Is this guy for real?

What do you mean he is an agent of the monarchy and wants to buy us out of the competition? Did these people seriously think I would forfeit my chance of getting mated for quick cash?

Though they don't know I am only here to find my mate, they think I want to win the tournament like everyone else. That is a fair assumption, but I didn't think the shenanigans would start so early.

I looked at the strange man in my room, glanced over at Colin, who looked spooked, and told him straight up:

"Thank you for the offer, but no amount of money would make me forfeit my position." I declined, politely. Then I let Colin speak for himself, as I wouldn't take this chance away from him if he wanted to accept it.

He smiled nervously at the so-called Mason and spoke timidly in his strong country accent. I have a country accent as well, but Utah's accent is naturally different from Alabama's.

"No, thank you. I came to see this through." He spoke, apprehensively.

"You boys drive a hard bargain. Okay, twenty thousand dollars. I have it right here in my briefcase." He proposed, tapping on his case, indicating the large amount of money it would contain. He had a shady smile that made me want to punch him on the face - though I obviously would never do that.

I am already in hot waters with the prince as it is.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good night." I affirmed, indicating that I wanted him to leave our room. Colin was by my side as we stood our ground against the man.

"Fine, I give up. Fifty thousand dollars. Final offer." He raised the stakes and Colin gaped at him in utter shock. This is more money than I have ever seen in my life. It would help out a great deal back home, where my mom is at the end of her rope having to support my sisters with just one small income. It is not lost on me that this is a good deal.

"Each?! Colin asked him, gobsmacked at the tempting offer.

"Yes, young man. Fifty thousand dollars, cash, for you to walk away right now. No questions asked. I have a driver outside that can take you anywhere you want, including your old pack if you want to." He sweetened the deal with a wicked smile.

At this, Colin closed himself off. I think the man was trying to make it more appealing, but the last thing he wanted was to return to his pack. Especially without doing the thing his father sent him here to do. Judging from the scars on his back, that man is not the forgiving type.

"Thank you, but no thank you. Pappa told me to participate in the tournament and that's what I'll do." He declared, politely. The man who thought he had him for a second grimaced at the response.

"What about you, young man? I am sure you could use the money." He argued, judging me solely by what I was wearing right now, which was an old pajama. It's Winter, so I had to pack warm clothes. I didn't exactly have time or funds to update my wardrobe before I came here.

"You heard my roommate, it's past time for you to leave. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow." I told him, irritated at his condescending expression.

"Final and best offer, seventy-five thousand dollars." He countered, trying to goad us into accepting his bribe. Colin was jaw-dropped at the offer and so was I, which is why I had to act fast.

"Get the fuck out of my room! NOW!" My eyes were shining in rage as I yelled at the man for tempting us. At last, he got spooked by an Alpha threatening him, so he left in haste. Colin was shaken by that offer, tempted to accept it if not for the repercussions for him.

I hugged him for a moment, to comfort him, which in turn reassured me that I was doing the right thing. I can't go back to my pack without even trying to participate in the tournament. And especially without meeting my mate. That is non-negotiable.

Poor Colin was almost sold if that man stayed for one more minute. Maybe I would too. That's a lot of money for folks like us. More than a year of my mother's paycheck. We did not struggle back home in the sense of not having food or any of the basic necessities. We just lived a simple life with no luxuries.

I do not think uncle Damian would ever forgive me if I had accepted that man's proposal. Not with all the effort he employed to train me over the years. I know he is an ambitious man, that is no secret to anyone, and now that he has this idea of getting me to be the next Lycan King, he will stop at nothing to accomplish that.

I think the whole concept is laughable, to be honest.

I am sure that the foreign press has torn King Lucius to pieces over this idea. It's crazy to think a commoner would ever be King. We are talking about a dynasty of centuries. Prince Elton is not only a natural choice for his successor, it is the only choice as far as the nobility is concerned.

This has never been done before, which is exactly why it is drawing attention from all over the world. Before I entered the castle yesterday, I saw a bunch of press vans parked nearby - there is a security containment zone around the castle, so nobody can park cars or walk by, unless they have an identification badge issued by the military.

This is the most secure building in the country, so it's only natural. It's no wonder all the contestants were required to register their interest in participating in the tournament beforehand. That gave the authorities time to vet the candidates and check their credentials. With the number of men here, it must have been a herculean task.

The next morning, Colin and I woke up lazily after a restless night. The first thing we did was to check our cell phones like usual, and there was a text message alerting us of an emergency meeting at 08 in McCarthy Hall.

Colin and I looked at each other after we read that text and immediately reached the same conclusion. They want to discuss what happened last night. I am guessing that Mason, if that was his real name, did not visit just our room.

We quickly went about our morning rituals to grab an early breakfast before the meeting. But when we arrived at the cafeteria, we saw that everybody had the same idea, so the place was packed to the brim and there was a huge line for food.

"I don't think there will be enough time for us to stay on this line, have breakfast, then go to the assembly. Let's go back to our room, uncle Damian brought me some food yesterday." I suggested it to my roommate since there was no way we could pull this off before the meeting and I wouldn't want to miss it and face the repercussions.

He agreed with me and we returned to our quarters.

Later that morning, we were all assembled in the same vast room where we had gone through the physical yesterday, but now there were no more desks and medical professionals. Just military personnel. Colonel Armstrong was present with a bunch of soldiers coordinating the event.

He greeted us, then asked if we were visited by a man who introduced himself as Mason last night. We had no way of denying it, so we confirmed the information. Then, he went on to tell us that there is a huge part of the nobility in America that disagrees with what the King is doing, so they tried to rig the game before it began.

A few hundred contestants were bought off yesterday, he told us, though it was clear to see that several people were missing from the lineup. He also told us that they are launching an investigation as to who that man was and who he was working for, but they suspect that he is no longer in the country.

He finalized his speech by saying that all official communications come from a government account sending messages or eventually calling us, if need be, or a soldier would tell us in person. And that if we had any doubt, we should contact any military personnel stationed here in the castle.

"Trust no one in this place, especially a person who is not wearing an identification badge. We are all required to wear one, the only exception is the Royal Family. But we all know what they look like." He cautioned us, raising his voice.

As he said that, he glanced at Prince Elton, who was finding the whole conversation amusing. The more people back out of the tournament, the easier it gets for him to be legitimized as the next King. As far as he is concerned, they played right into his hand.

A|N: The plot thickens.

You are not going to believe the ways in which these contestants are about to be tested, but the next chapter will give you a pretty good idea. Or not. Maybe, if you pay close attention.

Love,

Léo.