Scarred Alphas by Norisha May
Chapter 65

Suddenly, I am scattered. I

am so in shock that I don't know what to do, say, o think.

"Cass... Cass!" Kanda brings my attention back to her and the fight that is about to start.

"What is wrong? Get your head in the game!" She motions to three men and two women who come out of the opposite barracks.

Five?! We are fighting five opponents?!

The announcer starts presenting them as they walk towards the middle. But before the announcer can present the second man, I hear Maribel whisper

"Human" with a bit of desperation. Maribel suddenly rushes by me and jumps on one of the girls. The girl falls backward with Maribel on her, her mouth latched onto the woman's neck. She...is biting her?

Kanda and I are shocked and so are the other contestants.

The crowd has gone just a bit quieter too excluding some that cheer.

Maribel suddenly stands, leaving the girl dead on the floor. Maribel's lips run red with blood, dripping down her chin and fangs exposed. She wipes her chin trying to get all the dripping blood back in her mouth, licking her fingers with desperation. When her eyes meet mine, they are glowing red.

Everyone is stunned.

"Eh..." The announcer doesn't know what to say.

"A...vampire... ladies and gentlemen...our Maiden is...a vampire." He suddenly cuts off and whispers to someone.

"No one told me we had a vampire." We can still hear him.

Vampire!?

I knew other supernatural creatures were real but I had never seen a vampire. They are rare creatures.

The other female opponent suddenly swings her sword at Maribel. Maribel dodges, picks up her own sword, and starts fighting. She swings the massive sword effortlessly as if it were a piece of plastic and did not weigh a single pound.

I take one last look at Ezra hearing Kanda start fighting too.

He stares down at us.

Does he know it's me?

I can't tell if he does or doesn't. My wolf is itching to get out. I do my best to hold it in. But I suddenly imagine myself somehow climbing up the wall of spikes and jamming my dagger into his chest. That puts me in a good mood even though I am not able to do that. I turn to meet my opponent who rushes in my direction.

I do not want to kill this man but I also don't want to be killed by him.

Immediately I can tell that this is a rogue. He has a sword and quickly swings it. I dance around him, slashing at his back with my daggers. The man grunts but turns around and swings his sword. I am not able to get away fast enough. I get a Victor has really helped. He swings at me and I immediately move.

He slashes his sword sideways and I dodge again. Excitement rushes through me. I am able to keep up. It is like a dance at this point. He continues his assault while I move around him. Suddenly he takes momentum and crashes his sword down at me. I block with one of my daggers and slash with the other at his stomach, opening his abdomen. The man lowers his sword as if he is giving up but I can see that he is just trying to trick me. When he is about to lift it up and swing it at me, I twirl around him and jam my dagger into his back.

The man takes a few steps and falls to the ground.

I was excited that I was able to fight but now I don't feel so good about it. I killed him...I killed a man again...an unnecessary death.

"I...I'm sorry." I whisper.

I don't want to look at him. I know that if I do, it will stay with me forever. Instead, I watch Kanda. She fights the other two men. She already has one on his knees with her weapon impaled on him. When she turns, the other man is shifting. Like Kanda, he does not have a collar.

Kanda also shifts. I am unable to look away. She turns into a big cat like a cheetah but just a bit bigger. Also, her fur is dark but there are some sort of prints on her that I can't make out.

When they are both done shifting, they run at each other and clash. Wolf growls and piercing large cat screeches can be heard in an echo.

The wolf is vicious and tries to bite at her n*ck while she also bites and claws.

Maribel is suddenly next to me also watching. I look back and see the girl she was fighting, impaled with Maribel's big sword.

I come back to Kandas fight.

She is right, they have an agility that we werewolves don't possess. She somehow jumps on his back, latches on to his neck, and with her back legs, she starts kicking down, clawing at him.

If this was a skilled werewolf, he would probably be able to overpower her. But this guy is unable to fight back at this point. She claws at his neck as she holds him and that is it. The fight is over and people cheer

The cheer reminds me how messed up this all is. They are cheering at us for killing. It's disgusting.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have our winners!"

Kanda shifts back, completely naked while people cheer even louder now.

Giving one last look at Ezra, the three of us head back to the barracks. Kanda and I tend to our wounds but my attention now is on Maribel.

"You are a vampire?" I ask but I am not sure this is true. She has been in the sun with us and has eaten normal food.

If I recall, stories are that she wouldn't be able to do any of that.

"No." She responds.

"Then what are you?" Kanda asks.

"I am a hybrid. Half human, half vampire."

"Oh? What is the difference?" Kanda asks.

Maribel sighs. "I don't require human blood for just survival. Not having blood weakens me but I do not die because of it. I can eat normal foods to help with the weakness-as I have been doing all this time- and the sun does not kill me but it does bother me, burns my skin easily."

