Chapter 170 The Line Splintered pt 1

Chapter 170 The Line Splintered pt 1
Duncan

People were flowing into the stands erected around the tournament grounds. I stood at the edge of the stage, King Cian and Queen Gwen on one side, Seren on the other. Gideon and Cora were speaking with one of the elders over by the steps.

King Cian’s eyes swept over the scores of people. His face showed none of the worry that gnawed at all of us. We could hope it went smoothly, that it would be a simple day of games to test strength and leadership, but deep down, I knew better. This was going to be a fight for our lives, and we had more innocents in the crowd than was ideal.

I felt Seren’s small hand squeeze mine and looked down at her. She gave me a tight smile, stress evident in the way her forehead bunched and her brow furrowed. Neither of us spoke.

Gideon and Cora joined us. “Elder Cassian has indicated that he will stay and fight, but the rest of the Elder Council has decided to evacuate at the first sign of trouble.” Disgust was evident in his voice. “First, they ignore the needs of the people here, and now, they’re not even willing to stand for the kingdom? What has gotten into the Elders, Dad?”

Cian shook his head. “We’ll address it after we get through today, son. I promise you. In the meantime, did they finally give you the report you asked for?”

Gideon scoffed. “Yes. They did nothing. They relied on the healers who were here and did zero follow-up. Whoever takes the Alpha position here will need to make that the first order of business.”

Cian’s eyes burned with anger. “We’ll make sure of it. And it will be one more thing the Council answers for. I left explicit instructions.”

Gwen’s fingers tightened around his forearm. “We’ll deal with it, my love. But right now, we have bigger concerns.”

Cian closed his eyes and inhaled, then let his breath out with a huff. “You’re right, of course.” He smiled down at her. “Come, it’s almost time. Let’s welcome the contestants.”

The six of us left the stage and headed to the tents that were set up a few yards away. Voices carried out as we approached. Elias opened the flap, allowing Gwen, Seren, and Cora through as the rest of us followed. Blake and Tristan joined him, standing guard around the edges. They were all on high alert.

The conversations died down as soon as the participants noticed we were there. I looked around, eyes snagging on familiar faces—Finlay, Braxton’s younger brother; Kyler Deman, the Beta’s second son from Alpha Andrew’s pack; Oreias Savakis, a warrior from Forest Lake. There was a good, strong turnout of candidates. I was confident that whoever won would be able to handle the tasks ahead.

King Cian cleared his throat. “Welcome, everyone. You all know why we’re here today, but I wanted to say a few more things before the competition gets started.” He looked down at Seren. “We’re hosting this tournament here, on the grounds in question, in order to start as we intend to continue. These lands have seen the worst of us, and now, they’ll see the best.” He paused to let that sink in. “The winners of today’s tournament will have a hard road ahead of them. The people who survived what used to be the Blood Moon Pack need care and compassion, as well as leaders who understand that they serve the people, not the other way around. If you think differently about that, now is the time to bow out gracefully.”

He waited a moment to see if anyone exited the tent, but no one moved. He nodded. “Good. I know your Alphas shared the topic of our meeting last night with all of you. We don’t know what today will bring. With that in mind, enter the competition as if the threat of war does not loom. Do your best. And good luck to all of you.”

The contestants applauded and cheered; the sound soothing some of the stress away. We had a good kingdom. And we were not done fighting for it.

Twenty minutes later, we were seated in the section of the stands reserved for the royal family while King Cian ascended the stage. “Welcome! Today’s tournament will test each candidate’s strength, their ability to lead, and their ability to work for their team. We start with the basics—a good old-fashioned sparring contest. Candidates, you received your partner assignments earlier. Please pair up.”

The contestants entered the arena, splitting into pairs and moving to each marked sparring circle. Cian continued. “The rules are simple. There are three rounds. First round, human form only. Second round, wolf form only. And third round, candidate’s choice. The best two out of three wins, and that candidate will move forward until there is a single winner. You’ve been grouped by the role you entered on your application—Alpha Candidate to Alpha Candidate, Beta to Beta, and so on. Any questions?” He took a step back, giving them time to speak up. When no one did, he smiled. “Begin!”

The sounds of fighting erupted. Each circle had a judge, which was a good thing because it was hard to stay focused on any single fight. I found Finlay, watching as he countered each move thrown at him perfectly, waiting for the opportune time to strike back. When his partner slipped, he took his opening, raining down blows until he had the other man on the ground, tapping out. I cheered at his victory.

We watched the next round, the candidates stripping and shifting to their wolves, and once again, Finlay dominated his sparring partner. In a move that sent a ripple of gasps through the crowd, he leapt over the other wolf, spinning in mid-air, and latched onto his neck. The pinned wolf surrendered, giving Finlay his belly, before they both stepped back and shifted, panting.
Seren leaned into me. “He’s really good.”

“He’s Braxton’s younger brother. We grew up fighting together.” I couldn’t help the pride in my voice. “The only reason he’s not alpha at Forest Lake is because he was born second. He was made to be an alpha somewhere.”

The third round started, and without realizing it, I relaxed into the competition. Caught up in the excitement of watching the fights, rooting for the candidates, it was easy to forget everything else for a moment. When the third round was over, applause and shouts rolled through the crowd, and mine joined them. Somewhere behind us, a child laughed. The sound cut clean and bright through the noise.