Chapter 40: Cawed At Her

Chapter 40: Cawed At Her
She wished he had warned her about this beforehand but he did not. With the expression on his face, she could tell that he knew this was going to happen and he wanted her to be cut off guard.

She stared at him with a frown on her face and he looked more amused. She could not understand why he seemed so amused with it. Is he just happy to introduce her to the people in his world? Or to see how she will react in a situation like this? Whichever one is true, he should have known better because she can decide to scream to everyone here that she doesn’t want to be referred to as the baroness and that this marriage was against her wish and that she wished she could be allowed to leave since he was keeping her hostage in his estate.

But Althea sighed inwardly, she could not bring half to do that even if that is what she deep down feels like doing. But would anything change if she does it? 

While she was still thinking to herself, his voice interrupted her.

“They are waiting dear and don’t think of doing or saying something stupid” Damian warned, he knew what was going through her head and had to stop her thinking 

Althea swallowed in fear, she cleaned the sweat in her palms and stood up. She formed a smile on her cheeks and waved at the crown that amounted to 30k.

She heard some cheering and the rest cawed at her. Althea immediately sat down.

Damian  frowned at the crowd when some cared. He knew not all would accept her immediately but he didn’t expect them to react that way in his presence.

Alicia, who sat not far, smiled happily when the crowd reacted that way.

Damian’s aunt Maria and other members of the Carter family present in the audience all fumed in annoyance, the crowd reacting that way to the Baroness was embarrassing to the family and it’s all Damian’s fault. They have though decided to wait for the right time before they replace her.

After many other dignitaries were honored in the crown.

Enzo stood up to give a speech and made sure to make reference to some of the crowd's reaction to the Baroness. He had indirectly scolded them and called them childish and disrespectful to react to their Baroness that way.

The crown was silent while he spoke because this is their future king speaking.

The game properly began with the first set of warriors coming out to fight. They were in a group of five with two teams to fight each other and the team in yellow won.

The games continued and Althea was in awe and at times scared of the kind of fight that happened here.

Everyone that came to fight, turned into wolves and fought in their wolf forms.

She got to find out through these games that this game had ranks and they were coming out according to ranks from different provinces to fight for the award and name they will earn from winning. The more these warrior groups fight, the more their ranks go up in Westland.

Althea found herself always closing her eyes when they were about to change to their wolf form. 

Their clothes get torn in the process of changing and their wolf takes form with their fangs coming out. After they are done fighting they leave the arena in their wolf form since they will be naked by the time they change back. The ones who got injured during the fight are carried with a flat wood out of the arena to be checked by a physician. It was a very serious fight that left them bleeding even those that won also got scratched.

Many of these wolves are very beautiful and in different colors, some are in black, some in blue and (Mixed color) some in cream or white, some in bright yellow like lemon. And the wolves have different eye colors.

Althea’s mind suddenly went to Damian. They said he had the most powerful beast. She wondered what his beast looks like, the color of the skin and eye, if it’s very hairy. She turned to look at him and saw that he was looking at her too.

“If it’s too scary for you, I can ask them to take you back home” Damian held her hand and said in concern. He saw how she occasionally closed her eyes

Althea shaked her head “I will leave after watching Alicia, she told me she will be competing as well”

“That’s fine, she is the next”

“Oh” Althea looked below and saw her walking into the field well dressed in her fighting suit that is complete silver, she had a sword in her hand.

“Isn’t she going to turn?” Althea asked. The others so far did not hold any fighting material, they only turned and their wolves clashed.

“She is a higher rank, they decide what to fight with. She and the opposite competitor has chosen to fight with a tool and turn during the middle of the fight”

Althea nodded in understanding and then carefully pulled her hand away from his.

Damian did not like what she did and immediately took hold of her hand again “If you take your hands off, I will make you sit here and watch all the fights that will happen here to the last. More dangerous warriors will come up to fight and their fight is more violent and bloody, sometimes leading to death” he said in warning to make her scared.

Althea swallowed and didn’t remove her hand again.

Althea's eyes went back to the field. She could see Alicia's opponent who is a female but built like a man, huge with an axe in her hand instead of a sword like Alicia.

Althea looked at their body structure, Alicia looked so tiny in front of her opponent that she began to doubt that Alicia will be able to beat her opponent.

The bell went off and the fight began.

Althea watched as Alicia swiftly used her sword on her opponent who tried to do it but ended up having a cut on the face.

The fight went on and by the end of the first half, her opponent was already badly injured but Alicia had no scratches on her.

Althea could see that it was not about the body seize or tools, it was the individual’s skill.