3 | Competitors
❝And I know that somewhere inside that cold, lifeless exterior, there's an actual human soul.❞

Chase has disappeared. As I glance around, he is nowhere to be seen. I don't know why I even care, but I do. He's an alpha male, so that must mean that he's also a competitor. Maybe he went to catch up with all of the other tributes.

The thought of fighting him again makes my body writhe with a strange sensation. I can't tell whether it's rage or excitement, except this time I know that I will beat him. I would not allow myself to die at his hands.

I had since been directed away from the castle, and down flights of stairs to the cold dungeons beneath the grand building. Icy water drops slide along the walls, an eerie dripping noise reverberating throughout the chasm.

"This way." The guard orders me as he opens the door to a cell, except this is no ordinary cell. The ceiling scales meters in the air, the cobblestone walls lit by single flame torches at random interval. Above my head, an ancient chandelier hangs from the ceiling, cobwebs coating the non-existent candle and wiry metal frame.

But the main attraction of the room was the huge table in the middle. A variety of different meals are scattered onto the oak, and other werewolves sit around it, voices filling the otherwise stagnant air. All except five were male, and there were at least forty in the room. I'm surprised that they can all sit in here.

As soon as the metal clanks open, everyone is silent. A thousand eyes peer at me from different angles, melting into my soul.

They must know who I am, otherwise they wouldn't be staring at me the way they are.

I straighten my clothes and pick up a plate from a side table. It was clear that these were the people I would be competing against, and looking at my competition, I stood little chance. As the Alpha King had warned, they were all Alpha's, muscles bulging, each trying to dominate one another.

The guard has since left me to the wrath of the other competitors. It's not like I enjoyed having a guard, but at least he made me feel slightly safer than I did now.

But hey, I could make some friends.

I glance at the table and thousands of pair of eyes staring at me as if I was some goddess. I am pleased to find that the other end of the antique counter is deserted.

"Welcome to the party, Rogue!" One shouted, causing the rest to chuckle. I feel my rage begin to grow into a tight ball of fury, but I won't release it. Not yet. I would save that for when we were all competing.

They continue to peer after me as I saunter to the other end of the narrow room. "Quit staring." I utter confidently as I feel their gazes begin to drop. "It's rude."

I take a seat and help myself to a portion of chicken from a dish in front of me. It was strange having everything here in front of me: as a rogue, I had relied on hunting to keep me alive.

After taking my food, I look up again and see Chase at the head of the table. So that's where he disappeared to. His head was leant forward on his fist, single elbow propped up on the table in a powerful pose. His eyes infiltrated my own, and I felt as though he was trying to burn a hole in my skin.

Abruptly, plates clatter as two people come to sit opposite me, diverting my gaze from the mysterious Alpha who had previously held a knife to my neck.

One was male, and the other was (thankfully) female. The man looked around nineteen with a mop of brown tresses, and beautiful eyes that I could gaze into all day. Not that I would, but they looked more as though they belonged on a woman rather than a fully grown man. His face wasn't as stern as Chase's, but softer and the boy sat before me actually looked genuinely kind.

The girl had much sharper features, but she was beautiful as well as striking. Her eyes were a penetrating azure, constantly shifting from one object to the next. Her hair was slightly ruffled, but the otherwise the straight brunette hair didn't have a flaw. She was what I had always imagined a shifting female would look like.

The male looked in the direction I had just been staring in, and saw Chase's glum expression as he started to pick at his food.

"Looks like it's his time of the month again." The boy jerked his head towards Chase, flashing a smile my way. The girl let out a snort. After a few seconds, he politely held out this hand. "I'm Josh." He then signalled to the she-wolf beside him, "This is Azra. You must be the rogue."

I don't know what to make of him calling me 'rogue.' He seemed like a nice guy, and he was actually trying to cooperate with me, proving that he didn't care whether I was a rogue or not.

I take Josh's hand. His grip is strong and firm: he will not be easy to beat, although he looks it. Can I trust him, though? Trust was a foreign concept to me, but having a so called 'friend' could help my understanding.

"Alaska." I say, leaving out my surname, because who the hell wanted to know my surname anyway?

