Rejection Denied

For the final event, each competitor is standing in one of the four corners of the battleground. The ring is much larger than the last event and is fully enclosed by the audience. The cheers and shouts of the crowd’s cheers are invigorating. And the alphas are perched in the stands in the front of the arena overlooking all of us.

This is it—the final fight in the competition. All eyes are on us, the last champions of the Alpha Luna Competition. On my left is Heather; her hair is tied up; she looks confident. Behind her, Alpha Jared is grinning and massaging her shoulders. And on my right is Jordan. Alpha Orion kissed her cheek and walked away from his champion.

Lastly, across from me, a furious Shelby is glaring in my direction. She hasn’t taken her eyes off me, and the evil little smirk on her face is exciting me. She’s literally pleading to be beaten. I only wish that this was a human on human battle. But Mia will do a great job at destroying her.

The death stares being passed around sets the tone. It goes unspoken, Heather is targeting Jordan, and Shelby is set on losing against me. But this is a Battle Royale, after all. We are all opponents. The only thing that matters to me is being the last one standing.

I continued staring ahead, “Remind me, Nix bitch, is murder against the rules?” I cracked my fingers and looked over my shoulder. “Because I have a murderous vibe that’s; intensifying every second.”

Nixon chuckled, “Not if you make it look like an accident.” He whispered. “But of course, I’m not encouraging you to kill any champion. We got lucky with Nova; Kane could care less about her health or future. He already arranged for her to be sent home to be with her family.”

I shrugged. “I think Derrick was a good example of what not to do.”

It still amazes me that these women were willing to risk their lives for these ass holes. And it was a huge problem that I solved. Sam, Victor, and Jasper care about their champions. Orion will be mated to Jordan, so of course, he’s concerned about her wellbeing. I don’t know much about Xavier. If he was upset about Brittney giving up, he didn’t express it.

And Nixon is confusing as fuck. I think he cares, but it’s only during the events.

“I haven’t said this to you directly, but I’m proud of you, Aviry. Win or lose.” I turned to face Nixon, his blues eyes locked on mine. The slight breeze stirred his black hair. “Our relationship is shit, and a lot of it is because of me. I know it will take a lot of work to fix this, but would you consider giving me a chance to—”

“CHAMPIONS!” Orion shouted over the speakers, his voice echoing around the arena. “Now is the time to bring an end to this fabulous competition. By starting the final event of the Alpha’s Luna Competition,”

The crowd cheered and clapped. “Yes, so can I have all of my fellow alphas in their designated area. Ladies, please prepare to shift.”

“We’ll talk more after. Good luck.” Nixon smiled and turned to walk away before I could reply. I watched as he walked toward the stairs and ascended to the platform. I sniffed and searched the crowd for Cay, but I didn’t spot him. I’m sure he’ll run up and congratulate my win, though.

“Mia, are you ready?” I asked my anxious wolf.

She jumped around and yipped, ready to be released. Earlier with Denver, we exercised and prepared her for this fight. Denver gave her wolf Kia control, and both of our wolves fought for a while. They are alike in appearance, aside from the marks. But their fighting styles are different. Kia is more calculated with her moves, while Mia is much more aggressive and unpredictable.

“I am more than ready, Aviry. I have our targets, Shelby, first, and then Jordan. And if they tag team us, then I’ll take them both on. If they want to get deadly, I’ll rip their throats out.”

“That’s the spirit, Mia!” I cheered. “Let loose and go fucking crazy. I don’t give a damn about our dire wolf situation. If they want to prove they’re the strongest, they need to take us out first.”

Mia huffed, “And that shit Isn’t happening. We made it this far, and we’re are not going to lose. We do this for Jessie!”

“Yeah!”

“We do this for Nova!”

I paused, “Umm, hell no.”

“You’re right. Sorry I got caught up in the moment. We do this for us!”

I laughed. “Hell yeah. Now get ready to shift. Orion will be giving the signal soon.”

“Amazing.” I focused back on Orion. “This has truly been a great experience. And before we begin, I would like to thank every alpha for welcoming me. But I want to point the spotlight at..” He turned around. “Our wonderful host Alpha Nixon. His hospitality has been immaculate. From training my warriors to treating my daughter his future luna, so well.”

The crowd gasped and murmured amongst themselves.

Oh shit.

