Chap-1*Hopeless Little Girl*

“You cannot run from me. I am your only saviour! Who do you think will believe you?” his voice echoed through the hallway as I ran to nowhere. I just knew I must get away from him and find somebody to listen to me.

“Your siblings don’t like you. Your father only takes you as an object. Come to my arms and I will protect you,” he kept mocking me for being an unloved creature, only kept alive by my father’s reputation.

And then,

I tripped and dropped to the ground hopelessly.

The Barbie I was holding tight slipped out of my hands and landed on the floor beside me.

“Go!” I heard my trainer giving me a signal to get into the stadium. He dragged me out and away from the flashes of my past.

Dark clouds, strong wind, nothing could compare to the palpitation of my heart that day. My breath quickened as I stepped into the Fight stadium ring for the final round.

The stadium ring was jam-packed with the juniors and seniors, the previous medal winners, our Gamma leaders of each fighter group from different packs, and our personal trainers. I passed a glance around without focusing on anything in particular until my eyes matched with the eyes no more than just a silent cloud of Alpha King Aramis'.

I knew he would be invited by the battle academy as a chief guest, even if nobody liked him.

I am Phoenix Hart, 18, and a Gamma of The Dark Autumn Pack. My father is the pack's Alpha, and next in line is my eldest brother, Zion Hart. My two older twin siblings, Veronica and Markus, had turned 23 the previous month, but I couldn’t attend the party because I decided to show up with a medal.

I joined this academy to become my own and make my father proud of me. From the outside perspective, known as a princess, deeply loved and cherished by her family, but no one knew the reality of how I have lived my life within the walls of my cursed mansion among people who had secretly belittled me when they didn’t believe me.

They didn’t hear when I said I was not safe under my father's roof. That exact moment paved the path to this ground for me.

"The last competition is for the gold medal and the title Warrior King Or Queen." The Gamma leader stood up from his seat beside Alpha King Aramis, "And the two warriors who have been qualified for this final competition are the beta Tanner Knight of the Silver Hunters Pack and Phoenix Hart, a Gamma of The Dark Autumn Pack.

I straightened my back, hearing my name while Tanner joined the stadium from the opposite side. The applause encouraged Tanner. He was a male werewolf, and everybody expected his victory right off the bat. The Alpha King Aramis smiled just a little. He looked proud of Tanner.

We walked in each other's direction for a friendly handshake when I looked into Tanner's blue eyes and smiled. It was going to be an iconic last competition when mates came face to face.

He smirked as he reminded me through his eyes that we were mates. I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

"Good look, Princess Phoenix!" he teased, making me frown and get ready for the final round.

I rocked the black cargo pants with a black warrior crop top. My hair pulled into a French tail, so my focus remains entirely on the fight.

Tanner was wearing brown cargo pants and a white sleeveless shirt. His black hair was left loosely around his forehead and at the back of his neck.

As the siren wailed, we started walking in circles. My eyes fixated on his legs, making sure I was aware of his advances. When he slipped a punch, I dropped my weight to my left leg and dodged it. I let out a laugh at his failed attempt, watching him compose his posture again.

He squared up instantly and threw a jab, which I brushed away while slipping to my side. As he attempted to punch me again, I blocked his uppercut, countering the uppercut with a left hook.

He lost his balance while I hit his chin up, his lips bruised open, and blood sprayed out.

“OHH!” The crowd expressed despondency, displaying which side they were hoping to win. The hypocrisy of these people was astounding. They would bicker and cuss at the Alpha King Aramis behind his back, but they would bow down to him the instant he appeared before them.

While Tanner was ready to get back on his feet, I walked behind him and let my wolf, Nix, take over. My eyes changed from grey to purple. I howled loudly and took him in a rear chokehold, making him grunt and gurgle.

“Ahhh!” he complained in agony. My grip was stronger than what my body might appear to others.

“Is that all you got, Commando?” I commented in his ear to tease him for not unleashing his wolf sooner. Finally, he understood the assignment and let Tan take over. He whipped his leg around my leg, fooling me into thinking I’d managed to learn his next step when he suddenly bent down and grabbed my leg to lift it. I landed on my back, and it was his time to chuckle aloud.

“TANNER!”

“TANNER!”

The crowd was cheering him on, and he was enjoying it to the fullest. I staggered to my feet as I realised I shouldn’t play too much with my prey.

“COME ON! SHE IS JUST A GIRL,”

As someone from the crowd shouted, my body shuddered. I have heard such a comment before, something like that to degrade me. That was when Tanner took the opportunity and punched me down. I landed on the ground while he lay behind me to chokehold me, demanding that I tap out.

“Go home and play with the Barbie dolls!” Tanner teased me, his arm wrapped around my neck tightly as he choked me.

His comment triggered something inside me. Though my vision began to blur from the pressure after Tanner acknowledged that the only way to make me lose was to make me pass out, or else I wouldn’t give up.

Sadly, I was no longer mentally present on the combat grounds anymore.

I saw a little me running in the hallway with a Barbie in my hand.

