Chapter 7
***A few days later***
Elias had been watching the female warriors training closely over the past week. It started on the day Fay had her incident in the shower room, and he could tell that his presence was raising eyebrows.
He’d never watched them this intently before, so he knew it was only a matter of time before someone started questioning his motives. But what would he do when that moment came?
Would he tell his well rehearsed lie about wanting to see how well the female warriors were training under Melanie? Or would he be truthful by letting Fay know that he was really there to see her?
He had been asking himself those exact questions every single day since he started coming. But today he had something else on his mind. The aptitude test would be taking place, and he wanted to see how strong Fay truly was.
“Is everyone ready?” he asked Melanie, as his fear for Fay’s safety had started to get the better of him.
“It’s not like they can fail in this,” Melanie said with a look of utter confusion.
Elias nodded absentmindedly as he returned his attention to Fay. She was with Sabel and the two of them were preparing for the first segment of the test, the long distance run.
Elias was convinced she’d win, especially after he saw her doing those laps around the track. Even he had a hard time keeping up with her that day. It was then that he started wondering about her abilities.
“Do you think she can outrun the rest?” he asked vaguely.
Melanie gave him a pointed look. “Fay?”
“Yes, who else would I be talking about?” he asked, confusion etched into his face.
“Well, she does have a knack for running, so it’s possible that she’ll do good in this segment.” Melanie glanced at Cassidy. “But there are others who are much stronger and more determined than she is.”
Melanie’s words didn’t sit well with Elias at all. It wasn’t just because she was clearly referring to Cassidy. It was because everyone seemed to look at Fay like she was this weak wolf who couldn’t defend herself if she needed to.
But Elias didn’t see her that way. To him, she was a strong, capable she–wolf who was concealing her true power because she didn’t want to cause trouble with her new pack. It was something he respected and adored.
Yet, everyone else took her for a fool which frustrated him.
“Here we go,” Melanie said, drawing Elias back from his thoughts.
The gun was raised, a shot was fired, and all the female warriors sprinted off. It was a two–mile run, so Elias knew it would take some time for the front runners to appear again. But the wait only made him more nervous.
The minutes that ticked by felt like an eternity, and it didn’t matter what Elias did to keep himself distracted. Every few seconds, he glanced at the woods, hoping Fay would reappear.
Less than twenty minutes later, Fay came sprinting into the clearing. A few of the other female warriors were hot on her heels, but she managed to keep them at a distance which enabled her to cross the finish line first.
Elias couldn’t stop the proud smile that broke out over his face. He looked over at Melanie in delight but saw that her neutral expression hadn’t changed a bit. Yet there was a flicker of joy in her eyes that couldn’t be missed.
The rest of the segments flew by, and Fay did well in all of them. But there were still two that had to be completed, that’s
what had Elias chewing on his nails.
“This next part of the test is making me a little nervous,” Melanie said, clutching her clipboard to her chest. “Fay and her father trained for this, but I’m not sure if she can handle it.”
“What do you mean?” Elias asked, his own concern growing as he spoke. “Why wouldn’t she be able to handle a one–on-
one?”
“Let’s just see what happens,” Melanie said as she shook her head.
Fay stepped into the fighting circle and was joined by one of the other female trainers. Elias leaned in so he could study the situation. The trainer took her wolf form, as all of the other pack members did when they fought in this segment because it was easier for them to fight that way, but Fay stayed in her human form.
The trainer leaped forward in attack. Fay dodged with a grace Elias had never seen before. The trainer charged once more, but this time she was faster than the last, and there was no way for Fay to escape.
Yet somehow, Fay managed to jump into the air, her body twisting midway, and she landed behind the wolf, who crashed into the ground face first. The stands grew quiet as the onlookers got wrapped up in the match, and Elias could feel the tension prickling his skin.
He knew that there were only a few attacks left, but he wanted to shout out to Fay; to tell her that she needed to shift so she could come out on top. But before he could say anything, Fay had the trainer pinned to the ground, effectively completing the task.
“She passed with flying colors,” he breathed in astonishment.
“That she did,” Melanie said, but this time, her lips were curled into a proud smile.
In his excitement, Elias got up, but Sabel reached Fay before he could. The girls shared a tight hug, but when he got closer, they pulled apart.
“You were fantastic out there,” he said, unable to hide his satisfied grin. “Congratulations.”
The urge to wrap his arms around her so he could pick her up as he squeezed her with joy was overwhelming. But somehow Elias managed to keep control over his baser instincts, and gently patted her back instead.
***
Fay stiffened the second Elias put his hand on her back, but it wasn’t because she didn’t enjoy the attention. She had seen Melanie watching the two of them like a hawk, and Fay didn’t want to get into any more trouble.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” Fay said, nervously pointing to the forest. “I have to get ready for the next segment.”
