Bought by the Beast King (Katerina and hunter) novel Chapter 40

**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**

**Chapter 40**

**KAT**

The atmosphere was electric, a palpable energy crackling through the air as the hours slipped by. The bright lights flashed like stars in the night, and the crowd erupted in a cacophony of cheers and shouts from the stands. So much for the ‘select audience’ that Rivers had promised; it felt more like a raucous celebration than an exclusive event.

Standing behind the curtain at the top of the ramp, I dared to peek through the fabric, and my stomach plummeted. Was this some kind of twisted retribution for the humiliation I had endured at the gym, where Rivers had thrown fighter after fighter at me? I was nowhere near ready for this kind of spectacle. Knocking someone out on the mat in Mal’s gym was a far cry from stepping into a ring with hundreds of eyes trained on me.

Rivers was nothing if not vindictive. Petty, too. It was exactly the sort of behavior I should have anticipated from someone with an alpha complex.

“I’ve placed my bets on you tonight, so don’t disappoint me,” he said, his voice smooth and confident.

I didn’t bother to turn and face the man who had turned my life upside down with a mere flick of his wrist.

“You know this isn’t something I want, Mr. Rivers,” I replied, my voice steady but laced with tension.

“Nathan. Call me Nathan,” he insisted, a hint of annoyance creeping into his tone.

“This isn’t something I want, Mr. Rivers,” I repeated through clenched teeth, dismissing his request entirely. “And this entire event is unsanctioned and illegal. I could lose everything.”

He stepped closer, standing beside me, and pushed the curtain aside with a casual flick of his wrist, surveying the crowd with that infuriatingly smug smirk plastered on his face.

“Everyone here knows better than to record anything. It’s perfectly safe,” he assured me.

Safe? I hadn’t felt safe for a single moment since the day I met him.

“Think of it as the training your family denied you,” he added, his voice dripping with condescension.

That stung.

“I always thought it was strange,” he continued, “how they paraded you around, searching for a true mate, yet never equipped you with any tools to defend yourself.”

Resentment coiled tightly in my chest, a snake ready to strike. I hated that he knew my story, that he had the audacity to be right. But they were still my family; I loved them despite everything. I didn’t want to dwell on the unanswered questions that lingered like shadows in my mind.

“Stop it,” I snapped, my patience fraying at the edges. I was already teetering on the brink of my breaking point.

Mr. Rivers merely smirked, raising his palms in mock surrender. “Just stating facts. It’s your business, after all. I’m merely here to make a profit.”

Liar. Everything about this felt deeply personal, as if he was playing some twisted game with my life.

The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena, cutting through the tension like a knife, introducing the last match of the night—the main event. Loud metal music blared, and a mountain of a man strode up to the curtain with his team, a hood obscuring his face. A jagged scar marred his cheek, a testament to battles fought. Like everyone else who had fought before him, he was human.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Rivers had a penchant for treating those weaker than him as mere fodder for his amusement. Just like Dax, who had clearly worked hard to earn a spot with Rivers but had been discarded before he ever stepped into the spotlight.

The man didn’t acknowledge me, merely nodding at Mr. Rivers before bursting through the curtains.

“Nerol! Nerol!” the crowd screamed, their excitement palpable as he tore off his hood.

Women shrieked as if he were a rock star, and my stomach twisted in knots once more. He was larger than Dax, his body sculpted like a bodybuilder. Nero was intimidating from every angle, a force to be reckoned with.

Why me? Was Mr. Rivers truly trying to kill me? Or was I just a pawn in some sick game aimed at my family? I hadn’t allowed myself to question why a man like this would be on speaking terms with my brother.

Then it was my turn. The announcer introduced me as ‘Phantom,’ and when I glanced at Mr. Rivers, he shrugged, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Introducing you as Her Royal Highness Princess Katerina Lordswood was a mouthful.”

He was reveling in this chaos. I felt like I was unraveling, and yet that bastard was savoring every moment of my distress.

“Don’t embarrass me. You know what I do with embarrassments,” he whispered just before he shoved me through the curtain.

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