Second Chance

*Kiara’s POV*

And so, I stood, watching the cheering crowd.

Watching the gladiators.

Watching the referees.

And finally, watching the monarchs at the high seats. The same monarchs who had my parents and siblings killed, murdered my mate and, in short, took away everything I had ever known and loved.

They sat there, laughing, and mocking me, waiting for the battle to begin, so I could face my own terrible death like everyone else.

But no!

I wouldn’t please them. They wanted me for a maid and personal slut, but I constantly refused and rebelled against their wishes.

I wouldn’t please them then, I wouldn’t please them now, and I wouldn’t please them ever. Unfortunately for them, they would come to realize the hard way that I am not for anyone’s pleasure. They would pay for what they did. For each and every person I loved that they killed, I would get my revenge, I swore it.

I looked at them, each and every one of them. Those wretched bastards. The royal family of the Lynx pack. The royal idiots that messed with the wrong girl. I promised myself and my wolf, True, that we would exact our revenge on them in this life or the next. We would bring royal pain down onto their royal asses. It was a certain promise.

Because of them, True and I would never be complete. They took away our mate and destroyed our future of happiness, and as I cried angry tears, I said to myself, “I, Kiara Crescendo, promise myself that I will exact my revenge on the royal family of the Lynx pack, and no soul on this earth will stop me.”

That was a personal promise that I would surely fulfill. No matter what the world threw at me, I would do it. I honestly didn’t know how, but I would.

But I couldn’t do it now because there was a rule that during every Decima, no participating wolf could come close to the Alpha and other seated dignitaries.

A Decima is an ancient battle designed by an Alpha King years ago. It’s a battle where a group of wolves who have been picked have to fight to the finish—and by “to the finish,” I mean till all wolves except one are dead. And by “picked,” I mean punished. Obviously, with the definition above, you should realize now that it’s dangerous shit.

But in my opinion, it’s a sickening event organized by idiotic shit-faced leaders who think they can just kill whoever they please.

To them, and about 40% of the crowd watching, it’s just a game. Like a movie they can just sit down and watch with popcorn and slushies. And when they see someone looking victorious or something they release more warriors onto them because they feel like adding more drama. They’re like the directors or producers, and the whole thing is some dumb play. I mean, they could just as well sit in their thrones and yell “action”.

Damn, I’m funny. I’m practically laughing to myself because I just made a joke in the midst of all this shit going on. If there was an award for laughing and cracking jokes in the midst of serious times, I would so win it.

“What’s so funny?” asked Megan one of the competing gladiators, who I had actually formed a kind of friendship with. Well, not really friendship, it’s sort of an alliance as she calls it. Basically, we both agreed to have each other’s backs until we were both left and then we would fight till one of us died. I think she only agreed ‘cause I’d have her back and then she’d have a better chance of winning. But she doesn’t know how badly I have to win. From my revenge plan to my love for life, dying wasn’t really an option either.

“Nothing, just thinking about how I’m gonna kick ass out there,” I replied.

“And then have your ass kicked by me,” she retorted.

“Keep telling yourself that,” I snorted.

“Yeah, that’s the thing, I will, and you better not break your promise out there. We have each other’s backs, alright?”

“I won’t if you don’t.”

“Well, I won’t.”

“Okay then.”

We both watched with intensity as the four referees dressed in midnight blue robes (our pack color) walked into the stadium in a single file. They all walked until they were under the royal’s seats and knelt with one knee as they all chorused:

“Alpha Kenneth, Luna Melody, and all members of the royal family of the Lynx pack, we greet you well.”

Then Kenneth, with a slight nod of gratification, greeted them too.

The leading referee, Charles, walked away from the line and into the center of the stadium and said, “Members of the Lynx Pack, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Pack’s first Decima in decades. It is no secret that the ones who will fight are here for a reason. They are here because they have disobeyed the Alpha’s orders in ways so great that could not be forgiven.”

He gave a dramatic pause so that his words would sink in. Then he continued.

“They have brought this great punishment upon themselves, and so they will punish themselves by fighting to the death. This Decima has been approved by all other pack Alphas. Once again, and finally, I welcome you to the Lynx Pack Decima.”

“My lord, Kenneth,” he said as he looked to the Alpha.

Then, with his Alpha commanding voice, he said, “Let the Decima begin.”

And at that moment, I knew that nothing was going to remain as it was just a few seconds ago.

*Kiara’s POV*

The battle horn sounded, and the first four prisoners were let loose. They circled each other until one of them with blonde hair and brown eyes, who I knew as Marshal, made the first move towards the thinnest one. I never knew his name, so I called him “Skinny.” Not to his face, just, you know, in my mind when I thought about how I was gonna take him down. But unfortunately, I didn’t get to be on his team.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Megan asked.

“Just feeling sorry for Skinny over there. He’ll be dead in less than a minute.”

