Chapter 2 002

~LYKA~

I kept staring at the man’s face, but I noticed that his gaze slowly turned unpleasant, as though he was annoyed by someone… or was he annoyed by me?

Of course he was. He was an Alpha, a man who did not tolerate his subordinates meeting his gaze. Yet there I was, leisurely staring at him without breaking eye contact. He must have been enraged.

But even though he was clearly annoyed by my actions, I did not look away. Why should I? He wasn’t looking away either.

“How dare you meet the Alpha’s gaze?” one of the guards snarled before kicking me hard in the stomach.

I groaned in pain, collapsing to the floor, but before I could recover, a thunderous voice cut through the arena, snapping me back to my senses.

“Let her go!”

The roar echoed with terrifying authority, and the entire arena fell into dead silence. My breath hitched. I didn’t need to be told who that voice belonged to, I felt the weight of it in my bones. That was the power of an Alpha.

I lifted my head slowly from the floor, dread curling in my chest as I wondered what his next verdict would be. Was he going to order us to beat each other to death after all?

“End the fight.” That was all he said.

His eyes flicked to me once more, sharp and unreadable, but he didn’t linger. He turned around and began to walk away, his cloak trailing behind him.

I scoffed softly.

He was leaving just like that?

I watched his towering retreating form, a smirk tugging at my lips despite myself. Even though he was arrogant… he was undeniably handsome.

“Princess, are you okay?” Phoebe asked, rushing to my side.

I nodded, even though deep down I knew I wasn’t okay at all, and that nod was a lie.

“Get up!” the guards barked.

Phoebe helped me to my feet as the crowd began to disperse, leaving the arena one by one. I watched them go, a wicked smirk spreading across my face.

“What now?” I shouted. “You’re all leaving? Is it not fun watching an empty ring?”

A sharp sting lashed across my back.

“Ouch!” I groaned as pain flared, but I didn’t regret my words.

Amanda quickly moved in front of me, shielding me from the guards as I glared at them with pure hatred.

We were dragged back to our cells and locked in once again.

“Get in there, you rogue b*****s,” the guards cursed.

Rage surged through me, but Amanda held me down, stopping me from reacting. “Good night,” she said calmly to the guards. They snorted loudly and shoved us inside before slamming the door shut.

“They’re not worth the stress,” I muttered, lying flat on my back as Amanda shook her head. “You are crazy, Lyka,” she said. “But you need to be careful. Meeting the Alpha’s gaze today was not a good move.”

I shook my head. “What’s not a good move is sitting here in silver chains instead of planning our escape,” I replied. I noticed most of the girls weren’t even listening anymore.

“How can we plan an escape when we can’t even connect with our wolves?” Amanda asked as she lay down.

I sighed, debating whether to tell her what I had felt earlier. After a moment, I decided to speak.

“I felt Elysia’s presence today,” I said suddenly, whimpering softly as pain throbbed through my body.

“What?” Amanda exclaimed, disbelief filling her voice.

It wasn’t surprising. We had worn silver for far too long to feel anything from our wolves anymore. A wave of fear settled in my chest as I wondered if it meant Elysia was fading.

That was my greatest fear.

“You mean… she connected with you?” Amanda asked carefully.

I shook my head. “No. We didn’t connect. But I felt her presence.” Amanda nodded slowly, but I chose not to tell her when it had happened. I kept that part to myself.

“When are we going to leave this hellhole?” Phoebe asked softly, resting her head on my lap.

My heart ached. She looked so small, so lost.

Why were we being punished when we were the victims? Our pack had been attacked, slaughtered without mercy. Only a few of us had escaped, yet here we were, tormented simply for surviving.

What an unfair world.

“I’ll come up with something soon,” I assured her quietly. “Don’t worry, okay?”

Phoebe nodded, though Amanda shot me a knowing look. She knew it was false hope, but hope was all we had left. The same fragile hope I clung to every day: that one day, I would leave this hellhole.

“Good night,” Phoebe murmured as sleep claimed her. The others followed soon after, drifting into uneasy dreams. But sleep never came for me.

My mind replayed everything that had happened in the arena, the Alpha’s gaze, his voice, the strange awakening inside me.

Morning light seeped gently into the cell, and I sighed.

The cell door creaked open, and all the girls jolted awake, instantly alert. Whenever that door opened, it was never for anything good.

“You. Stand up,” a guard ordered, pointing directly at me.

I didn’t move. I wanted to irritate him.

“Didn’t you hear me?” he yelled.

I lifted my head slowly and smirked. “Lyka,” I said calmly. “That’s my name.”

His face reddened with anger as he marched toward me.

“It’s unwise to rile him up,” Amanda whispered.

I sneered in response.

The guard raised his hand to strike me, but another voice stopped him.

“Don’t touch her. Alpha said she is not to be harmed.”

I frowned, confused. “What?” I asked. “I’m being summoned by the Alpha?”

The guard scoffed. “What? Feeling special now? Since the Alpha called for you, you’d better hurry. Don’t keep him waiting.”

My confusion deepened as he dragged me out of the cell. This time, I didn’t resist.

Why was the Alpha looking for me?

I hadn’t done anything wrong… or had I?

Maybe he intended to punish me for disobeying him.

Whatever the case, I decided not to overthink it.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I was looking forward to it.