Kira lay on the ground, her chest pressed against the dirt. She tried taking deep breaths, and each breath she took was a struggle that sent sharp pain through her ribs.
“F*ck,” she said to herself but inwardly. She was even surprised she was able to still think.
Blood dripped slowly from her split lip, pooling at the corner of her mouth and staining the ground beneath her. She remained on the ground, arms sprawled out beside her and unmoving, except for her chest rising.
This was definitely not what she had envisioned.
Kira squeezed her eyes shut, and tightened her lips as if trying to hold back from crying out in pain. She already felt embarrassed and defeated, that would just make her feel much worse.
She let out a soft groan, her voice low and filled with hurt.
Her fingers twitched slightly as she tried to see if she could get up on her hand at least, but she didn’t have much strength to push herself up. She didn’t have any strength at all, and she hated how weak she felt.
Worst of it all was the crowd’s murmurings. It all added to the weight of her struggle. Maybe they might still accept her as their Luna, but she started feeling small and vulnerable.
As for Tahila, she straightened herself, her chest heaving as she felt nothing but pride. A wide, proud, and victorious grin stretched across her lips, some arrogance hinted. She raised both arms high above her head, soaking in the cheers of the crowd.
Tahila had so much confidence in her eyes as she turned to the pack, loving the reaction. Some pack members even stood, clapping, whistling and how much she enjoyed it. She moved her arms in a circle, gesturing for more applause.
Then, just to show her exaggerated respect, she turned toward Bryan and Aiden’s seating area. With her head held high, and the pride she was feeling reeking out of her, she dipped into a deep, dramatic bow. Her grin was still firmly in place as she bowed.
Bryan’s face darkened with anger at the mockery, but he didn’t let the anger show, revealing only coldness and darkness. In contrast, Aiden’s expression was the same, but with a hard gaze.
And as Tahila finished her little mockery bow, Bryan’s jaw clenched. He and Aiden had already noticed Tahila’s behavior when she was fighting with Kira, and it seemed like Tahila was bent on overstepping.
There was no need for any of them to speak; the message was clear: disrespect would not be tolerated.
While Bryan’s face remained cold and calm but exhibited some darkness, Aiden just smiled faintly. It was far from a friendly smile. His smile was calculated, but his eyes were dark like frozen lakes.
Tahila, satisfied with her bow, turned back to Kira, her lips curling into a smirk as she walked toward Kira. Bending down, she grabbed a fistful of Kira’s ponytail and gave it a sharp tug. “Let’s finish this properly,” she murmured.
Kira felt like swearing at Tahila, but all she could do was groan softly as Tahila jerked her head upward with force. The sound of her groan was low, revealing her weakness and her arms flailed briefly but fell limp again, her body too battered to resist.
Tahila on the other hand loved how weak Kira was as she began to drag Kira to the middle of the battlefield, savoring her victory.
Some pack members gasped, some cheering, although the cheers were starting to become low and not as loud as it was before. Everyone started watching in stunned silence, wondering what Tahila was going to do.
Some murmured uneasily, their cheers dying down as they watched Tahila’s overconfidence. The way they saw it, Tahila’s behavior seemed to cross a line, and they wondered if she was pushing it too far, or maybe it was justified since she was going to be the winner.
Tahila dragged Kira’s battered body to the middle of the field, walking slowly. Kira’s face twisted with pain as Tahila tugged her forward, her lips parting and her boots leaving faint tracks in the dirt.
A strained grunt escaped Kira’s throat; the pain in her scalp was too much, and that was Tahila’s doing, her knuckles pale as she gripped Kira’s hair.
“What exactly is she doing?” A pack member whispered to another, shocked at what they were watching.
“I don’t think she should have bowed like that to the Alphas,” another pack member murmured, shaking her head. “That’s crossing the line. She is already winning, but it just seems like too much, I don’t know if it’s just me,” the older pack member said to another.
“I don’t know. Tahila is a great warrior, but her arrogance right now is unsettling.” The other responded. “And I even heard something. I could not hear much, but I think Tahila insulted Luna Kira while they fought earlier.”
The murmurs about Tahila’s behavior carried on, from one pack member to another, while others whispered about how helpless Kira looked.
Tahila finally reached her destination after taking her time. She positioned herself so that Kira faced where Bryan and Aiden were seated. Her expression was a mixture of satisfaction and smugness as she kept her grip on Kira’s hair tight, holding Kira’s head up just enough, so the pack could see Kira’s defeated state.
“She’s going too far,” someone muttered, their tone filled with concern.
Another pack member who heard what the person said chuckled and muttered, “I just think she is begging to be killed by the Alphas. The mocking bow was already enough to get her killed, I don’t know what she is doing.”
Every single person in the pack had something to say. It was a confusing fight. Tahila was winning, but it felt like she didn’t deserve to win.
As for Tahila, she didn’t care about anything else. Her goal was to win and make Kira submit.
“This is your Luna!” Tahila’s voice rang out, loud and clear, cutting through the murmurs as she raised Kira’s head up some more. “It was an honor fighting with her. And the fight ends here.”
“Luna Kira, do you accept defeat? Do you submit?” She asked, loud enough for Kira and everyone else to hear.
The crowd went silent, their attention locked on the scene before them. The silence stretched out with no response from Kira, whose eyes were half-closed and filled with pain.
“You need to decide fast Luna,” Tahila stated, her smirk widening as she looked over at Bryan and Aiden.