Chapter 79
Elara's POV
I stayed behind the tree. My finger rested on the trigger. My breathing was controlled. Even.
Alice's voice drifted through the forest. Calm. Almost amused.
"You know hiding won't work forever."
I tracked the sound. She was circling. Moving clockwise. Trying to flush me out or get a better angle.
My mind ran through options. Stay put and wait for her to make a mistake. Or move first and force her hand.
The forest had gone quiet around us. No more distant gunshots. No shouts. Just us.
I made my choice.
I broke from cover. Sprinted left toward a cluster of trees.
A paint round whizzed past my shoulder. Close.
I didn't stop. Kept moving. Zigzagging between trunks.
Another shot. This one clipped a branch above my head.
She was good. Really good. Every shot pushed me exactly where she wanted me to go.
I realized it too late.
I burst into a small clearing. Open ground. No cover for ten meters.
Behind me. The snap of a branch.
I spun. Raised my rifle.
Alice stood at the tree line. Her weapon already aimed at my chest.
We stared at each other.
One second. Two.
I saw it in her eyes. The calculation. She was about to fire.
I dropped. Let my legs give out like I'd tripped.
The paint round sailed over my head.
I rolled. Came up on one knee. Fired.
She'd already moved. My shot hit the tree behind where she'd been standing.
Damn it.
I scrambled back toward cover. My boots slipped on pine needles.
She was faster.
She closed the distance. Rifle raised like a club.
I barely got my own weapon up in time. The impact jarred my arms. Sent vibrations through my shoulders.
Close quarters now. No room for shooting.
She swung again. I ducked. The rifle stock whistled past my ear.
My body moved on instinct. Lynette's instinct.
I stepped inside her guard. Grabbed her wrist with both hands. Twisted.
Her grip loosened. The rifle clattered to the ground.
But she didn't hesitate. Her other hand came up. Grabbed my jacket. Pulled me off balance.
We both went down.
I hit the ground hard. She landed on top. Her weight pinned my right arm.
Her fist came at my face.
I turned my head. Her knuckles scraped my cheekbone instead of my nose.
Pain flared. Sharp and hot.
I bucked. Used my hips to throw her weight sideways.
It worked. She rolled off me.
We both scrambled to our feet.
No weapons now. Just us.
She came at me again. Fast. A straight punch aimed at my throat.
I deflected. Grabbed her wrist. Used her momentum against her.
The joint lock I applied was pure muscle memory. Something Lynette had done a thousand times.
Alice's eyes widened. Just for a second.
I stepped in. Hooked my leg behind hers. Pulled.
She went down. I followed. Kept control of her arm.
The throw wasn't perfect. This body wasn't strong enough for perfect. But it was enough.
She hit the ground face first. I landed on her back. My knee pressed between her shoulder blades.
My hand groped on the pine needles, finding the cold steel of my rifle. I grabbed it. Pressed the barrel against the back of her head.
"You're out."
She went still.
Then she laughed.
Not a nervous laugh. A genuine one.
"Interesting."
I didn't answer. Just pulled the trigger.
Red paint exploded across her hair and neck.
The earpiece crackled. "Number 1 eliminated."
I stood. Stepped back.
Alice rolled over. Sat up. Paint dripped down her face. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. Still smiling.
"You're better than I thought." She looked up at me. "Way better."
I kept my expression neutral. "It's over."
"For now." She got to her feet. Brushed pine needles off her pants. "Next time we meet. I'll be more serious."
She walked away. Didn't look back.
I stood there. Watched her disappear into the trees.
My hands were shaking.
Not from fear. From adrenaline. From the realization that I'd almost lost.
I took a breath. Forced myself to focus.
The earpiece crackled again. "Thirty minutes remaining. Five participants active."
Five. Including me.
I needed to move.
---
I heard them before I saw them.
Voices. Tense. Arguing.
I crept closer. Stayed low. Used the underbrush for cover.
