The Tournament: Genesis

JADEN
"The king wants to have a private discussion with you? That's new" Klaus said. I sighed and peered at my wristwatch. It was still quite early. "I'll be leaving now" I said and he nodded. Rhea's gaze met mine, an intense look in her eyes.
'Going somewhere?' She said telepathically.
'Yes. The Alpha King wants to have a private chat with me. I don't know what this is about' I told her.
She walked towards me and when she finally got to me, she gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Good luck"
I smiled at her.
"Take care of the pack, Luna" I told her and she grinned.
"Aye, aye, captain"
Klaus escorted me to the gates, I got into my car and drove off.
On getting to the king's palace, I was taken to the king's personal chamber.
"You asked for my presence" I said and he nodded in agreement, a blank look on his face. If I had to guess what was going on? I would guess wrongly over and over again.
"Yesterday, your brother was here" he began, his brows furrowed slightly.
"What does his visit have to do with me?" I asked calmly.
"He told me a lot of things which I don't want to believe"
I was irritated now. Zaden had been desperate enough to go to the king and spew some rubbish about me? It was unacceptable.
"What did he say?" I asked.
The king cleared his throat, his frown deepening.
"He said that the reason you vanished and didn't return to the werewolf world was because you didn't want to get punished for attempting to murder him when you two were younger."
I stared at him, incredulous.
"Bullshit. That's ridiculous" I said and he nodded slowly.
"I know. So, tell me. I want to hear it from the horse's mouth. What happened between the two of you? Your brother's hatred for you is soul deep" he stated.
"He found out that my father was going to make me the next alpha. He burnt down the pack house and killed everyone who would prevent him from being Alpha"
The king had a look of sympathy, on his face.
"The investigators told us it was an accidental fire" he said.
"He killed my first mate, Sheila. Then, he attempted to kill me with a spear" I told him and his gaze hardened.
"I despise liars, Zaden should know that" he growled.
"If the Valerian wolves are on his side, there's not much you can do about it" I pointed out.
"Tomorrow marks the beginning of the tournament. I know you're a rare creature, but you're still one of us, a werewolf. You have to take part in the tournament" he said, a disturbed look on his face.
"You said he killed Sheila, does that mean you don't have a mate?" He suddenly asked.
"I have a mate, your majesty"
He heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank the goddess"
...
RHEA
"What did the king say?" I asked Jaden. He rubbed a hand over his face and leaned back on his seat. Since he returned from the king's palace, he was too busy dealing with pack business and I'd only gotten the chance to see him when night had fallen.
He was still in his study and was working on some paperwork which I assumed was related to the company where he worked.
Jaden looked so weary. He let out a yawn, his eyes slipping close.
"You're exhausted" I pointed out and he nodded.
"Some days are like this" he mumbled. A small smile tugged at my lips as I began to massage his temples.
"The king wanted to see me because he heard things from Zaden"
"Things like what?" I asked.
"He told the king that I'd tried to kill him when we were younger and I'd steered clear of the packs and everything relating to werewolves in order to avoid getting punished"
"The more I hear things about Zaden, the more I dislike him. Didn't you tell the king about the fact that Zaden killed your first mate?" I said.
He heaved a sigh.
"He didn't know about it until today. Nevertheless, the king also told me that he suspected that Zaden was communicating with the Valerian wolves because he wants me out of the tournament"
"The Valerian wolves? Who are they?" I asked.
"They are wolves at the highest level. They make the laws binding all werewolf packs. Their decision matters the most"
"Are they old?"
"Well, they are the oldest group of werewolves originating from Rome. So, yeah"
"Zaden doesn't have anything on you, does he?" I probed.
"He probably does. But, I don't care. He has messed with me enough. I'm sick and tired of it"
"Did you go to the office today?" I asked, keeping my voice soft.
He remained silent, his eyes closed. I waved a hand in front of his face but didn't get a reaction. He was definitely bone tired if he'd fallen asleep like that.
"Rhea?" He rasped and I hummed in response, my hands resting on his broad shoulders.
"The first round of the tournament is tomorrow" he whispered.
I ran my fingers through his silky black hair.
"You'll do fine. But, right now, you need to get some rest" I said, bringing him to his feet.
"I have insomnia, Rhea. If I do sleep, it never lasts long" he breathed, rubbing his left eye.
