Chapter 5 Long Live Queen Freya

He tried to block my blow with his forearm, but I was faster and far more determined to save myself from his nefarious intentions for my body.

The crowd watching had gone wild. It had been a long time since someone had challenged the king. More important though, a woman had never been the one to do iI, I was one of a kind.

The knife glanced off the side of his arm, slashing deep enough so that the warm spray of his blood splashed against my naked body. It was decadently satisfying, but I didn't allow myself to be distracted even for a second.

He tried to grasp at my legs to topple me on my back on the table, but my thighs were slick with his blood. I kicked him hard in the stomach with the flat of my heel, forcing him back several steps.

His answering growl was ruthlessly feral, and I returned the sound with just as much aggressiveness. His eyes narrowed in my direction. He was seething with his fury now and I grinned, looking forward to what was ultimately going to follow.

"You don't want to challenge me, Freya," he said with a snarl. "I think I do," I answered.

"You can't win," he scoffed.

"Are you backing down from a challenge, my king?" I asked, making sure that my voice was loud and clear enough for the entire crowd to hear. We were a warrior tribe.

When one person confronted another with a fight, it was dishonorable to back down. It was seen as a form of retreat. For a king to back down from a challenge was an especially polarizing choice, because it would make him appear weak and unfit to rule.

He stared at me, his rage even more clear now. This wouldn't be a fight that ended with one or the other calling for mercy. This would be a fight to the death. I was sure of it. Behind me, someone shoved the wooden table out of the way for us.

The Great Hall went quiet. Every single pair of eyes was trained on the two of us. Me, completely naked, he with his dick barely contained in his loosely buttoned pants. It would be a showdown that would be talked about for ages and I had no desire to lose to him.

I wasn't going to die today nor was I going to be forced to take his cock. We circled each other in the newly cleared space. I clutched at the knife in my hand and he reached for one that had fallen to the floor near him. When he stood back up, he sneered at me, his fury just as strong as mine.

"You should have just chosen an omega," I said with a scowl. "I will have you, Freya. Before the night is through, I'll be fucking that defiant alpha pussy until it's flowing with slick and full of my seed," he retorted.

I snarled with my fury and rushed toward him. I swung my fist around, my knuckles just glancing off his cheek, and quickly pivoted to thrust my knife at his throat.

He spun just out of my reach and I hurtled forward, pinning him against the wall behind him. He twisted hard, grabbing at my arm and throwing me against the wall too. I screamed as a flash of pain raced down my spine, but I was used to the ache of battle.

I shook it off as I rolled into a feint in one direction while quickly transferring my weight from one foot to the other to come at him when he least expected it. I didn't stop pushing him, again and again until the two of us were flushed with adrenaline.

I could feel the sweat dripping down my spine, and I used the back of my hand to swipe a few droplets from my eyes, but I didn't slow down or back down, not even for a second. Vageir took a step back, trying to analyze my movements and fighting style, but I didn't give him the time.

Instead, I threw myself toward him, moving as swiftly as I could. I dipped low and burst up toward him, catching him off guard by my recklessly wild approach. I slammed my shoulder into him and threw him to the side, making him lose his balance and stumble to the ground.

With a vicious snarl, I threw myself on top of him and slashed at him with the knife, catching his arm again as he moved to block me. I felt more of his blood paint my skin and I shrieked at my success.

Quickly though, I tossed the knife into my other hand. I moved so fast that he couldn't keep up, and I caught him off guard when I brought my elbow down hard enough on his arm that I heard it crack.

He growled through his pain, but I didn't care. My alpha wasn't going to back down. My alpha was ready for a fight to the death. Using my other hand, I twirled the knife in my palm and brought it down hard. I blocked his defensive maneuver with my other arm and attacked with everything I had.

When the knife slid into the side of his skull, he stared at me with a blank surprise. I used enough force that the blade sank into the hilt. At once, Vageir's eyes glazed over and the king who once reigned over the kingdom of Valgertha was no more.

For several seconds, I just stared at those dead eyes. No longer were they full of rage at being denied what he wanted. Now there was nothing. I won. I wasn't going to be forced to take anything tonight. When I was ready, I stood up and gazed out at the crowd.

I could feel the king's blood drying on my naked form, stark against the paleness of my skin. I took a deep breath and peered out at the people I'd fought with all my life. I'd taken down their king.

By rights, I was now their queen. I met Bjorn's eyes, the one man who had trained me to fight this way, a man who had been by my side ever since I'd first picked up a sword and shield. Bjorn was like a brother to me. He was a strong fighter.

Although he was a beta, he had the build of alpha and he fought like one. Many of the men and women looked up to him and when he rose to his feet and raised his tankard in a show of respect, the rest followed.

"Long live Queen Freya!" he shouted. The rest of the crowd followed suit until the entire hall echoed with their howls of animalistic excitement at this unexpected turn of events.

This morning they had fought side by side with their king. Tomorrow, they'd be fighting with me, not as another warrior, but as their queen.