Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

The cheers and the chants of the crowd carried on for far longer than they should have. Even with the teachers shouting over the noise, demanding order, the voices of the students rang out in excitement, awe, and fear. It was a kind of hysteria that fed on itself, every shout and cry growing louder until it became a deafening roar in the arena. Cain remained where he was on the blood-soaked stage, his boots sticky with what was left of Abel. His violet eyes dimmed, no longer glowing, but the memory of them was burned into every onlooker's mind.

The teachers worked relentlessly, waving their arms, their voices raised in commands that carried across the stone arena. Slowly, the sound began to fade, one cheer dying after another until silence finally fell once more. The crowd, though hushed, was restless. The air was still electric, heavy with fear and fascination. Cain could feel their eyes on him, hundreds of them, waiting to see what he would do next.

Then came the sound that shattered the fragile quiet.

A slow, deliberate clap.

The noise was sharp, echoing through the space in mockery of everything that had just transpired. The sound carried a weight to it, each strike of palm against palm seeming louder than the last. Cain's eyes narrowed, his head turning toward the source. His heart sank into ice as recognition struck him.

There, striding down the steps of the stands with the confidence of a man who believed himself untouchable, was Paigos. His brother. The fifth prince.

Cain's expression darkened at once, his lips pulling into a thin frown. If there was anyone in the world Cain despised more than Abel, it was the man now walking toward him with that insufferable, false smile. Paigos' dark hair was slicked back, his uniform spotless, his tall form radiating arrogance. He carried himself like a predator who had already chosen his prey, and Cain knew from experience that his brother's eyes always saw him as the weakest thing in the room.

The slow clap continued until Paigos reached the foot of the stage. He spread his arms as if to embrace Cain, his smile growing wider, his teeth gleaming in the torchlight.

"My dear brother," Paigos said, his tone dripping with sickly sweet amusement. "I knew you could do it. I always believed you had strength hidden somewhere in that fragile body of yours. To think you would prove it like this, ripping Abel's heart out in front of everyone. Truly spectacular."

Cain said nothing. He did not need to. He could see the truth in his brother's eyes. Paigos was not impressed. He never was. Every word he spoke was laced with ridicule. That same ridicule Cain had been forced to endure since childhood, each insult, each cruel beating, each humiliation. More than any of his brothers, Paigos had delighted in Cain's suffering. The most numerous scars Cain carried in his heart were gifts from this very man.

Even now, standing before him, Cain could see that same gleam. The mockery had not changed.

Paigos continued his slow approach, his boots clicking against the stone floor of the arena. He was in no hurry, his presence enough to draw every eye back to the stage. His reputation preceded him, after all. A lustful brute with a monstrous temper, a man who cared for nothing but his own pleasure. His sins were whispered throughout the palace, his cruelty known by all. Yet no one dared to confront him, for Paigos was undeniably strong.

Cain's eyes narrowed further as he took in the details that marked his brother's strength. Herculean Strength. High Speed Regeneration. Two innate skills that made Paigos a monster among students their age. He could break bones with ease and heal from wounds that would cripple another man. It was no wonder he carried himself with such arrogance.

But Cain's attention soon shifted. Behind Paigos, trailing a few steps behind him with her head bowed, was Julia.

Cain's expression grew colder still, frost creeping across his features. Her once bright eyes were dulled by fear, her shoulders trembling as she followed Paigos like a chained dog. The sight stirred something deep within Cain, a loathing that cut even deeper than his hatred of Abel. Julia, who had once been his friend. Julia, who had betrayed him just as cruelly as Abel had. She was still breathing, still living, and now hiding behind the man Cain despised most.

"What do you want," Cain asked, his voice flat, his tone devoid of any warmth.

Paigos tilted his head, feigning surprise at the question. His gaze flickered briefly, just briefly, toward Jayden who stood off to the side. The wolf girl's sharp eyes caught the glance, her tail swishing behind her as her nose twitched. Cain's body reacted instantly. His murderous intent surged, thick and suffocating, rolling off him in waves that made the crowd shiver and draw back in fear. The air grew colder, heavier, as if death itself had taken notice.

Paigos, however, did not flinch. He chuckled, his smile never faltering as he looked back at Cain.

"Two reasons," he said smoothly. "First, to warn you. Julia is my woman now. You will not touch her. She belongs to me."

Cain's eyes cut toward Julia. She flinched under his gaze, unable to meet it. His disgust grew. He knew of Julia's affection for the third prince, knew where her heart once belonged, but now… now she had sold herself to Paigos. She had chosen to cling to the strongest brute she could find for protection, debasing herself to survive.

"Second," Paigos continued, spreading his arms wide as if making a generous offer. "I am here to invite you into my faction. Together, we will vie for the throne. With your strength and my leadership, victory is certain. Imagine it, Cain. The throne within our grasp."

Cain's stomach churned. Paigos as king would mean ruin for the kingdom. The brute would become a tyrant, a despot who would crush everything underfoot in pursuit of his own desires. Cain could not imagine a worse fate for their people.

Jayden's ears twitched. She caught the glint in Paigos' eyes, the lust that burned there, and frowned. Leaning closer to Cain, her voice dropped to a whisper. "Who is that woman behind him?"

Cain raised his voice so that all could hear. "Are you asking me to forgive her?" he said, pointing toward Julia. His tone cut like a blade, slicing through the silence that had settled once more over the arena. "This woman who tried to kill me alongside Abel, whose corpse still lies at my feet?"

Gasps rippled through the crowd. All eyes turned to Julia, who froze in place.

Paigos did not waver. His smile remained fixed. "She was forced," he said with a shrug. "If she had not gone along with Abel's plan, she would have died as well. You know this."

Cain's lips twisted into a cruel scoff. His voice dripped with venom as he asked, "So her sleeping with Abel was forced as well?"

The words struck like a hammer. Paigos' smile faltered. His eyes darted toward Julia. She panicked, averting her gaze, her trembling growing worse. The truth was plain for all to see.

The crowd whispered among themselves, scandal and disgust spreading like wildfire. Paigos' mood soured visibly. His smile was gone, his jaw tight, his face clouded with anger. The woman he had craved, the one he had taken as a prize, was now nothing more than tainted goods in his eyes. The realization tore at his pride, his possessiveness.

Still, he forced the mask back onto his face, lifting his chin with arrogance. "Yes," he said, though the words were sharp and bitter. "If you had not dealt with that animal, I would have done it myself."

The lie was transparent, his shame obvious to anyone who looked closely.

Then Jayden sniffed the air. Her golden eyes gleamed with amusement as her nose wrinkled. She tilted her head, speaking just loud enough for all to hear.

"Does anyone else smell that?" she asked.

Paigos turned toward her, his smile returning as his eyes raked over her form. The beauty of the wolf girl was not lost on him, and his gaze lingered far too long. "Smell what?" he asked, his voice laced with hunger.

Jayden grinned, her sharp teeth flashing as her tail flicked behind her.

"The bullshit," she said.

Paigos froze, his eyes narrowing as the words hit him. His jaw tightened, his face twitching with rage and disbelief. The crowd, sensing the sudden shift in tension, fell into a hush even heavier than before. Even the teachers paused, unsure whether to intervene or simply watch the storm unfold.

Paigos' eyes darted around, searching for a reaction from the crowd. The students stared back, wide-eyed, their whispers caught in their throats. They had all sensed the weight behind Jayden's words. The confidence, the calm certainty of Cain, the wolf girl standing beside him, radiated a power that even Paigos could not ignore.