Chapter 96
Elara's POV
Alice's voice cut through the cafeteria noise. "If you have a problem with the evaluation, Dylan, take it to the officials."
Her tone was ice. Professional. The kind of cold that made people step back.
Dylan's face went redder. "I don't have a problem. I'm just curious how someone manages perfect scores across every single test."
His eyes locked on me. The whole cafeteria was watching now.
Whispers started. Low voices that weren't trying to be quiet.
"Maybe she knew the tests beforehand..."
"Council connections for sure..."
"No way that's natural..."
One of Dylan's friends leaned forward. Tall guy. Buzz cut. "Yeah, it's interesting. Almost like someone got advance access to the evaluation criteria."
Alice stood up. Her chair scraped loud against the floor.
My hand shot out. Grabbed her wrist.
She looked down at me. Surprised.
I shook my head once.
Fighting with words wouldn't fix this. It would make it worse. Give them more ammunition.
Dylan was still talking. "I mean, no Pack backing. No family connections. No training history on record. But suddenly she's dominating everything?"
My pulse was steady. Slower than it should be.
I'd faced worse than high school politics. Much worse.
I let go of Alice's wrist and looked directly at Dylan.
"Talking doesn't prove anything," I said. My voice came out flat. Calm. "Tomorrow's team evaluation will show what's real."
Dylan's smirk faltered. Just for a second.
"If you think I don't deserve first place," I continued, "then beat me. Use your strength. Your skills. Whatever you think you have that I don't."
The cafeteria got quieter.
Dylan's jaw clenched. His face was still red. He opened his mouth like he was about to say more.
Then he stopped.
His eyes flicked to the corner of the cafeteria. To the security camera mounted on the wall. Then to Warren, who'd just walked in and was watching from the doorway.
I saw the calculation happen in real time. Dylan wanted to accuse me directly. Say I cheated. Say the evaluation was rigged.
But he had no proof. Just suspicion and wounded pride.
And making accusations without evidence in front of Council observers? That would backfire. Hard.
Alice must have seen it too. She leaned forward slightly. "If you have actual evidence of misconduct, Dylan, I'm sure Warren would love to hear it. Right now. In front of everyone."
Her voice was perfectly calm. Perfectly reasonable.
It was a trap and we both knew it.
Dylan's hands curled into fists on the table. The muscles in his jaw worked.
"Forget it," he said finally. The words came out tight. Forced.
He stood up fast enough that his chair scraped loud against the floor.
"Tomorrow," he said. Looking right at me. "Tomorrow we'll see what you're really made of."
He grabbed his tray and walked away. His friends followed.
But I could see it in the set of his shoulders. The way his hands were still clenched.
This wasn't over. He'd just moved the battlefield.
From words to action.
Alice sat back down. Her hands were shaking slightly. "He basically just threatened you."
"I know."
"Elara, he's not going to play fair tomorrow."
"I know that too."
She looked at me like I was crazy. "Then why did you—"
"Because avoiding him won't work." I picked up my fork. My food was cold now. "And I'm tired of backing down."
Alice was quiet for a long moment.
"Okay," she said finally. "Then we fight smart."
---
The whistle pierced the morning air at exactly oh-six-hundred.
I stood in formation with the other students. The training ground was different from yesterday. Bigger. They'd set up a raised platform at the front.
Warren stood on it. Behind him, a massive digital screen glowed with the words: PHASE TWO - TEAM COMBAT SIMULATION.
My stomach was tight. Not nervous. Just... ready.
Warren's voice carried across the field. "You've completed individual assessments. Today begins the real evaluation."
He tapped something on his tablet. The screen changed. Showed a topographical map of dense forest.
"Pine Valley Forest. Approximately fifteen square kilometers. Your objective is simple: locate and retrieve the target item. Return it to base camp. First team to succeed wins."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
"Time limit is forty-eight hours," Warren continued. "You'll be divided into four-person teams. Each team will have basic supplies—rope, compass, first aid kit. Weapons must be acquired in the field."
My pulse kicked up. Just slightly.
"And because this is a combat simulation..." Warren's eyes swept across us. "You are authorized to use any means necessary to complete your mission. Including transformation."
The words hit like a physical blow.
Including transformation.
I felt eyes turn toward me. Subtle. Quick glances.
I was the only one here who couldn't shift.
Alice moved closer to my side. Her shoulder brushed mine. "Don't worry," she whispered. "We'll figure it out."
I nodded. Kept my face blank.
Inside, my mind was already working. Calculating.
No shifting meant no enhanced speed. No enhanced strength. No night vision or heightened senses.
But I'd fought without those advantages my whole life. This life, anyway.
Strategy would matter more than raw power. It always did.
Warren was reading from his tablet. "Team assignments are as follows..."
He went through the list. Most of the names I didn't know well.
"Team Three: Grey, Elara. Klein, Alice. Morrison, Evan. Chen, Mia."
Alice caught my eye. Gave a small nod.
Evan and Mia. I'd seen them in training. Middle-tier performance. Not bad, not exceptional. Evan was tall, quiet. Mia was small, fast.
"Team Four," Warren continued. "Harrison, Dylan. Stone, Marcus. Rodriguez, Jake. Williams, Adrian."
My jaw tightened.
Dylan's team was all muscle. All high combat scores. Adrian was the only one with tactical sense, but he'd follow Dylan's lead.
The assignments finished. Warren dismissed us to collect our gear.
Dylan walked past me on his way to the equipment station.
He slowed. Deliberately.
"Forty-eight hours in the forest," he said. Voice low enough that only I could hear. "No shifting for you. No advantages. Just that weak Omega body trying to keep up."
He smiled. "Good luck, Grey. You're going to need it."
I watched him walk away.
My hands weren't shaking. My breathing was steady.
Inside, something cold and sharp was settling into place.
The part of me that had survived twenty years in the northern territories. The part that knew how to turn weakness into weapon.
Dylan thought this was about strength.
He was wrong.
This was about survival.
And I was very, very good at surviving.