Three

VIOLET'S POV

"That's it, take five," Our instructor said, and I let out a sigh, as I reached the floor like a puddle of slime.

I looked around to see that I was the first one on the floor not surprising... I'm the weakest one here.

We had been running for hours. Not the dramatic kind with screaming and blood and someone chasing us.

Just endless laps around the training grounds until my lungs burned and my legs stopped feeling like they belonged to me, I swear I could go through an amputation and not notice.

I was flat on my back on the cold stone floor of the tributes’ training ground, staring up at the sky, my chest heaving as if I might actually die.

Despite my exhaustion, Nayla wouldn't shut up. "We should tell him," Nayla said, sounding annoyingly refreshed. "He’s our mate. We could bond. We could finally be happy."

“I can barely breathe,” I muttered, letting out a weak laugh that turned into a cough. “And you’re talking about romance.”

"You’re avoiding the point." She grumbled inside my head and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I always hated how dumb she got whenever the chance of having a mate crept in.

“I’m surviving,” I shot back. “There’s a difference.”

My limbs felt like dead weight. Sweat soaked through my shirt and clung to my skin, my hair plastered to my neck. One week.

I had been here one week, and my body already felt like it was giving up on me. The torturous routines were always so bad that it made me feel like I've been here for a year.

Anyone would assume I’d get used to it and anyone would be very wrong. "You keep pretending this doesn’t matter. He matters." Nayla muttered, shifting restlessly inside my head.

“He doesn’t care,” I said wiping the sweat off my face. “He's an alpha it would be stupid to assume he didn't notice our bond but he clearly ignored it, So why can't I do it too and besides do you really think this ends well?” She went quiet for a moment, then softer.

"I don't know but we should at least try. We cannot be alone forever." She whispered and that did it. The sadness she tried to hide. I closed my eyes and pressed my forearm over them.

“The last time I told a man how I felt,” I said slowly, “I was humiliated in front of his friends, insulted and I was branded a murderer. So no. I’m not doing that again.”

The image of Derek and his lousy friends making fun of my most vulnerable moments itched a part of my mind, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push them away.

“Besides that man,” I continued, because that was probably the only way I was going to push away the lump growing in my throat, “is the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. The pack we’ve been at war with for almost a hundred years. You know the stories. You know what his family did to ours.”

"That was his grandfather, I doubt he would do anything like that," Nayla argued weakly, probably searching her head for another excuse.

“And men like that grow up hearing those stories like bedtime prayers,” I said. “If he finds out who I am, who we are and our real pack , he won’t hesitate. He’ll cut my head off and call it justice....He doesn't even want me as his mate , hell he believes I'm a man"

She didn't say anything and that was more than enough to tell me I had shut her up. I rolled onto my side with a groan and pushed myself into a sitting position.

Around me, other trainees were sprawled out, some groaning, some laughing weakly and some had already fallen asleep where they fell.

“There’s a bright side,” I said, trying to sound as cheerful as I could even though I was probably dying inside. “I get a roof over my head and free food... who needs Alpha Dante with his stupid grey eyes, perfect smile..."

He’s a walking sin.... 6’5 of raw muscle and ink,Black tattoos crawling up his neck and wrists. He was trouble incarnate, the kind of guy I’d cross the street to avoid, if only my body felt the same way when I saw him...I nearly jumped him and he just ignored me

"You forgot the part where you are the worst fighter here." Nayla pointed out, and I rolled my eyes, letting her words slip.

“Exactly,” I muttered with a strange sense of accomplishment. “Which means I’ll never be sent to the field. I’ll be the guard who opens doors and stands in corners.”

She didn’t answer, but I felt her doubt pressing against me. Bret’s voice cut through the hall before I could say anything else.

“Listen up.” Everyone groaned, but we all forced ourselves upright. Bret stood at the center with his clipboard, the usual stoic expression painted across his face.

In the week I’d been here, I had never seen him smile. “The rules are changing,” he announced.

“Normally, the lowest scorers get easier positions. That’s not happening.” He muttered with a smile, and I felt cold sweat slide down my back.

“We’re tightening security,” Bret continued. “Which means we need the best of the best. You’ll train until you break a few bones or die trying. Those who dont pass final selection in a week will be kicked out"

Nayla swore loudly in my head, and I swallowed, watching Bret look down at his clipboard. His smile turned into a frown, then he sighed, as if genuinely annoyed by something.

“Before that,” he added, “the bathhouse will be open tonight. Immediately after this until midnight. Same tomorrow but combat training starts at dawn.”

The room erupted with cheers and laughter and all I could do was stare. Bathhouses were crowded, and that meant I could easily be discovered, so the only choice I had was to wait until everyone was done.

"I'm guessing.. it's officially our last day here" Nala said

"I cant go back to the streets... we can't go back"

I Whispered more to myself than Nayla

~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time night fell, my muscles had stiffened so badly I could barely move. I waited anyway. Eleven thirty passed and the halls had completely gone silent.

At eleven forty, I finally slipped inside, heart pounding like I was doing something illegal.

I still had a week to think about final selection but for now... l'll soak

Steam wrapped around me the moment I stepped into the bathhouse.

The scent of herbs and warm water filled my lungs, and for the first time all day, my body loosened. I undressed quickly and slipped into the pool, sighing as the heat soaked into my bones.

I sank lower, wrapping my arms around myself, letting my head fall back.

Five minutes. That was all I wanted.

I closed my eyes.

"Violet", Nayla whispered sharply.

I froze.

I felt it then. That prickling awareness on my skin. The sense of being watched.

“Mate,” Nayla breathed, excitement crashing into panic and my eyes widened into the size of saucers.

“What are you doing in here?” A deep voice said and I froze.

Oh no. Oh fuck no.

It felt like I was seconds away from shitting myself while Nayla jumped around in my head. Without another thought, I pushed my body down until just my head stayed above the surface.

With my heart pounding I turned slowly to find Alpha Dante staring at me and worse

He only had a towel on .