“The midyear practical is Capture the Flag, magical version.” The headmistress smiled, and again, the packs went wild. Nell and Fiona rolled out their necks, appearing seasoned, and even Nolan bounced on the tips of his toes.
I, however, stared into the air, stunned. How was I going to get anything done with Nolan on my team?
I don’t know why I assumed they would scramble the teams evenly.
The guards disappeared then, running off into the forest to hide the flags.
“It’s less about capturing the actual flags than it is about showcasing your skill while you defend your territory and seek out other teams’ flags,” said the headmistress.
Okay… I exhaled with a modicum of relief. So … even if our flag was taken, if I could show a little bit of good magic defending it, I shouldn’t be kicked out.
“Now, listen carefully.” Her voice dropped low in ominous warning. “The rules clearly state you cannot openly attack a fellow student without cause, but youcanandshoulddefend your territory, or life, byany means necessary.”
What the what?
Nolan peered at me with a grin, saliva glittering on his teeth.
“We’re on the same team,” I hissed.
Creep.
“This battle-like scenario separates the weak from the strong.” Her voice was hollow like maybe she didn’t believe that line. She took a breath and then said, “So be careful, and let’s have a clean game.”
The crowd went wild, roaring and howling and stamping their feet.
A chill rolled through the night air, and I hugged my arms around my waist.
Father once told me Alpha Academy separated the alpha from the second in line. Getting in was easy—that was a birthright—but getting through four years here was what made one ready to lead a pack of animal shifters through any situation.
Now I understood.
This was what he trained me for. Every sparring session, every run through the woods, throwing knives, pinning Ellie to the ground until she’d submit, it was all to prepare me for this.
“We’ve stripped your beds and rubbed your scent around your pack’s territory. You’ll have to use your nose to scent out the other packs’ borders. At the center of each territory is a flag, in plain sight—and ripe for the taking,” she bellowed.
I jumped on the balls of my feet to dispel the nervous energy I was feeling.
“If at any time you fear for your life, shoot your colored flare gun into the air. If you do this, you’ll forfeit and be out of the game.” She paused, and I leaned forward in anticipation of her next words. “If you forfeit, you’ll be expelled from the school as well. Banished. Never allowed to become the alpha of your clan.”
Uh … what?
A guard walked up with a green flare, and I glanced sideways to see what the others were doing.
Just as I thought.
One by one, they declined to take the flare gun.
Well, there was no way I was going home, forfeiting my place in my pack.
“No thanks,” I muttered, and the guard nodded.
“A strong bunch this year!” the king yelled from the stage.
The crowd roared in approval.
Not one student took the flare. We were all in this to win. No matter what.
The headmistress chuckled nervously. “Okay, we have a network of night-vision cameras and spotlights throughout the entire game field. Your judges—” she pointed toward the king and five high mages on stage “—will be rating your magical ability the entire time. The game only ends when all four flags have been torn from their trees.”
