The Final Stage

Alaric nods in approval and he turns to leave, but then he stops and glances over at me. "You should come with me." He offers, or more like states.

I raise a brow at that, once again pausing in the middle of settling back into my bed. "To... the arena? You said I can't participate anymore." I remind Alaric.

He rolls his eyes at my words, an action that admittedly does not happen often. "You're not going to participate, Kyra. You'll just be with me." He clarifies.

"If I have Cedric stay cooped up in here for another day, he will not let me hear the end of it." Alaric continues. "And I am certain there is not much for you to do here either, so, you should come with me."

"Are you sure?" I ask Alaric hesitantly. "I mean everyone that's anyone will be there, it is the final stage of the games." I remind him. "Pack leaders previously absent will fly in from all over to witness the final ranking."

"I know how the element games work." Alaric replies with a shrug. "And everyone already saw us together. I have nothing to hide, do you?" He asks.

I open my mouth to argue but then snap it back shut. Alaric's reasoning is full proof, he already announced to everyone that I am his woman and even if I keep a low profile for the entire games, the rumors must have already spread far and wide.

"I will not feel at ease to leave you back here all by yourself. The final stage is also the stage with the highest fatality... and your element has already made you a target, even if you forfeited." Alaric adds. "With the arrest, you are the only fire elemental left on this island."

I nod slowly and decide Alaric is right. Getting off my bed, I head to the washroom to start getting ready. 

"Take your time, I need to get dressed, I'll be in my room." Alaric says as he turns to leave.

Not long after, I'm out of the shower and I find a neatly folded dress on my bed. It is a simple yet elegant floral dress, perfect for the sunny weather and the island landscape, yet the exquisite details of the dress make it stand out. How Alaric had gotten a dress in my size in such a short time is beyond me but I do not question it.

I get dressed and pull my hair into a neat pony tail. I do not bother with my contacts, leaving my natural eye color. Everyone already saw through my disguise anyways so there is no more use for it.

As for my hair, I can only take the dye out when we leave the island. I pull on a pair of sandals and head out of my room. Alaric is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and the moment he sets eyes on me, a small smile stretches across his lips.

He is not dressed in a tailored suit today, instead he has on a pair of grey pants and a black dress shirt left untucked.

"Cedric is waiting in the car. Come on, the event begins soon." Alaric says, offering me a hand to help me down the stairs. I question his actions but I do not refuse the gesture.

"Aren't you already late to the event? You usually leave much earlier." I point out to Alaric.

"I can afford to be late." He replies simply. "Who's going to do anything about it?"

His tone is neither smug nor conceited, it is just a calm and factual assertion. Alaric ranks above everyone that could ever participate in the games, and he owns the island too. I can understand how he has no obligation to keep to their official timeline.

It is a respectable fact that even so, he made sure to leave on time before today and was only delayed today because he was waiting for me.

"So, what is the final stage of the tournament going to be?" I ask Alaric as he leads the way out of the beach house.

"The final stage is always the element tournaments." Alaric replies as we make the short walk to the makeshift dirt road some distance away from the shores where the car is waiting. "The twelve participants left will face each other in various eliminating rounds till the final winner of the game emerges."

"However, the order of elimination, will determine the points that will be added to their already accumulated points." He continues. "The final winner of the games will be recognized for his win, but the pack rankings are not determined by the last man standing but by the highest points accumulated to each pack's name by their various representatives at the different stages." He explains.

"Which means, even if Alpha Mikos is eliminated, Everdale is already assured one of the highest ranks since they've raked in a lot of points so far." I ask to be sure.

Alaric glances over at me before he pulls open the car door for me to get in.

"Yes. That is exactly it. A pack's strength is not determined by the strength of one shifter or his element but the collective efforts of all the representatives and their strategy approaching each stage of the games so far." Alaric affirms. "For Everdale...they are a strong pack, naturally, their ranking will not be any less than it has been."

I nod slowly, unsure of why I even brought up the Everdale Pack in the first place.

Cedric is already behind the steering wheel and he pulls out onto the dirt road. My gaze moves to the window on my side and I watch the landscape rush by us in a flash.

"Do you not want the Everdale Pack to retain its influence?" Alaric asks me after a moment of silence. "The Landry's may be unfitting Alphas, but the pack itself has earned its place in the ranks."

"I... know that." I reply with a murmur. "With power and status comes the ability to distort the truth. I just wonder if the world would even care to know the reality...of the lives some of these elites live."