Chapter 141

Judy’s POV

Having a quickie in the backseat of the rental car was not on my agenda for the day, but here I was, slipping out of a car and attempting to adjust my clothes that were practically stripped off my body with the teeth of a wolf. I turned to see Gavin staring at me from the backseat; he told me he would let me go first so people wouldn’t be suspicious.

He was still dressing as he watched me walk away. I wasn’t sure what to say to him; this whole thing was starting to become confusing. I wrapped my arms around my body and hurried back towards the arena before the next round started.

We had one more match for today, and then the second portion of this week is the day after tomorrow. Because there were so many of us competing, we were split into two groups. Group A and Group B. I would have been in Group A if I didn’t get injured and missed out on the match yesterday. Group A’s second portion is tomorrow.

I had to admit, I was nervous about this round. I haven’t been able to shift into my wolf for some time now. Sometimes we would shift in class, during our combat and shifting course, but it’s been a while since my wolf wanted to come out to play. Since my breakup with Ethan, she’s been dismissive. Lately, she’s been more active and vocal in my mind, but as far as shifting goes, I’ve been afraid of her rejection of the shift to even try.

I knew I should have at least tried to shift and practice fighting in my wolf form, but something kept stopping me from doing so.

“Judy!” I heard my name from a short distance, and I turned to see Nan rushing towards me with a bright smile and a water bottle in hand. “I thought you might be thirsty, so I came to look for you.”

She handed me the water bottle and I took it greedily.

“Thank you,” I breathed.

“You are doing great by the way. You really kick-ass,” she said, hugging me tightly before releasing me and turning towards a couple of girls and a boy who stood behind her. “I want you to meet my friends. They’ve been great while I’ve been here all alone.”

“You aren’t alone, Nan. I’m here,” I reminded her, rolling my eyes.

“Yeah, but you’re so busy,” she told me. “So anyways, this is Kelsey, Mac, and Tyler.”

I smiled at each of them who nodded as she sang their names.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I told them.

“Mac and Tyler are cousins,” Nan continued to explain, she smiled up at Taylor who grinned back at her. My chest tightened; that look they gave one another… it was odd. “And Kelsey is Mac’s best friend. Her older brother competes so she’s here to support him.”

Tyler stepped towards Nan; he was another pretty boy type, and I could tell from the way he stood and the glint in his eyes that he knew he was pretty. I watched as he put his hand on the small of Nan’s back. I didn’t miss the way she tensed slightly from his touch, but she looked up at him and smiled.

“I’m going to make sure our seats haven’t been taken,” he said to her in a low tone.

She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip as she looked at the others.

“How about you girls go with him? I’ll catch up with you,” Nan told them.

They both nodded.

“It was nice meeting you, Judy,” Kelsey said as she turned and started to walk after Tyler.

“Yeah, good luck out there!” Mac said, waving over her shoulder as she too walked after them.

Nan shook her head and chuckled at her friends before turning back to me with a wide smile.

“You got this. Don’t be nervous. Your wolf will come to you when you need her,” she told me, putting a hand on my shoulder. Part of why Nan was my best friend was because she got me. She understood my worries and she knew that I was scared my wolf wouldn’t come, even without me telling her.

I nodded; I never took my eyes off Nan’s face, and she was looking everywhere but my eyes.

“Nan…” I said, my voice coming out controlled. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

She bit her lower lip and stared at the ground.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she murmured.

She started to turn away from me, but I ran around her and stood in front of her, forcing her to face me and look at me.

With my hands on my hips, I asked again, “Is there something you want to tell me? Perhaps about Tyler?”

She lifted her gaze and met my eyes, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip until I swear, I saw blood. I looked back into her eyes and saw that they were filling with tears.

“Nan, what’s going on?” I asked her.

“Tyler has been getting my mind off Chester… so we’ve done some stuff. It’s not going to continue when we leave this place… but it’s nice to be wanted, you know?” She asked.

I could tell there was something more she wasn’t saying. It was fine if she wanted to flirt with guys and maybe go out with them, but to have sex… or “do stuff” with a guy she’d never met before. This wasn’t like Nan at all… something serious drove her to do this.

“Is that all?” I asked, raising my brows.

When she didn’t answer right away, I sighed, I opened my mouth to say something more, but then the announcer went over the loudspeaker and called all the competitors to the arena for round 2.

“I have to go,” I told her, handing her the water bottle. “But Nan, I’m your best friend. If you can’t talk to me about what’s going on with you, then who can you talk to? I’d rather you didn’t replace me with Tyler. It hurts my feelings… I don’t like feeling lied to and I’d like to know the truth from you before it gets out some other way. The truth always comes out, so don’t try and hide it.”

I walked past her, brushing my shoulder with her as I passed. She was stunned silent and didn’t say anything.

Maybe it was for the best.

I joined the others in the arena.

Like the last round, we were judged based on our skills and capability to survive during a battle. We were forbidden to kill anybody, but we could either damage them so badly that they couldn’t compete in the next round, which disqualifies them from the competition, or we could try to convince them to give up.

I could feel my wolf inside of me; she was on edge, and something kept catching her attention. I put my hand on my belly, hoping to calm her nerves if I just focused my attention on my breathing.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered. “We got this.”

“Are you talking to yourself?” Tabby asked from beside me, laughter in her eyes.

“My wolf,” I admitted. “I wanted her to know that we got this and it’s going to be okay.”

“Do you usually talk to your wolf?” She asked, raising her brows. “I mean, it’s not like she can understand you.”

I stared at her for a beat; she was serious.

“What makes you think they can’t understand us?” I asked, raising my brows.

She let out a bark of laughter and shook her head, brushing her fingers through her pixie-cut hair.

“Because they are animals and when we shift, we become those animals. This portion is based on their skills so hopefully your wolf is well-trained,” she said, studying my face.

She thought our wolves were like pets? Uncontrolled… wild animals?

That’s absurd. I’ve always had full control when I shifted into my wolf before. We had always been one and the same.

Was Tabby saying she doesn’t have control of herself when she’s in wolf form?

I glanced around the arena at other competitors who had already stripped naked, ready to shift and fight. I wondered if any of them lost control of their humanity too, or if it was just Tabby.

I met Tabby’s eyes; she was studying me just as I was studying her. She had pale green eyes with blue specks around her pupils. Admittedly, she had beautiful eyes, and they were equipped with long lashes. I could also see that her desire to win was deep in her soul; she had a lot of passion, and it was clear as day to me.

“Welcome to round two,” the announcer said over the loudspeaker. I glanced up and saw the drones high in the air, capturing the second round. This competition was worldly televised. There was no sign of the announcer, but it was to be assumed he was high enough to be able to see everything. “Like the last round, killing is not allowed; you will be disqualified. This week is to show the chosen judges, along with the Lycans who make the final decisions, what you are made of. They are looking at precision, technique, skills, shifting, control, and so much more. In this match, you are expected to fight in both your wolf and human forms. Good luck.”

With that, everyone got into a position in the arena. I met the eyes of Tabby who gave me a curt nod when she, like everyone else, started to strip their clothes.

I was the only one who didn’t.

“3… 2… 1…” the announcer, and everyone else in the arena, chanted. “Begin!!!”