NINE

The countdown to when my life would officially be at stake for all who were around to see, was down to three minutes.

I was standing at a far end of the field, sick to my stomach. What made me feel that way was not the near end growing closer – although that was a part of it – but the excitement in the air at the thought of someone dying.

As much as I didn’t want to think of myself as a mere animal for litter, I couldn’t help but almost laugh at the fact that I was, in fact, an animal. But so were they.

I made my way to the middle of the crowd which increased with each passing minute. I could see Conrad heading toward me and Frazier.

When he got to the middle of the crowd and stood between us, he cleared his throat. “Good day, everyone!”

What is good about the day, Conrad? I almost sneered at him.

“Today, we’ll be having a death match between my Beta and your Luna.” Cheers erupted. He didn’t call me his mate. Just their Luna.

“I advice that you sit tight, relax, and if any one