Chapter 182

Gavin’s POV

I turned to glare at Daisy.

“What the hell are you doing here, Daisy?” I asked, my tone gruff and annoyed. I was still confused about my interaction with Judy and not in the mood to deal with Daisy right now.

She frowned at me, folding her arms across her chest as she narrowed her eyes.

“I thought we had a nice time last night. I wanted to see if we could watch the competition together?” She asked, a bit taken aback by my harsh and aggravated tone.

“I’m watching it with the other Lycans,” I said, my eyes narrowed. “Last night was only dinner. There wasn’t anything more to it. Don’t overthink it.”

I started to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, making my wolf snarl from her touch. She quickly pulled her hand back, her eyes wide as she stared into my eyes.

“You never used to be like this before,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“A lot has changed,” I told her. “I’m not going to continue entertaining you.”

With that, I turned and walked back towards the arena. As I stepped outside, my eyes immediately found Judy who was with her friend Tabby. She looked upset and Tabby was watching her warily. My chest tightened; she wasn’t focused, so she could lose this competition. She was also stubborn, so she wasn’t going to surrender easily. It meant that there was a good chance she could get hurt during this final competition… or worse.

I just wish I knew why she was so pissed off about me having dinner with Daisy. It’s not like anything happened between us. It’s not like I brought Daisy back to the room and fucked her and then immediately went to Judy and fuck her. I wouldn’t do something that gross. My relationship with Daisy wasn’t her concern, but if it directly impacted her in any way, of course I would have told her sooner.

She was the only one I was sleeping with; the only one I cared to sleep with right now. My wolf agreed with my inner monologue; she was the only one he would allow to touch us without growling. That’s only happened twice in my life; once with my late wife, and the other with someone I’d spent a long time trying to forget.

“I’d watch your back,” Mica said as he stepped beside me, his eyes following mine to Judy. “I saw Levi talking to her earlier. I think he’s trying to convince her to join his Elite force.”

My jaw tightened and a low growl emerged from my lips. I tried to suppress the fury and rage building inside me, but I knew it was palpable to those around me and those who aren’t.

Judy wasn’t going to be working with Levi, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep that from happening. I didn’t bother responding to Mica, I went across the arena and towards my chair, preparing for the finale to start all while keeping my eyes locked on Judy. If I catch any sign of Levi snooping around her, I will step in between them and make sure it’s the last thing he ever does.

…..

Judy’s POV

“Are you sure you got this?” Tabby asked for the hundredth time, assessing my face.

I nodded; I appreciated her concern, but I was going to be just fine. It didn’t matter that my heart was shattered, this only drove purpose.

The arna filled up quickly; Nan arrived with Chester, Irene, and Matt. They sat near the Lycan chairs, Irene directly behind Gavin. She leaned forward to say something to her and he nodded thoughtfully. Her eyes flashed to me, and she gave me a warm smile with a wave. It was weird being her friend again after months of hostility and plotting. Buti was glad we made it back to this point. I waved at Matt who was eagerly watching me, waving both hands in the air for me, making a small smile tip the corner of my lips. The first real smile I had since last night.

“There she is,” Tabby said, nudging me. “And it only took a 7-year-old.”

I shrugged.

“What can I say? I’m a sucker for adorable faces.”

She chuckles and pats me on the back.

“We got this,” she said softly. I nodded in agreement, repeating her words and feeling the weight of them on my tongue.

As the buzzer sounded, indicating everyone to silence for the announcer, my heart skipped a beat. I truly needed to focus, or else I could lose. The last one standing wins the competition. There were about 20 of us left and it was going to be a mosh pit of fighting. The weaponry was open, which meant we could use any weapon; we could also shift if we wanted, or not. Nothing was off limits this round and that was terrifying.

Everyone got into position, ready for the fight to begin.

The unseen announcer spoke to the audience, getting them hyped for the final round and explaining what was going to happen. Once everything was set in motion, the countdown began. The audience chanted along with the announcer and then the buzzer went off.

It was mayhem. I relied on my smarts to get myself out of the middle of the fight. I was always been taught, if I don’t need to fight, then don’t. I would let them fight with one another, tire each other out, and then I’ll join. Nothing is off limits; fight smarter, not harder.

I ran as fast as I could; I could hear a few in wolf forms chasing me down, but due to the amount of hours I’ve practiced, I was arguably faster in my human form than these wolves were. I managed to cascade myself in the tree line just inside the arena. I managed to climb a nearby tree, making it hard for the wolves following me to get to me. I climbed until I reached the top, my eyes scanning the area. In the distance, I saw the fight continue, Tabby was using a sword to fight, and there were some who hadn’t bothered to shift yet, Chuck included.

The drones high in the sky captured everything; the wolves that followed me were attempting to climb the tree but failing miserably, making me smirk down at them.

There are a number of competitors who were eliminated already, bringing it from 20 to 15.

As tiem went on, the numbers continued to drop; Tabby was still in the running.

An arrow flew right towards me and I managed to dodge it just in time before it impaled my head. It stuck in the trunk behind me, my heart in my throat. I grabbed the arrow and used my wolf senses to find where it came from. I saw Sherry in the distance, her eyes focused on me. She was also on a tree, and she was in her human form. A Bow and Arrow in her hands as she lined up another arrow.

Just as the second arrow went straight towards me, I grabbed the one in the trunk and threw it back at her as hard as I could. It went surprisingly hard and fast for someone who didn’t have a bow.

She obviously wasn’t prepared for it either because it caught her off guard as it stuck her arm, making her drop the bow to the ground.

The second arrow that I knocked off course turned directions and plunged one of the wolves on the ground in the shoulder, making him howl out in pain.

I winced as blood splattered across the forest ground, but I couldn’t show signs of remorse, not right now.

As Sherry attempted to climb down the tree to retrieve her bow, wincing with each step she made because of a new injury, I stripped out of my clothes. The second wolf that had followed me was too focused on the one on the ground and in pain; they were clearly friends if they weren’t attacking one another.

I quickly shifted into my wolf form and lunged at him, jumping from the top of the tree and towards his neck, my teeth elongated as my wolf took complete control of my human form.

He howled and hissed as I hung onto his neck, digging my teeth into it until his blood spilled into my mouth. He shifted back into his human form, gasping and crying for mercy.

“I surrender!” He announced. “Please, don’t kill me.”

Satisfied, I released him and nudged his side with my nose. He knew exactly what I was after. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the white flag.

“I surrender!” He announced the drone that was watching everything above our heads. He waved the flag in the air for all to see. I could hear gasps and cries from the arena stadium; I could also hear a ton of cheers.

I quickly moved on, to find Sherry. She was holding her arm in pain as she pulled another arrow out of her quiver and attempted to put it onto her bow.

Her arm was dripping with blood, and she looked like she was in a lot of pain.

At that moment, I heard Tabby screaming and my heart was lurching. I glanced back at Sherry, whose hands were trembling.

I’ll come back for her, I turned and ran back towards the arena, leaving Sherry in my path.