Chapter 54 - You’ve lost the battle

HADRIAN

I’m standing in the shadows beneath the stands of the arena. I've been standing here for over an hour as I wait for the tournament to start. There are so many contestants this year. Too many.

Most of them are skilled soldiers with the ability to kill. I recognize several of them from my sister’s battalion. The tournament is a bloody endeavor, but with this many contestants, it could become a deadly one as well.

*“The tournament should’ve already started.”* Nero growls.

I look through the stands at the sky and notice the rising of the Blood Moon. I can feel it soaring in my veins. It pushes too much adrenaline through my body and I feel the urge to release it.

The tournament should’ve already ended. Fighting during the Blood Moon is a suicide mission.

I look at the contestants, they’re muscles are vibrating and I can see the same itch to fight. I feel it too, but I have a strong reign on my control.

*“Something’s wrong.”* I say.

A stocky middle-aged man steps up before the crowd of contestants. “There has been a rule change.” He barely reaches six feet, but has his shoulders broad. He seems to enjoy the power he holds over the contestants.

“What do you mean by ‘rule change’?” I ask as I step out of the shadows. People around me shrink down when they see me and so does the announcer.

“Y-your Highness.” He says and bows low.

“Answer me.”

“D-due to the delay of the start of the tournament, there will only be the finale. All contestants will enter the arena at the same time.” He says in a shaky voice.

“That’s outrageous!” I thunder and my aura rolls through the room.

“T-they’re orders from the king.” The man chokes out.

The king’s orders are not to be dismissed, they cannot be refused. It’s in the makeup of our blood. I take a deep breath to calm myself down. Some of the contestants shoot me nervous looks and some of them size me up.

We’re guided into the arena. I search through the stands for my father and notice the victorious edge to the set of his mouth and the glint in his eyes when they meet mine.

*“He planned this.”* Nero confirms my realization.

I slowly grind my teeth. I fell for a trap that was carefully laid out by my sister. I try to find my sister, but I’m distracted by my mate in the stands.

Emma is standing next to Morana with rosy cheeks and a far-away look. *No, what is she doing here?*

Marius walks up to her, places a hand on her lower back and whispers something. I cannot hear what he is saying over the drum of the crowd. The fury that I have reigned in is starting to falter. Marius must feel me watching him because he turns around with a smirk.

*“You’ve lost the battle, Hadrian.”* He says through a mind link.

The restraint snaps and it tears through my skin. I roar and shift in an explosion of heat.

—————

Claws slice through the skin of my back. Another wolf bites his canines into my shoulder. I roar as I shake them off my battered form. I’m not trying to win this fight. I just want to stay alive to get to my mate.

It’s an ambush, they all come from me at once. They got orders to kill me, but they’re at a disadvantage. They don’t have Emma to fight for. I’m not the only one who is furious. Nero is seeing red and we tear away the wolves one by one.

They howl when we bite through their tendons and they stumble away. Just being strong won’t win this fight. I’ll have to eliminate my attackers by quick effective moves. Just tearing down one body will have me killed by five other wolves.

My fur is sticky with the blood loss and I’m losing strength in my body. The ripped tissue in my shoulder makes me stumble. I catch myself, but I fear that this might be the end.

I think of Emma and the pain splits my heart in two. I howl to the moon and wait for more wolves to come.

Weeps and whimpers sound around me. I look around the arena and every wolf is down on their paws. They stare at me with fear littered in their eyes.

I turn my eyes to the stands. My father is scowling and his aura rolls off him, but I’m not affected. The crowd is silent for a second before they erupt in a roar of ovation.

——————

EMMA

The haze spreads from my head down my body. It tingles my skin and leaves a scorching trail of sensitivity. I can feel my nipples strain against the material of my dress and I want to take off the suffocating fabric. The heat burns deep in my stomach and travels all the way to my toes.

Someone touches me on my back and I find that my body isn’t repelled by it. It reinvigorates the tingles even more. *Hadrian?*

I need him to come closer and take away this burn like only he can. I need him to do something about the heat collecting between my legs.

“Are you okay?” A deep voice asks. His voice sounds layered and distanced.

“I don’t know,” I tell him.

“We should get you back to the palace.” The voice says and wraps a hand around my waist to guide me away.

“Hadrian?”

I try to look at the arena. Through the haze, I see a blur of midnight black. The sound of roaring wolves filters through the haze in my brain. There are howls and cheers from the crowd.

I blink and my eyes slowly perform the movement. My vision clears marginally. The arena is a blood bath and injured wolves line the field. In the middle, I find the raven-black fur of Nero.

How can Hadrian be fighting when he’s here?

I move away from the person holding me. My muscles feel weak and the person guides me away from the fight.

“You need to go back to the palace, remember?”

*I remember.* Hadrian told me to go to our rooms. His hand moves to my hip and rakes over the chiffon of my dress. I’m so confused by his touch, but I follow him.

*I need to get back to the palace.* I repeat to myself.

It is quiet in the halls and I can finally hear myself think. I press a palm to my eye socket and rub my eye. I look at the person next to me and notice that it’s Marius and not Hadrian.

I try to pull away from him. “Let me go.” The words feel like tar coming out of my mouth.

The more I push him away, the more he pulls me closer to him. His arms cage me in and turn me to face him. His face is so close to mine. “Don’t say that you don’t want this, Princess.”

Marius pushes me against the wall, trapping me between him and the marble structure. He captures my wrists and presses them against the wall beside my head. He runs a finger along my jaw. “In a few minutes you’re body will be begging to be fucked.

I turn my head away from him. “Don’t, please.”

My body is screaming for him to continue. My body is so wound tight and it’s screaming for release. I actively press my lips together when a moan wants to escape my lips.

His lips trace over my scarred shoulder and he takes a deep inhale. “Hadrian will be fucking ruined and broken when he finds out his mate cheated on him. He’ll be exactly where I want him to be.”

I shake my head and tears stream down my face. Why did I let myself get sucked into my curiosity? Why did I let him convince me to go with him? I’m disappointed and disgusted with myself.

“Just give into it,” Marius whispers in my ear and bites into my earlobe.