Free Web NovelChapter 55: Ritual Combat I
We waited for Damon to enter the ring.
I was inside while Blaise loitered around the entrance to give me moral support. By right, he was supposed to leave for the audience seats while I waited for Damon to arrive, but since Blaise was the second-highest-ranking werewolf in the pack, there was no one who could make him go. I was thankful for his presence.
I was half-hoping that Damon wouldn’t show up, granting me an automatic victory, but that was a near-impossible wish. I had a feeling even if Damon had all his limbs broken, he would still hobble all the way to the arena to defeat me― because that was what I would do.
If there was anything about us that was a perfect fit, it would be how stubborn we both were. That was evident enough even in the mere few days I had known him.
The sun crept higher in the sky, causing beads of sweat to form on my temples. The crowd pointed at me and jeered, loudly making bets about how long I would last in the arena.
"I’ll give her 10 minutes!" one man yelled out. "She won’t survive one hit."
"That’s 9 more minutes than what I would give," another one retorted playfully.
"It’s a pity for such a pretty face to die, isn’t it? What a waste," someone else lamented. "Can’t believe Alpha Damon is really going through with this. Do you think he’ll kill her?" freёwebnovel.com
That started a lively debate about my fate. Most believed I would die a quick death when Damon flung me into the stone wall, but there were others who thought Damon would torture me slowly as a way to pay me back for all the disrespect I treated him with. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Alpha Damon might like playing with his food," a new man chimed in. "He hasn’t gotten a challenge in... years."
"Because no one’s dumb enough to challenge him. This woman must be the dumbest bitch to ever live."
My eyebrow twitched in irritation as the men continued to debate over my intelligence and my odds of making it out alive, all while I was still within earshot. My hands were growing sweaty with nervousness, and I wanted to get it over with.
Damon must be making me wait on purpose.
Then, just as I was really thinking that Damon might have gotten the date and time wrong, the air was filled with an oppressive aura that sent most wolves reeling. I fought to stand on my feet as my eyes caught sight of Damon’s icy blue eyes from the other side of the arena.
A shiver went down my spine. Even from a distance, there was no mistaking the glacial blue of his eyes and his hard wintry gaze.
The crowd burst into thunderous cheers and wolf-whistles. Every audience member, no matter how old, leaped to their feet and roared for their alpha. They waved their hands eagerly in his direction, wanting to get even the barest glimpse of his attention. The fervor of their idolatry surprised me― I had a feeling if Damon ordered them to leap off a cliff, they would do it immediately to please him.
However, Damon spared them no attention. His focus was wholly on me, causing me to gulp in trepidation. But I remembered the gentle press of Blaise’s lips on my lips and the warmth in his eyes.
I steeled myself and met his gaze evenly, making sure I held my head up high without cowering like a coward. I had a fated mate to defend from his own asshole brother. Blaise was now watching the both of us like a hawk from his perch in the stands, and I could feel his anxiousness as though it was my own.
Damon stalked closer to me, and I echoed his motions. When we both made it to the center of the ring, his lips quirked into a sardonic smile. This close, I could feel the heat of his body radiating off him, his scent an enticing cocktail of pheromones that made me heady with lust. I bit my own tongue to snap out of it.
"Any last words?" Damon asked mockingly.
"No," I growled out, clenching my hands into fists. "Let’s begin."
No sooner had I said those words that I had to duck to avoid a punch from Damon. The very air around his fist seemed to vibrate. Before I could marvel at the impossibility of such a feat, his other hand landed a sharp blow against my gut, causing my body to fly through the air, covering the radius of the arena in mere seconds before I unceremoniously slammed against the stone wall, my entire left side burning with pain.
There was a hushed gasp before thunderous cheers flooded my ears. I coughed as my body fell to the floor, my ears ringing from the impact.
Fucking Damon Valentine. I spat out a mouthful of blood as I cursed him and every ancestor he had. That bastard was taunting me on purpose― he let me dodge his first attempt, only to show off how outclassed I was with his second blow.
If he injured any organs, I’d make him donate his own as compensation. I snarled at his stupid smug face. That man had the nerve to look vaguely bored!
I staggered to my feet, and the crowd began to boo. How very supportive. I guess they didn’t like that I put up such a poor showing within mere seconds of my fight.
"Harper!" I could vaguely hear Blaise’s voice through the hostile crowd, my only beacon of hope in this storm of despair. He sounded frantic; I must look like a real sight. "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine!" I yelled weakly, not knowing if Blaise could even hear me.
The ringing in my ears was subsiding, and I gingerly grabbed at my left side. The fact that I was still standing and walking on my own two feet was nothing short of a miracle― I had gotten somewhat stronger. If I was still the same runt a month ago from Stormclaw, Damon’s blow would have probably broken every bone in my body, rendering me a cripple.
Or worse, dead.
Damon strolled leisurely to my side, staring at me with dispassionate eyes.
"Are you ready to give up this farce of a fight?"
