Claimed By The Mistborne Alpha Chapter 6: Pain

You could hear a button drop.

It seed like everyone was waiting with bated breath. The new rat-turned-oga vs the experienced snotty one. The mont she entered the platform, everyone had stilled. All eyes shifted to her, as if they knew this was a fight to failure on my part. I wasn’t even worth noticing. She was the vulture and I was just sothing already dying.

I still noticed a few glances of pity directed my way, and sohow, that made it worse.

Would it really be that bad?

She moved slowly first, deliberately, like she was trying to up my anxiety which was already crashing the roof. Trying to make scared, let the dread collect in my stomach, and bonus points if I begged to be let go.

But I didn’t want to back up without a fight. Especially not with Valden here.

I forced my feet apart, trying to copy her stance and what I’ve seen other Lycans do during sparring. But even after I tried to muster up all the courage I possibly could, my legs wobbled anyway. And she saw it.

"Hey, rat," she shouted, her voice mocking. "You look like you’re about to cry already. Maybe if you begged on your knees, I’ll try to make it quick."

A few snickers from the crowd had clenching my hands into a fist.

"Begin," Valden’s voice rang out impatiently.

Valeria lunged.

Her fist slamd into the side of my stomach before I even processed her moving from her position. I stumbled back, arms flailing, and landed on my other side.

I quickly got back up and charged to retaliate. Her right hand lifted, and I shifted to the other side to avoid it, but ran straight into the sharp sting that exploded on my right cheek. She’d slapped with her other hand taking advantage of my miscalculation.

My head snapped sideways, and the sound echoed through the Arc, the silence otherwise deafening.

"Maybe try blocking the next one, rat," she said lightly, her eyes glittering with enjoynt.

I set my jaw and raised my arms again but she was faster. Her knee suddenly drove into my stomach, and I folded over, clutching myself as I let out a pathetic wheeze.

"Co on...is that all you can take?"

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and jerked my head up to look at her face while she ruined . I cried out as the pain laced up my scalp.

I caught a glimpse of Valden over her shoulder. He was leaning against the platform railing, arms folded, watching like this was rely a form of entertainnt for him.

Valeria must have noticed trying to catch his attention because she suddenly pulled my face forward and down onto her knees landing a grueso blow to my chin. My teeth crashed together and I could taste the tallic copper taste of blood on my tongue.

I could hear the crowd gasping and wincing. This probably looked really bad. But I felt even worse.

"Stop," I managed to say weakly with all the blood now frothing up on my lips.

I had wanted to make an effort. I had wanted to at least try. But even I knew this was a losing ga now. I’d never trained before, never fought anyone. I’ve only been taught to handle all the suffering with tight lips and a nod.

But she wasn’t finished.

She landed another shove to my chest that sent sprawling onto the wooden boards. But this ti, I didn’t want to get up.

"Get up, Lester!" Valden’s voice rang out sharp and commanding. There was no concern or hesitation. He just wanted to die it seed.

"Get up or you’re out," he said again, but more calmly, and it cut through deeper.

Kill now. He had started with his threats again.

I didn’t want to go back to the periphery again. No, I couldn’t let that happen.

I scrambled to my knees, groaning in pain, bleeding down my face and mouth, humiliation flooding through my body.

Valeria circled slowly, like an animal stalking its prey before the kill. I needed to do sothing different. Sothing to catch her off guard.

"On your knees already?" Valeria drawled while laughter spilled from the others.

Sothing ugly clawed into my chest until the rage and sha caught up to . I pushed to my feet again, chest heaving and swung wildly at her.

She caught my wrist mid-air, her fingers tightening around my bones.

"That was cute," she scoffed.

But I wasn’t done. I swiped my leg against hers with a sharp kick, connecting with her knee, putting all of my strength and weight against it. She lost balance, toppling on the ground with a heavy satisfying thud.

I quickly climbed on top of her, fingers wrapping around her neck, and squeezed. Hard.

She grabbed my hands, nails digging into my wrists, trying to wrench them free from her throat, but I wasn’t letting go. I had had it.

"Do you really think you belong here, rat?" she croaked between gasps and coughs. "You’ll regret this."

But I wasn’t listening anymore.

Yes, I belonged here. I was a wolf, and once I was fully shifted, I would be more powerful. A better version of myself who didn’t have to stoop repeatedly to others like her.

That’s when her knee drove into my spine from behind. Pain exploded on my back as I yelled out in surprise, my grip faltering for a second. I tried to push her down again but she was faster.

She wrenched free and pulled at my uniform, ripping it across my chest, and then shoved off her. I landed flat on my back. She hooked her fingers around my collar and dragged through the floor, the friction grating on my skin and splitting it to reveal more blood.

She finally hauled upright, just enough, and again shoved forward right in front of Valden, forcing down on my hands in front of him as if I was bowing to him in submission.

The heat on my face burned hotter until it was all I could feel through the pain.

Valden’s eyes were unreadable. He didn’t move or say anything, just stared at .

Valeria’s boot lifted and I thought she was about to walk away. She had already done enough. There was so much humiliation one could take.

So much pain.

I blinked rapidly to keep down the tears threatening to spill. Because I couldn’t cry here. Not in front of him. Not in front of Valeria or all these people.

But then she pushed backwards so hard I lost the balance I had on my knees and fell backwards again, my head cracking against the platform floor, the sky tilting in my vision.

The last thing I saw before the light in my eyes completely dimd was the faint outline of a shadow leaning over , his face already distant and blurred.

Valden.