Clearly, Nixon has not informed his pack members of his plans. Not like it matters though, Kasey wants Bex, not Nix. I wonder if she told him her big secret yet. He was so set on tossing me to the side for her, but the table flipped and smacked him across the damn face.

Nixon, with wide eyes, cleared his throat and stepped forward. “That…that has not been set in stone. The future luna of my pack will be decided after this event.”

He nodded toward me. “But let’s focus back on these lovely champions. These wonderful women, who stand before you, are ready to prove their strength.”

“Yes, our champions are strong.” Orion agreed. “But that brings up another controversial topic that many…” He pointed around the crowd. “..have discussed.” He looked back to Nixon. “And that would be the fairness of allowing a dire wolf to compete in this event.”

Nix growled. “What do you mean by fair? My champion has done her part to earn her spot here.”

“DAMN RIGHT!” I shouted. I earned my place here. Dire wolf or not, I’m competing damn it

“Yes. Yes, we all know Aviry has done many…many notable things during her time in this competition. But was it based on her, or was it the inherited strength of her unique wolf? The same wolf that many years ago, ruled over the majority of the supernatural, including the werewolves.”

Once again, the crowd murmured in the stands. Nixon looked over at the speaker. “Now is not the time—”

“What the fuck are you trying to say, Orion?” I cut Nixon off and scratched my head try to comprehend what the fuck he meant. “That my strength and speed is not my own? That I use my wolf as an energy source during my fights?”

Orion shrugged. “My opinion is just a theory. I haven’t known you for long, Aviry. But I do know my studies about dire wolves.”

“Exactly!” I shouted. “You don’t know me.” I looked around the audience. “No one here knows me. But it’s funny as hell how quick you all assume you know what I’m capable of.” I turned back to the alphas. CLAP. “So how about this Orion. Stop fucking theorizing and start the damn match.”

“Exactly!” Mia and Nixon said simultaneously.

Orion held his hand. “Impatient, are we? Yet another trait passed down to dire wolves. The urge to hurt and kill just comes naturally to you, doesn’t it, Aviry? Tell me, how angry are you right now? Neutral, violent, or maybe even murderous?”

“Ask Jordan’s corpse after I win this event.” I snapped. I can feel my anger rising. It’s like he knows what to say to piss me off. “In fact, keep talking, and you and Don can spectate on your burning bodies,” I smirked and cracked my fingers.

Jordan and Shelby growled at the mention of their alphas.

“Orion is right. It wouldn’t be fair to let a dire wolf compete. She should be disqualified!” Shelby snarled. “This bitch broke the rules! Auction her off to—”

I scoffed, “Bitch, please. You’re still alive right?” For now, I thought. “But you can join Nova for now.”

“Wait.” Kane stepped up to join Orion and Nixon. “What rule are you referring to, Shelby? If you’re talking about the incident with Don, then I must inform you that it is not against the rules.”

“No! That was a crime, and one that will be justified.” Shelby retorted. “I’m speaking of another rule. A rule the invalidates her place as champion in this competition.” She laughed and looked my way. “Didn’t you read my letter, Aviry?”

“Oh, so you wrote that? I was going to look for you, but…Here you are.” I narrowed my eyes. “I wanted to know what “or else” meant. But you ran away like a sneaky little bitch before I could ask.”

“It meant exposure! I gave you a chance to drop out. But now, you’ll be shamed and tossed away. ” Shelby shouted.

She turned to Alpha Kane. “This competition has been tainted by Aviry Mills. Last night I discovered that she has a mate! And that is against the rules.”

Everyone broke out in conversation around me. Kane’s head snapped in my direction. “Is that true? Are you mated Aviry—”

Nixon stepped forward. “Let me explain something. Aviry is in this for herself. The mated rule was to ensure that the future luna was pure. But let me clear this up for you, Shelby. She is my mate, but we are not mated. My mark is not on her neck. Therefore, no rules have been broken.”

“Not that I have to prove anything to any of you bitches. But…” I pulled down the collar on my shirt to show an unmarked neck. “And yes, he is my mate, but he has chosen Kasey over me. So we will soon be rejecting each other.”

Nixon rolled his eyes.

“You…you’re mated to—” Kane said stunned.

“LIES!” Shelby screamed. “You are not her mate Alpha Nixon. Do not try to cover this up with more lies. I followed this bitch yesterday. I was going to kill her in the woods. But I witnessed her and your peacekeeper together in the woods, kissing and cuddling. They called each other mates multiple times.”

