2 | King
❝I'm headed straight for the castle, they wanna make me their queen.❞

A thousand eyes pierce my skin as I walk by. Being around so many people made my body tingle, and feel as if I had opened up my chest and exposed my soul. I wasn't good around people, especially those who were not classed as my race.

A hand shoves my back, forcing me up the steps towards the majestic palace. "Move it, bitch." One of the pack members demands, and I comply. There was nowhere I could run, and human nature was forcing me to continue walking; no matter what, I didn't want to die. My parents had saved me for a reason, and I would live up to their names.

The doors of the castle are a rich mahogany that squeak slightly on the hinges as they are forced open. Of all the places I had envisioned myself to be at this point in my life, I hadn't expected to be here.

The journey to the kingdom of Arla had been a long one through the night. The wind had battered my body, and my hands still felt as though they were frozen blocks of ice. That was Alaska for you; harsh and cold just like myself. Or at least others would say.

The inside of the castle was luxury I had never seen. Red curtains were draped from the top of exquisite windows that scaled ten meters into the air, set in crumbling stone. The air was still frozen, even though flame torches licked the darkness. Before me was a set of stairs, red carpet laced with gold running along the rough stone.

I hear the guards murmur something to another werewolf who was standing at the door. Despite having extremely sensitive hearing, I was unable to pick up their conversation. I didn't want to either. God knew whether they were talking about releasing me or killing me. It was most likely the latter.

The guard abruptly drags me after him, and we mount the stairs before I have time to complain. It didn't seem right for me to be in a place of such beauty. I was a worthless, good-for-nothing rogue to them.

But what shocks me more is the werewolf waiting for me, and by his side, another well-groomed werewolf with clean hunting clothes and a cape that was coloured a deep emerald. It was a strange sight, but as soon as I laid eyes on him, it was obvious that he was the Alpha King.

His eyes were pale crystal with age, and his skin sagged around his face like a rotting apple. His hair still managed to cling to his head, but the grey pigment provided me with enough evidence to realise that his days were limited.

They took me to talk to the Alpha King. The fricking Alpha King!

The guards continue to escort me towards the man who ruled over the packs. Somewhere between the stairs and the 'great' man, my legs give way: this was the man who had ordered to kill my group of 'rogues'. This was the man who had innocent blood on his hands.

As the guard forces me to kneel, I can't bring myself to look him in the eye. All that I can think is murderer. I was a murderer, yes, but I had a reason to be. He, on the other hand, didn't have a good reason.

"Rise." The Alpha King demands, his voice gritty from age. I wondered how old he was. Seventy, maybe? I don't think that I've ever seen anyone as old in my life. Werewolves are lucky to survive until fifty.

Slowly, I get to my feet, still afraid to make eye contact.

"This better be good, Chase. I had to miss a meeting about the Rogue war for this... confrontation." The Alpha King growled.

I glance to my side to see Chase step forward. He clenched and unclenched his jaw nervously, seemingly scared of the sheer power of the man who stood before him.

"She's a shifting female, Sir." Chase informs the King. "We were culling the group of rogues as instructed, and she retaliated with her wolf."

The King began to pace in front of me, arms placed stiffly by his sides. Each step reverberates off the empty chasm of marble walls, each turn making the blood in my veins begin to slow, my head beginning to feel light. I want to throw up, preferably all over the King's royal clothes.

"So you brought her to me as a candidate for the Alpha Trials?" I don't know what the Alpha Trials are, but the words send me spinning into a world of confusion. For a second, I feel as though I've been submerged in a bucket filled with ice.

The Alpha King's face scrunches with anger, and I expect him to shout at the top of his voice, roaring at Chase as to why he brought a weak, female rogue to see him.

But he doesn't. Instead, he does the opposite: he nods.

"She'll make a good competitor." Then he turns to me, but I refuse to meet his gaze. Those pale azure eyes would slice me apart like the Northern Wind if I did. "What is your name, rogue?"

As much as I didn't want to reply, I couldn't help stop the words flow out of my mouth. "Don't call me rogue," I growl. I keep staring at the ground, studying the deer hide of my snow boots.

The Alpha King walks up to me, and before I know it, his cold and rough fingers are on my chin. He automatically forces my head up, his eyes captivating mine.

