Chapter 184
JARIS
Something was wrong. Lyric was still not here.
When she told me she had those stupid cramps and wanted to stay back, I should’ve known from that moment that something was off.
Lyric knew how important this day was to me. She’d never let me come here on my own, despite whatever condition she was in. How had I been so
nonchalant to have missed it?
The trial was starting. Zarek and I were called on stage.
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I knew cowardice wasn’t something I should expect from him, but he looked too confident. Like he knew something I didn’t.
While the Chairman addressed the crowd on the final trial which was termed ‘The Strength Of A King,’ I looked for Lyric in the crowd and on stage. There was still no sign of her.
My eyes found Kael. I gave him a questioning look, but he gave me the same negative shrug, telling me they still didn’t know where she was.
Damn it! Something was definitely wrong.
The rules of the final trial were quite simple, but the game itself was not. There was only one rule–fight until there was one man standing.
Your opponent didn’t necessarily have to die. You could just beat them to a pulp until they were too weak to stand on their feet. That way, you’d be
declared winner.
That was exactly what I planned to do with Zarek. Beat him senseless without drawing blood. It’d be a difficult thing to do, but it was the only way I could avoid the blood urge.
Now, more than ever, I needed to avoid blood considering the fact that Lyric was absent.
Jace, Nerion and some men were already out there looking for her. I wished I could join the search, but that would mean forfeiting the trial. Lyric had gone through a lot for this for me to just abandon it. I couldn’t do this to her.
The plan was to make sure I win, then I’d go find her.
Chairman Lyon walked out of the stage, giving us enough space for the fight. The stage was different today. There were no other Alphas around as Zarek and I were the last ones standing. The high ranking Alphas and their families were on a different stage, not on this very one.
No, tonight, this very stage was cleared up for me and Zarek.
Lyric was in trouble.
The words echoed in my head as Zarek and I put some distance between ourselves.
f his shirt, me doing the same. “Believe me, it won’t be a nasty sight for.
But when had she not been in trouble since she met me?
“Are you sure you want to do this, Jaris?” Zarek asked with a smirk as everyone here.”
he
took
off
I glanced at the crowd. It was fuller than it had been on the previous trials.
Well, they were all here to witness who their next King would be. This fight would produce it tonight.
Yet, there was still no sign of Lyric
Chairman Lyon from his seat on the second stage, went over the rules again. Finally, the bell went off.
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Chapter 184
Zarek barreled toward me, claws extended, i dodged and socked him right in the jaw.
One of the rules of the game was not to use our Alpha strength. Zarek was damn lucky for that. Because if I had to use my full strength on him, he’d be on the floor in no time.
He came at me again. Kicks were thrown, punches were made, then he got me with his claws on my arm.
I didn’t give a reaction as I barely felt the sting. I was just thankful it was my own blood which didn’t have an effect on me.
The hall was noisy as the people cheered us on.
“You’re bleeding, Jaris,” Zarek clicked his tongue. “Sure you won’t surrender to go check it out?”
I scoffed. “Each time you talk, you make me more eager to win this. I mean, these people deserve a better King.”
We got entangled again. A few tactics and I brought him to the floor on his back, then landed a good kick to his chest.
He groaned and managed to rush to his feet. I didn’t miss the way his hand rubbed over his chest, clearly feeling the pain from the kick.
“What’s wrong, Zarek? A future King can’t take a simple kick to the chest? How do you expect to defend the people?”
He snapped his teeth and surged forward with alarming speed. For three minutes, Zarek did all he could to bring me to the floor, but it was useless as in the end, he was the only one who got hurt. The guy could hardly get me in the face, and the harsh reality that I was way stronger than him was beginning to rile him up.
“Careful, Z. Seems you’re starting to lose it,” I winked at him.
I relished in the sight of the bruises starting to form on his face. The asshole was already bleeding through the nose.
It was a small blood. Not enough to affect me.
He sniffled before he wiped the blood with his knuckles.
I kept my fists ready, waiting for him to attack like he always did. To my surprise this time, he didn’t.
He kept his distance, his eyes on me. I watched cluelessly as he took a claw to his arm.
That was when it hit me.
No.
He dipped his claw into his arm, drawing blood. Plenty of it.
The crowd mumbled in confusion.
My heart raced into a frenzy, eyes glued to the blood as if pulled by an invisible force.
The red thick liquid poured down his hand, staining the floor below. It called out my name, begged to have my tongue on it.
No!
I turned away so quickly as if the sight burned. How did he know this about this?
“Come on, Jaris,” I felt him getting closer. “Let’s put an end to this, shall we?”
Forcing myself to look away hence being distracted, it gave him the advantage to hit me in the leg, making me lose the balance I’d so protected and end
up on the floor.
Standing above me, the blood dropped from his arm to my face, too close to my lips.
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Chapter 184
A sly smirk crept onto his face as he hovered above me. “Something wrong, Jaris? You don’t seem to like blood.”
I shut my eyes, trying to keep the memory out, but it was too late now. The smell of the blood was overwhelming. The taste of it was tempting. My beast –oh, how pathetic I was for trying to keep it buried–was well awoken now.
There was no stopping this. Right in the presence of everyone, I lost control.
AD
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