"That explains the dark circles under your eyes. But, you have to get a good night's sleep if you want to perform well, at the tournament" I said.
He parted his lips to protest, but I wasn't going to have it. I could tell by the way he was squinting, that his vision was blurred and there was an ache in his head. He rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh.
'My body has finally decided that it has had enough' he told me telepathically.
I was determined to put him to sleep. He needed to rest. No doubt he was strong, sleep or no sleep. But, I didn't care about that. I took him to his room, and made him lie on his bed. Then I took off his boots. He sat up a little, unbuttoning his grey shirt. I took it off him. Then, I made him lie back down, my lips pursed.
"How did you get this scar?" I asked, touching the area around the scar on his stomach.
"Zaden's spear" he responded tiredly, stifling another yawn.
"He tried to kill you too? He's despicable" I muttered, upset. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"We still have plenty of time to make him pay for everything he's done" he told me. I nodded slowly, my brows slightly furrowed.
...
JADEN
She laid down beside me and even with my eyes closed, I could feel her gaze on me. Like a soothing cool shower on a hot day, I felt Rhea's magic. I was getting drowsier by the second. So, I counted under my breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four...
I couldn't get to five. Sleep pulled me in.
...
My alarm clock woke me up. Rhea was no longer in bed with me and sunlight was pouring through the window. I exhaled deeply, feeling refreshed. Whatever Rhea had done worked perfectly fine. I got out of bed, stretching to my full height.
Today was the start of the tournament. I wasn't so thrilled about it, but it was something I needed to take part in. I shaved, took my bath and got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a black hoodie. On the table was my breakfast carefully laid out for me. While I had breakfast, Rhea walked in. She wasn't wearing makeup today, and her hair was in a neat high ponytail. My girl was beautiful, totally stunning.
"Do you want me to come with you to cheer you on?" She asked. I thought about it, but decided against it. I didn't want Zaden to know who my mate was, yet.
"You don't have to come. I'll do just fine" I said and she nodded in understanding.
"Your phone is ringing" she pointed out and I turned to pick it up. I picked the call and brought the phone to my ear.
"Jaden, there's a big problem" Matthias said and my gaze met Rhea's curious ones.
"What problem?"
"The Valerian wolves might've granted Zaden his wish"
"What?"
"Your name might not be on the list of competitors" he said and I froze.
"That's not possible" I countered.
He heaved a sigh.
"Anything is possible, Jaden. You know it yourself, Zaden is a dangerous person"
The line went dead. I wasn't upset. I was just surprised.
"You still need to go, either way. Zaden expects you to give up so easily" Rhea said.
"He destroys things, but he has no idea how easy it is for me to fix things" I said, scrolling through my contacts.
"I just need to make a few calls" I told Rhea who grinned.
"You've got this"
...
I arrived at the venue of the tournament right on time. Zaden smirked when he saw me. He walked over to me with his Beta and Gamma.
"You have the nerve to show up here. I must admit, I admire your courage. But, you see, this isn't about having courage" he drawled.
I remained silent, keeping my expression unreadable.
"Cat got your tongue, huh?" He taunted.
"I simply have no words for you" I said and he glared at me. Sometimes it baffled me how he'd changed so much. Maybe his villainy had been there all along and I just didn't see it until it was too late. I watched him walk away, my fists clenched.
When it was time for the tournament to begin, the Alpha King stepped onto the podium.
"I welcome you all to this destiny changing event. The tournament is going to determine who is going to be the next South Alpha King. I advice you to do your best but competite with integrity. I will not take cheating lightly. Whoever cheats will be stripped of his title as 'Alpha' and locked up in the holding cell for fifteen months" the king said.
Zaden's eyes glimmered mischievously and he wouldn't stop staring at me. It was annoying.
"The tournament is divided into three rounds which will test for speed, agility, sense of responsibility, amongst other things" the king continued.
The royal Beta handed him a document. The king cleared his throat and began to read, his voice echoing through the whole place.
"Twenty contestants are eligible. These are the eligible contestants: Alpha Jared Hayes , Alpha Tristan Forrest, Alpha Hudson Collins, Alpha Vincent Anders ..."
The list seemed like it wasn't going to end. Tarus was on edge now. Klaus and Darryl were both tensed.
"Alpha Zaden Blackwood...and finally...." He paused, his gaze finding mine.
"Alpha Jaden Blackwood"
A dark smile curved my lips and Zaden's smirk faded.