Chapter 48 Feel Sorry
ZORA
I was late for the opening ceremony but it was for my good. By the time I had regained my strength, snuck my way back to my room in the Luna suite unnoticed, got myself clean and dressed, the opening ceremony had already gone halfway.
It was to my benefit because as I made my way to the massive open-roof arena , I encountered no one. My face was hidden by the red sheer scarf I wore.
I had specifically chosen this outfit to hide the bruises on my face since I sucked at healing. I was near the arena's gate. Few feet away was a burly man dressed in black with streaks of navy blue in them with curly hair. I recognized the uniform as one that belonged to the guards, but despite that, a fearful feeling began to hover over me like a dark shadow.
Perhaps if I walked quietly...
The guard turned around. It turned out to be a female wolf with a very muscular build and a very beautiful face. She walked up to me and did a small bow. "Alpha Ryker asked me to wait at the arena's gate until you showed up."
I blinked, unable to believe that I had just heard those words. I played it in my head again as I stared at her, stunned.
When I was laid by the river , hating my ugly fate, I had thought about Ryker. I had wondered if he cared about where I was at that moment. I had wondered if he was looking out to see me as he prepared to attend the opening ceremony. I had wondered if he would even look for me if I didn't show up.
I had concluded that if I died here, it wouldn't matter to him. I had concluded that he didn't give half a fuck about me but here he was...
His bit of care extended towards me in the form of the guard he sent to me.
"He couldn't wait any longer for you milady as he was going to be participating in one of the many activities lined up for today." She clarified as if my confusion unveiled themselves somehow through my face.
" He's participating?" I asked but I wondered. He waited?
"Yes. Alphas are officially the starters of the main event. So after the opening entertainment which I believe will be over soon, Alphas will take on the rest of the activities. This is a means of acknowledging the highest positions of authority in the pack." She explained courteously as we walked through the gate and down the back of the seats. The rest of the seat at the front was filled up. Half the crowd were laughing and standing as the jesters did crazy hilarious things.
"I'm afraid our late arrival won't get us the best seat. We'll most likely be watching through the shoulders of people." She had an apologetic look on her face. I was surprised but I didn't show it as I simply nodded and continued to let her guide me through the seats without saying a word. Where was she from?
I've never seen her in Ryker's palace. She was probably not from our pack as I sensed no animosity from her. If anything, I felt safe navigating the arena's row of chairs with her.
Perhaps she knew nothing about what they said of me. But that was impossible. The Lunas knew despite being from packs whose territories were miles away from Ryker's. Maybe words only travel around and through the palaces. But then again, she was a guard. If word really did pass only through the palaces, then she would have about me.
Or maybe, she didn't care about rumours. I smiled to myself. Such a possibility was comforting. We eventually found a seat, perfectly hidden. The only problem was that I was wearing an outfit fit for a Luna. Not just any Luna but an affluent one. And it was getting several glances, dividing their attention between the jesters' performance and me.
I stared at the arena, trying to ignore them, but wasn't carried along in the entertainment performance going on. I could feel several eyes at me. Instinctively, I leaned closer to my bodyguard.
The entertainment session was over, and the next event was announced. My head perked up at the call of his name and the pack's name.
"Now entering the stage, the Alpha of Shadow Pack, Ryker Sébastien Esmond!"
The crowd erupted into loud hailing and applause as Ryker appeared from a part of the stage I couldn't see. Shirtless with a mean smirk on his face.
"Whoever wins in this stage earns many points for their pack, which gives them an unfair boost in scoring." My bodyguard leaned in to tell me in my ear.
"So if he wins, his pack gets a boost in their score, giving them a winning edge?" I wanted to be sure I got it.
She nodded and smiled proudly. "Knowing our Alpha, I'd say he's already won this round."
That answered my unasked question about where she was from. She just said "our Alpha" and had the proudest smile on her face like a win for him was a win for her.
To see someone from our pack who didn't seem to detest me like everyone was oddly refreshing and relieving.
I smiled and was still smiling when the next name was announced.
"And now his contestant, the Alpha of Swiftcreek, Selig Garrick Hugh!"
Selig had his own fair share of fans as his entrance was accompanied by roaring cheers and applause as well. He was as tall as Ryker and with a similar muscular build but wasn't as attractive to me as Ryker was.
For one, he had quite a sparse amount of hair on his head but a full flourishing beard. Something about such manner of appearance irked me.
The noise quietened into a tense, apprehensive silence as the ground rules were given mainly for, we, the spectators’ sake so we could understand the fight and know what to expect.
No killing, but it was the kind of fight that didn't end until one of them surrendered willingly or by default.
By default meant a knock-out situation and with the calm focused way that Ryker stared at his opponent along with knowing how powerful his wolf he was, I could tell he was not going to opt in for or allow a knock-out.
No.
Ryker was going to make sure he enjoyed every bit of making his opponent suffer into surrendering willingly.
I couldn't help but feel very sorry for Selig.