“You did it, Cecelia!” I exclaim proudly as I spin her around excitedly. “You were amazing!”
As I set her down and grab her shoulders to hold her at arm’s length to stare at her face appreciatively, our eyes meet, and I have the sudden urge to kiss her.
She stares at me expectantly, her honey-golden eyes twinkling with wonder that makes her appear starstruck. Her gaze pulls me in, and I'm just about to forget that we're in the company of other contenders when Santo cheers out my name.
As a chorus follows to congratulate me on my win, Cecelia and I awkwardly break apart, and I cough into a fist to clear my throat just as Santo comes running over.
“Yo, Dom!” Santo holds out a fist for me to bump. “That was awesome! None of us suspected those things were poisonous.”
“Yeah…” I shrug, throwing a nod at Cecelia. “I have my partner to thank for that.”
In return, Cecelia blushes as if her indifference suddenly fades, leading me to realize that not only is she smarter thanI thought, but she's also taking the trials seriously. Of course, she'd want me to win so I can clear her father’s name once I'm alpha, but there's a newfound determination to win now.
I shouldn't be feeling this way, and Simon comes strolling over to our table as if to remind me of this. His snide smirk as he scoffs at Cecelia before turning to me with daggers in his eyes is a brutal reminder that Cecelia and I could never be mated, not if I want to become alpha. She's at the bottom of the pack hierarchy, and no one will ever take me seriously as their leader.
Least of all Simon Barker, Alpha Sirius's son.
That's why he played a hand in me being partnered up with an underestimated omega who he thought would thwart my success in the trials. She's just proven everyone wrong, and Simon has noticed.
It's evident in the way he ridicules her with cold eyes, sizing her up from head to toe, igniting my fury from deep within. I have to remind myself to remain calm, even if my pulse is on fire and I want to punch him in the face.
“Well done, Dominic Rivera,” Simon jibes in a sarcastic tone as he claps his hands, raising his chin as he scowls at me. “The underdog rises once again.”
I step in front of Cecelia and stand face to face with Simon, squaring my eyes at him but clinging to my composure when I say, “Thanks, Simon. I guess you should never underestimate your opponents.”
“I don't underestimate you, Dominic. I underestimated her,” he says as he throws a nod toward Cecelia behind me. “What did you do, huh? Tame her?”
A growl forms in the center of my chest, but I gulp to keep it down. “It's like you said, the underdog rises. Why are you surprised?”
Simon scoffs as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I should warn you, though. The last two trials are the real surprises. None of us knows what will happen, so perhaps your partner will be of no use to you.”
“Why don't you let me worry about that, Simon?” I retort calmly, not wanting him to suspect that I have any trepidations or concerns about my partner's capabilities. Simon thought he'd thwart my chances, only for Cecelia to prove him wrong.
She's proven me wrong, too, and I won't let the alpha’s son dampen our high spirits. The words still echo sometimes—the cruel words I once spoke about her. But now I’m not haunted by those words, but rather, they’re the driving force for me to stand up against Simon this time, instead of remaining silent.
“Perhaps it'syouwho needs taming,” I sneer as I turn to Cecelia. “Come on, Cecelia. I'd like to go back to the cabin. We can celebrate this victory with all theediblefood we prepared.”
Cecelia nods, and I turn to the table to start packing some of our meals to take back to the cabin, giving Simon my most charming, unfazed smile. “Please, help yourself. You look famished.”
With a bitter scoff in response to my friendly offer, Simon turns and marches back to his partner, Amber. Alex and his partner are recovering at their table after drinking the potion the elder passed them—probably an antidote to the poisonous mushrooms—while the other participants help themselves to the meals Cecelia and I prepared.
When Cecelia is done packing what she needs, I nod gently at her to signal that we should retreat to the cabin for theevening. It appears there's still a lot of bitter animosity between the others and Cecelia, and it's the only reason I could never take her as my mate.
I mean, what would they think of me if I claimed her as my mate when I won the trials? I'm still caught between a rock and a hard place, but all I can do is focus on the trials and win, and stick to my end of the deal with Cecelia.
Once the trials are completed, she'll be free to do as she pleases. I will release her then, but it won't hurt to keep her close during the trials to satisfy my inner wolf's aching need to be around her.
I can enjoy her company for now, like the private dinner in our cabin, where she seems to warm up to me despite her reservations and indifference after what happened last night. It's another hatchet buried in the past, and now we have the final leg of the trials to look forward to, even if the tests will come as a surprise.
Chapter 13 - Cecelia
To my relief, yesterday was uneventful, since the council had given the competitors the day off to rest after three back-to-back days of tests. Truthfully, I needed the respite, especially a full twenty-four hours without having to be anywhere near Dominic.
I'd stuck to the bedroom, pretending to be sound asleep whenever Dominic came by to knock on the door to ask if I wanted to join him for a meal. The last meal we shared was the one we prepared at the test, which Dominic deemed our “winning meal.”
I found myself slipping that night when he couldn't stop praising me for my excellent work, and as soon as I retreated to the bedroom for the night, I reminded myself that I had to rebuild my walls.
So, I've spent two nights alone in the bedroom, wallowing in the thoughts of my overthinking mind. Dominic returned to the couch, and I still don't have the courage to leave the bedroom.