As Fay walked away from him, she saw that Cassidy’s eyes were glued to her. It was obvious that Cassidy had seen the interaction, and that she wasn’t pleased about it at all.
Fay closed her eyes as she said a silent prayer to the Goddess Selene, hoping she would save her from whatever torture she would surely have to endure for this. As if the inevitable scolding from her mother wasn’t bad enough, now she had Cassidy to look forward to as well.
“The Alpha seems to be very interested in your achievements today,” Sabel said, and flashed Fay a playful grin. “What do you think that means?”
“It means trouble. Did you see the way Cassidy looked at me?” Fay gazed over her shoulder just to realize that Cassidy had disappeared. “If looks could kill…”
“Oh, come on! You can take her. You’ve just proven that and you did it all without your wolf.” Sabel proudly nodded at her own observations as she folded her arms.
“I don’t want to get punished because of her again,” Fay moaned. “I’m already in trouble with my parents for coming home late the other night and lying to them. Another brawl won’t help me in that regard.”
Fay focused her attention on the task at hand while trying to forget about the way Cassidy looked at her. The group had to go foraging, and Fay was certain she would win. She had done it often enough to know what was poisonous and what was
edible.
Fay scoured the forest and river beds looking for the rarest edible plants she could find. She thought it would give her an advantage over her competition, especially if she had a lot of them.
As Fay was looking around, she saw the plump, shiny, deep purple fruit of an apple–berry plant. She squealed in excitement. It was such a treasure to find, especially in the highlands, so she knew she would get a great amount of credit for it.
Fay kneeled down as she gently picked every single one of the fruits, being extra careful as she rested them in her basket. As Fay turned to put the last of the fruit away, she saw that her hamper was completely empty.
All the plants, the apple–berry fruits, the burdock, the wood lilies, they were all gone. Fay had only one thing to present, the apple–berry she was holding, and her time was nearly up.
She got up and ran through the forest, looking for anything she could find, but the final bell rang and she was forced to return with her lonely fruit.
As Fay entered the clearing, she saw that Cassidy’s basket was filled to the brim with exactly the same plants Fay gathered. That was when Fay realized that her selection hadn’t gone missing. It was stolen.
Fay saw red when she realized that Cassidy had sabotaged her, and she approached her fellow pack mate.
“Give me my plants back!” Fay snapped as she grabbed onto the basket.
“What’s wrong, new girl? Trying to steal what you couldn’t find?” Cassidy taunted, earning a laugh from her lackey’s.
“I picked those plants, and you ran off with them!” Fay tugged on the basket, but Cassidy wouldn’t budge.
“They’re mine!” Cassidy shouted, pulling on the basket as well.
Fay used all her strength to yank the hamper toward her, but it broke apart in her grip. The plants spewed around them and Cassidy crashed to the ground. It was clear that she was overreacting, but none of her bootlickers would admit it.
“What on earth is going on here?” Elias said.
At the sound of his voice, Fay froze in place.
“Fay punched Cassidy!” Melody said. “She accused her of stealing her plants and when Cassidy denied it, Fay got physical!”
“Is that true?” Elias asked as he turned to Fay.
“What does it matter? It’s not like anyone will believe me anyway,” Fay mumbled as she crossed her arms.
Elias‘ eyes were burning into her. His jaw was clenched with what she could only guess was rage, and she couldn’t stop the strangled laugh that escaped her lips. She should’ve known.
Cassidy was his ex and he obviously still had feelings for her. That must’ve been why he was hanging around every time Cassidy sabotaged Fay. It would also explain how she happened to get away with everything she did.
“Don’t you want to defend yourself?” Elias asked, his tone softer than she expected it to be.
“If I did, she would’ve had a black eye,” Fay scoffed.
“In this case, I punish you to a month of patrol duty,” Elias said, his tone as stern as his expression.
“What’s new?”
With a huff of frustration, Fay turned around and walked off, but that wasn’t the end for her. She knew it. When she got home, her father sat her down and his fury was clear as day.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Finch scolded. “There’s a big difference between getting into fights and keeping a low profile, you know?
“It wasn’t her fault,” Melanie protested. “Fay was telling the truth but she got punished because Cassidy blew the situation out of proportion.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Finch said with a shake of his head. “Please, just keep a low profile, would you?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m trying my best,” Fay muttered. “I promise to stay away from Cassidy in the future.”
Fay understood why her father was so upset, so she couldn’t blame him for it. All of their lives were at stake here, and upsetting the Alpha wasn’t helping to ensure their safety.
If they got kicked out of Moonfang, no one would take them in. They would be forced to go rogue, to live a life on the run, which is something no wolf wants.
