Chapter 151

Judy’s POV

Gavin wasn’t in bed when I woke up the next morning. Part of me wasn’t surprised; I had a feeling he would be gone before I woke up. His side of the bed was cold, so I knew he hadn’t been there in a while.

I woke from the sound of my phone ringing; it was Levi’s Beta telling me to arrive at the gym at 7 am, 2 hours earlier than scheduled.

I went back to my hotel suite to change clothes. Nan completely passed out last night and was still sleeping soundlessly in her bed, so I tiptoed around her. I was curious as to how her date went last night, but it was a conversation that would have to be had later, after today’s competition.

Changing into my workout bra and skintight yoga pants I threw my hair into a messy pony before retreating from the room. I hurried across the resort and made it to the gym in record time. I expected to see everybody there like I would at the arena before the competition, but I was surprised to see only a select few competitors, along with Alpha Levi, his Beta, and Alpha Mica. There was no sign of Gavin or Alpha Jeremy.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Gavin wasn’t here.

I glanced at my watch with a frown; it was exactly 7 am but there were only 5 competitors here including me.

Shouldn’t there be a lot more?

“Thank you all for coming,” Levi said, stepping forward. His eyes scanned each of us for a moment before he continued. “Part of being a Gamma means your sleep could be interrupted at any time. You all conquered that in record time which further proves that we’ve chosen the right ones.”

Mica nodded in agreement. My brows furrowed as I stared amongst the men.

“As you know, the second portion of the competition is all about weapons. We will be looking at a number of factors, such as how you handle the weapon and whether are you able to use it without killing anyone.”

We all glanced at one another with frowns, none of us knowing what was going on. Looking back at Levi, his eyes found mine and they narrowed.

“Each opponent gets one weapon each,” he continued, only this time, it was like he was speaking to me directly.

“Um excuse me…” One of the competitors said, raising her hand timidly.

Levi glanced at her and nodded for her to continue.

“W…where is everyone else?” She proceeded to ask the question we were all wondering.

I swear, I saw a smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

“They will be picking their weapons afterward. You 5 get to choose yours first. The Lycan and the chosen judges had made a decision based on your last round. You’ve impressed them.”

Murmurs erupted all around me, but I was too focused on Levi to really hear what the others were saying. Levi’s eyes flickered to me and heat erupted in my cheeks. Something about him didn’t sit right with me and I don’t think it’s the fact that he’s just Gavin’s enemy. He looked at me like he held secrets.

“You are the top 5. Congratulations,” he continued, his tone never changing but his eyes darkening.

The top 5?

I was chosen as one of the top??

The others were just as excited, and it was clear on their faces.

One of the judges led us into the weaponry unit and my mouth dropped open at the sight of it all. There were so many weapons of a different variety. I used most of them before; some I was better at using than others. My eyes immediately went to the bow and arrow. I thought about that being my weapon of choice because I had always excelled at my aim. But then I thought against it; that might be a little too easy and expected, so I went with something else.

I went through each weapon, my fingers grazing the handles of the swords. One of the girls saw the bow and arrow and immediately went for it. Another one grabbed a nun chunk. Both guys grabbed a sword. I thought about grabbing a sword too, but I wanted more of a challenge.

And that’s when I saw them… knives.

I had never actually used a knife to fight before, and I knew I probably should have stuck with something I was confident in… but I really wanted to challenge myself.

That’s what this was all about… right?

As I walked over to them, I scanned each one. They were all different sizes and shapes, but equally deadly.

“They come in a bundle,” Levi explained from behind me, startling me.

I turned to see him watching me.

“There’s 5 of them in each bundle,” he continued to explain. “Have you used them before?”

I shook my head, admitting that I wasn’t trained in knife fighting.

“I’m good at learning new things though,” I told him.

He raised his brows.

“Is this really the time to start learning new skills?” He asked.

“What better way to impress the judges?” I asked in return.

I saw a smile twitching at the corner of his lips and a look of amusement crossed his face, but it was gone in a flash.

