System Glitch: My Mate from “Love” to “Hate” Chapter 06

System Glitch: My Mate from “Love” to “Hate” Chapter 06 Claim Him in the Arena

Caspian brought me to the underground Arena I’d forbidden him from visiting–the secret dueling grounds for young pack males, thick with unbridled alpha

pheromones and the metallic stench of combat. Every soul wandering here was a rebellious alpha wolf scarred from countless fights.

The crowd of wolves jeering around the fighting ring froze the second Caspian stepped through the door, and the venue went quiet in patches.

A few seconds later, mocking laughter burst out all around.

“Look at that outfit… You switched up your style?

“Too gentle and refined. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Caspian’s face remained blank as he tugged loose his waist sash and unbuttoned the top two fastenings of his tunic, exposing his sharp collarbones.

His carefully crafted gentle, scholarly veneer crumbled completely. The wild, arrogant, suffocating dominance of an alpha washed over the whole room in an

instant.

He jerked his chin toward a corner seat, “Sit there.”

I dared not disobey and settled down, my eyes fixed firmly on him.

Caspian spared me no further glance. He vaulted onto the blood–stained fighting ring, arched his spine, and his bones cracked loudly. Silvery fur burst through his clothes to cover his body entirely.

A towering, sleek giant wolf materialized, cold pale silver streaks marking his shoulders and back, his bushy tail stiffly slamming against the wooden floor.

Before anyone could react, a burly adult grey alpha who’d taunted him let out a furious howl and shifted fully–a thick, stocky dark grey male wolf with bared fangs lunging straight for Caspian.

The silver wolf did not dodge. His limb muscles bulged sharply, and he charged forward like a hunting gale. One paw swatted the opposing wolf’s claws aside; their shoulder bones crashed together hard, sending the grey wolf stumbling backward. Fangs snapped toward its throat, every pounce, tackle, and neck lock delivered without the slightest mercy.

When the grey wolf collapsed to the ground, the once–boisterous Arena fell utterly silent. All wolves held their breath, no one daring to make a sound.

Several bold she–wolves stepped forward to try to flirt and curry favor with him.

“It’s been so long since you’ve been to the Arena, Alpha. Why’ve you been hiding from us lately?” A curly–furred she–wolf boldly laid a hand on his shoulder, her tone suggestive, “Is someone keeping you on a tight leash?”

I sat in the corner, my gaze locked on that hand, my chest constricting sharply.

A pop–up emergency alert flashed in my mind from the System: [Host, stay calm! This is an extreme test from him! If you show jealousy and stand up for him, it proves you care deeply about him. If you remain indifferent, this massive misunderstanding will never be fixed, and the mission will be marked as an immediate failure!]

I drew a deep breath, shot to my feet, and strode quickly onto the ring.

“Take your hand off him.”

My voice was quiet yet crystal clear in the silent Arena, firm and unarguable.

The curly–furred she–wolf froze, then looked me up and down, scorn glinting in her eyes as she scoffed, “So this is the little girl who keeps our Alpha chained down?”

Caspian, who’d watched the whole exchange with cold detachment, suddenly relaxed his fighting stance and leaned lazily against the ring rail, watching me with an amused yet icy hatt smirk, his gaze teasing and frigid all at once.

He acted like a spectator, quietly observing me as if watching a one–woman play.

The surrounding wolves started jeering again, all eyes fixed on me to watch the drama unfold.

Ignoring the noise all around, I stepped forward, roughly shoved the she–wolf aside, and planted myself firmly in front of Caspian, shielding him completely.

“He has a partner. Have some decency.” My eyes stung red, my tone sharp with anger and anxiety.

The shove sent her stumbling, and she flew into a rage. “What did you just say?”

Caspian rolled a wolf–scented cigarette between his fingertips, slipped it between his lips slowly, but made no move to light it, still watching coldly and letting the conflict escalate.

I reached out abruptly, snatched the cigarette from his mouth, hurled it onto the ring planks, and ground it hard under my boot.

Before he could react, I grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him down sharply toward me.

Caspian stiffened, forced to bend forward.

I stood on my tiptoes and sank my teeth hard into his lips without hesitation.

It was not a kiss–it was a bite.

It carried a year’s worth of suppressed grievance, terror of mission failure and permanent death, and rage at this fool’s ridiculous misunderstanding.

A faint metallic tang of blood spread across our tongues instantly.

The vast underground Arena fell dead silent.

Even the System inside my head forgot to send out frantic warnings or alarms.

A few seconds later, I pulled away, gasping softly, glaring at him with tear–blurred eyes, my throat raw as I shouted hoarsely, “Caspian, are you an idiot? A complete fool?

“I forced you to dye your hair black and study hard, not because I favored someone else! I just wanted you to graduate smoothly and take your place as Alpha of the pack sooner!

“I banned you from the Arena because I feared stronger alphas would hurt you!

“I made you button up your uniform neatly because… your collarbones are too striking, and I didn’t want any she–wolves staring at you!”

My throat ached from shouting, a year’s pent–up emotions exploding as hot tears streamed down my face, “And as for Simon! Why are you so unreasonably jealous over nothing?!

“He’s the son of my mother’s friend, and he has no interest in she–wolves at all! He came back this time specifically to bring his male partner home with him!”