If it were up to that inner beast, I would have never rejected Cecelia. I would have—
“Morning,” comes Cecelia’s flat greeting, feet dragging on the wooden floorboards.
I turn with the pan in my hand, lifting it with a nod. “You’re just in time for breakfast. Have a seat.”
Cecelia frowns with groggy eyes, brushing her fingers through her tight curls as she walks to the table. “You know you don’t have to be nice to me,” she grumbles as she watches me slide the omelet onto her plate.
“Consider it a peace offering,” I reply as I head over to my seat. “Since we’re partners for the trials, we might as well be amicable about things.”
“It doesn’t change how I feel about all of this,” Cecelia mumbles as she lifts her fork and digs into her omelet, her eyes betraying what she just said.
As she takes her first bite, I can’t help but wonder what’s going through her mind. Last night, when she suggested something in return for helping me win the trials, I thought she’d end up demanding that I take her as my mate. Instead, she asked for her father’s name to be cleared, which isn’t surprising considering she’s been facing animosity as the omega in the pack whose father was labeled a traitor.
Does that mean she has no inclination toward me? It sure makes things less complicated, but it still stings my ego that she hates me so much that she was prepared to run away. A shiver passes through me as I stare at her, as if stemming from my inner wolf, who remains unwilling to accept that I had to reject Cecelia in the past.
It’s something I must remind myself of if I plan on making it through the trials without becoming distracted. Knowing Cecelia hates me brings with it a sense of ease that I don’t have to worry about her posing as an obstacle in the trials. She’s only agreeing to this so she can clear her father’s name.
“The trial begins today,” I murmur over a mouthful of my breakfast. “You won’t be required to do anything, since it’s a test of strength amongst the competitors for the title. Only the males will participate.”
Cecelia nods bluntly as she continues with her meal, her silence deafening and filled with the implication that she’s still buried deep in her thoughts. I can’t read her mind while she’s so closed off, and it’s not like she’s wearing her thoughts on her sleeve to be read through the mind link.
Grunting in frustration, I take the last bite of my breakfast before pushing off my chair with a force that breaks through the silence and prompts Cecelia to finally lift her eyes to mine.
“The others will be here for the first test soon. I’m heading out. The door will be unlocked if you’d like to come watch.”
All I get is a curt nod in response, Cecelia’s eyes remaining bleak as she returns to her meal. I shouldn’t be aggravated by her indifference, but it’s insufferable when I know her on an intimate level.
Shrugging to rid myself of those intrusive thoughts, I take a deep breath for composure, knowing the participants well enough to expect them to tease me about being the first candidate at the campsite. I don’t plan on telling them about my partner’s failed attempt to run away. For now, I just have to remain focused.
My future depends on it.
***
Santo throws me a wink as we stand in our positions behind the white chalk line that marks the starting point of the obstacle course. To test our speed and agility, we’re meant to race through the many obstacles in our human forms, and when we draw to the end of the balancing pole, we’re to shift into our wolf forms and search the nearby woods for suitable prey.
I’m anticipating the hunt at the end above everything else, having spent most of my energy between last night and this morning.
Hunting down Cecelia was one thing, but having to dodge the questions the others had was another. Everyone believes that my disadvantage led me to come out here earlier than expected, to acquaint myself with the obstacle course.
Santo might be my closest ally amongst the contenders in the trials, but that means he’s suspicious of me. He seems to think that I had ulterior motives with the omega that brought me here before anyone else.
That’s why he whistles suggestively when a newcomer enters the arena, their footsteps echoing through the tunneled corridor leading to the bleachers on the side. Goosebumps pebble my forearms as I suddenly become sensitive to the approaching presence that seems to beckon my eyes toward it, only to find Cecelia staring wide-eyed at me.
I didn’t think she’d come to watch today’s test, but seeing her find a seat on the first row of metal benches seems to fill me with a newfound sense of purpose, as if I didn’t have a good enough reason to want to prove myself today. She meets my eyes again, and I notice her gulping and reflecting the rising tensionI feel coursing through my veins. Her appearance on the field is bittersweet in the aftermath of her indifference toward me, but it feels like whiplash to be locking eyes with her now.
I’m confused and highly aware that she’s affecting my inner beast. I can only attribute the feeling to something I’ve been refusing to believe.
It can’t be.
I shrug off my suspicions and turn back to the starting line, focusing my attention on the elder who stands in front of the six participants.
“Participants…get set…” Elder Drake raises a hand, holding a white flag. I take a deep breath, my eyes narrowing on the field as I mentally calculate my moves.
I’m reminded about my black ops training before I was sent into the field, and discover the advantage I have the moment Elder Drake signals for us to go.
In a flash, I’m running over the hurdles that lead to the tunnel, diving in with both arms outstretched in front of me. A deep puddle of mud inside the dark tunnel is my next obstacle, but I navigate it with ease, using the strength of my ankles to keep my feet pinned down to move through the mud, climbing forward with my elbows.
Once I’m out, I don’t waste time checking how far the other contenders are, keeping my focus solely on my lane as I charge for the rock-climbing wall. Standing at least four meters above ground, I leap as high as I can to grab onto the rocks in the middle of the wall, gaining enough momentum to climb the rest of the way until I’m over the top.
