Chapter 32
POV: Tamara Davis
Looking at the vast arena where they were asked to go for the next round of the competition to become the next Regina, she already had this tiny little clue of what would happen next.
It was nearly sunset, and she just hoped for the best and prayed to the moon that her instincts were wrong. Because the truth was, she was so anxious about the idea that it kept on bugging her mind. She wasn’t fully healed yet, and if her intuition was right, there was a huge chance that she might end up losing at this battle hopefully not.
Because if that happened, it would surely break her apart. Given the time, effort, and the support that their pack members offered not to mention the Vikesh Family just to be in this competition, she would certainly be in disdain.
Apart from that, her very own goal to avenge her parents’ death would be in futile. And her, seeking the truth about who the heck had sabotaged her, wouldn’t get revealed.
Her eyes traveled around looking at all the wolves from other packs present in the place. Only the six remaining candidates were sitting on stage in their most comfortable clothes.
She wasn’t wearing any fancy dress just like one of the candidates from the Black Blood Pack of the East. Her simple black V-neck shirt was paired with faded light blue denim pants and a pair of black and white high cut sneakers.
Shahara protested to get more presentable, but she didn’t oblige. They were asked to wear their most comfortable clothes, and this was the best way to fit in that word.
Her eyes went towards the one sitting beside her no other than the heiress of the Darkwoods, Leah Darkwood.
She was wearing a simple maroon peplum blouse and white fitted jeans paired with black ballet flats. She was definitely wearing simple clothes now.
In any way or another, she found her line of vision, and just smirked evilly at her before answering whatever they were conversing about with Renata Gil the girl in a fancy purple princess cut dress.
Tamara’s forehead creased and her inner wolf became restless and purely annoyed. She clenched her fists to ease the tension that was lingering inside her. She didn’t want to get uncontrolled right there and then.
She mentally heaved a deep sigh and calmed her raging nerves.
Then, a sudden realization hit her. She tried to sniff the scent of the other candidates for her senses, surprisingly, turned more enhanced after the incident on the South Side.
Her left brow shot upwards because she couldn’t find the same scent, she had smelled while she was in the forest that night. She was quite sure, she had sniffed it somewhere, and she was thinking that it might be Leah.
No one could ever pull something as big as that kind of stunt but the Darkwoods given that Leah was a blonde woman.
But she was confused that maybe her hunch wasn’t that right. Maybe, she was just hallucinating at that time because of pain that she had felt, and it might affect her sense of smell.
Tamara slightly shook her head.
Her mind was clouded with too many what-ifs, and it wouldn’t help her in this battle round. She should focus on winning this first before she continued thinking about whatever she had to find out.
But before she could even decide on what to do, a loud creaking sound from the huge wooden door burst wide open.
Arlan, Dillion, and Shimuel, all together walked towards the stage, across to where they were. Their faces all looked plain stoic as they occupied their designated seats making Tamara’s forehead crease with curiosity.
The three weren’t as serious as that, the last time she had met them.
Oh, well, she just shrugged it all off.
A dangerous aura from the prince Raven Pierce was easily felt by them the moment he entered the arena. But it tripled as the cold ruthless king himself King Hades Pierce entered the place.
She inwardly gasped as her heart began to thump at a faster pace once again. As if it had been living dead for the past few days and now being resurrected. Her stomach churned with so much anticipation as he moved gracefully with pure intimidation and a perilous menacing aura.
Everyone went silent and held their breaths while waiting for the royalties to take their sit.
Arlan, on the other hand, walked towards the podium to maybe explain the procedure for the next battle whatever it might be.
She tried to concentrate towards what Arlan would say, but her eyes seemed like they had their own mind, that it always darted towards where the king was sitting. Her inner wolf became so restless, and it moved so harshly inside her.
Tamara clenched her hands into balled fists as she tried to stifle her groan trying to ease her inner wolf. She heaved a deep sigh and bit her lower lip. She admitted that her longing with the king was to the moon for the past few days, that she was at the Lunar Pack’s infirmary.
No matter how much she wanted to see the king, she knew it didn’t work that way.
“Good day to everyone.” Arlan proudly spoke that he got everyone’s attention by just saying those words.
