The Crown's Entrapment

At the Midnight Pack

Calypso woke just like on any other day. Doing a bit of stretching, he prepared himself for the day ahead. After all, today was the day where he was going to fight his way through the so-called best of what the Midnight Pack had to offer for the right to call himself their new Alpha.

'As if anybody could even stand against me,' he inwardly scoffed.

He was more than prepared for the event too. He didn't think that any of the officers that were about to challenge him could put up a fight, but that didn't mean that he was going to take it easy. No… Instead, he was going to make sure that he would win in a manner that would show just how rightful he was to be the Midnight Pack's new Alpha.

Well, that, and this was yet another opportunity for him to impress Aurelia.

[Do you really think that she would appreciate a spectacle such as this though?] Axel genuinely questioned.

[Well, she should, seeing as she's coming with the Queen to watch it all play out,] Calypso remarked. [And since she'll be here, that means she must appreciate a bit of fighting in her spare time.]

In truth, he didn't really know. Based on what he had seen from his mate, Aurelia didn't look like the type to appreciate violence. Sure, she was going to be there possibly to treat any and all injuries coming from the fighting itself, but for her to really like the art of combat? He was kind of unsure about that.

Then again, he really didn't like thinking like that. She was going to be there, so he'll do his best to impress her regardless.

Taking another stretch, Calypso cleaned himself up and donned his usual garments. From there, he made his way to the nearby arena within the Midnight Pack's territory, where he would fight for his right as an Alpha.

"Well then, he's finally here."

Calypso smiled as he turned to face the crowd waiting for his arrival. Sure enough, almost every notable member of the Midnight Pack was there to witness his supposed test to become their rightful Alpha. It was one of his future subjects that announced his arrival, and he could only let off a shrug as he turned towards the center of the arena. There, he saw Clara waiting for him along with the few officers that challenged him.

"Once more, the challenger for the title of the Midnight Pack's Alpha has stepped forth," Clara announced, her tone sounding more practiced and rehearsed than excited. "For today, there will be three who have decided to claim their supposed right to become the Alpha."

Calypso raised an eyebrow at his would-be challengers for today. From what he could recall, they were Seth, Rigor, and Badun, three officers that ranked far higher than those that he had once fought before that day.

[The competition's heating up then,] Axel scoffed.

[As if they even have a chance,] Calypso chuckled. [They're just wasting their time at this point.]

It was rather obvious that he was going to win to most people, he was sure. Even Clara looked like she was already preparing to announce him as the winner of today's battles. Well, while that was appreciated, perhaps being predictable today would be too boring.

'Especially since the Queen and Aurelia are watching right now,' he thoughtfully added as he glanced to where two of his high-profile audience members were seated. 'I wouldn't want them to waste their time coming here just to see the expected.'

Flexing his muscles, he made a gesture towards the three combatants hoping to dethrone him from his rightful position. Likewise, Clara took that as a sign that he was ready for battle and began to move away from the arena. The crowd seemed eager to see what was going to happen, and he couldn't help but smirk as he saw the first of his opponents step up to him.

"The first one to challenge Lord Calypso will be Seth!"

Clara's voice echoed across the arena as the man in question gave him a cursory nod. Likewise, Calypso did the same, a customary sign of respect for those that wished to battle.

"You're her second-in-command, right?" Calypso asked as he settled himself into a fighting stance.

"That is correct," Seth replied, mirroring his movements. "I still don't think you deserve the position of Alpha, but I will concede if you prove yourself any better."

"Don't mind if I do then," Calypso smiled. "Just make sure to put up a fight, alright?"

"And begin!"

At Clara's signal, the two combatants rushed at each other's throats with all that they could bear. Well, in Calypso's case, he made sure to put a bit of flair into his attacks to at least make things a bit more interesting for his audience.

"Let's spice things up, shall we?" Calypso taunted as he spun on his heels and delivered a roundhouse kick to Seth.

"I should be the one saying that," Seth scoffed, having already raised his arms to block the kick. "Don't underestimate me."

As if to prove his point, Seth spun Calypso by the heel, forcing him to shift his body weight and spin along with him to make sure he wouldn't hit the ground with his face.

'Clever,' Calypso approvingly smirked.

Still, he wasn't one to take things lying down. Using the momentum given to him by his opponent, Calypso readied another kick to Seth's face using his other leg. The blow connected, and the force of the attack forced Seth to let go of his ankle.

The crowd roared at the spectacle, and Calypso found himself sneaking a glance at his mate. Sure enough, Aurelia was watching passively from the sidelines, clearly unimpressed so far even with his move.

[You might have to get even flashier,] Axel chuckled.

[I can do flashy. Don't worry,] Calypso scoffed.

With a soft smirk, Calypso lunged forward, using his newfound momentum to catch Seth off-guard and sweep his leg from underneath him with a sliding kick. Then, using his arms, he pushed himself off the ground, spinning in the air to build up even more momentum before delivering a kick right on Seth's back.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, his opponent managed to roll away from his attack just in time before his kick connected.

The ground practically exploded in dirt as his foot crashed against the empty space. Not that Calypso really cared as he instead kept up the pace of his attacks to keep his momentum going. Using the missed attack as a springboard, he spun his other leg high up in the air to deliver yet another attack on Seth, this one connecting with a thud as his heel landed on the man's back.

The crowd roared at the connection, and Calypso never relented as he prepared to follow up his attack with a finishing blow. However, before he could do so, Seth had pushed himself off the ground, forcing Calypso to flip backward to avoid falling on his back and making himself open to attack.

From there, a flurry of blows were exchanged as Calypso found himself on equal footing with his opponent. With each punch that was thrown, another took place as they both deftly parried each other's blows. Then again, this was Calypso trying to make the fight look good for the spectators, and it would seem that his efforts were paying off as each narrow miss or connection made the crowd go wild with excitement.

Still…

"I think it's time we wrapped this up, don't you think?" Calypso smirked even as his fists kept flying against Seth's. "We've wasted enough time on this game we're playing."

Before his opponent could even react, Calypso delivered a devastating punch right on Seth's chest. This was faster than the other blows he had given, its sudden increase in speed catching his opponent off-guard and allowing it to slip through his defenses.

A short silence smothered the arena as Seth went down like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Still, he had been a great opponent, and Calypso even offered him a hand as he stood over him.

"Do you yield?"

Seth frowned before letting out a sigh as he took Calypso's hand. "I… I yield…"

And with those two words, the crowd erupted in cheers as they watched Calypso help his former opponent up. Of course, while Calypso himself liked the attention, his sole attention was on Aurelia herself, who seemed to only be giving him a cursory round of applause with a raised eyebrow.

[And I guess that's the best we're going to get from her,] Calypso inwardly sighed.

[She's a tough woman to please,] Axel shrugged. [Still, for her to show that much is already an achievement.]

He couldn't help but chuckle at his wolf's words. Sure, that was a victory in and of itself, but he would at least like to get a bit more out of her beyond just her giving him a curious glance. Still, he had two more battles to go through. Perhaps he could use them to show off even more than he had done just now.