Ooops. “How did we not smell her?” I asked Mia.

“We were engulfed in Cay’s sweet scent.”

“You speak of rules, and yet you conspired to kill my champion? Clearly, your grief has overtaken you, Shelby. Don’s death has clearly affected your mental state. How can we be sure that you speak the truth?” Nixon questioned. “My champion is mated to me. That is the truth.”

“The truth will be released.” Kane stepped forward. “We must speak to the peacekeeper. Nixon, where is Cay?”

Nixon looked at me. “Cay? I haven’t seen him since last night. He may still be asleep. But Kane, I’m telling you—”

“And we should take your word?” Orion interrupted. “Excuse my bluntness, but you too have lied to us, Alpha Nixon,” Nixon growled and looked at Orion. “Let me rephrase that. You are still lying to not only your guest but also your pack members.”

Orion stepped forward. “My time here has been hospitable, yes. But also, the discoveries I’ve uncovered has me questioning your character, Alpha Nixon. For one, I’ve learned that the previous alpha passed down the alpha title to you and not his own son. After the destruction and murder of your previous pack. I asked myself, Why would he do that?”

Who cares. Why the hell hasn’t he started the fight yet.

“This pack welcomed me with open arms. I am leading a strong, successful pack, Orion. You know nothing of my past.”

Orion held up a finger. “You are wrong about that. I know a lot about that tragic day. Your pack was attacked, your brother, the next alpha, stabbed repeatedly. Your sister was shot in the chest. Oh and sadly your dear mother and father—”

“How do you know the details,” Nixon asked cautiously. “Those reports were—”

“I’m not finished.” Orion studied Nixon for a moment. “By your own actions, you unknowingly brought down the wrath of hunters that laid siege to your entire pack. The same enemies that you welcome as allies here in this pack. And not only that… ”

Orion looked off to the left and raised his hand to point at my clone. “The leader of that hunter organization. Is a dire wolf.” He turned back and looked at me. “And then you enlist Aviry Mills as your champion and claim you had no idea that she was a dire wolf, but you just declared her as your mate. Tell me if I’m wrong, Nixon?”

The entire arena was quiet. Nixon was fuming. He squeezed his fist together, small droplets of blood dripped on the stage.

Alpha Kane cleared his throat. “Orion, maybe we should talk about this after the event.”

Orion held up his hand. “This will only take another minute. People need to know the truth.” Kane looked at Nixon, and Orion continued. “So two dire wolves, hunters as allies, a history with the destruction of a pack. Am I missing anything?” He tapped his chin.

“OH!” he shouted. “The blood guard. Or should I say blood wolf?”

Both Nixon’s and my eyes widened. I…I—” he stammered.

“Blood wolf?” Kane inquired. “That line died off years ago. Right along with the dire wolves, they were bound to. You and I both know that once the bond is broken, both wolves die. That is unless another blood guard links to the dying wolf.”

“Mmm, that’s is true. But one person did survive the Dire Wolf War. She escaped the others’ fate because she bound herself to a werewolf instead of a dire wolf. A silly young woman, who saved the life of an old friend, by binding her life to his.” Orions slanted his head. “That same woman had a son. Isn’t that right, Nixon.”

“I have no idea, Orion.” Nixon spat.

Orion lowered his brows. “Are you sure about that?” He shrugged, “Ok. My mistake. Let’s continue on with the—”

“AHHH!!” Nixon cried out, falling to his knees and gripping onto his chest. Alpha Kane ran up behind Nixon.

“Nixon, what is it. What’s happening!?” Kane asked, concerned. “Tell me—”

I growled and stepped forward, ready to shift and kill.

Orion chuckled. “His blood wolf is being stabbed.” He quickly held his hands up. “Nothing too fatal. He’ll heal before it turns life-threatening. I just needed to prove something.”

I was instinctively ready to protect my mate. But my heart shattered. Cay was being tortured somewhere. And Orion just proved that Nixon is indeed blood bound to Cay. If I attack Orion, he could kill both Cay and Nixon. But the other alphas aren’t aware of that.

