Aria’s POV
THE PIT.
The words burned into my retinas like a brand.
My heart slamd against my ribs. Once. Twice. So hard I thought it might burst right through my chest.
No.
No, no, no.
This couldn’t be happening.
Of all the places in this entire territory. Of all the "exciting, mysterious" spots Sophie could have found in her research. She’d brought us HERE.
To the underground fighting ring where Kael Blood Crown had built his legend. Where he’d earned his reputation as the most feared fighter in ridian Territory. Where I’d heard stories about his brutal victories and rciless takedowns.
My hand shot out. Grabbed Sophie’s arm.
"We need to leave."
"What?" She turned to . Eyes sparkling with excitent behind her silver mask. "Are you KIDDING? We just got here!"
"Sophie, please—"
"Look at this place!" She gestured around us. The massive underground arena. The crowds pressing against the barriers. The cage in the center, lit up like so kind of gladiatorial stage. "This is AMAZING! I can’t believe sothing like this actually exists!"
"You don’t understand—"
"Oh, relax!" She squeezed my hand. Pulled deeper into the crowd. "This is exactly what we needed! So excitent! So adrenaline! So—" Her eyes locked onto a group of shirtless n warming up near the side entrance. "Oh my GOD. Look at THEM."
She was already moving toward a better viewing spot. Dragging along like a ragdoll.
I stumbled after her. My legs felt like jelly. My heart was pounding so loud I could barely hear the roar of the crowd.
Why hadn’t I told her about this place?
In all our phone calls. All our conversations. I’d told Sophie about Finn. About Celestia. About Rebecca. About every horrible thing that had happened to in the wolf world.
But I’d never ntioned The Pit.
Never ntioned that Kael used to fight here under a different na. Never ntioned the stories I’d heard about his victories. Never ntioned any of it.
Because talking about Kael still hurt too much.
And now here I was. Standing in his territory. In his arena. Wearing a mask and a red dress and pretending I wasn’t terrified out of my mind.
Sophie found us a spot near the front. Close enough to see everything. Close enough to feel the energy radiating off the crowd.
"This is INCREDIBLE!" She was practically bouncing. "I read about this place online. They said it’s super exclusive. Only the best fighters compete here. And apparently there’s this one guy—"
My stomach dropped.
"—they call him the legend or sothing. He’s supposed to be unbeatable. Never lost a single match!"
"Sophie—"
"Can you IMAGINE?" She fanned herself dramatically. "An unbeatable fighter? In that cage? Probably all sweaty and muscles and—"
"SOPHIE."
She finally looked at . Really looked at .
"Whoa." Her excitent dimd. Replaced by concern. "Hey. Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
What was I supposed to say?
*Actually, Sophie, my ex might be here. The one who broke my heart. The one who paid off like a prostitute. The one who has a daughter with the woman who tornted . That guy. He might walk into that cage any minute now.*
"I’m fine," I lied. "Just... overwheld. It’s loud."
"Oh!" She nodded sympathetically. "Right. Sorry. I forgot you’re not used to this kind of thing." She squeezed my hand. "We can stand near the back if you want. Where it’s quieter."
"No." The word ca out before I could stop it. "No, this is... this is fine. I’m fine."
Sophie’s eyebrow rose behind her mask. "You sure?"
No. I was very much not sure.
But my feet wouldn’t move. My body refused to leave.
Because so sick, twisted part of wanted to see him.
Three years. Three years since I’d looked into those black-gold eyes. Three years since I’d felt the weight of his gaze on my skin. Three years since he’d destroyed everything we’d built with six cold sentences and a stack of cash.
I’d told myself I was over him. Convinced myself the feelings were dead. Buried them so deep I could almost pretend they’d never existed.
But standing here, in his territory, surrounded by wolves who worshipped him...
I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
I touched my mask. Felt the cool tal against my fingertips.
At least I was hidden. Anonymous. Even if he was here—which he probably wasn’t, because he was the Alpha now, he had responsibilities, he wouldn’t waste ti in a place like this—he wouldn’t recognize .
I had no scent anymore. No wolf. Nothing to mark as the Oga he’d once claid to care about.
To him, I’d just be another human. Another face in the crowd. Another nobody.
The thought should have been comforting.
It wasn’t.
"OH!" Sophie grabbed my arm. "It’s starting!"
The lights dimd. The crowd roared. Music pounded through the speakers—sothing heavy and aggressive that made the floor vibrate.
An announcer’s voice bood through the arena.
"WELCO TO THE PIT!"
The crowd went insane. Howling. Stomping. Raising their fists in the air.
"TONIGHT, WE HAVE SO OF THE BEST FIGHTERS IN RIDIAN TERRITORY! ARE YOU READY TO SEE SO BLOOD?"
More howling. More chaos.
Sophie was screaming along with everyone else. Completely in her elent.
I stood frozen. Heart pounding. Hands shaking.
*Please don’t be here. Please don’t be here. Please don’t be here.*
The first fight started.
Two wolves entered the cage. Big. Muscular. Neither of them was Kael.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
See? He wasn’t here. He was probably at the Alpha mansion. Or in so important eting. Or anywhere else in the territory.
He wasn’t going to show up.
I was being paranoid.
The fight was brutal. Fast. One wolf took down the other in under two minutes. The crowd cheered. Sophie scread her approval.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?" She grabbed my shoulders. Shook . "That was AMAZING! He just—WHAM!—and the other guy just—BOOM!—and then—"
"I saw."
"This is the best night of my LIFE!"
A second fight. Then a third. Then a fourth.
None of the fighters were Kael.
With each match, I felt myself relaxing. Bit by bit. The tension in my shoulders easing. The panic in my chest fading.
He wasn’t here.
Of course he wasn’t here.
He was the Alpha now. The most powerful wolf in the territory. He had an entire pack to run. A company to manage. A daughter to raise.
Why would he waste his ti in a place like this?
The thought made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want to examine.
A daughter.
With Rebecca.
The woman who’d called my child defective. Who’d looked at Lina like she was less than nothing. Who’d threatened in a school eting room and thought she could get away with it.
That was who Kael had chosen.
That was the life he’d built while I was struggling alone.
"Hey." Sophie’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You okay? You went all quiet."
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important."
She didn’t look convinced. But before she could push, the announcer’s voice bood again.
"AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEN..."
The crowd started buzzing. Excited murmurs spreading like wildfire.
"THE MONT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR..."
Sophie straightened. Eyes bright.
"Oh my god, this must be the main event! The unbeatable guy!"
My blood ran cold.
No.
"THE LEGEND OF THE PIT..."
No. No. No.
"THE WOLF WHO HAS NEVER LOST A SINGLE FIGHT..."
Sophie was bouncing on her toes. "This is it! This is IT!"
"YOUR CHAMPION..."
Ti slowed down.
Every sound beca muffled. Every movent beca sluggish. Like I was underwater. Drowning.
"YOUR ALPHA..."
My heart stopped.
"KAEL BLOOD CROWN!"
The crowd EXPLODED.
Thousands of wolves screaming his na. Stomping their feet. Raising their fists. The sound was deafening. Overwhelming. A wall of noise that crashed over like a tidal wave.
And then he appeared.
He walked into the arena like he owned it. Because he did.
My lungs forgot how to work.
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