AYASHA'S POV
The guards came for us too soon.
We'd barely finished our wine when they appeared in the doorway, their metal armor clanking softly against stone. The sound made my stomach drop. I looked around the table at the other women. The brief peace we'd found over our meal was already cracking.
"Time for the second round," one of the guards announced. His voice was flat, emotionless. "You will follow us to the main hall."
I stood with the others, my legs unsteady beneath the green silk dress. The wine had been stronger than I'd realized, or maybe it was just fear making me lightheaded. Zara caught my eye from across the table and nodded once. We could do this. We had to.
The corridors felt different this time. Longer. Darker. The servants we passed looked away when they saw us coming, like we were already dead and they didn't want to be reminded of what was coming. My heart hammered against my ribs with each step.
"Stay close," Pavati whispered beside me. "Whatever happens, we stick together."
I wanted to agree, but the words died in my throat. What if sticking together wasn't possible this time? What if they'd designed this round to tear us apart?
The main hall doors loomed ahead of us, twice as tall as a man and carved with scenes of conquest. The same doors we'd walked through this morning when we'd managed to save each other through cooperation. That felt like a lifetime ago now.
The guards pushed open the doors and we stepped inside.
The hall looked different. The marble pillars still gleamed under the chandelier light, but new furniture had been added. A long table sat at the far end of the room, elevated on a platform like a judge's bench. Chairs lined one side of it, facing out toward the center of the hall where we would stand.
My breath caught in my throat.
The judges' table.
"Welcome back," the same official from this morning called out. He stood in the center of the hall, his dark robes making him look like a vulture waiting for carrion. "I trust you enjoyed your meal."
None of us answered. We moved to the center of the hall and formed a loose line, just like we had hours ago. But everything felt different now. The air was thick with tension, and I could feel the other women's fear like a physical presence.
"The first round was fair," the official continued. His voice echoed off the marble walls. "Each of you had equal power. Equal votes. Equal say in your own fate."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"But life is not fair."
The simple statement hit like a slap. I felt Liana flinch beside me.
"The first round gave you a chance to give yourself security. A safety net." The official's smile was cold and sharp. "It was your chance to take it or not. Some of you chose cooperation. Others chose trust. Noble choices, perhaps. But foolish ones."
My stomach twisted. They were punishing us for working together. For refusing to tear each other apart for their entertainment.
"The second round gives power to the judges," the official announced. "They will decide your fate. They will choose who lives and who dies based on their own judgment of your worth."
That's when I felt it.
The mate bond slammed through my chest like lightning, so sudden and powerful that I gasped out loud. The connection blazed between my ribs, pulling my attention toward the far end of the hall. I turned my head and saw him.
Riven- No, Koda.
He walked through a side entrance I hadn't noticed before, dressed in royal regalia that made him look like a different person entirely. Rich purple fabric trimmed with gold thread, a ceremonial sword at his hip, and a silver circlet resting on his dark hair. He looked every inch the prince he was born to be.
Behind him walked King Nahuel himself.
The mate bond pulsed again, stronger this time. Koda's eyes found mine across the hall for just a moment before he looked away. His face was a careful mask, showing nothing. But I felt the recognition ripple through the bond between us.
What was he doing here?
"All rise for Alpha King Nahuel of Lamia and Alpha Prince Koda," the official called out.
Everyone in the hall dropped into deep bows. The other women bent forward immediately, their training as Lunas taking over. I hesitated for a heartbeat, then forced myself to bow as well. My pride burned at the gesture, but staying upright would only draw attention I couldn't afford.
When we rose, I saw Koda and his father taking their seats at the judges' table. Ten other men were already seated there, all wearing the fine clothes and jewels of high-ranking Lamia nobles. Twelve judges total. Twelve men who would decide which of us lived and which of us died.
"The judges have five votes each," the official explained. "They may distribute them however they choose. All five to one competitor, or spread among several. The competitor with the lowest total score will be eliminated."
Eliminated. Such a clean word for murder.
I looked at the women standing beside me. Zara's hands were clenched into fists at her sides. Pavati's face had gone pale as bone. Elora looked like she might faint. They were all starting to panic, and I could feel my own control slipping.
We had no power here. None at all.
This morning we'd been able to work together, to share our votes and create equality. Now we were completely at the mercy of twelve men who saw us as entertainment. Twelve men who'd been denied the bloodshed they wanted and were eager to make up for it.
"The voting will begin now," the official announced. "Judges, please consider carefully. Beauty, grace, spirit. Whatever qualities you value most in a potential bride for our prince."
I wanted to scream. We weren't people to them. We were livestock being evaluated for purchase.
The judges began conferring among themselves in low voices. I caught fragments of their conversation, words that made my skin crawl. "Too thin." "Pretty enough." "Spirited, but not too spirited." They were discussing us like we weren't even there.
King Nahuel spoke quietly to the man beside him, gesturing toward our line. The man nodded and made notes on a piece of parchment. Whatever they were discussing, it didn't look good.
Then I saw Koda lean forward and say something to his father. King Nahuel's eyebrows rose in surprise, then he smiled. It was not a kind smile.
The voting seemed to take forever. The judges passed notes back and forth, pointed at us, whispered among themselves. I tried to read their expressions, to guess what they were thinking, but their faces gave nothing away.
Finally, the official stepped forward again.
"The votes have been cast," he announced. "The results are as follows."
My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst.
"Elora of the High Plains. Eight votes."
Elora sagged with relief. Eight votes was good. Safe.
"Imara of Coal Valley. Seven votes."
Another safe score. I felt a tiny bit of tension leave my shoulders.
"Pavati of Blue River. Nine votes."
"Nisha of Reed Island. Six votes."
"Liana of Golden Fields. Five votes."
Five votes. Low, but not the lowest. Not yet.
"Kira of Stone Mountain. Seven votes."
The official paused, consulting his notes. Only Zara and I were left. My mouth went dry.
"Ayasha of Whitewater. Fifteen votes."
Fifteen votes. I blinked in shock and my stomach sunk with grief. The maximum possible score was sixty, but fifteen was still high. Higher than I'd dared hope for. But that meant...
"Zara of the Desert Lands. Three votes."
The words hit like a physical blow. Three votes. The lowest score by far.
I turned to look at Zara, horror flooding through me. Her face had gone white as chalk. Her hands were shaking.
"Ayasha," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm afraid."
The words were exactly what she'd hinted at the dining table. Her confession that when she got scared, she lost herself. That she became someone she didn't recognize. But there was no time to call her back to sanity. No time to remind her who she was.
A guard appeared behind her.
He was massive, built like a mountain, with arms thick as tree trunks. He moved with the silent grace of a predator, and in his hand was a curved knife that gleamed in the chandelier light.
"No," I breathed.
But it was too late.
The guard grabbed Zara's hair and yanked her head back, exposing her throat. She didn't even have time to scream. The blade moved in one quick, efficient motion, and blood sprayed across the marble floor.
Zara's body crumpled to the ground.
I stood frozen, staring at the spreading pool of crimson. Seconds ago she'd been alive, breathing, afraid but fighting. Now she was nothing but meat and bone and spilled blood.
The other women were screaming. Liana fell to her knees, retching. Elora pressed her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. Pavati grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise.
But I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't look away from Zara's lifeless eyes staring up at the painted ceiling.
"Round two is complete," the official announced, his voice cutting through the screams and sobs. "Seven competitors remain."