~LYKA~

My breathing felt constricted as I was dragged along by the animals, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to show my pain, because I was not allowed to. That has been my life for the past two months.

I looked around the dark passageway we were being led through and hissed immediately. The sounds of chanting and loud cheers echoed all around us, and I clenched my fists, my teeth grinding together in anger.

I knew exactly what those cheers were about. I knew they were eager to watch us fight each other to death again. I wondered how I had become so unfortunate, how my life had spiraled into this cruel existence. This was never meant to be my fate, but one terrifying incident had turned my life completely around.

I was once the daughter of an Alpha, powerful and respected. Everything had worked in my favor, even though I had not found my mate at twenty-two. My life, however, was turned upside down when a rogue pack attacked us overnight, wiping out my entire pack without mercy.

I escaped only because my father made sure I fled the moment the fight ensued, but that had been my biggest mistake.

I should have stayed that day.

I should have stayed and fought beside them instead of running away. But it was too late for regrets. I had already become a rogue, captured and now living at the mercy of a powerful Alpha.

“Princess, are we going to fight each other for food again today?” Phoebe asked. She was the youngest among us, and her voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I forced a smile, already knowing the answer to her question.

It was obvious. The tradition of making us fight for food was not going to stop anytime soon.

“Don’t worry, Phoebe. You won’t have to fight anyone to eat,” I said. I noticed my best friend staring at me strangely, clearly knowing that what I said was impossible.

“What? How are we going to do that?” she asked, confusion written all over her face.

I smiled faintly at her. “Fight me—no, beat me. I’ll make sure we get paired together,” I assured her.

Phoebe shook her head immediately. “My princess, I can’t,” she said softly, refusing my suggestion.

Phoebe was like the baby of our group. We all looked out for her. Her fighting skills were mild at best, and with silver wrapped tightly around her arms, I knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone else.

“Just hit me. I won’t hit back, okay?” I reassured her, but she shook her head again, still unwilling to yield.

“Why are you being stubborn?” I snapped, frustration creeping into my voice. I instantly regretted it when her eyes welled up with tears. I took a slow breath, calming myself.

“Okay… I’m sorry,” I said gently. “But you have to beat someone so you can eat tomorrow.” I repeated the stupid rules they forced on us, and she nodded reluctantly.

“But you haven’t been eating for days,” Phoebe reminded me. I smiled weakly. “Yeah, I know. It was—”

A sharp blow from behind cut my words short as a guard struck me. “Why are you talking so much? Stop talking!” the guard yelled

We were dragged into the arena, and the cheers erupted the moment we stepped in. I hissed in disgust.

What joy did they find in watching rogues suffer?

We were quickly paired up, and with luck, if I could even call it that, was on my side when Phoebe was assigned to me. We were instructed to enter the ring and fight…with silver chains wrapped tightly around our legs.

Those bastards.

“Don’t hesitate. Hit me,” I whispered to her. She hesitated, fear flickering in her eyes, but I gave her a hard glare. She nodded in response.

Phoebe landed a punch across my face, and the impact sent me flying across the ring. Even though her strength was mild, she was still a fighter, and she was fighting someone who refused to fight back and was already weak from days of starvation and neglect.

I groaned as my body hit the hard floor. The pain was far more severe than I had anticipated.

Loud cheers followed my fall, and my teeth clenched in fury as I listened to them celebrate my pain like it was entertainment. I swore silently that I would get back at every single one of them, and no one would be spared.

“Go, little kid!” they yelled, hailing Phoebe to continue. But their cheers died down abruptly when an announcement rang out.

“The Alpha is here!” the guards announced.

The arena fell silent for a brief moment before erupting into even louder chaos.

The entire place stirred violently at the news of his arrival. I hissed in disgust. It was none of my business.

I had been here for two months and still hadn’t seen him. And just like before, I had never cared to. He was a wicked man, one who could bind his own kind with silver without blinking, knowing exactly what it did to us.

But curiosity crept in despite myself.

I slowly raised my head to see the man who allowed his men to terrorize us, the man they called the Demon Alpha.

Pain blurred my vision, but I could still make out his presence as he stood above the ring, watching.

I had expected him to be hideous, monstrous even. Instead, the man dressed in an elegant cloak that brushed the ground looked nothing like what I imagined. He was devastatingly handsome, the most beautiful man I had ever seen with striking, unnatural eyes.

His eyes… there was something about them.They were looking at me. No, he was staring at me.

My eyes widened in shock. Why would the Demon Alpha be staring at me? I quickly lowered my gaze, remembering the rules drilled into us from the first day. “Never meet the Alpha’s eyes” was the rule, but he looked so ethereal that it was almost impossible to look away.

He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Even in the dimly lit arena, his presence was impossible to ignore. He was so flawless that if he were mated to the Moon Goddess herself, I wouldn’t protest.

“Princess, lower your eyes,” Phoebe whispered urgently. “You don’t want trouble, right?”

Reluctantly, I lowered my gaze.

The arena grew quiet as everyone waited for the Alpha to speak, but he said nothing.

An uncomfortable heat settled over me as I felt a burning gaze fixed on my body.

Temptation overcame caution, and I raised my head again. Our eyes met once more, and this time, I didn’t look away.

I held his gaze, staring into his blazing green eyes, and suddenly, a surge of energy coursed violently through my body. My breath caught as realization dawned.

It was Elysia, my wolf.

Because of the silver, Elysia and I had been cut off from each other for months. But at that moment, she jolted awake as if pulled from a deep slumber. And it all happened while meeting the gaze of the Demon Alpha.

What was going on?