10 - The Victor

In a flash of lightning, the crowd changed their bet. They cheered for Trevor after what he had done earlier. Aside from them, father was surprised too. He never thought Trevor could attract his subordinates.

I knew it amazed him, but father decided to keep silent. He remained calm and continued to watch and wait for the second challenge’s winner.

At the right corner, Trevor covered himself with armor. Protecting himself from deep wounds. He chose the white horse which he had connected through a single touch.

In the opposite direction, Valor chose the black horse. It was perfect for his personality; I could say based on the way he talked to anyone.

By then, Riger looked at my father and tilted his head as permission. He then took a deep breath and smiled in front of the crowd.

“To know the strongest alpha, the second challenge starts now!”

As soon as the bell rang thrice, my heart stopped beating. No one dared to speak until Valor swayed his sword and landed on Trevor’s shoulders.

“Kill him, Valor! He does not belong to our pack!” One of his supporters spoke as it echoed around the open field. A single supporter convinced everyone to cheer on Valor once again.

But it couldn’t predict the future. A single wound didn’t stop Trevor from doing his best. It was his last chance, and he couldn’t lose it in front of our people.

Out of nowhere, father leaned closer and asked me, "What will you do if Trevor lost the battle?”

I didn’t speak right away. Instead, I took a lot of time to think and answer him.

“I don’t think it will transpire, father. I believe in him, and I trust every single word he said to me before stepping into that field below us.”

Father chuckled. I watched how his shoulders moved for a few seconds, making things confusing.

“I know what the result will be, young lady. This battle is only to entertain our people after a long, long time.” He spoke.

My eyes widened upon hearing the truth. I thought it was to follow our tradition, but father did it only to entertain his people. How could he manipulate Trevor and Valor at the same time?

I wanted to do something to stop such a nonsense battle, but I was afraid to make my father an enemy. He is a ruthless and dangerous entity. In a single snap of his finger, he could get rid of me, Trevor, and the twins.

To prevent such a tragic event, I chose to be silent and watched the battle between two alphas. I didn’t show my real feelings anymore.

A loud noise caught our attention. We saw how Valor fell to the ground, wounded and his right arm was bleeding.

“What happened?” I asked the little man next to me.

He took a deep breath. “The man with the white horse swayed his swords and aimed Valor’s flag. But he hit Valor’s arm instead.”

I tilted my head and thanked the little man. I thought it was the end until Valor stood from the ground and lifted his weapon.

He didn’t want to give up like Trevor. I saw eagerness and desperation through his glazing eyes, which frightened me off.

Despite his willingness to win. Trevor used his strength to end the second battle with a single rotation. He moved around him and took Valor’s flag.

Trevor took off the ironed sallet and raised the flags into the air. He was silently celebrating, proving to my father that he deserved to be my mate.

“The winner for the second battle is Trevor Gulfen!” Riger finally announced.

“It only means that we need to have the third battle. Are you ready for another show?”

The crowd hailed. They wanted to see blood, wounds, and a live battle that could lose a man’s life. They never thought about the alpha’s suffering at that moment.

I took a deep breath, waiting for the last battle. I didn’t know, but something was telling me to stop it as soon as possible.

I looked around, trying to think deeply. I must take immediate action before something terrible happens.

However, father called Riger. They had a short and deep conversation making all of us excited and nervous. No one heard what they talked about, until Riger went back to the field with Trevor and Valor.

“To grant Lord Thomas’ request, may I present to you the highlight of today’s event!

As part of the challenge, Alpha Trevor and Valor had to win the last challenge to be the victor. To make it exciting, Lord Thomas will present the last, bloody battle!”

Father stood as he faced the crowd with confidence. I saw cruelty in his glowing eyes, making me nervous and scared for Trevor.

“As the finale, may I request Trevor and Valor to wear a gold necklace symbolizing my sovereignty? One of you must steal through your own strengths, claws, and fatal teeth. I give you permission to be wild and aggressive! Once you steal the opponent’s necklace, you will be the victor of today’s challenge!”

All along, this was my father’s ruthless plan. He wanted them to transform into their beast form to win the final challenge. I wanted to stop them before one of them died. But how could a powerless woman convince them to end it?

Valor lifted his right arm.

He said, “I’m willing to grant your request, my lord.”

The crowd went wild, expecting him to be the victor. I knew they wanted Valor to be my mate, and they only used this tradition as an excuse.

At that moment, Trevor raised his left arm and looked around the open field. He stared at my father without any sign of fear.

“It’s my pleasure to grant your request, my lord. I will prove to you that I deserve to be your daughter’s mate.”

Trevor spoke with enough confidence that stole away Valor’s popularity.

“Trevor!”

“Trevor as the victor!”

Everyone could no longer wait for it. Until father sighed and stood. He said, “Let the finale begin!” Father looked at me as he sat and tilted his head.

“What does it mean?” I thought, wondering what father wanted to tell me.

A deep thought halted when Valor charged against Trevor. He transformed into a beast, scratching Trevor’s right arm.

“Show us what you got!” He spoke.

Blood flowed into Trevor’s arm, but it didn’t stop him. Instead, he showed his claws that could kill Valor in a single strike.

“Be the victor, Trevor. It’s the only way to save our family.” I thought showing his claws would threaten Valor. I didn’t expect that Trevor would be covered with his own blood, weak and closer to losing the battle.

My heart beat too fast, hoping things would change. But Valor’s cruelty continued until Trevor could no longer stand from the ground.

Riger walked into the battlefield and checked Trevor’s condition. Once he counted from one to five, the battle is over.

“One.”

“Two."

Riger continued to count until eight. No one dared to speak, waiting for Trevor.

“Nine.”

The crowd cheered on Valor, expecting him to be the winner. But I remained silent, knowing Valor had to steal Trevor’s necklace.

Before Riger uttered the last number, Trevor stood from the ground and spit out blood. He then looked at me and smiled like nothing happened.

“You’re crazy!” I mumbled, thanking him for fighting hard.

From then, the momentum had changed. Despite the wounds he had to endure, Trevor gained enough strength to turn the table upside down.

“Let’s end this!” Trevor murmured.

Everyone turned wild because of Trevor. They didn’t expect it at all, considering how weak and wounded he was already.

“This battle is now over!”

Valor’s voice echoed around as he ran toward Trevor. He swayed his arms, aiming for the necklace. But Trevor moved too fast and took his opponent’s necklace instead.

I looked around the crowd and no one couldn’t speak. Things happened too fast, making it hard to believe.

Valor and Trevor were chasing their breaths. Neither of them knew what was going on until everyone screamed Trevor’s name.

“Trevor!”

“Trevor!”

Finally, the bloody challenge has ended. Trevor became the victor and gained popularity in the entire pack.

“The victor of today’s challenge is no other than… Trevor Gulfen!” Riger spoke.