Chapter 122 The curse within
Chapter 122:The Curse within
Damon’s POV
The forest trees tore past me in lightning streaks of black and silver.
My feet dug deep into the wet ground, pushing my body forward with a speed no alpha could catch up to, but despite my blinding speed, it still felt like I was crawling.
An angry growl that tore through my chest. I was angry at the delay, judging from.ny bloodied hands,
The air around me was thick with the smell of rogues I have been hunting for the past two days.
I had killed too many. Twenty… fifty…, I had stopped counting.
The curse inside me was roaring now, heavier and more intense than before, from the more blood I spilled. It was crawling through my veins, like painful thorns that wanted to break through my skin.
“More blood, faster, kill them all.” Dax's bloodthirsty voice continued to echo in my head.
The death match would start anytime soon, and I was far away from my Milo.
“Our Milo, our mate…kill them all.”
Dax was slowly losing it, and so was I.
I gritted my teeth.
I couldn’t let it win. Not again,
Not like before.
I broke through the last line of trees surrounding the huge arena. My heart is beating fast from running all the way.
I could see the glow of the arena from far away. Hear the cheers of the pack below, as they chanted for blood. Most and foremost, I could smell him, and my eyes found him in the sea of people. that vanilla mixed with cinnamon scent… it called for me.
Down there, standing on the sand, his silver hair caught the silver glow of the moon.
He looked smaller than I remembered.
But stronger, too.
I remembered the night of the shadow induction… the way he stood, trembling, but still brave like ever.
My skin inched to move, but I pressed it down.
Not like this, not when I looked like a beast that was on the verge of madness.
My claws were still out, refusing to go inside. The same way I know, my eyes would be burning a golden color. Evident that my wolf was just at the surface.
If anyone saw me like this, they’d call me a monster.
If Milo saw me like this…
No.
I couldn’t let that happen.
That’s why I stayed away.
That’s why I let him think I didn’t care.
Because the curse coursed through my veins. The one I was born with, it was nothing like your usual curse. It doesn't differentiate between loved ones and a foe. It destroys all in its path.
> “Fight!!”
The MC’s voice carried through the valley like a horn of war.
It snapped me back to the arena.
The fight had begun.
I crouched lower on the ridge, keeping to the shadows like before.
He doesn’t know I’m here.
He can’t.
But even from this far, I could tell… he felt me.
Milo’s head turned, his eyes searching the shadows like he could smell me through the wind.
My chest ached.
“Stay strong, little flame,” I whispered into the night.
“Just this once… fight without me.”
Milo’s POV
“Fight!!”
The two wolves lunged at each other, and within seconds, the sand erupted under their feet.
Blows rained like thunder, Fists met flesh.
I winced at the sickening sound of a jaw dislocating. The sound rang through the arena, but then the two fighters didn't stop.not for once.
The crowd screamed… half in bloodlust, half in awe.
And though the rule had changed, it didn’t make it any less violent. That made me start imagining how it would be when the rules were still the same.
I froze suddenly,
The same feeling of being watched came again, but this time, it felt so real.
Despite telling myself it's just me being paranoid and wishing for what was not there, I saw myself turning my head towards the direction I had felt the presence.
But then,
darkness and disappointment greeted me again for the uncountable times this night.
Lior whimpered, sadly. I could feel his pain and restlessnessness recently.
And it's affecting my mood.
Boomm!!
A loud crash caught my attention, Rogan swung his opponent across the ring, a ghastly red claw mark was imprinted into Velric’s chest, who laid unmoving on the ground The impact sent dust spiraling upward.
“Enough!” The MC barked when Rogan went for the killing blow.
But Rogan didn’t stop… not immediately.
He hovered over his fallen opponent, his breath wild, eyes wide with primal rage, thirty for his opponent's blood.
Only when the guards guarding the ring stepped forward did he finally release him, standing tall, soaked in blood and sweat.
The crowd roared again…this time.in disagreement.
They wanted blood.
Even if death was forbidden, they would take pain as its replacement.
Beside me, Shadowflame muttered under his breath, his tone dry.
“See? No death, but the same madness still lingers. It’s only a matter of time before someone crosses the line and kills.”
I didn’t answer. My stomach churned, watching Velric being carried off, his head hanging limply. He wasn’t dead… but he wasn’t far from it either.
The next few fights blurred together… claws, roars, broken bones, and the sharp scent of blood thickening the air.
Each match becomes bloodier and more bloodthirsty as it progresses.
I couldn’t tell if I was watching a tradition or a gladiator death match.
I toned out everything, choosing to think about my dreams and what they mean. Time ran past in the blink of an eye.
“AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!” the MC voice boomed, snapping me out of my thoughts. “The next fight is… the final for the night!”
A ripple of anticipation spread through the crowd. The entire arena seemed to lean forward in renewed vigor.
My body went cold.
I already knew…
It was time.
Shadowflame’s hand landed on my shoulder, the warmth startling against the chill and nervousness that had settled inside me.
“You ready, troublemaker?” he said lightly, but there was no humor behind the words this time.
I tried to breathe. My hands trembled. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Not anymore.”
The MC’s voice rang out.
“FOR THE FINAL MATCH… "STANDARD CHALLENGE RULES APPLY! FIGHT CONTINUES UNTIL SUBMISSION, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, OR…"
"Or death," someone in the crowd shouted, followed by a series of dark laughter.
"...OR UNTIL I CALL THE MATCH!" The MC shot a glare toward the heckler who had shouted.
REPRESENTING THE SHADOWS UNIT… A NEW INDUCTEE TO THE UNIT. THE FIRST OMEGA TO EVER BEAR THE GOLDEN BADGE…"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
My eyes met Caroline, who gave a victory smile. Apparently, she had spread the news far and wide.
"...MILO!"
The silence that followed was worse than any jeering could have been.
The crowd followed for a heartbeat.
Then came the laughter. Scattered at first before it spread throughout the arena.
Some even booed.
“An omega becoming a shadow? That had never happened before.”
“The shadow unit is a joke!”
I felt every pair of eyes on me.
Their judgment was a living thing, crawling over my skin.
I rose slowly. My knees felt like they were carved from stone.
James gave a curt nod. Shadowflame muttered something that might’ve been encouragement or a prayer. I couldn't hear anything apart from the roaring sound of my blood.
I walked toward the ring.
Every step felt heavier.
The noise of the crowd faded into a distant hum.
“WAIT”
The MC stopped, frowning down at the scroll in his hands. “THERE SEEMS TO BE A MISTAKE… THEN NAME OF THE OPPONENT…IS BLANK”
The air went still.
“I will be his opponent for the night.”
from the far corner of the arena, a calm and sharp voice broke the silence like steel drawn from a sheath.
Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd again.
I was filled with shock and confusion, at the turn out of things.
The figure that had spoken came out of the shadows, a lean, tall figure. covered from head to toe, with only the two holes on her head, peeking out. The face beneath a shiny beautiful mask.
She is a girl…
My opponent is a girl.
But that was not all,
All the shadows stood up. Even James, all had startled and tensed expressions on their faces. Filled with recognition, together with reverence.
“Damn it… it's not her.”
Shadowflame muttered, but in the arena that was plunged in silence, his voice rang out clear and loud.
My heart pounded. “Who…?”
But I didn't ask for long…
“I will be his opponent” the figure spoke out, pointing her sheathed sword at me. Fear spread throughout my body, followed by the urge to flee that became stronger as I stared into the deep pit that was her eyes.
“Do you dare… fellow diamond bearer.”
My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.