- Lose Your Clothes
My eyes feel heavy and I yawn for the third time in the past minute. I couldn’t get enough sleep last night. Between hurrying up to finish up my chores before dawn so I could be on time for the second task, I couldn’t afford more than one hour.
And now I’m trudging down the narrow path that leads to the Goddess’s temple. I’m far behind.
It’s a little difficult to keep up with the agile Alpha females. The first to reach the temple gets a headstart into our next task.
Diving into the sacred lake behind the temple to retrieve diving into the lake behind the temple to retrieve the Lunar Crest, the Luna’s symbol of power. They say it’s been passed down from Luna to Luna, first owned by the Goddess herself.
Well. I’m at a disadvantage. I’m a horribly poor swimmer.
I can already see myself drowning amidst the rest. Violent shivers wreck my body. I would’ve avoided this one, but that’d get me disqualified.
Someone bumps into me and I lose my footing, falling hard on my rump. I wince, glancing up to see Lady Katherine and Vivian run past, giggling. “Oops. Didn’t see you there, mutt!” Katherine says.
I stagger to my feet, brushing off the grass on my clothes and I continue jogging down the path, heaving heavy breaths and sighs, wiping sweat off my forehead and chin.
Everyone’s gathered around the pool, staring back at me in disdain when I finally join the line.
Luna Renae, of course, hadn’t paused on my account. She’s begun the address and my heart does four back flips when I catch Alpha Kier
lounging on his throne, staring right at me.
I smile. He looks away abruptly.
My smile falters and I stare ahead, at the glistening lake that sits still behind him. Dread recoils in my stomach and I clut at my torn shirt, breathing in and out rather deeply.
One day, it will all be worth it. One day, he’ll look at me and really see me. I’ll make sure that happens. He’ll love me. He’ll choose me. It doesn’t matter if everyone thinks I’m crazy now. One day, he’ll understand to what extent I feel for him.
I can only hope I don’t die before that happens. Like drowning in a lake. because I couldn’t properly learn how to swim. Or get ravaged in the wilds during the Hunt.
Am I scared? Yes, terribly so.
But I have nothing else to lose. Not a home to return to. Not a life to look forward to. Not even a change of clothes to myself. All I have is one necklace around my neck. My father’s gift to me before he died in the wilds to a rogue attack.
I never met him once, but I know he loved me and mother. Mother told me stories of him. Of how he would speak to her bulging belly all day and night, trying to get to know me even before I was born.
Mother was lost for most of the time she had raised me. Her mind was lost and stuck in a time where he was still alive.
Many a time, I’ve been told my mother made up stories about my father. Because no one else seemed to know him. But the hurt and grief. I saw in her eyes were real, and it didn’t matter what they said. I believed her.
The necklace around my neck with my name carved on it was not a lie.
Your
+25 BONUS
“Should you wish to withdraw from this task, now would be the time. This lake is known to be the deepest in Neredia. There are guards stationed to bring you to safety should there be an accident, however, in the event that things span out of control, may the Moon Goddess’s light brighten your path into the After.”
By things spanning out of control, she means drowning, and possible
death.
Oh, I should have
You
earlier. The Selection process is no joke. It’s not easy either. Sure, the balls are fun, but that is the only part that doesn’t involve near death experiences.
What Luna Renae also isn’t saying is that withdrawing also means Disqualification.
“Though, this is a competition, it is important to note that actively trying to put another’s life in danger will earn you disqualification. Fight, but with honour,” Luna Renae continues when no one steps out of the line to
withdraw.
can bo
I don’t see how fighting with claws and maws honourable, but alright.
My eyes track the long line. Twenty eight. Apparently, two were sent back to their packs due to the unfit answers they gave on the first task.
At the front of the line is Moira, dresses in a pretty white coat, riding pants and boots that make mine look old and worn, no matter that I only just got them yesterday.
“Little Jess.”
