Chapter 30: Temperature Rising

Bradley

I cannot believe this!

My opponent in tonight's challenge came at me, swinging his dagger close to my neck, while the referee did nothing to punish him for violating the rules. I pricked his underarm defensively, and now I am on probation.

How is that fair?

I did what the challenge called for, nothing more, nothing less.

I did not exact some vendetta against a guy I barely saw on social circles this past week but never talked to. I did strictly what was required of me, I swear! I don't understand how I could have been flagged for excessive force! What excessive force?

It's not like I severed that man's arm! I only did what was required of me.

I'm as mad as hell, I am not going to lie. I heard what the soldier whispered to me — not to make the broadcast — but it left me livid. I didn't act maliciously toward my opponent, but if someone comes at you swinging a dagger near your neck, what are you supposed to do?

Ask him nicely to stop? Is that against the rules?

If I had tried to play the victim, I would have lost the match, and no one would rescue me from being eliminated from the tournament. I refuse to lose until I meet my mate. Period. Now, I must wait until a committee rewatches my match to determine if there was indeed excessive use of force in my counterattack.

Bullshit! Colin's strike was way more violent than mine, and he only got a glare out of it.

Not to say that I think he used excessive force. I practiced with nunchaku, and I know that it hurts like hell when you get hit by it, especially in how Colin played it. He was savage with that thing, unlike I had ever seen before.

Be that as it may, he didn't use excessive force, and neither did I.

I returned to my dorm room, where Colin and Uncle Damian were expecting me to congratulate me on the victory. But as soon as I entered the room, they noticed something was off. I told them about it right away.

"What?! That's horseshit!" Uncle Damian was furious about it.

"Agreed!" I plopped down on my bed, exhausted from having stood there for more than an hour before my match. I pity the guys who were left waiting for their matches to begin. They should have provided some chairs for the contestants to wait for their matches.

"Oh, my Goddess! What now?" Colin was gobsmacked to hear this news, staring at me with his mouth agape.

"I have to wait for a military panel to examine my match tomorrow. Depending on the result, criminal charges could be filed against me," I replied, annoyed to even say these words. Criminal charges? Against me?

I am so beyond irritated at this bogus claim that I exceeded my role, especially considering what my opponent was doing against me. He nearly slashed my throat! How did that soldier miss that? I cannot believe I could be disqualified from the tournament!

Uncle Damian assured me that if any criminal charges were filed against me, he would vigorously defend me in a court of law. He looked distraught at the possibility, but mainly because he would lose his footing in the tournament. As usual, he is more concerned for himself than me, but I have come to expect that from him.

Be that as it may, I know he would defend me in court. I am not worried about that.

What troubles me is that I shouldn't have to face criminal charges in the first place. I did nothing wrong. Colin tried to be supportive by saying they wouldn't find anything wrong with my match because he watched it and found nothing wrong with the way I acted.

I do appreciate his support, but I am generally very annoyed at the injustice of it all.

I am all for a fair game, losing a battle fair and square, but this was not it. I did not lose, nor did I play it unfairly. I may be many things, but I am a good boy when it comes to obeying rules. I was raised with a clear conscience of fair play.

After Uncle Damian had left our room to go back to his hotel, I took a long shower. I wasn't in the mood to watch the rest of the competition like Colin was doing. I just wanted to forget the whole thing if I could. Of course, I cannot get it out of my mind.

I had trouble sleeping because my mind kept replaying my every move, worried about whether there was any truth to that soldier's claim. Try as I may, I couldn't find any. I collapsed eventually when my mind was too tired and my body was too weak.

The next morning, I devoured my breakfast with a warrior's hunger. As my fellow contestants passed me by in the cafeteria, I could sense their odd looks toward me. I am sure they must have heard that I was on probation, and now they smell blood in the water.

Vultures. Where was the support I had the other night?

Some of them told me in passing that what happened to me was bullshit and that I was innocent. It was nice to hear that not all guys need to be assholes about it. I know we are all competitors, but we don't need to be arrogant towards one another. Leave that to the royals and nobles.

Later that morning, I had nothing but time on my hands, so I went down to the wellness center to exercise for the next match, in case I don't get thrown in jail. This time, there were a few dozen contestants already there, doing the same.