Josh greedily picked up a drumstick of chicken and ripped off a chunk of the charred flesh. "You missed the opening ceremony." Josh said after swallowing. "Don't worry, though. It was just a bunch of crappy fireworks and a parade around the whole city, and then we got blessed by the Alpha King. Nothing much." Josh shrugged his shoulders. I was trying to figure out whether he was joking or not.

Azra rolled her eyes as she nudged her piece of chicken breast with her fork. "Don't mind him. He's just being an arsehole as usual." She looked up at me, confidence writhing within her cerulean irises. "Nice to meet you, Alaska."

I nod at her, not because I don't want to talk to her, but because I don't know what to say. Having been separated from pack life for so long, this was all new to me, and to be frankly honest, I hated it.

"Sorry about coming in like that." Josh apologised after another bit of meat. "You just looked lonely."

I open my mouth to respond, but Azra beats me to it. "God, Josh. Leave her alone."

"I didn't do anything!" Josh gaped at his friend. I wondered whether they were siblings, although the resemblance was almost non-existent.

"You talked."

"Since when was talking a crime?"

"Since you opened that big fat gob of yours."

"Now that is low." Josh retorted, leaving his food to fold his arms across his chest.

"I'd get used to it, if I were you." Azra concluded with a roll of her perfect, pristine eyes. Then her sapphire orbs snapped to me once more. "Sorry. I've lived with him for ten years. You get annoyed after a while."

So I guess that meant that they weren't siblings. They were childhood friends, just like I had been with some of the children at my old pack. I barely remembered their names to this day. After all, I wanted to forget as much as I could about the Shadow Claw pack. The memories would trigger nightmares if I didn't bury my ancient grudges.

"It's ok." I say quietly. I was not a confident person. That much was obvious.

"So what's it like, being a rogue and all?" Josh asked me. It felt as though my whole body had been picked up by an invisible force and hurled outside my comfort zone by a million miles. Did this guy understand how to be sensitive, because he wasn't pushing the right buttons.

I glare at him. "There's no difference to a normal pack wolf."

Josh looked puzzled, the happy look from his face disappearing somewhat. "Really? Because I've been told lots of stories where rogues are bloodthirsty creatures."

"Do I look like a bloodthirsty creature?" I say in a monotone. The words slip from my mouth before I realise how bitter I was being to this boy. He had chosen to pluck up the courage and talk to me, so why was I trying to turn him away?

"No." Josh glances at me, realising that it was an uncomfortable subject. "I was just curious. I've never met a rogue before."

"Not many people have." I state. "But trust me, you're lucky you haven't. You wouldn't want to meet a real rogue."

"A real rogue?"

"The nightmare rogues. The ones that will tear you limb from limb and smile while doing it." I explain. Josh was just curious, as I would be, although he could have asked me in a more sensitive way. "I fled from my pack because they found out I could shift. The only reason I'm a rogue is because I don't belong in a pack registered under the Alpha King."

Josh nods his head as he understands my situation. "That makes more sense."

Azra once again rolls her eyes. "Just let her eat, Josh. If you were trying to flirt with her, then you could've been slightly more sensitive."

Josh's cheeks heat up slightly, the pastel skin turning a light cherry. Even if he good looking, the thought of a boy trying to even get near me made my stomach churn and feel as though centauries were going to crash down on me. Love was something I no longer understood. It died the day my parents did.

Perhaps love does exist, but not for me. I was a nobody going head on against the world, and the sad thing is that I don't even care if I lose. Ok, maybe that was a lie. I didn't want to die, but there are times when we no longer have a choice.

The two people across from me don't talk and allow me to eat my food, but I can barely taste it. Fear was gushing its way through my system as I suddenly realised how unlikely it was that I was going to get out of this alive. It was not only the fear of my imminent death, but also how I would be killed. I didn't want to die a slow and miserable death. I didn't want to go up against Josh or Azra either because I felt as though I had connected with them, and fighting against my new 'friends' wouldn't feel right.

When I finish my meal, I look back up the table to see someone I had hoped never to lay eyes on again. My heart begins to hammer in my chest, the steady thump thump being the only thing keeping me sane.

Because before me sat the face of a demon. The crystal blemish in his eye was still visible, and his face was as unusual as I remembered it. Age had not faired him well.

Titus. The one who discovered my secret and played a part in killing my parents. And since he's here, that can only mean one thing: he's alpha of the Shadow Claw pack.

The bastard. I'm alpha.

