Offered to the Lycan King by Misha K
Chapter 222
Ranger was out for a sprint when he received a message from Vera that his name was announced for the tournament. “What about Ethan?” he asked in a feral voice.
“His name was also announced,” Vera replied, sure that his Alpha was going to k*ill the bear-shifter in front of all. Ranger disconnected the call and sprinted h*arder. The image of Keya with Ethan’s photo in her h*and couldn’t wash off his mind. Did she love him? Even in her inebriated condition, she was hoping that he would come for her. He felt as if his fangs had knocked down his t*hroat. Of all the males in the world, she had to go for him? Bear shifters were notoriously popular for plowing the women in their packs and then some more. His mate was in love with the man he wanted to k*ill.
Since it was her birthday, he was sure that she would have shifted in her Lycan and that meant that her beast would smell him as his mate. His claws elongated. What if she didn’t sense him? He was going to k*ill Ethan and kidnap her. Or maybe he would reject her.
Ranger knew how difficult it would be to kidnap her. Her fathers, Alpha Arthur and Alpha Hawk were extremely dangerous and very powerful because they could shift in two forms, that of a Lycan and a werewolf.
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What if he played with Ethan like he was a mouse before k*illing him? It was difficult to grapple his temper with a jealousy so raw that he had never felt in his life. All his life things had been simple, but with Keya’s presence, his world turned topsy-turvy. He wanted to get control of himself, but just the opposite was happening. He stopped and leaned against a tree, breathless, p*anting and angry. “She really wanted to s*educe that bear-shifter? I am going to teach her what s*eduction and rejection is!” Or maybe she should s*educe him. That should be the way. She should be the one to s*educe him because— He shook his head and punched the tree so h*ard that it shook, a dent forming in its wake. Jealousy was eroding his logic and reasoning and his control. He continued sprinting even h*arder. The contestants had to gather in the castle at 11 AM tomorrow. He checked his watch. It was only 6:30 PM. Why had the time slowed down? Everything was conspiring against him. He went deeper into the woods and shifted into his wolf. He let him out to have his part of the run. As soon as his wolf took over, he started going back towards the castle. Bloody traitor. ‘Go back!’ Ranger shouted, but Max wouldn’t listen to him. Soon he found himself circling the periphery of the castle, sniffing the scent of his mate. ‘Max, if the guards find us, we will be in big trouble!’
‘We are one of the contestants. They won’t say a word.’ He continued to sniff his favorite scent. Ranger couldn’t help but savor the scent, and found himself committing it to his memory. A guard stopped them as predicted. Max growled at him, ready to k*ill him for stopping him to go to his mate, but Ranger stopped him. ‘Let me out before you do something that might disqualify me.’
Max whined inside at the word disqualification. He started wagging his tail.
‘Oh goddess, you are embarrassing me.’
Max let him out. Ranger had to explain who he was. The guard bowed to him with pure terror in his eyes and scurried away. After that Ranger shifted back and headed towards his hotel.
He couldn’t sleep well and when the sleep came, she haunted his dreams. He woke up early at 5 AM, paced his room, and took a bath. Twice. Went down for breakfast. Had a bacon sandwich. Went to pound on Vera’s door. And still it was 7 AM.
Vera opened the door, his eyes half closed. “Alpha,” he said, scratching his c*hest. “You look nice.” He turned back to crash on his bed but Ranger caught him.
“Get dressed,” he hissed. “We have to go!”
Vera whined. “But it’s early.”
“Just get dressed!”
Last night, Vera couldn’t wink an eye. Alpha Ranger called him and they trained together. At first, he thought that Ranger wanted to train for the contest, but later he realized that his Alpha was on a different mission to k*ill Ethan. However, he was bewildered, shocked, and even terrified, when his Alpha took Princess Keya name while he was punching a boxing bag. Last night they were in the gym and there was not one equipment that his Alpha didn’t use.
When Vera came back to his room, it was 3 AM.
Reluctantly, he went to the bathroom as Ranger paced his room. When Vera came out, ready to go, it was still 8 AM.
“You took so long!” Ranger growled impatiently.
“We have three hours, Alpha Ranger? he replied, wincing and cursing himself to accompany his Alpha. He didn’t know that a small mission of k*illing Ethan would turn into something so big. “I have informed the Elders and the council that you have participated in the Alpha Trials. Two more of our people will be coming.”
He grunted a yes. After that, he headed towards the door. “Have your breakfast. We will go to the castle in an hour!’
