JEOPARDY: The Cursed Soldier.

2. The duel.

Kayla reminded herself that she had fought all of the zetas and epsilons in the dungeon and won every single time. She had dueled against her father more times than she could count and done a decent job even though she had never won.

She could beat this Viktor mountain of an epsilon fair and square without exposing her secret. Or so she hoped.

Since she had no choice, she blanked her face and faced her opponent.

Snickers filled the dry and hot air as the spectators compared her stature to that of her opponent. She was quite tall for a girl, but Viktor was a giant in every sense of the word. With his dark dreadlocks and eyes that were already blazing steel-blue, the color of an experienced epsilon. It was another David and Goliath scenario minus the sling.

Kayla stayed unmoved even as Sienna's lips quirked again and she commanded the fight to commence.

At her word, Viktor glared his fangs at her, growled, and then charged at her. Finally, Kayla smiled. He was falling into her trap. Maintaining her stance until he was just a second from her, she quickly ducked and slid through the space between his legs, but not without placing deep slashes at each of his knees with her claws.

Viktor growled in pain, having not expected such a maneuver. But before he turned his glare at her, she had already jumped so that she successfully landed a mighty kick on his face.

Landing on a bent knee, she didn't let him process the hit, but relished in the furious roar he unleashed and let it propel her next move.

While Viktor was half-shifted -- his wolf hair sticking out, claws elongated, teeth sharpened, and face more beast than human -- Kayla aimed a well-placed and powered punch between his legs. The unexpecting man howled, weakening his stance, which allowed Kayla to sink her own claws into his knees and drag him down.

The moment Viktor's knees reached the ground, Kayla fluidly jumped and wrapped her legs around his throat, strangling him. She placed both her thumbs over his eyes. And pressed. Hard. Viktor howled and roared as Kayla tightened her legs and pressed harder.

Victor started flinging his arms above his head, hoping to disentangle her from his head, but to no avail. Kayla pressed on until Viktor started releasing strangled growls, and then finally, gagged sounds.

He struggled harder for several seconds, until finally, he went completely immobile beneath her, his whole body going limp and falling to the ground.

Kayla didn't let go but pressed on his eyes harder until her claws pierced into his sockets. Blood and other fluids spilling from them. Kayla fought a grimace and the threatening nausea as she waited until his heart beats slowed and evened out.

Wiping her bloody hands on her dark pants, she bowed her head before Alpha Sienna.

"53 seconds, Kayla is the winner of this duel." Her father announced, joining her before the Alpha.

"Kayla," Alpha Sienna started as if tasting her name on her tongue. Kayla raised her eyes to her Alpha's, and she found her Alpha's face drawn in a frown.

"Yes, Alpha?"

Alpha Sienna responded with a sly smile. "Recite Code number 14 for us."

Swallowing while running the pack's codes through her head as quickly as possible, she started reciting the mentioned principle.

"Lunarheart pack's code 14. A duel of honor. If an epsilon's honor or skill is called to question, the offended epsilon can challenge the offender to a duel. If the offender is not of comparable skill, he can choose a proxy to fight on his behalf. Then the two, the offended and the offender/offender's proxy, will fight in a duel to the death. With the victory awarded to the one who walks out alive."