"Look at me when you talk to me." He demands, his disgusting touch leaving my face. "Now, I'll ask again, what is your name?" The seconds tick away, and his rage grows. I know that it's not long until he explodes.

"Rogue." I reply. He wasn't my king. A king didn't kill those under his rule.

"Your name." The Alpha King persists.

"According to you, my name is rogue. Therefore I am Rogue." I say defiantly. I wasn't afraid to argue with the ruler any more. He was a blemish on our society. He had killed without reason. Never respect a soldier who kills for blood. Respect a warrior who kills for reason.

In the blink of an eye, Chase is on me with a knife to my neck. All I can picture is the battlefield around us, my body pushed up against the tree. He wouldn't kill me. Not here.

"Tell the King what your name is, or I swear to God I will slit your throat." Chase demands, the knife breaking the skin of my neck.

"You won't kill me." I pant.

"Tell me your goddamn name!" He shouts, and finally, I give in. I am not one to give up, but I had had enough struggle for one day.

"Alaska. My name is Alaska." I say, and push Chase away, wiping my neck with one of my sleeves. It comes away soaked with crimson.

I feel defeated, as if part of my soul has been torn away. Since when was I so soft? This wasn't the Alaska I had become accustomed to. This Alaska was different, yet I sensed that she was stronger.

The King draws a shaky breath before continuing. "Well, Alaska. I am getting old, and I do not have long left. Nor do I have an heir to take my place when I die." The King begins to pace again, running a shaky hand through his flaking scalp. "Therefore, I have created The Alpha Trials to find the next Alpha King or Queen to take my place. Only Alpha males and shifting females are able to compete, and this is what makes you compatible to enter, if you chose to.

"The challenges will consist of fighting within arena, against one other werewolf. Some fights will be with weapons, others without. With you being a rogue, if you get defeated, the winner will kill you.

"You can accept my offer and become part of the Alpha Trials, or we can execute you tomorrow in the morning. It's your call." The Alpha King finally stops walking and sits back down in his throne, the huge metal piece of furniture appearing to swallow the shrinking man whole. "But the only way you will come out alive is if you win, Alaska. So, do you want to be part of the Alpha Trials or not?"

He was asking me whether I wanted to die. Whether, after all these years, I would give myself up to be quietly beheaded, and just like that, I would be gone from the world. No one would remember me. I would be a cloud of dust in the memories of others; an unwanted part of their minds.

Alaska Morgan was a fragment of glass from a smashed mirror that could never be mended. She was something that was never meant to exist in this world.

No one had such a haunted past as I did, and yet I was still here, I had still battled through. And for what? To let some measly sword slice through my neck?

I don't think so.

I'm Alaska Morgan, and I'm a rogue. There is no shame to my name. No shame to the fact that I'm a rogue. I am Alaska, and no matter how much they torment me and scar my skin, they will never damage the real me inside.

The Alpha Trials sounded daunting, but it was nothing a rogue couldn't handle. We had sat through blizzards in shaking tents, whilst they had played cards in the warmth of a vast castle.

I have battled far too hard to surrender now.

Because life is for the living, not for the dead. And I'm not dead. Not yet.

I raise my chin higher, and stand as straight as I can. I want them to see that I'm not just any old rogue that just happens to be able to shift. I am stronger than they all anticipate.

"Yes, I do." I say, my voice as strong as the tides of the sea.

If I die, I die, but at least I would go down fighting. That's another thing that the Alpha King didn't know about rogues: we never gave up. Never.

*A/N - I have decided to update every Saturday, so I hope that that's ok with everyone.

So, that chapter wasn't the most exciting, so I apologise, but it sets up the story and will (hopefully) be the only boring chapter of the book.

So we know what the Alpha Trials are! We meet some new faces in the next chapter, and the Trials will begin soon, don't you worry. Also, this will not be cliché, so be expecting some twists ;)

Also, please can you suggest some girls names that are quite bold and fit a warrior? If I pick the name you suggest, I will dedicate this chapter to you.

Question Of The Chapter: Do we like Chase so far? [+ little gif below to cheer us up]

Thank you for reading!

-Lotte



Dedicated to cloudify for being an incredible friend who makes amazing covers and is always a lovely person to talk to. You're truthfully one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I'm so glad that I have met you through wattpad. Thank you for the support Denise <3

Gif: Alaska (again)

Song: Halsey - Castle