now before we get things started I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my son if you are not yet familiar with him." she motioned at him to stand up, but it was hardly necessary, we could already tell who he was. He was tall, must have been around 6' 9" and he exuded perfect confidence. His skin was a golden brown and his eyes were just as warm. His hair was kept short like a warriors, but he wore a simple white button down that was streched tight around his biceps. He gave the crowd his signature show stopping smile.

"I hope each of you will have the time to introduce yourself this evening as one of you will be his future mate. I would love to get to know every one of you as well, I promise I don't bite," she joked,"All that aside I also want every wolf to be present at our first Luna challenge that is taking place tommorow so I thought to give this reminder so you will all be prepared. We will meet for it at this pavilion tommorow at 1 o'clock. And with that please don't let me hold you up any longer. Enjoy your meal!" 

Suddenly the food in front of me didn't seem so appetizing anymore. One in the afternoon tommorow? That was way sooner than I predicted. I might get sent home before I have barely gotten started. I had packed for fancy dinners and dances not for fighting, I wasn't ready. I took a moment to scan the other tables to scope out my competition. At the head of the royal table sat the Alpha and his mother. Beside them set two very unusual looking persons. First a woman with huge pale eyes and stringy dark hair hanging to below her shoulders. She didn't look like pack royalty to me, but she was far too old to be a potential suitor. Infact I would dare to say this woman might not be a wolf at all. The man sitting beside her didn't look very wolfish either, but he could possibly be royalty. He was as pale as the man we saw at the front gate, but looked younger and more composed and fit. Like me he hadn't touched the food in front of him and was observing the faces around him with cold calculating dark eyes. A couple lucky she-wolves sat further down the table, they must have arrived early to claim the best seats. Then I noticed one of those fortunate few was staring hard right back at me and my blood ran cold. It was my very worst enemy in this world and the only person who had the power to thoroughly ruin these games for me: my cousin.