LeviArthur and I both look around, our eyes searching around the clearing for any sign of Owen.He was there just moments ago, and even if he did run, I don't think he could have made it that far. I run back to the place where we last saw him and I see that his cuffs and the other stuff he was carrying was right there.Did he shift? Because the cuffs were silver, and they would have prevented him from shifting or doing anything. And looking at them now, I can see that they're intact, which means he didn't break through them.Which also means that he didn't get out of here alone. He had some help.I turn back around to face Arthur again, but then my heart drops.Standing right behind him, holding a sharp silver knife against his throat, is Owen.This time, he's sneering at me, his red eyes dark with an expression that I can't really place. He looks unhinged, smiling and pressing his cheek against Arthur, who's standing stiffly, his eyes flicking around the place like he's trying to fin
LeviMy wolf immediately comes out, fiercer and angrier than ever before. I can feel its power invading my body, filling me with much needed energy.My body starts to expand, fur growing out of my skin as my face elongates into a snout. My mouth gets filled with big pointy teeth while razor-sharp nails pop out of my now curled hands. A long howl escapes my lips, and with that, I see Arthur shifting into his Lycan too.His Lycan is bigger than a wolf, with a magnificent silver coat that shines like a pool of coins in the light of the day. He joins my cry for battle, and even though Owen is trying to get away from both of us, he still pushes against him and tries to topple him off the hill that were on.Meanwhile, the scarred Rogue is also trying to shift, but before he can do that, I lunge at him and pin him down.I burrow my nails into his chest, drawing blood. The Rogue screams into my face, filling my nose with the rancid smell of his breath. "You will never get out of this," he t
LeviI stay frozen in place, looking at Lauren who’s staring at me with a strange expression. For some reason, there is a hint of something warm in her gaze, like she’s seeing something in me that she finds welcoming.This is confusing enough to pin me down in my place, but she keeps the spell on me anyway. I have nowhere else to look at but her. She stares into my eyes for an uncomfortable stretch of time, not saying anything at all. Soon enough, a couple of Rogues appear from behind her, these ones bigger and more muscular perhaps than Owen and the scarred Rogue combined.These new Rogues get behind me and Arthur, plastering strange metal shackles around our wrists. As soon as the lock is in place, I feel my energy getting sapped out. I sink into my knees, free from the spell.The immediate reaction from my head even though I feel weak is shifting back to my wolf form to deal with Lauren and the Rogues, but I feel a zap of electricity going up my arm the moment I even think about sh
Arthur’s POVThe Rogue guards flanking me toss me right inside what feels like a tight room, slamming me right onto the fall. Thankfully, even with my hands bound by the shackles, I manage to break my fall and roll on the ground before breaking anything.Someone reaches out and snatches the bag around my head roughly, taking some of my hair with it. Then, I’m able to see that I am indeed in a tight space. A cell in a dungeon to be exact.Of course, I think to myself dryly. This is what I get for coming here. Getting captured.I don’t blame Levi at all. In fact, I am pretty glad that I came here with him. Imagine if we all just entrusted him to the care of things with one companion, which is Owen. I witnessed myself how that turned out, and needless to say, it wasn’t very pretty.If I weren’t here, Levi would probably be dead.The Rogue guard shoots me one last evil look before turning around and leaving, slamming the door. But not even seconds after the door closes, someone comes in.
Arthur My heart stops beating in my chest. I freeze in my spot, the guards still blocking my view even as I watch Levi going into his own corner. "What is he doing in here?" I ask, a complete disregard for discretion on my part. I didn't mean to say it, but now I have to stick by it because they're looking at me with a strange expression that's bordering on suspicion. "Owen . . . is he going to fight too? Who are these fucking people?" I fully expected the guards to not say anything and leave me rambling there, but to my utter surprise, they just look behind them as though to check what I was talking about. "Owen will not be fighting," he says. "The others who will be fighting here are criminals like you are. They're here to get a chance to leave too." I keep quiet. I wait there, listening to the sounds of chaos from outside, particularly from above. There are so many people now, it seems. There are chants going on now too. The sound is echoing in my actual chest, and all I can d
AryaI pat the space beside me as though Arthur would just suddenly show up and it would all be alright, but of course, he's not there. I can't feel him. The space on the bed where I know he laid before we fell asleep is cold, which means he's been out of here for a long time now.For some reason, even though I knew that he was going to leave, I still feel a strange sense of bereavement, as though he just left and never told me about it. We made love last night and everything. I can safely say that we have spent enough time for me to feel secure about him leaving, but it doesn't feel enough. I want him by my side right now.I wish he and Levi didn't have to go, but at the same time, I can't blame them for both going."They will be fine," Ivory says in my head. "They're both strong men and they would do their best to come back to you, and everything will be okay."I shake my head. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely comforting to hear her assure me like that, but I still would feel as
ArthurKill or die. That's the only thing on my mind now. I know that I shouldn't be participating in this game. I know that I'm not some sort of pawn that these fuckers can just watch die for their entertainment. But my god, Levi is making that hard to internalize right now.I charge right at him, shaking my head at the fact that I know I tried to avoid this first. But of course, trust him to make that difficult.On the other side of the field, he takes a javelin from his weapon stash. He holds it up, ready to shoot it straight at me just as I raise my spear to meet his.And like an absolute joke, we both throw our weapons at the same time.I tuck and roll out of the way, landing with one knee planted on the ground. Meanwhile, Levi just narrowly avoided my hit. He ducks, but he loses balance and ends up falling forward. If it wasn't for the timely prompting of his arms, he would have broken his entire face.He gets up, and with that, he looks at me. There's something in his expressi
ArthurBig cracks appear on the ground, breaking into big chunks that fall right into the underground floor below. But of course, it doesn’t stop there. Even the underground level gives way, sliding down on the wet clay of the mountain slope and tumbling right down to whatever is waiting below.It’s chaos. It seems that the Rogues realized too late what’s happening, because they have barely any time to get out of the benches. They all scream, scrambling to get out into safety, but the benches are already crumbling beneath their feet, and they suffer the same fate as the floor, tumbling right into the darkness below.I look at the royal box and see that Connor and Lauren are no longer there.Dust and debris are raining everywhere. I dodge and leap at the sliding elements, but I’m not safe from gravity.And neither is Levi.In the end, we both are sent cascading down the mountain just like everyone else.Perhaps it’s pure luck, or maybe the gods and goddesses looked down at me today and