“You are confident. It could get you killed,” he told me.

“Then the other player will be eliminated,” I told him, shrugging a shoulder as I turned back to the knives.

“This week yes,” Levi said, folding his arms across his chest. “But next week will be death matches and that confidence of yours won’t save you.”

“I’ll worry about that next week,” I replied simply without looking at him.

He was quiet for a moment before he barked out laughter, startling me once more. I turned to look at him and he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Well, you’ve certainly impressed me already Miss Montague,” he told me, turning to walk away. “I just hope you live to see the end.”

And with those parting words, he walked away.

I turned back to the knives, my mind already made up. I grabbed them and wandered back towards the others who were patiently waiting. While I stood with the others, I took my time putting the knives in certain parts of my attire. I wedged one in each of my combat boots, another in the back pocket of my legs, and others in each of my front pockets. The handles were black and blended in with my leggings well enough.

At that moment I was glad I chose the ones with the pockets.

Tabby saw me as I walked onto the arena with the others. She glanced behind me at the others who were carrying their weapons and practicing. Then her eyes studied me, noticing the knives in my boots and pockets, her eyes widening.

“You got here early?” She asked when I approached.

I nodded.

“Apparently, I was chosen as a top 5. We got to choose our weapons first,” I told her. “There’s limited supplies of each weapon so you better get there fast,” I proceeded to warn.

“Congrats,” she said, a small frown on her lips. Her tone was almost dismissive, and I could tell her mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t tell if she was happy for me… or upset. “Well good luck out there,” she added as she sauntered over to the others who were lining up to choose their weapons next.

“Judy!” I turned to see Sammy walking towards me with a bright smile. “Good luck today. I came to support you.”

I was surprised to see her; I thought she would be with her boyfriend supporting him, not supporting the competition.

“What about your boyfriend?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you be on his team?”

She shrugged.

“He’s Group A so he already went yesterday,” she explained.

“How did he do?” I asked, not wanting to make it sound like I was fishing for information, even though I was. It didn’t hurt to find out where the others stood.

“He did fine. He had to see a medic for a minor injury, but she cleared him for the next round,” she told me. “He left me all alone today. Something about working out with his buddies. So, I figured I’d come here and show you some support.”

I nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, I could use all the support I could get. I’ve never actually used these things before,” I admitted, patting my pockets that held the knives. “But I’ve used daggers, so I’m sure they aren’t much different. Just smaller, thinner, and much lighter than I’m used to.”

She frowned.

“You should have chosen a weapon you were good at to increase your chances,” she told me. “You could get hurt if you aren’t careful.”

“What better way to impress the judges?” I asked, smirking. “I might even impress myself.”

She chuckled.

“Well, good luck. Maybe we can hang out later?” She suggested. “I kind of wanted to do a girl’s night or something. Friends don’t come easy to me and you and Nan seem like really fun girls.”

“That would be great. If you see Nan, can you tell her to wait for me after the match?”

“Sure,” she said, then she turned and sauntered off.

I went towards the center of the arena to prepare for the battle and get into position. My eyes wandered around the stadium until they found Gavin, seated with the other Lycan Chairmen. Lycan Mica was talking to him, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention.

His eyes were on me.

I held his eyes for a long while, time seeming to stand still. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest as heat rose in my cheeks. It was only when I saw Alpha Levi staring at me that I managed to pull my eyes away from where they were seated.

“Welcome to the second portion of the competition,” the announcer spoke through the loudspeaker, silencing the murmuring audience. “This time you will be using weapons. Killing is forbidden, and if it’s done, you’ll be eliminated. This is not a death match. You are judged based on your skills using weapons and your ability to aim properly. Medics are nearby; if you are too injured to continue, you’ll be taken to the infirmary and eliminated from the competition. Good luck.”

The crackling of the loudspeaker made me flinch and then the announcer spoke again after a long pause.

“3 … 2… 1… Begin!”