I straighten at the sound of Gamma Lloyd’s voice beside me. Unlike every other day, his eyes have an intense gleam in them today. “It gets tedious from here on out. Sure you want to go ahead with this?” He inclines his head toward the line of women ahead. “They’ll try to kill you,
and this is not a fight you can win.”
I stare in his eyes and something stings at my eyes. “I’m stronger than you think.”
His eyebrow rises, but he doesn’t smile. “No, you’re not. You can’t shift. Or phase into the in–between. One wrong hit you’ll bleed out in that
I lake.” He presses something cold and sharp into my hand.
My eyes drop to the dagger, then back to his face with wide eyes. “It’s prohib-”
His scowl silences me. “Hide it. It’ll come in handy, trust me.”
My lips purse. “Why are you helping me?”
He smirks. “I’m rooting for you. Always have been.”
*************
A competition?
Goddess, no. This is a death trap.
The moment I dove into the lake, hands were waiting to catch me. Gamma Lloyd had been right. They’re all out for me. I must have pissed them all off.
I can barely see in the murky water, and claws rip into my skin. I wield the dagger blindly, even if I am being pulled further down by hands I can’t see; hands that are around my wrist and throat, squeezing hard.
My lungs are on fire, but it is nothing compared to the burning pain in my thighs.
I don’t dare gasp for breath, even as I strike for the ladies who are trying to drag me under. I can only see Katherine. There are others behind me and below. It’s all happening too fast for me to comprehend it; too fast for my brain to think up solutions.
- Lose Your Clother
+25 BONUS
The thought of dying has adrenaline surging through me. My foot lashes out and it hits soft skin. The hold around my ankle loosens and I kick again, hitting water and bone. A muffled yelp reaches me and I kick up, legs flaying.
I angle the dagger at the hands around my wrist, slicing deep and hard, so much so I feel the bite of the blade on my wrist as well.
Katherine makes a pained noise, letting go immediately and just when I start to struggle against the hold on my neck, something heavy slams into me.
I gasp, swallowing a huge gulp of water in the process.
And more.
Out. I need to get out now.
But Moira is suddenly in front of me, swinging for me, and pain explodes in my cheek and head as her fist connects with my face.
My vision blurs and more water escapes past my lips, choking me. She punches me again and my feet stop flapping. I start to plummet like a stone in a pool.
My hands flail and I grip her coat hard as she tries to swim to the surface.
She grunts, trying and failing to pry my hands off her, but I know I’ll die if I let go. She’s strong enough to lift us both to the surface. I won’t let go. We’ll both die if she doesn’t.
I grapple for her clothing, holding on tightly as she swims towards the shore. My left hand slips, ripping something off her neck as she pulls at it.
Cool air kisses my skin as she breaks the surface, pulling me up with her.
11 Leon Your Clothes
+25 BONUS
I cough, spitting out water and grasping coolly at my neck. My very bare. neck.
My eyes slant open and… everyone’s looking at me. The Luna, Alpha Kier, Beta Randale, Gamma Lloyd, the guard. They’re all watching me with unreadable expressions, as well as the thing in my hand that has the light of the sun reflecting off it. Alpha Kier’s ears are red at the tip, and his eyes keep dropping to my chest, though I don’t understand why.
Katherine emerges first, breaking my gaze with the Alpha and she shrieks, holding her bleeding fingers. “She stabbed me!”
“You were trying to kill me!” I rasp, voice raw
Moira looks down at her neck like something’s missing from it. She grasps wildly at it and looks at my hand. “Fucking thief! I had it first! She
stole it!”
“Behave, Moira, Luna Renae says harshly when Moira starts to reach for me in rage. “She emerged with it first. Those are the rules. She wins this round, again.”
Confusion has my brows furrowing until I actually look at what I hold in my grasp. My breath catches. The Crest. I must have pried it off Moira’s neck at some point without even realising it.
Luna Renae sighs. “For the love of the Goddess, someone please cover her up.”
I hug my chest almost immediately. I didn’t realize that the fight under water had taken a toll on my shirt.
Other than a few scraps of clothes around my waist and nipples, I might as well be naked.
