"A-a duel?" I stuttered, staring up at the guard as he gave me a sad smile.

"Yeah, kinda," He rubbed the back of his neck as his lead me through different corridors, "You're gonna fight a rouge."

"W-with these?" I squeak, my voice failing me badly and doing me no favors in hiding my fear. I lifted my shackles, the chains clinking to prove my point.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath, "Sorry."

I stared at the ground.

I'm so dead.

So soo dead.

"D-do people actually defeat the rouges?" I was so quiet that I couldn't even hear myself but somehow the guard heard me.

"No." He answered bluntly, "Well some do, mainly our older testors." He looked down at the ground, noticing the dried up bloodstains, "Our younger ones are usually eaten before they realize what's happening."

I gulped.

The bile rising in my throat.

"Wait, you there, halt!" An elderly voice who belonged to I believe was Axel's great grandfather shouted from the back.

The guard and I stopped and turned slowly to see the old man approaching us. He really did look like Axel, but had much bigger eye-bags and white hair. As he got closer he seemed smaller that Axel, in both height and muscle mass. Nonetheless he can probably crush me with his thumb.

"Yes Councilman Brinks?" The guard stood straighter, looking more dead inside than when he was speaking to me seconds ago.

"I can take her from here." He open his already gloved hand to the guard who hesitantly put the chain attached to my collar to the Councilman.

Axel's great grandfather was smiling at the two of us warmly, and before the guard left he shot me a worried look.

He was one of the nicer and younger guards I met here.

Axel's great grandfather waited for the guard's footsteps to fade before he turned slightly to me.

But I was absolutely terrified.

His smile was gone, replaced with a frown and completely cold eyes that froze my whole body. I couldn't even react when one of his hands shot towards my neck and grabbed the collar.

"Listen hear girl," he spat out, actually spitting on me in the process as he lifted my collar up until my toes couldn't even touch the ground. "I do not want a black wolf tainting my bloodline."

The collar wasn't choking me because it was so loose but it was rubbing the back of my neck raw. It was a process of my neck healing then being scratched up by how poorly my collar was made.

It didn't help that this collar smelled like other people's bodily fluids.

"Don't worry." I found my mouth and voice working on their own, even if they were strained how the collar was pressing against my jaw. "I probably won't survive today."

His mouth turned into a malicious smirk as his eyes grew colder, "I won't worry." He dropped me, watching with sick satisfaction as my legs buckled from the sudden force and I collapsed onto the hard stone ground. "I made sure to give you our most vicious, feral, and hungry rouge." Pulling on my chain, he made me stand weakly back on my feet while pulling me up high enough so he could whisper in my ear, "You will die today regardless if you survive or not."

Great.

I grit my teeth and glared at him.

Which he just smiled at.

"How are you so sure that your bloodline isn't already tainted?" A deeper voice came from behind.

What is with people and popping out of nowhere?

"Alpha Larson!" Axel's great grandfather stood up straight, letting me go so quickly that I fell once again. "What a pleasure!" He plastered a fake smile on his face.

Alpha Caleb ignored him and took my chain from his hands, quite literally ripping it from his hands so roughly that the silver links bent. "I'll take her to the ring, since you seem to be doing a horrible job."

"Very well." Axel's grandfather grit his teeth as his smile got tighter. He trudged away with his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were pure white. "See you in the area."

Alpha Caleb didn't respond as he started walking slowly down the hallways. His hands were perfectly fine after holding silver bare-handed so I guess the confirms he's a black wolf.

"Thank you." I squeak. For some reason, he was comforting in a big-brother kind of feel.

He grunted in response.

Great conversation we're having.

"So do you think I can actually fight the rouge?" I whispered, assuming he can hear me.

"No." He answered bluntly.

"Oh." The sick feeling in my stomach was back.

"But I know you will survive the rouge." His crimson eye looked back at me, it had a glint of something that made me feel a little better.

"How?" I hardly knew him, how is he so confident.

"I've figured out your ability." His eye turned back to the front, no longer on me.

"And?" I thought he was going to continue.

"It's isn't the 'Knight Command' that the council thinks it is, it's a different kind of command." He responded, continuing after I was completely silent from being completely confused. "Black Wolves are natural born alphas, each of us getting different types of commands. The highest one is the Goddess command that can order objects to living creatures to do anything.

The second highest is the Queen Command that just can command living creatures.

Next is the King Command that just can command intelligent creatures like wolves.

Then the Knight Command that is exclusive to wolves regardless of pack or status.

Finally there is Beast Command which can only command creatures that are going feral, or are completely consumed by dark thoughts." His eye once again looked at me. "Which one do you think I am?"

I was startled by his question but I just thought what he was for a moment, "Queen?"

"Yes," his voice was still cold but his eye looked proud at me, "How did you guess?"

"Well, you're scary." I mumbled, flinched when I heard deep vibrations tickling my ears.

He was laughing.

Or at least chuckling.

"I guess I am," he's lips were turned slightly upwards but that was it.

I pursed my lips for a second, "Have you ever met a Goddess Black Wolf?"

"Yes." He wasn't looking at me, instead staring at the bright light pouring through more silver bars.

"What kind of person was he?" I was partially curious and partially trying to make a distraction from the storm brewing in my chest.

"She," he corrected me, "and I met her when she was a child. But she is exactly how you'd think she is: cold, serious, completely heartless. Though it's been a few years since I've last saw her."

"Seriously?" My heart was pounding harder and harder seeing how we were yards away from the entrance.

"Yes, she is the merciless killer that the council fears but she is both fearless and intelligent in the same aspect." He started shuffling through his pockets, pulling out a key that lead to the lock that attached the chain to the collar. "She is probably the closest you'll find to a God on Earth."

I was silent, finding this an effective distraction, "What's her name?"

"Saiph Vera." He answered, her name sending chills down my spine causing violent trembles. Caleb noticed this and just gave me a small smirk, "Meeting her in person was both an honorable and a traumatizing experience."

"Wow," I chuckled nervously, seeing how we were just standing by the entrance, "So I'm a little like her right?"

"No, nowhere close." He scoffed at the fact I would even suggest that. "You are Beast Command."

"Oh."

Of course I'm at the bottom of the Black wolf ranks.

"Great." I muttered, both in nervousness and disappointment.

"Do not think you are useless." His large and gruff hand lifted my chin gently with just his finger, "You are still a Black Wolf, do not forget that." He unhooked the chain attached to my collar, "Have faith in the gift given by the Moon Goddess."

Okay.

Great.

I'm so dead.