I noticed that the entrance to the indoor pool was open, so I imagined Prince Elton was inside with his friend once again. It's so annoying that he gets to use the heated pool, and we don't. I love to swim, but in Utah, it is cold for most of the year.

I pumped some iron, used the machines, and did anything I could think of to distract my mind from my impending doom. Colin went downtown to do some shopping, so he is not here with me. But that boy does not need to use the gym as far as I am concerned.

He may be skinny for an Alpha, but he is a legend in Kung Fu. Not all Alphas are the same shape. We come in every color and body type, there is not one single way of being an Alpha.

Around eleven a.m., I wanted to use the sauna before I had to break for lunch. I did not get to use it the last time, and today could be my last day at Château Blanc.

I found a towel in a dispensary outside, took off my clothes, and turned on the thermostat.

I had never been to a steam room before; I only ever saw it in films, but I liked being alone in there. I could breathe in the thick air, let the hot moisture permeate my body, and relax in the hot temperature. I realize now that rich people have the best...

I could get used to this if ever I were to be King. I read in an article once that the King even has a massage therapist at his disposal. A legitimate massage therapist, not a hooker disguised as a massage therapist to escape the law. Chuckle.

I was minding my own business, sitting on my towel, when Elton entered the place all of a sudden. I was so surprised, for some reason, that the first thing I did was to cover my junk with the towel. I did not want to be accused of being inappropriate with a prince, though this is a sauna.

Elton laughed at my poor attempt to cover myself up, took off his towel, and put it on the bench next to me. He was fully naked, which made me turn my gaze away from his body. I was blushing like a teenager, and he was rather amused by that.

"Aren't you ashamed of being naked next to me?" I asked him, still blushing.

"Do you see anything on my body that I should be ashamed of?" He shot back, as confident as ever. His eyes were closed because of the thick fog inside the sauna. I could barely see an inch in front of me, but I allowed myself to pause my gaze on his body next to mine.

He looked fantastic, as a matter of fact, a fine Alpha specimen. Nothing is out of place, everything is where it was supposed to be. I examined his ripped torso, exquisite muscled arms, and the v-line below his belly button. He is so perfectly attractive that it seems that he was created in a laboratory.

I did not want to stare at his junk for long, but there was nothing wrong with that either. *blush*

His muscled legs were perfectly shaped. I almost lost myself as I examined every nook and cranny with the permission he had given me. Or so I thought...

"Take a picture! It'll last longer!" He joked, catching my eyes fixated on his body. I was embarrassed to be caught like that. Though not as embarrassed by my body responding to this particular view.

"Oh, my Goddess! I'm so sorry!" I blushed deeply, turning my body to the side, away from him, as I tried to conceal my erection. I have never felt so embarrassed before in my life - and that is counting when I had to be nude in front of five thousand men.

"It's fine, Bradley. You should know that I attended an all-male boarding school, so I am used to being comfortable in the presence of other boys, clothed or not. I've seen my fair share of them reacting the way you just did. I am not going to call you a pervert, you can relax." He put me at ease while I was feeling deeply embarrassed. I am not even into men, I don't know why his body would make me hard like this.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I promise you that I'm not a pervert. Far from it." I defended myself, feeling uneasy.

"It's only the human body. There are worse things in life." He barely batted an eye to my discomfort, honestly. He did not react to my 'situation' as badly as I thought a boy in his position would have.

The air was too dense for me to breathe, so I walked out of the steam room and entered the locker room to take a shower. Lo and behold, His Royal Highness had the same idea as me. I don't know why, but the thought of taking a shower next to him was so mind-blowing to me. Like he wasn't just one of the boys.

I did not want to look at his body anymore, but I felt like he was daring me to. I have a feeling that Elton is an exhibitionist on some level. Maybe if I looked like him, I'd be one too. Who knows?

All I know is that I have my eyes full right now, and he doesn't seem to mind at all.

Oh, my Goddess! He is so freaking hot! I feel my temperature rising to a fever pitch.

A|N: I am sweating buckets in this hot Summer in Brazil, so that may have played a factor in today's chapter. It's so hot in here!

But now let us see about a judgment call.

OFF: By far, my favorite picture of Brad. Holy Mother of God! *hot*

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Love,

Léo.