Chapter 141 LANCE'S PLAN
UNKNOWN'S POV
Torin studied him carefully with a frown.
“And to what end?”
Lance’s smile was thin.
“Well Sebastian of course.”
The name came out so easily from Lance's mouth like it was an obvious thing.
“I will make sure he draws the bypass lot,” Lance continued. “He will advance and pass the first round without fighting or even lifting a finger. It'll all look lucky and pretty harmless.”
Torin’s gaze sharpened.
“And then afterwards?”
“Then,” Lance said, his tone dropping with glee, “we will deal with him later and properly too.”
There's heavy silence from Torin that Lave wasn't expecting.
What's wrong with him?
Torin did not respond immediately and when he finally did, his voice was quieter.
“That is not a proper strategy,” he said. “That is just stupid manipulation.”
Lance rolls his eyes at the older man.
“Call it whatever you want,” he muttered. “It works and that's all that should matter.”
“And if it is discovered? Or if Sebastian should accidentally pick out a different lot?”
“It won’t be discovered and Sebastian will pick only the slot I want him to pick.”
Torin held his gaze.
“You are far too certain about this.”
“And you’re too cautious,” Lance shot right back.
A pause.
“I don't think I will support this,” Torin said.
The refusal was calm and firm and knowing Elder Torin for almost two decades, Lance knew it was final.
Lance’s jaw tightened with anger. Torin was the one who told him about the relationship between Ragnar and Sebastian, hurrying his plans and coming to this pack.
So why would he chicken out at the last minute?
Lance has had to sacrifice a lot to come here– his previous Alpha who he had to endure his sleazy hands and how he always grunted pathetically when they were in bed, the condemnation of the elders of his pack until he killed most of them to silence them.
And even getting an extremely rare poison that killed and left traces like those of a natural death.
Without it, he wouldn't have been able to gain power and through his “popularity”, he was able to become the new Alpha of the pack.
So why in the Moon goddess's name is this bastard backing out now?!!
“Well I don't care about your opinion or your “support”. Hell you don’t even have to support it,” he replies coldly. “Just don’t get in my way at all when I'm doing it.”
Torin’s expression hardened slightly.
“This plan of yours is stupid and easily traced back to you if anyone investigates. I won’t aid you in harming him especially when it would backfire to me.”
“Harming?” Lance laughed under his breath. “You think this is about harming him?”
Torin didn’t answer, because they both knew it was.
Even after years of insisting their previous relationship was just a friend with benefits, kind and not serious in any way, everyone knows Lance deeply regretted it.
Especially when Ragnar found his mate and peacefully ended their relationship.
Lance stepped closer, his voice lowering into something sounding like a threat.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “This is bigger than him, bigger than even you.”
“Then explain it.”
Lance hesitated to tell Torin his plans for he and Ragnar just for a second.
What are the odds of Torin either betraying him or changing his plans?
Then he shook his head after a brief moment of thinking.
“No I can't tell you now, especially when it's in its crucial phase.”
Torin watched him carefully with mirth.
“That is what I thought. You're a reckless wolf still clinging to what has died and been buried so far in the past”
The dismissal stung more than Lance cared to admit but he didn't show it. Instead, with a sharp exhale, he turned away.
“You are really backing out,” he muttered.
“I am merely refusing to act blindly. You don't know the truth so I suggest you do the same.” Torin corrected.
Lance stopped at the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder.
“You’re chickening out. Don't say some grand thing like you're for a noble cause and not the coward you are.”
Torin didn’t react or offer the “explanation” for the so called truth he's warning Lance about.
That only made it worse because Lance feels like Torin has gone senile and is backing out.
Lance scoffed with despise in his eyes
“Fine,” he said. “If you don't want to join me, then stay out of it.”
And then he was gone with the loud bang of the door.
Back on the challenge grounds, Sebastian stepped forward as his name was finally called after a series of other wolves had stepped up.
The center of the arena felt even colder and more daunting as every eye seemed to follow him as he moved forward.
He could feel it from them, the judgement, curiosity and doubt over seeing him.
Out of hundreds of Alphas, Betas and even a few Deltas, he was the only Omega.
And he was here to participate in the challenge as the reigning pack's fighter of all places.
A murmur rippled through the crowd as he took his place among the others to see who was selected for the first round for the final challenge.
Today is the challenge for the other packs between each other and in two days, it'll be the challenge day for the champion pack of today against the Alpha of Alphas pack, The MoonCrest pack.
A large wooden bowl sat at the center, filled with carved tokens in the form of simple lots to randomly decide everything.
Sebastian stared at it for a moment with his chest tightening as he stared at it.
This was it, no turning back now or backing out.
One by one, names were called as wolves stepped forward, reached into the bow and pulled out their fate.
Some glanced at their tokens and nodded, others smirked after they saw their token while a few frowned.
Sebastian waited with his heart pounding until–
“Sebastian.”
His name echoed across the grounds as the world seemed to narrow just to him.
He stepped forward taking every step with conviction and calm even if he didn’t feel that way inside.
The bowl loomed in front of him growing closer and closer and he could feel a different kind of stare on him.
One of… anticipation?
That was odd.
People were staring at him either in curiosity or with mockery. So who was this person looking at him in anticipation?
His fingers hovered over the edge of the bowl and just for a second, he actually had second thoughts about it.
Then shaking them off, he reached in and touched a token that was smooth to the touch.
They all looked pretty identical to him so he picked one and pulled it out.
And for a moment, he didn’t look at it or breathe out of fear.
Oh snap out of it Sebastian! No matter who you pick, they're all going to be stronger than you anyway, so open it!
Sebastian slowly turned the token over in his hand.
And read it.