“Come on! Don’t run away from me. You are 15 and playing with a Barbie.” His voice sounded like an echo in my head. I saw him appearing from the dark shadows and smirking at me—my brother-in-law.

Hassel Baine!

“Stay away from me. I will tell Veronica what you were trying to do.” I hugged my Barbie, shivering in his presence.

“Tell them, tell everyone everything; nobody will ever believe you. After all, you are just a girl who plays with Barbie dolls and creates fantasies.” His words, along with his proceeding steps toward me, compelled me to close my eyes.

Tanner’s grip tightened. He was frantically waiting for me to pass out.

Now that I opened my eyes again, all I could hear was my siblings yelling at me after dragging me into an empty room so that I wouldn’t get to talk to my father about this incident.

“Hassel is a decent man,” my eldest brother shouted at me, “Who taught you all these things?” he demanded, and then I heard a loud slap against my cheek.

I can still feel the burning sensation of it when my sister didn’t hold back and got angry at me for accusing Hassel of such a disgusting attempt.

“What happened, Princess? Give up and walk back home--- like a good girl,” Tanner whispered, breaking me aware of the reality and dragging me out of the past.

Yes!

I have joined this academy to get the title of warrior Queen. So that when I return to my pack after years, I can point at Hassel and see who gets to silence me.

“I am born to be a warrior!” Tanner celebrated his victory way too quickly. I broke my legs free and started getting up. I bet he gasped but didn’t let go of my neck. Once we were standing, I lowered my chin to protect my neck and brought his hand down to give him a forward bow. He landed on the ground while I stretched my neck. Hunching down and resting my hands on my knee, I waited for him to get up. Once he did, I head-bumped him and then kicked him in the face, making him lose his balance.

The crowd went dead silent again. All I could hear were gasps and people feeling bad for Tanner. He tried to get on his feet, but he forgot that the only reason he was able to hear the people cheer for him was that I gave him enough time to enjoy the fight.

He had only straightened his back when I charged into Tanner, jumped, and brought my body parallel to the ground, shoving my shoulders into the midsection of Tanner. I tackled him down pretty well. The blood that poured out of his mouth was a sign of his defeat. Following that, I got on top of him and started punching him repeatedly.

“You thinnkkk you can touch me again?” I shouted, not stopping at the finishing siren, “I am notttt that hopeless girl anymore,” I was panting and punching him until a sturdy pair of arms were wrapped around my waist to pull me away from Tanner.

“Phoenix Hart, from the Dark Autumn Pack, is our new best warrior! All hail before her,” the leader announced my victory, and the crowd was forced to get up and give me a round of applause. But unfortunately, my vision was still blurred. I wasn’t able to focus on anything at the moment, not even on Tanner on the ground.

My personal trainer hugged me from behind and dragged me to my hut to patch me up. I didn’t have many wounds because Tanner didn’t get to land any hits on me.

“You were on fire,” my trainer, the ex-royal guard of our pack, senior Ramon, who used to be the leader of the department of defence but then left the spot to join this academy as a trainer.

I got lucky when I found him.

“Thanks,” I said, unfolding the wrist wrap and watching Senior Ramon holding the medal for me, “Help me wear it. What are you waiting for?” I let out a laugh, watching him just stare at the medal in pride.

“The Alpha King said he would do the honours,” Ramon knew I wouldn’t appreciate it. I wasn’t a fan of the Alpha King. He had been nothing but unfair and ruthless to the innocent pack members.

He would be the one to call war and then end pack after pack for the slightest mistake their alphas would make.

I didn’t get enough time to refuse such an offer because the Alpha King walked into my hut causally. Ramon bowed before him while I kept my spine straight.

“That was impressive!” he had his hands tied behind his back. His following steps halted when he reached face-to-face with me. His big body had blocked the light from the opening of the hut.

I had heard about him, but it was the first time that I was meeting him in person. He had crystal grey eyes and shining black hair, probably 6 feet, 3 inches tall, with broad and muscular shoulders and a tiny waist. All in all, he was majestic, and the black suit made him stand out even more.

I wouldn’t usually bother examining appearances, but he was truly amazingly charming, minus a good heart and empathy for others.

“Thank you!” I finally bowed my neck but didn’t change my attitude.

“May I?” his British accent and deep eye contact were alarming, and the happiness I got from the victory started to fade away. It felt like something was going to get in the way of my dreams. But, on the other hand, it was maybe his aura.

After I gave him a nod, he walked behind me and gently shoved my hair to the side. The tip of his finger came in direct contact with my skin, filling my body with goosebumps.

‘Mate!’

A fainted cry from Nix led to a gasp heaving across my lips. Then, his fingers steadily ran over my skin while he tied the medal around my neck.

The more they touched me, the more excited Nix turned.

I tried avoiding her because that was not supposed to happen, but she kept mumbling.

‘Mate!’

‘The Alpha King is also our mate,’

I gulped in bewilderment and stepped away in haste from Aramis, turning around to look at his face in aghast.

No!

It can’t be.

I cannot be mates with him and his brother at the same time.