"How does one come to be a hybrid?" Kanda asks.

"What stupid question is that? My human mother and my vampire father had s*x, then I arrived."

"So you are immortal?"

"No. Hybrids have a longer lifespan than humans but we age and die after a couple hundred years."

This is all new to me and quite interesting.

We all rest until the game is finally over and we are taken to the dining hall like last

time. Only this time, we are not displayed on the tables. They have put chairs for us on those middle tables along with food but our ankles are still shackled to the table.

"Wait here until the Alpha enters with his guests." The guard says.

"You seem tense." Kanda whispers at me.

I am really scared that this close, Ezra will recognize me if he doesn't know that it is me already. I am not so much worried about my scent. I am sweaty and have not showered for a few days, plus, this whole place always smells. "I'm just tired." I tell her.

The door opens with a loud noise, startling us.

Zao walks in with Ezra and the witch behind him.

"Come. Sit. Enjoy the feast." He says to his gets and then motions to us as he walks.

"Our winners up close." Ezra and the witch stare at us. I do my best to not look so suspicious or nervous.

They go past us and sit next to Zao.

I am surprised. He didn't recognize me. So Oliver really didn't tell him? Of course not. He sold me to Zao instead of handing me to Ezra which is what Ezra would have wanted.

How delightful is this... Zao motions for us to sit. We take our seats and start eating. A few of us are civilized while the rest eat like pigs.

I am glad to have better food but my attention is all on the conversation that starts between Zao and Ezra.

"So do you actively go looking for strong fighters?"

Ezra asks giving us another look.

"Most of these men and women have fallen to my lap on their own at first. Now that I am making money from this kind of entertainment I am actively searching for strong men and women." "I see. It was a great show today. That one in particular.

I have never seen one of her kind."

"Ah, a werecat."

"Sounds almost ridiculous.'

The witch laughs.

"Indeed my dear but they are very dangerous." Zao says.

"And that one is a vampire? To be honest, I didn't think that they were really real."

Ezra says.

"Many don't. They are so rare after all."

He looks at Maribel but I can see that he didn't even know what she was until the fight.

"Is her mask bolted?" Ezra asks.

I know he speaks about me so I keep my attention on my food.

"Yes. A beautiful maiden whose looks can kill."

Oh, goddess! He's going to give me away.

"Part of the gimmick I assume?" Ezra asks.

My mouth becomes so dry that it is hard to chew.

"Yes. It's the allure of it all."

I calm down so much when he says this that I almost pee on myself.

"So it is my understanding that you wish to do some...business with us." Zao changes the conversation.

Ezra nods. "Yes."

"What kind of business?

Before anything, you must understand that I do not do alliances. We are a free-for-all pack. Neutral."

"Mh, I understand that. Our enemy has an endless supply of men. With their latest

win, they almost seem unstoppable."

"Yes, I heard. Two packs taken in one night." Zao says.

Ezra nods looking upset. "The river packs were easy targets but nonetheless, it gives them more numbers."

River pack! Did they attack the river pack? Who is in control? Is it Victor? Is father...dead?

So many questions rush through my head.

"What is this war about?" Zao asks.

"It is a war that has gone on for years. But recently, it is about a woman." Ezra explains.

"History repeats. All great wars have been fought over women. It wouldn't be a war worth fighting for if not. So what exactly is it that you want?"

"Men. Give me a steady supply of men to fight for me. Slaves or whatever you wish to call them."

"Hmh...that's difficult. These men and women don't fight for me. They fight for survival. Given a chance, they will bite the hand that feeds them. They will turn on you."

"The dark fang pack has system to break their captured prisoners, I have my own way to gain loyalty." Ezra smiles and looks at the witch next to him.

Magic.

"And what will you offer us in return?"

"That is something that can be negotiated."

"Well said." Zao says with approval.

Zao looks at the witch next to Ezra.

"I do not believe I have ever had a witch in my fighting pit."

"Well, you'd be disappointed." She says. "We are not very good when it comes to combat. My kind tends to work more behind the scenes."

"I see. So witches would not make for a good show."

The diner continues without us. We are brought back to our cells after changing. I am able to find sleep but I dospend most of the night thinking about Ezra and that witch. How I wish I could get out of here and take them out in the middle of the night. The next morning, I wake up to run to the latrine. I feel like my entrails come out through my mouth as I empty the contents of my stomach.

When I am done, I walk back to my corner only to see Kanda staring at me with a smile.

"What?"

"Congrats, but please make sure that Zao does not notice your condition."

"Condition?"

"Pregnant women here are taken away and are never seen again."

"Pregnant? What are you...me? No, no that's not it.

I'm just...sick..."

She smiles. "Okay...whatever you say..."

...No way...Shit...