Tamara stared at the man, who was still wearing his stoic look.
“Today, we will begin the second round of the competition for the next Regina. Before we start, Prince Raven wanted me to explain the reason why this is the theme of today’s battle round.” Arlan clearly explained as he opened the same golden envelope he had, during the first round of the competition and pulled a folded paper inside it.
“The theme of this round is all about strength. The next Regina should be a model of strength, determination, and mindset to win. Through this round of the competition, a lot of things could be revealed. A battle of strategy, a sign of sportsmanship, and a sense of physical, emotional, and mental endurance. Being the Luna Queen required at least a point of equal if not, at least the strongest level of strength that could be closer to what the King had.” Arlan seriously explained.
Her world almost crumbled down. She hadn’t gotten fully healed yet, so she was still a little bit weaker this time. She sighed and bit her lip before staring at Arlan but the King had caught her eyes. She almost held her breath, but he was just seriously staring at her. Then, he pursed his lips together and looked away.
Tamara couldn’t deny that she had felt hurt by his actions, but something had crossed his eyes before it turned away.
Was that a concern? For whom? For her?
She slightly shook her head. She must be overreacting.
Whatever happened, she would just let the moon handle it.
“For the procedure that would take place. We would like to ask all the top six candidates who made it to this round to move towards the center of the arena for a short draw lot that will decide who would be your opponent.” Arlan explained with that stoic expression visibly written on his face.
Tamara bit her lower lip. She was indeed shaking with mixed anxiety and frustration. But she was desperate to win this round and she would use that to move on with the final round.
“Getting nervous now?” A soft, seductive whisper broke her drifting mind.
Her forehead creased as her gaze moved towards the blonde woman walking just beside her Leah Darkwood who was pretending as if she was looking at the people around them, but the truth was, she was direfully talking to her.
Leah, then, smugly looked at her.
“Just pray to the moon, you won’t be my opponent, Tamara Davis. Surely, you won’t get away.” She finally said and viciously smirked at her before walking swiftly passed her.
Tamara swallowed hard. Every candidate that was part of the top six was certainly overpowering her with strength especially the candidates who were told to be the strongest when it came to physical battle.
Amabella Carlen from the Red Sparrow Pack of the West. Their pack was well-known for their unbelievable speed and agility. Being the heiress of that pack, she surely wasn’t the least of them.
Not to mention, Leah Darkwood, who was certainly one of the best fighters and the most cunning, too.
Tamara heaved a deep sigh. She needed to get herself together.
“Miss Tamara Davis, kindly pick a marbled stone in the box.” Arlan simply told her, which she instantly obliged.
She let out another deep sigh before placing her hand inside the huge black box to have a draw. Being the first to do it, she could hardly breathe.
Tamara bit her lower lip as she stared at the name written on the gray marbled stone. She stared at the various hues playing in the sky and shut her eyes firmly before opening it again.
“Who is your opponent, Miss Davis?” Arlan seriously asked.
She stared at the woman with jet-black hair that reached her hips. Her fair skin and innocent face were surely masking a lot for this battle.
“L-Lindy Mindsor.” She breathily whispered.
Her eyes moved to Lindy Mindsor from the Midnight Pack of the North. They had the sense of equality and unity, but as what she heard from Shahara; Lindy was one of the battle strategists of their pack. She had also an interest in going with the hunter wolves and ended up always getting a lot of wild animals that weren’t caught by any of the hunters themselves.
Lindy caught her eyes, too. She was stunned when she saw how her eyes turned cold and deadly making her shiver down her spine.
She absentmindedly moved towards her post, and she didn’t mind any other thing anymore.
The creepiness still lingered inside her that even her inner wolf tensed and became restless.
It was screaming danger and she surely was.
Then, Shahara’s words lingered in her mind.
~ “By the way, don’t forget about Lindy Mindsor. She was labeled as The Innocent Demon.” Shahara seriously told her. ~
~ “Innocent D-Demon?” Tamara confusedly asked. ~
~ “Yes. The woman with an innocent face but hiding a sleeping demon, you wouldn’t want to wake up.” ~