Marcus POV
I seized this opportunity to go and look for Alyssa. I asked Steve and Tyler to go ahead and have their lunch without me.
With this, everybody dispersed back into the village. Chatting excitedly about the first few rounds of fight they had just witnessed.
I went to the section of the village where women were hosted to ask about her but no one has seen her. I tried to describe her but they couldn't recognize her.
I searched everywhere but there was no sign of her. I was about to give up when I felt someone walking towards me.
"Damn it" I cursed as I saw who it was. It was Marietta. She looked regal in her milk-colored gown adorned I intricately with tiny gold.
"Who do we have here" she said as she approached. The one and only. His royal highness. Almighty alpha prince Marcus of the North Moon park. She mocked."
"Hello Marietta" How do you do?" I asked trying to hide my itritation.
"What do you care?" she sneered.
"Where I come from, we never fail to acknowledge people especially old friends." I sneered back.
"Old friend? I see. That is what I am now, an old friend?"
"Listen,their is no need to re-visit the past Marietta" I interrupted."I am not here for this. I was just… "Looking for her" she interrupted.
"Looking for what?" I asked wondering how she knew I was searching for Alyssa.
"Oh come on now Marcus, stop the pretence it doesn't suit your personality."
"Okay fine, yes I have been searching for her." I confessed feeling a little embarrassed. "Happy now?"
"Did you find her?"
"What sort of question is that, I asked feeling a little irritated that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Oh sorry, did my question offend you?
I mean no offence your highness" she teased. "Good luck with the search then" she scoffed and walked away.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God she did not try to create a scene.
I walked back to my room feeling disappointed. Nicole, Tyler and Steve were in the room gisting about the fight at the arena.
"There comes the lover boy" Tyler joked but I wasn't in the mood for his jokes. I moved past him and laid flat on the bed.
" What is wrong with him?" Nicole asked.
"I have no idea man. The last time we saw was at the arena and he was pretty fine." Tyler explained.
"Your mood is getting the better of you these days" Steve chipped in. "You are transforming from the carefree happy fellow you used to be to some love sick lad and that doesn't look good on a man of your status."
"The moon goddess may have chosen her but that doesn't mean she must be the one."
I understand they were only trying to help but this was beyond what they can comprehend. Only if they can see what is going on in my mind.
But Steve was right about one thing. I was letting the issue of Alyssa get the better of me. I must not let this happen.
I know I must fight but I mustn't let myself get lost in the battle. There and then, I made up my mind to try to enjoy my stay here. Besides,my guy Nicole was in the fight and he would need all the support he can get to win this fight and bring the trophy home as he usually puts it.
I apologized to them for my mood earlier and they were happy to see me get back my spirit.
It was almost time to reconverge at the arena. Nicole being one of the fighters has to get back early to avoid getting disqualified.
I took my lunch quickly and together with Steve and Tyler, we walked back to the arena.
When we arrived at the clearing. The place was already crowded. The onlookers' spirits were already rising. The judges were back to their seats and I could see the announcer approaching the ring.
We spotted some empty seats at the middle row and we occupied it. The announcer welcomed us back from the break. He then invited the fighters to the stage.
"Make some noise for the champion, greatest of all time, Thomas of the Red Hill pack." The crowd cheered in excitement as a huge dark and tall man walked to the center of the ring.
He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't state where I had seen him before.
His shoulder was wide and his six packs visible and thick. He seems popular. Everyone had something to say about his achievement, although it was in a whisper but I could hear them clearly. Even the judges were nodding their heads as a sign of respect for his personality.
The announcer summoned his opponent to the ring and he was also cheered by the crowd. In no time, the fight started.
They pounced on each other, throwing and dodging punches and kicks until finally Thomas was able to pin his opponent to the ground. He was huge, powerful and agile. The crowd cheered him. It's as if they had expected nothing less. The next fight was between our pack and the White-fur Pack.
I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Nicole's opponent. He was almost the same height and weight as Nicole. At least it would be a fair fight and Nicole's chances of winning is wide enough. I was worried he might be facing someone like Thomas.
The fight between Nicole and his opponent ended in less than ten minutes. It's either the guy didn't train hard enough or he had too much to drink before the fight. He was slow and tactless but it was all to Nicole's advantage so I felt glad.
At the end of the fight Nicole was announced the winner which qualified him to the next phase of the competition.
The announcer explained that the semi-final phase was to commence tomorrow before noon and with that he asked everyone to disperse.
The fights were fierce. It was obvious that every fighter was determined to win. I felt proud that our pack made it to the semi-final phase.
By the time we got back to the village, it was already dark. Our pack members gathered around Nicole cheering him and shouting "Hey fighter! Go bring that trophy home" repeatedly. Even the women and children joined in the celebration. This was the first time in 5 years our pack advanced to the semi-final phase and this sparked the fire of hope in our hearts.
I watched them from a distance as they danced and chanted and I couldn't help but feel proud to be a member of this pack. I was also very proud of Nicole. It felt good to see that his months of relentless training wasn't for nothing.
If he excels tomorrow, he would have succeeded in making history as the first person in 5 years to have taken our pack to the final stage.
I am confident that he will succeed and I can't wait for tomorrow to come.