My throat is dry, burning for even a drop of water. I can't speak: it feels as though my vocal chords have been shredded. My limbs seem to have a mind of their own. They get up and walk over to the beast. Seconds click by, a clock whirring in my head, gears clicking into place, adrenaline being released into my bloodstream.

Azra and Josh don't move. I can see from their confused expressions that they are unclear what my motives are.

Titus doesn't realise that I'm standing there. He continues talking to the other alpha beside him, oblivious to my presence. I doubt he evens remembers me; the girl who could shift. I still don't see why it was considered a crime.

So I do what anyone in my position would do to get his attention: I tap on his shoulder, his head turning in my direction, and I punch him in the face.

Titus propels himself from the bench so that he is standing, his hands clenched in both shock and retaliation. "Hey! What the hell was that f-" Titus gazes at me, realising who I was. "Alaska? You're supposed to be dead." He growled, his wolf beginning to rise to the surface.

"It's nice to see you too, Titus." I smile at him. Then I punch him in the face for a second time.

Titus's hand doesn't fly to his face as it would for a normal werewolf in pain. Instead, he allows the trickle of blood to run down his chin as if it was a trophy of strength.

"You bitch!" He cursed, swinging his own fist my way. A few seconds ago he was reluctant to fight, but it was obvious that I wasn't going to back down.

Ducking under his punch, I snarl at the twenty five year old wolf. "Well done. I am a female dog."

Titus doesn't like my remark. He wasn't ugly in general, but the distorted look on his face made him appear as attractive as a rotten apple. He charges forward, head meeting my stomach.

Normally, the blow would not hurt, but with my previous bruises from the fight yesterday, I couldn't help but small pin pricks of pain ache across my body.

His huge figure almost knocks me to the floor, but I use the advantage of his exposed stomach to punch him as hard as I possibly can. My strategy works, and the monster releases me from his grip.

Instead, he turns to punching me. It happens so quickly that his fist connect with my face, right below my eye socket. That would leave a nice mauve bruise.

I begin my attack, ramming my fists into any part of his body I can make contact with. The only fuel that kept me going was the rage within my heart. I was supposed to be alpha. No, my parents were supposed to be leading the Shadow Claw pack. The only reason they aren't is because of him.

I want to rip out his throat. To tear a hole in his heart that is so large that he will have no way in hell of even gasping before plunging to death. I was to take revenge for my parents.

But before I can take the vengeance the beast in front of me deserves, a pair of hands hold me back. They were strong and easily kept hold of my spindly limbs.

Josh pulled me away from the fight, my breath ragged from the struggle. I looked like the rogue I was, but I didn't care. I was a rogue, and it had taken me a few years to accept.

I was thankful that Josh pulled me away before it was too late. God only knows what damage I could have done to Titus, and the Alpha Trials hadn't even started yet. I didn't even consider the fact that I might be the one crippled by the end of the spar.

Josh took me back to the bench, but not before leaning in and whispering something in my ear. "Save it for the arena."

I could feel the handsome boy smile. His words struck deep into my flesh, because in that fleeting moment did I realise that Josh thought exactly like me. Now that's how you make me like someone.

*A/N - WE HIT 1K READS! *Screams, loses voice* thank you!!

I'm so sorry for the late update (I was away), but I decided to add a little action to this chapter with Titus and all. And do we all hate Titus, because hopefully you all do - I certainly do.

I don't really know what to make of Alaska. She's slightly mentally troubled, and she is the first character I have written like this so I hope it seems realistic.

Thank you for all of your suggestions for the name! I chose Azra suggested by liabel-C23 which I love so thank you <3 I also loved the name Astrid mentioned by cailinspraoi but I'm saving that for another book ;) Also, thank you to @cockynarrys for also saying some other names! I loved them as well, so I will be using some later on in the book (when I get the chance).

AND OMG THE GIF IS LIFE. DYLANNNN <3

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote, comment and share if you're enjoying! Next update will be within the next week or two, but it will be coming.

-Lotte x

Video: A short music video I made for my other story Warrior which I thought you guys might want to see. My youtube: LH Wattpad

Gif: Josh  [+other one because I just had to ;) ]

Dedicated too mintys- because she's an amazing friend and author and has written a really good werewolf book called Mate-less Or Not. Anyway, you should check her out and her covers are amazinggg.