Thank you for reading... đâ¨đŚâ
KAEL. âThereâs one more team, you can still be saved. Good luck, Alpha!â Those were his last words before he ran away. And then he was gone. He was also not injured. He played with us all along. âOne more team will still comeâŚâ Landon said. âBut we wonât trick them. Right, Alpha?âI turned around and looked at him. He was still holding the lever, and despite the smile on his face, his eyes watered. Only four teams entered the cave, with two teams out and then us, there should still be oneâunless they were the dead ones. âLandonâŚâ I wanted to tell him the other team might be dead. They might be the blood we saw. âItâs not them, right?â He knew. He was not stupid, but he wanted to keep his hope up. âThey just got lost, so theyâre not yet here.â He chuckled, but his tears fell, and my jaw tightened. We were doomed. âI will step back inside,â I told him and put my foot to cross over, but I ended up being blocked by an invisible barrier. My eyes widened as I pushed a hand in front
KAEL.I waited for Beta Andres to raise it more and was ready to nudge Landon to run for it when the stone dropped. My head tilted to look at Andres. He let go of the lever.âOnce you let go, the stone drops. So obviously, one has to stay here to do that.â He explained. âNicholas left you,â I said. âWhat choice did he have?â He scoffed. âWhat would you do if it were you?ââDid he show you whatâs on the note given to him at the entrance?â Landon asked. âHe didnât. But he said, that if one makes it out and makes it on time, he is assured of a spot in the next round.âMy heart clenched. He didnât tell him the whole truthâthat the one left behind would be considered dead. It was a possibility that no one would come until the creatures in here ended their lives. The mere thought brought chills down my spine. I had no idea how far this game would go to claim a life until I saw the pool of blood somewhere. It was shifterâs blood. Someone bled, and if he were not assisted right away, the
KAEL.They werenât joking when they said the cave was enchanted. I had no idea how many shadows I felt surrounding us, but most of the time, we couldnât see anything. Being the last to enter was surely an advantage. I had no idea how many hours weâd been trekking through this cave using the map they had given us, but no threats came.But we did see in the aftermath. Orcsâ heads were cut off, and a huge viper snake was struck in the throat before it was butchered. Its eyes were still open, but it was already dead. We also saw burned ashes of decaying creatures but we couldnât identify what they were, and I ordered Landon not to touch them for precaution. When I thought they had taken down all the creatures inside, we encountered a water nymph by the lagoon.We had no plans of killing her. I thought her challenge was for us to pass the lagoon by ignoring her song. I thought thereâd be no physical struggleâotherwise, sheâd be dead in the hands of the others. I underestimated her. She
ADESSA. THREE DAYS had gone by, and I heard nothing more about the latest task, and it was making me worried. I had no idea if the others made it out alive, especially Kael and Landon. Yesterday, news reached me that an Alpha was in critical condition and was lifted for medical care, but his Beta didnât make it. He was pronounced dead on the spot. I hung on to my consciousness until they dropped the name of the Alpha and Beta, and when I heard it was not Kael, my body still collapsed. I spent the whole night crying for the man who died and the Alpha fighting for his life. I never thought this would really happen. That someone could lose their life for this stupid game, all in the name of my title. And sitting here at the podium, waiting for the unknown, was slowly killing what was left of my sanity.âStop crying, Adessa.â Father told me as he held my hand resting on my armrest. âYou will never understand. I didnât wish for this.ââThey knew what they were getting themselves into
ALPHA DRACO.I signed up for the Royal Games so I could take Adessa home with me because I needed her to fix me, but I didnât sign up to hang out and spend time with the Royal Family. The fucking hell I cared about them.So last night, when I was informed that I would join them for breakfast, I thought of ways to dodge it. But I eventually realized that I had to suck it up. I needed Adessa, and I would swallow whatever fucking pride I had to get to my goal. As soon as I arrived at the pavilion where the breakfast would be held, I told my Beta I wanted to use the toilet, and he could wait for me in the lobby. I didnât want to be the first one to enter the breakfast hall. I was walking down the long corridor to the private restrooms, to where I was pointed, when I heard small footsteps behind me. From the scent that lingered in the air, I knew it was Felicity. How would I not? This was the only scent that could awaken everything inside meâincluding all my demons. âWhat do you need?
ADESSA.âDesiree quit her job because she came back. I was giving her money for her apartment and for everything her child needed. Without me, she had no way to work and take care of her child at the same timeâŚâMiranda was still talking, but nothing was sinking in except the part where Desiree had a child. I didnât even question that she was Desireeâs mother because all I heard was about the child. âIs it Kaelâs son?â I asked, unaware that I had already reached out to hold Esmaeelâs arm for support. My brother held me, supporting my body so I could remain standing.âNo, no, noâŚâ She said as she shook her head. âItâs not his son.ââDonât lie to me.ââDesiree has a child from another man whose name I donât even know. The same man that Kael caught her in bed with.â My hand went to my mouth, suppressing myself from gasping. Rasmus. Desiree had a child with Rasmus. âIâm not lying, Adessa⌠You can ask me anything now, and I will tell you the truth in exchange for my freedom. Please let
ADESSA.I had no idea there was a Beta task that happened last night. I couldnât believe Draco won this part, and I had to see him for breakfast. But if anything, at least I wouldnât be dining with him alone. I was told the whole family would, so I didnât need to coerce myself to talk with him. I hadnât forgiven him for all this mess, and I never thought I would. I was also only informed last night that the current task would last for three days, and we would never hear from the participants unless they got out and finished the challenge. I kept bugging Esriel about what task lay ahead, but this time, he kept his mouth shut and avoided me, which made me worry more.I woke up early despite not being able to sleep at all, because aside from breakfast, I was finally meeting Miranda. She was captured a few days back, and Father wanted me to face her.As much as I would rather not deal with her, I had to. I also wanted my father to find out that she sold me to Draco as a slave. But if I
KAEL. I was still trying to digest the information I witnessed when another surprise was presented.After the crowd toned down from greeting and celebrating with the Royal couple, the Game Master stood before us in the middle of the arenaâwith more breaking news. âThe fourth task had already begun last night from the moment you stepped back into the manor. The food you ate and the drink you consumed were illusions, so if you thought that food was enough and skipped meals the whole day, then you are already at a disadvantage. You will feel the hunger later on.âI swallowedâgrateful that I didnât consume a lot last night and that I went to the kitchen and asked for food when I woke up today. âAnd the naked women you found in your rooms last nightâŚâ He added, and I immediately saw Adessa shift in her seat.She looked mortified. She had no idea about the women.â...were not who they seemed to be.â The Game Master continued. â You met our first creatures. The faeries of the Eternal Fore
KAEL. Before I could think more, the speaker already announced our entrance. Draco walked ahead of us while the rest were in a straight line behind him. âWhere is Randolf?â I heard Constantin ask as we walked, and when I tilted my head to the right, as I was the first on the left, I counted only three: Vaidas, Constantin, and Nicholas.I didnât notice he was not there as we all left the manor in our own cars with just our Betas. And I didnât notice him. In fact, I hadnât seen him the whole day. âIâm sure they will tell us soon,â Nicholas said, and no one discussed it until we stopped in front of the stage. Everything went fast after that. Draco was congratulated for winning the last task and was asked to join them on the stage. I was right, he was to sit next to Adessa. I made every effort to remain unaffected. This was what they wanted, not what she wanted. I would not let it destroy my confidence and focus for the next game. I would use this as my motivation to win this round