Chapter 167

An eager smile bursts onto my lips as I finally realize the truth of it, because I’m suddenly so happy for Daphne. Didn’t she say that she had a celebrity crush on Rafe, that she had for awhile?

Good for her! Daphne! Lonely Academy seamstress, crushing on the Crown Prince from afar, and now here she is! Living the dream!

Daphne glances over at me and does a double-take when she sees my expression. And then she laughs, and blushes a little, realizing what I’ve figured out. Rafe follows the direction of her gaze and frowns at me a little, not getting it.

“You guys need drinks!?” I say eagerly, looking between them and stepping away. “I’ll get you drinks! I’ll go away – and get drinks – and leave you here – alone.” I turn quickly, heading for the bar.

“Ariel!” Rafe calls after me, confused. “We…don’t need drinks! We have drinks!”

“Rafe,” Daphen says, laughing a little, “she knows we have drinks.”

I scurry away regardless, happy for my friend, happy for my brother – who could do far worse than Daphne - towards where Jesse and Ben are standing at the bar, both of them looking moody.

“What?” I ask, my face falling a little as I look between them. “What’s wrong? What’s bad?”

“Nothing’s bad, Ariel,” Jesse says, tucking his mood away and turning to the bartender to order me another white wine. I look down at my empty hands, wondering where the last one went – I don’t remember putting it down - but then I shrug and just accept the new one. “We’re just –“

Jesse doesn’t finish his words, though, because suddenly the stadium falls silent. The three of us turn, looking for the cause, but we can’t see it. Suddenly the sound of steady, marching footsteps fills the whole arena. My face screws up in confusion because…what the hell could that be?

“Come on,” Jesse murmurs, striding now for the edge of the Box, where Rafe and Daphne still stand. Ben and I glance at each other, but then eagerly follow.

When we get to the edge, my eyes go wide when I see the cause of both the silence and the strange marching noise.

A group of people begin to fill the empty set of stands in front of them, those set aside for the visiting delegation. They walk in military precision down the steps towards the seats, filling them one-by-one in orderly lines without hesitation. As they do, I realize that they must have planned this – planned every inch of it. Discovered how many seats were in the stadium, decided who would sit where, then given specific orders about how to enter the stadium so as to have this very precise effect.

And I have to admit, their efforts pay off. While the citizens of Moon Valley entered the stadium in a cheerful mess, everyone taking their seats haphazardly with an excited buzz going around, the Atalaxian delegation here has clearly shown that they are…much more orderly, precise, and serious than we are.

I gulp a little, watching them, talking in their dark uniforms, their slick-backed hair. And as I do, I realize that every single person in that delegation is a man, is an Alpha, and is incredibly dangerous.

But while this display is clearly meant to intimidate, I find that it…kindles something in me. I raise my chin as I step forward to stand with my brother, lifting a hand to rest lightly on the low wall of our box. Because while these men might have a great deal of power and control, I’m aware that it was bought at the expense of the women in their world, and the poor, and the disenfranchised. Each of which these Alphas bend to their own will, reaping the benefits alongside the control.

Everything they stand for goes against everything I hold to be true, and real, and important in this world. Our nation is fighting for the right of everyone to pursue their happiness, however they define that. These people? They believe that the rights and happiness of many can and should be sacrificed to benefit the men of the ruling class.

And as my brother stands next to me and my cousin comes to my other side, I refuse to let myself be intimidated by these horrible men.

Not by their cruelty. Not by their brute control.

No, I won’t be cowed by it.

And by the low growls that I can almost feel rumbling in Rafe and Jesse’s chests, I know that they feel precisely the same.

As the last of the Atalaxians file in, the stadium is quiet for a long moment. And then, slowly, our people begin to talk again, to make noise, to shake off the control that these men just demanded with their display. After a moment my shoulders loosen, and Jesse and Rafe begin to move too, and Daphne and Ben step closer so that we form a little circle.

“I’ve never seen an Atalaxian before,” Daphne says, her voice low. “I didn’t realize they’d be so…disciplined.”

Ben just looks down at his feet, perfectly silent, and I frown at him for a second, wondering if he’s all right. I’m distracted, though, when Rafe begins to speak.

“They’re disciplined in everything they do,” Rafe says, with a little bit of a sigh. “It’s kind of their whole vibe – it’s the only thing that they do.”

“My mom told me that your mom has a connection over there,” Jesse says, his voice serious for once as he looks at Rafe and nods towards the Atalaxians. “An old friend. Do you know if he’s here? It could be beneficial.”

Rafe sighs and glances over at the Atalaxian delegation. “Unfortunately, no. He’s become someone of a persona-non-grata over there. After he and mom developed their friendship, he started advocating hard for peace. It made him very unpopular with his family, the royals, but…he made some inroads, I think.”

I frown a little, because I didn’t know mom had a friend in Atalaxia. I make a mental note to ask her about it, but before I can do anything a huge cheer begins to echo in the stadium. And then suddenly the lights drop, and a huge boom of bass music echoes throughout the stadium – so deep and low that I can feel it throughout my whole body.

“Holy crap!” Jesse whispers, his face bursting into an eager grin despite the serious talk from a moment before. “It’s starting!”

The music changes now, raising into something rhythmic, pulsing, and intense. Lights start to flash with the music – red and purple, then blue and gold with white lights flashing all around. I gasp, because Jesse is right, and we all immediately break our little circle and press against the edge of the box, staring down at the ring. Jesse and Rafe stand steady on either side of me, Ariel to Rafe’s right. Ben, I think, is standing on her far side – but I’ve lost track of him a bit.

Because it’s time for the fight now.

And for better or worse, Luca’s going to come out soon, and face this Atalaxian champion – whoever the hell that is.

I glance up at the Atalaxian delegation which stands stoically, not clapping or cheering at all like the residents of Moon Valley. And as I run my eyes over them…

I realize, truly now, that much more rests on Luca’s shoulders than I think I knew before.

Because the Atalaxians…they’ve got something up their sleeve here, don’t they?

They’re here for more than peace, more than a match.

And somehow, it all starts with this.

With my mate, Luca Grant against…whatever it is they’re bringing out to face him.