The Game of Quadruplet Mates

Chapter 6-3

Larissa and I followed the bounding crowd of attendees intent on finding their room assignments and to watch the most powerful wolves in attendance wrestle each other to victory of the fairest.

Our Alpha told us about this. How there will be events to show strength, beauty and power. They were pageants. All to show dominance and all to show just what you’re buying into when mated.

Right as we’re in front of the board, a hand takes mine. I turned around in confusion and, to my utter surprise, saw Konstantin, smiling down at me with his pearly whites.

“June,” He began with an easy smile. “Hey,”

Larissa’s eyes widened at the sight of him and was quick to give us space, as if sensing a potential match. She doesn’t say a word, melting into the background like she was never there.

“Can we walk to the clearing together?”Konstantin pointed ahead. “I plan on participating, you see, and I would love it if you were there.”

The hint did not fall on deaf ears and I hated how instantly my blush came. It’s not as if I was particularly attracted to him, but I was rather flattered. I can’t count the amount of times people have called me the ‘unattractive’ one, the one that repelled the opposite gender. I just wasn’t used to it. “Of course. Lead the way.”

Konstantin offers his arm out to me and I slip my hand through it the way I see the other girls do.

Much like how it was with Jeremy, we were gathering attention again. The extremely dashing and wealthy Beta of the city pack talking and touching a lowly girl from a farm pack that no one knows. The only difference was that Konstantin basked in the attention. He smiled wider, standing straighter and looking like a million bucks.

It's as if he wants this to happen. He wants to get more attention on himself.

He paraded us like we were the perfect couple… or at least he was perfect. I was just dangling along.

His manners never stopped though, or was it just gossip masked as manners?

“I’m sorry about Jeremy.” He says, his voice a little louder than it should be. “That traitor has a special way of pissing people off.”

“Traitor?” I asked before I could think. Thankfully, my tone wasn’t as defensive as I felt and in some way it’s hilarious for me to be defensive of a man who I’m barely friends with. “How is he a traitor?”

Konstantin the ever flashing peacock was too busy smiling at onlookers to care about my question too much. “He was angry that he wasn’t the next Alpha or the next Beta. He threw a tantrum and left the pack to join those monsters in the mountains. He went to the only pack that would give him a position.”

Somehow, I don’t see Jeremy caring about rank. “He just left? Just like that?”

“He sort of cried about life being unfair and will tell anyone who would listen that we’re mean to him because his biological father is some dirty, unranked rogue that r a p e d his mother.” He explains with a shudder. “His mother is the older sister of the Alpha but his blood isn’t exactly pure enough for rank anymore. Especially since the father’s blood is important in these kinds of things.”

I could taste the disgust in his tone and I wondered suddenly if he thought I was disgusting for being without a bloodline.

And what about Jeremy? Is this the truth? An exaggeration of the truth? Or another one of those half truths people spread about powerful people?

Whatever it was, I felt bad for Jeremy and his mother and I’m happy that they left the city pack or at least Jeremy has. Konstantin’s words seemed sugar coated as harsh as they already were. I can only imagine how bad it was for Jeremy.

“We’re almost there.” Konstantin says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I didn’t even notice how far we had walked until I looked around and realized that we were already in the clearing. The trees were high and thick here, the grass green and fresh, the air blew a gentle cool wind that cooled the hot afternoon. It was wide and big enough to fit all of us. The clearing itself was decorated too, with flower garlands on the branches and low tables equipped with food and colorful pillows on the ground to sit on. There were champagne bottles in metallic buckets filled with ice, soft fur on the floor like a carpet. Like everything in the Assembly, everything was beautiful and magical, an impressive affair.

Attendees gathered around the table, sticking close to the trees while an elder in the middle fumbled with a microphone.

The elder smacks it with his hand. “Hello, hello?”

There was sharp static and feedback that pierced the air but we could hear him well enough.