Three figures in a small clearing. All had their weapons up. All facing each other.
A standoff.
One of them was Dylan. I recognized the blond hair. The aggressive stance.
The other two I didn't know. A tall girl with dark skin. A shorter guy with red hair.
They were all talking at once. Trying to negotiate. Or threaten. Hard to tell which.
I stayed in the shadows. Watched.
This wasn't my fight.
Let them eliminate each other. Save me the trouble.
The earpiece crackled. "Number 7 eliminated."
One of them must have pulled the trigger.
The tall girl dropped. Paint bloomed across her chest.
Dylan and the red-haired guy both turned on each other.
Two shots. Almost simultaneous.
Dylan's caught the guy in the shoulder. The guy's missed entirely.
"Number 12 eliminated."
Dylan stood alone in the clearing. Breathing hard. Looking around like he expected another attack.
I didn't move. Didn't make a sound.
After a moment. He walked away. Heading north.
I waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.
Then I moved in the opposite direction.
---
The whistle blew. Long and sharp.
"Exercise concluded. All participants return to the rally point."
I lowered my rifle. Let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
My legs felt like jelly. My shoulders ached. But I was still standing.
Still in the game.
I made my way back through the forest. Followed the trail markers Warren had mentioned during the briefing.
Other students emerged from the trees. Some looked frustrated. Others relieved.
Dylan walked ahead of me. His back straight. Confident.
He thought he'd won.
Maybe he had.
---
Warren stood at the rally point. Clipboard in hand. His expression gave nothing away.
We gathered in a loose semicircle. Paint-splattered and exhausted.
Victoria stood behind him. Her arms crossed. Her eyes scanning the group.
They landed on me.
I looked away.
Warren cleared his throat. "Exercise complete. Well done to those who survived."
He glanced at his clipboard. "Advancing to the next phase. Grey. Dylan. Williams."
My heart skipped.
I'd made it.
Dylan's face darkened. He'd expected his name first. Expected recognition.
The other students turned to stare at me. Shock written all over their faces.
Nobody had expected the weak Omega to advance.
Warren continued. "The rest of you performed adequately. But adequately isn't enough for what comes next."
He dismissed them with a wave.
Students started to disperse. Some congratulated Dylan. Others shot me curious glances.
I kept my head down. Started walking toward the path that led back to the main facility.
"Grey."
I stopped.
Turned.
Victoria stood at the edge of the clearing. Alone now. Warren had gone back inside.
"A word. Privately."
It wasn't a request.
I followed her down a narrow trail. Away from the others. Into a section of forest that felt too quiet.
She stopped at a small clearing. Turned to face me.
"Do you remember what I told you at the rest stop?"
I didn't answer.
"I warned you about Kael. About how he mimics. Studies people. Performs emotions like an actor memorizing lines."
She took a step closer.
"Now I understand why he bothered with you."
My stomach tightened.
"Because you're the same. You're pretending too."
I forced myself to stay calm. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie to me." Her voice was sharp. "What you just did out there. Those combat techniques. The way you moved. That wasn't luck. That wasn't basic self-defense training."
She circled me slowly. Like a predator.
"I've seen warriors from established packs. Trained soldiers. You fought like them. Better than some of them."
My throat went dry.
"So I'll ask you again." She stopped in front of me. Her eyes boring into mine. "Who are you really? Did Kael send you to infiltrate the Council? Are you working together?"
"No. I—"
"The joint locks. The tactical positioning. The way you read your opponent's movements." Her voice rose. "A seventeen-year-old girl doesn't learn that from her brother. Not unless her brother is a professional killer."
I felt my pulse hammering in my ears.
She was wrong about Kael. Wrong about us working together.
But she was right about everything else.
"I just—" I tried to keep my voice steady. "I learned some things from Ethan. He used to—"
"Stop." She cut me off. Her hands clenched into fists. "Don't insult my intelligence with that pathetic excuse."