جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 190

They bundled us into the van again, retaping our hands and legs. We were herded back inside the van.One of the henchmen stepped forward. He paced in front of us, studying each face.“Listen carefully,” he said. “Some of you will serve as slaves to be sold. Others will be prostitutes in our clubs. And a lucky few will become show wrestlers. If you can prove you’re strong—if you can fight and win—you’ll be selected for the arena. From there, you can fight for your freedom.”He gestured to his men. “We’re going to test you. You’ll fight each other. Get your opponent to submit, and you win. Simple.”They removed our bindings and assigned us numbers. I became Captive 25. There were twenty-five of us in total.“Captive 1 and Captive 2, step forward.”The fights began. We were forced to battle each other. There were fifteen women and ten men in total. Some fights were quick, others dragged on. A few strong ones defeated their opponents easily—I was sure they would be selected as show wrestle

Alpha Lars didn’t waste time. That same evening, he prepared a feast for us. Guards led us to a large dining hall where tables overflowed with food.Before the feast, they gave us new clothes, tunics and pants made of soft fabric, clean and comfortable. I changed quickly, grateful to be out of my bloodstained clothes.The feast itself was held inside the stadium. We sat at long tables while Alpha Lars stood on a raised platform, addressing a crowd of spectators in the stands.“Welcome our new fighters,” he announced, his voice booming through the speakers. “These warriors will bring you glory, entertainment, and blood.”The crowd erupted in cheers. I looked up at the faces surrounding us, all of them hungry and fascinated, their eyes fixed on us like we were livestock brought out for display.After the celebration, Alpha Lars led us to a massive training hall. The space was enormous, with high ceilings, padded floors, and equipment lining the walls. Punching bags, weights, and sparrin

The guards moved fast, grabbing my parents before they could react and yanking them out of the crowd. My mother screamed as they seized her. My father struggled against the force of the attack, but more guards appeared, overwhelming him.They dragged my parents down to Alpha Lars’s quarters and threw them to their knees beside me. My mother’s face was bruised where a guard had struck her.“Mom, Dad,” I whispered. “Why did you come? Why?”“We’re your parents,” my father said, his voice breaking. “Why wouldn’t we try to rescue you?”Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor. Alpha Lars emerged from the door.“What do we have here?” he asked calmly.One of the guards stepped forward. “Sir, these two attempted to rescue the fighter Isabella. They were shouting her name, trying to reach her.”Lars nodded slowly. He walked closer, studying my parents like experiments under glass. Then his eyes shifted to me.“I thought I warned you about this, Isabella. I made the rules very clear. No con

I pulled out my phone and called Arthur. He answered on the second ring.“Aurora? What’s wrong?”“I found out who owns the arena,” I said. “It’s Alpha Lars.”Silence on the other end. Then, “Lars? That fishy bastard.”“You know him?”“We’ve had dealings before. He’s dangerous, Aurora. Cunning. Don’t trust anything he says.”“He wants to meet with us. About Isabella.”Arthur was quiet for a moment. “Alright. Where are you?”“Still at the compound. But I can meet you at the hotel.”“I’ll be there in an hour.”When Arthur arrived at the hotel, he looked exhausted. The council meeting had clearly taken its toll.“How did it go?” I asked.“Fine. We discussed threats to the north. Nothing that concerns you right now.” He loosened his tie. “Tell me about Lars.”I explained everything, how Sabrina was his daughter, how she had arranged the meeting, how Lars had agreed to discuss Isabella’s situation.“He won’t just give her up,” Arthur said. “He’ll want something.”“I know. That’s why we need

“Get out.” Isabella’s voice was flat. “Both of you. Get out before I call the guards.”I froze. Her words hit me like a punch. Desperation built in my chest as I realized that reasoning with her wasn’t going to work.“Isabella, please,” I tried again, my voice calm but urgent, “just listen—”“I said get out!” she shouted, backing toward the wall.My jaw tightened. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I have to do this.”I lunged forward, aiming for the pressure point on her neck. If I could knock her out, we could carry her out during the chaos outside. It was our only chance. But she was faster than I expected.She ducked under my arm, her elbow slamming into my ribs right where Lars’s poison had weakened me. I grunted, stumbling backward. Pain shot through me.“You think I’m still that weak little wife you can just manhandle?” Isabella spat.I lunged again, trying to grab her, but she twisted away, sweeping my legs with her foot. I caught myself against the wall, breath ragged, muscles str