Sam stepped behind Nixon, who was panting for air. “And what would that be, Orion. Because to me, all this proved is your betrayal to Nixon. The one who brought you in—”

“Will you shut your mouth. That country ass accent is pissing me off.” Oricon scoffed. “I was trying to prove that Alpha Nixon is indeed blood bound to his Peacekeeper, or should I say blood wolf Cay.”

“Orion!” Kane roared. He stood up and charged Orion. “That doesn’t justify this attack. If what your saying is true, you have Cay somewhere being held, hostage. Release him, or we will see this as a declaration for war.”

Fuck that. I need to do something now. I can’t allow Orion to have this much leverage over everyone. He planned this shit, but I’m going to end it.

I feel on my hands and knees, preparing to shift. ZIP! A silverpoint passed by my line of vision. ZIP! Another one grazed the side of my face.

“Aviry, what the hell is that. Hurry up and give me control—”

The crowd erupted in shouts and screams. They were running and ducking the heads. A few of them jumped from the high stands and landed on the ground. They pushed and shoved their way down the stairs.

ZIP ZIP ZIP

A barrage of silver needles came down on all sides of the arena. I shot up and dodged and ducked, running for cover underneath the alphas platform awning. I looked in all directions for the source. There on top of three of the audience stands, uniformed men fired off shots from what looks like sniper rifles. Looking down at the ground, I found a sample of what was being fired off.

I bent down and picked a silver-tipped dart attached to a small vile. “What the hell is this.”

“I don’t know, but it’s not good, Aviry. Whatever it is, I’m sure Orion had a hand in it. Now, let’s get to Nixon. We need to find Cay now!” Mia urged.

“JARED!” Heather cried. I looked over as she curled into herself as darts hailed down on her. I was about to run towards her until the pounding of feet hurried down the stairs on my right. Alpha Jared flew past me, growling and fighting through the hailstorm of darts. He swatted at the darts, coming toward him, but the storm was relentless.

Jared, covered in these mysterious darts, lunged forward and fell limp over Heather’s still body.

“PSSST!” I snapped my head to my left. Denver sheltered underneath a blue tarp waved me over. I ran toward her and pulled the covering over my head. “What in the hell is going on.”

“Fuck if I know.” I looked around the arena, still shocked by the twist in today’s events. “But I need to get to Nixon.”

“He’s right above us. Him and the other alphas and attacking Orion, and a few more of those uniformed men.” She nodded toward the stairs. “We can’t climb up those. We’ll get hit with whatever the hell they’re shooting. But we can climb the back of the scaffolding to the platform. Follow me.”

“Wait, why can’t we shift?” And that truly is a great question. I’m a fucking wolf.

“Tsk, Bigger body. Bigger target.” Denver adjusted the trap of her head. “Now, let’s go.”

Denver and I huddled together and stepped off that holds the platform together. “I saw Shelby and Jordan run off toward the stands together.”

“Those bitches are dead. I know they played a part in this.”

Denver nodded. “Look right here.” We stopped at the end of the rod obstacle. “We’ll climb up this way and then pop up behind—

“AHHH!” a body fell through from the top and landed on the bottom right in front of us.

“GRAB HIM!” Denver and I tossed the tarp back and lunged forward, and dragging his body closer to us. The man, dressed in the exact same as the men shooting, was unconscious. “WAKE UP BITCH!” SLAP!

“Mmm.” He groaned. SLAP!

I scrunched his shirt in my hand and pulled him toward me. “Who the fuck are you people!” SLAP! “Tell me what shit is in this vial.” I held up the dart and plunged it into his arm.

“No,” he mumbled, reaching for the injection site. “No, please, fuck.” He laid his head back and groaned.

The man convulsed and fell limp in my grip. I pushed his body away as a white liquid foamed from his mouth. We watched as he thrashed on the ground. His arms and legs wriggled around like wet pasta noodles. The stranger repeatedly thrust into the air violently until he finally fell back still on the ground.

Denver and I paused for a moment. “Poke him,” I said, nodding toward Denver.

“What!? You poke him.” Denver scoffed. “You’re the one that stabbed him with a mysterious substance.”

“Fine. But If he pops up like a zombie, aim for the head.” I kicked his side with my foot twice. And then I stomped down on his torso. “Yep, well, he’s dead.” I shrugged. “Anyways. So we’ll climb up to the top and surprise them, right? Ok, let’s get there to fucking day then.”

My clone shook her head. “You are unbelievable.”