At 9 AM sharp they were on their way to the main gate of the castle. When they arrived there in forty minutes, they saw a battalion of reporters and cameras. “F*uck!” Ranger snarled. He reversed the jeep immediately. They circled the castle’s walls once. Twice, thrice and when people started looking at them with suspicion, Ranger had to drive to a small cafe, much to Vera’s relief.
Finally, at 10:30 AM, they headed back to the contest location and when they were seated in what appeared like a closed stadium, he realized he was last.
The guards bowed to him, gave him a card, stamped the back of his h*and and directed him politely to sit in an area that was specifically only for the competitors. Vera was asked to sit with the common audience.
Ranger navigated to the small cabin that had glass walls on all sides which had “Particip*ants” written on the door. He opened the door and found every particip*ant there. His eyes locked with that of Ethan Torri, his target. Ethan stared back at him, his l*ips peeling back in a snarl. Ranger’s wolf came to the surface, not liking the challenge. His b*ody rippled with furs. He found himself going towards Ethan, but a h*and on his c*hest stopped him. He snapped his gaze at the person stopping him. Beta Tina.
Ranger tamped his wolf down.
“You can’t fight anywhere apart from the arena down there,” she said in a firm voice. “If you do that, you will both be disqualified.”
Ranger gave her a t*ight nod and went to sit in his place. All other Alphas looked at him, nodded and then went quiet. Competition was going to be heavy and lethal.
“How are you, Ethan?” Tina said, her voice softening.
“Good…” he muttered.
“Keya sent her thanks to you for participating in the competition.”
Ethan grunted instead of replying because he had no reply.
Ranger stopped himself from destroying something. He snarled on the inside. It was him who had asked Vera to duplicate the invite and send one to Alpha Torben. It was a ploy to get Ethan out from his hiding hole. The bell chimed. It was 11 AM.
“You haven’t dressed yet!” Lia snapped when she saw Keya in nothing but a bathrobe. She was standing at the door, furious. “It is 10 AM!”
“She’s bathed twice, m’lady,” said Faria. “That was needed.”
Lia lifted her h*and. “Enough making excuses Faria! Where is her dress?” She clapped twice and an omega with a makeup kit hurried inside.
“I don’t want to be an object of display, mom!” Keya shouted.
“You’ve agreed to this Keya. Stop throwing a tantrum.” She looked at Faria and omegas. “Hair, makeup, dress, tiara,” she barked orders. “I want her to look more beautiful than ever.”
Keya let out an exasperated sigh and allowed the maids to dress her up. She lifted her arms, opened her l*ips, twisted her l*egs, let them pull her hair and everything else in between that. By 10:45 Am she was transformed into a swan. She wore a long golden dress with a s*lit up to her t*highs. Her tiara was of diamonds. Her thick golden hair was braided. When she stepped in her glass stilettos, Lia let out a sigh.
“You look so lovely, Keya!”
“Yeah, I look like a golden goose!” She scoffed and then walked out of the room. Guards surrounded her immediately.
Lia laughed and joined her. They hurried to the closed stadium located in the south of the castle. “The contestants must be waiting for you,” Lia said. “When you reach there, they will introduce themselves one by one.” The stadium was packed. Keya froze. Lia grabbed her arm. “Just relax, sweetie. It’s nothing.” Nothing? There were about five hundred guests and all eyes fell on her when the guard announced her.
Lia tugged her to the main cabin where the royals were seated. It had no doors because the front part was open for all to see them.
“This is actually happening,” she muttered. Something i*nside her shifted as if sensing a presence. Keya snapped her gaze to the room full of particip*ants and felt someone’s dark falling on her. Goosebumps pebbled her skin as a shiver ran down her spine. Someone was watching her, like an eagle. She felt a caress of his eyes on her skin.
With a ragged breath, she shoved that illogical emotion and rushed to her family. Her safe haven. She waved at her brothers and the rest of them, nervously. Lachlan winked at her as Grisham gave her a thumbs up.
The emcee called upon the Alphas.
“Keya,” Hawk held her and k*issed her on her cheeks. “You look like a fairy.”
“Daddy,” she rolled her eyes.
“Come, we have to announce.”
She walked between Arthur and Hawk to the front of the cabin with her arms curled in theirs. Arthur took the mic and announced, “I hereby announce the opening of the Alpha Trials for my daughter Keya. May the best Alpha win!” A round of applause and cheers followed.
And then the emcee requested the particip*ants to introduce themselves.