“He’s already dead.”

Then I looked and saw that Skinny’s head had been bitten off by Tara, one of the contestants. She’d shifted and then given Skinny the fatal blow. I looked at her, and she stared at me straight in the eyes.

“Sad stuff,” I murmured.

“Hehe, now she’s gonna get it,” Megan chuckled.

“What?”

“Look.”

I turned around and saw the last prisoner, Conner, creeping up behind Tara. He was a really good fighter, but he made one mistake. He went to her when she shifted. I was so shocked he’s that stupid. Anyone and everyone knows a wolf’s sense is enhanced when they shift. Tara turned around and with the look in her eyes even Conner knew he was dead meat.

“You idiot!” Tara exclaimed, “You really thought you could sneak up on me? I’ll rip you apart!”

And as Conner was in the process of shifting, she bit off his head exactly as she had done to Skinny. Then as she was reveling in her victory, Marshall came out of the blue and finished her off. Marshall was the only prisoner left; therefore, he was the winner.

“Looks like we’re up next,” I said to Megan.

“Yeah, looks like it,” she replied.

“You’re scared?”

“No, I’m not scared. Are you scared?” she replied, but I was pretty sure I noticed her voice wavering “The actual fear is not being able to proclaim your fear,” I said.

“Where’d you get that from? The newspaper?” she said as she chuckled.

“My mom taught me that when I was eight.”

“Oh...I didn’t realize... I’m... uh... really sorry,” she stammered.

“No, it’s okay. She might have been murdered, but when I talk about her, I don’t want it to seem like a sad thing, you know? Because I believe that she’s with the moon goddess... resting.”

Megan was the only one who knew about my secrets, but she kept them as her very own.

“Now are you ready to go kick some ass?” I asked.

“Hell yeah. Remember the plan?”

“Ugh... yes,” I groaned. She’d practically reminded me about 5 times now.

“Prisoners, you may enter!” said Charles with his booming voice.

We all walked in in a straight file. I, Megan, and two other prisoners named James and Tanner. Tanner was the biggest, James the fastest, Megan the strongest, but I... I was the best. They didn’t know it, but they would come to know. I didn’t just fight physically. I fought with my body and my brain, and True was also extremely intelligent, so let’s just say I was blessed.

“This is going to be so easy,” said Tanner.

“Don’t count your wolves before they shift Tanner,” Megan replied.

“Oh, but you won’t even shift before I rip you apart,” he replied.

He went in for the first strike, but Megan immediately blocked his blow. James, who had already shifted, came out of nowhere and tried to get a shot at her, but just as planned, I defended her by deflecting his attack. I shifted and threw him back about 5 feet. He landed on top of one of the poles surrounding the stadium and was impaled. Unfortunately for him, the tips of all the poles were coated with wolfsbane. He died immediately.

“One down, one more to go. Then you, I suppose,” Megan said.

“You know, I was just about to say the same thing” I replied.

We’d both shifted and now our wolves were in control.

I suddenly heard a voice and then realized it was coming from within me. It was my wolf, True, who was trying to communicate with me.

“What?” I asked.

“Watch out you idiot!”

I immediately noticed Tanner coming at us with brute force. Megan was still trying to regain her strength from the fight as her wounds were healing up. I pushed her out of the way and then ducked as Tanner got to us. I slid and lay down and then raised my knee up as I kicked him “where the sun don’t shine.” He felt the impact, and as he fell down, I immediately rolled out of the way. Megan, in her wolf form, came and finished him off.

Then it was just the two of us.

The moment we’d both been anticipating but not really looking forward to.

“This is it, huh?” I said.

“This isn’t the time to be sentimental or funny in any way. Finish it so we can get our revenge,” True said to me.

“Well, it was nice knowing you,” I said to her.

I’d been talking to her, and she hadn’t been replying to me. I was getting pretty annoyed.

“Really? Silence? That’s what you’re going with?” I said.

“Sometimes even silence is a great weapon,” she said. “We haven’t even started fighting, and you’re already getting riled up.”

“Well, it’s rude to not reply people, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” she said as she ran into me.

I was caught off guard by her sudden attack, but I quickly regained my balance before I hit the ground.

Since she started fighting, I’d been looking at all her moves and memorizing them.

“Left kick, right punch, left punch, fake kick...” I recited to myself.

“I’m really sorry it had to end this way, babe.”

“Oh, go fuck yourself.”

“Maybe after you’re dead.”

We fought for what felt like hours—slashing, kicking, and punching—but I never made a move. I just dodged, tiring her out.

“Are you weak now?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, “but you are.”

I came forward with all my strength as I rammed into her, claws forward, and then with a quick move, pulled out her heart.

She was dead.

I wasn’t.

I won.

She didn’t.

It was all over.

Or maybe it wasn’t.