“Welcome to all!” The static was thick but the elder’s excitement was as clear as day. “I am pleased to be hosting the first show of strength! It’s tradition to start this with a brawl in human form. As you know, we are only as strong as our human form and it’s essential for any mating match to know each others strength.”

In other words, this competition was to show the pecking order for both the male and female participants. The men by showing their dominance through the fight and the women by giving their bracelets to the strongest.

“Everyone is encouraged to participate and each participant may take another attendee's bracelet to honor them— winning this while wearing another attendee's bracelet will bless the two with good fortune for their futures.” The cheers grew as several people started to get ready by removing their clothes, showing their ripped bodies and shouting out to the sky. “Now, shall we begin our little competition?”

Taking another’s bracelet is like a mating mark before a mating mark. A claim. It was to show people that this person was already spoken for and will most likely be chosen at the end of the week.

I can already hear the bragging rights of the girls who get chosen. Hopefully, Larissa will have someone take her bracelet. The Alpha would be happy if at least one of us was successful in this.

“Who will join first?” The elder screamed, nearly jumping in his step as he gestured to the crowd. “Step on up!”

I felt Konstantin break away from me, taking a step forward as people screamed his name. He smiled widely, confidently. This was a man who had never lost— who had never not known perfection and he was out to win this. I watched him do a little turn, accepting all the praises and whistling. I also watched as he deliberately slowly pulled his shift off. It was well practiced… rehearsed and just like everything else about him: perfected.

“Beta Konstantin of the city pack!” The elder announced proudly, clapping his hands. “Of course, we’ll have the very best as our first contestant. Who is brave enough to go against him?”

The smug voice that could only be owned by Jeremy spoke up from somewhere in the trees. “I will.”

A quiet that chills me goes through the crowd. The crowd parts until Jeremy can finally be seen. He’s effortlessly handsome, his nickname ‘pretty boy’ well placed. The blue of his eyes shined and his soft blonde hair was blowing in the wind. There’s no need to try with him. He wasn’t practiced or choreographed. He didn’t need it. He was perfect the way he was.

Jeremy’s already shirtless, looking bigger and stronger than the supposedly battle worn Konstantin. His arms and shoulders are ripped with hard muscle, his chest sculpted by hard work and power.

I was very much aware of how my heart thumped like a drum at the sight of him, my cheeks burning with one look. There was a lightheadedness to my feeling with butterflies in my stomach and I’ve never felt it with anyone but him before.

Jeremy smirks, blue eyes on Konstantin. I think I saw Konstantin’s expression fall just a little at the sight of Jeremy.

“Another Beta! What a match this is going to be.” The shouts were intense, piercing howls and pounding feet. Everyone seemed to be on their feet, shouting and screaming and pounding on the ground. “Does anyone else want to take on these two?”

No one stepped forward.

I wasn’t surprised.

“Then let’s get this started!” The elder hollered. “Betas! Choose your lady to represent.”

The clearing quieted, the girls waiting with baited breath as they stepped forward, fixing themselves as best they could by fluffing their hair and patting down their skirts. If called by any of the Betas, it would be the ultimate statement for anyone.

Cora was here. I could see her from across the clearing. The organizers of the event set a special table for her, a sofa filled with the softest looking furs for comfort. There were at least four people attending to her needs, one holding an umbrella over her head while another fanned. Another refilled her drink while the last brushed her hair back.

She smiled brightly, waiting to be called by- at least her Beta. It wouldn’t be a claim but a show of power. It would say that she could have the strongest men in the Assembly.

Whatever she wanted, she would have.

“June Valentine.” Konstantin says over the d e a d silence. “May I have your bracelet?”

A little dazed, my heart stopped as I felt everyone turn to look at me. Before I can react though, Jeremy walks up to me, his eyes electric.

“I would also like your bracelet, June.” His hand was on my wrist already, his thumb running over the fabric that said I was unmateable. “Would you give me the honor of fighting for you?”