Chapter 61 Rigging The Fall
Simone Pov
I walked across campus toward the Beta house where my father lived. The sun was setting and everything looked golden and peaceful. Students were heading to dinner or back to their dorms. Nobody paid attention to me.
Perfect. The less attention I got right now the better.
My father had texted me an hour ago asking me to come by his study. He said it was urgent. He said it was about the plan. I knew that meant good news. My father only called urgent meetings when things were moving forward.
The Beta house was smaller than the Alpha house but still impressive. My father had lived here for twenty years as Beta to the Crescent Pack. He had power and influence. He had connections. He had resources that most people could only dream of.
And he was using all of it to help me get what I wanted. What I deserved.
I knocked on the door to his study and waited. My father's voice called out for me to enter. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The study was exactly like my father. Organized. Efficient. Powerful. Books lined the walls. A massive desk sat in the center. Maps and papers were spread out across every surface.
My father stood behind his desk looking at something on the largest map. He glanced up when I entered and smiled.
"Simone," he said warmly. "Come in. Close the door behind you."
I did as he asked and walked over to the desk. My father gestured for me to look at the map he had been studying.
It was a detailed layout of the obstacle course that would be used for the final event of sports week. Every section was marked. Every obstacle was labeled. Every potential hazard was highlighted.
"What am I looking at?" I asked.
"The key to everything," my father said. His smile widened. "The key to exposing Maddie Vale and securing your future with Calix Hawthorne."
My heart started beating faster with excitement. "Tell me."
"The final event of sports week is always the obstacle course," my father explained. He pointed to different sections of the map. "It's the most dangerous. The most physically demanding. The most likely place for accidents to happen."
"Accidents," I repeated slowly. Understanding was starting to dawn.
"Exactly," my father said. "We're going to rig the final event. We're going to make it so dangerous that Maddie has no choice but to reveal what she really is."
"How?" I asked. I leaned closer to study the map more carefully.
"Here," my father said. He pointed to a section marked as the rope climb. "We replace the standard ropes with older ones. Ones that will snap under pressure. When she falls she'll have to shift to survive the impact."
"And here," he continued. He moved his finger to another section. "We add spikes to the bottom of the climbing wall. Hidden spikes that won't be visible until someone is already falling. She'll have to use her wolf strength to avoid them."
"What about this section?" I asked. I pointed to the balance beam area.
"We make the beams narrower," my father said. "We oil them slightly so they're slippery. We make it impossible to cross without supernatural balance and speed."
"She'll have to use her wolf abilities," I said. My excitement was growing with every word. "She'll have to shift or at least show her true strength. And everyone will see."
"Everyone will see," my father confirmed. "The white fur. The supernatural speed. The impossible strength. All of it will be on display in front of both schools."
"What if she doesn't shift?" I asked. "What if she tries to hide it even then?"
"Then she falls and gets seriously injured," my father said simply. "Either way we win. Either she exposes herself or she gets hurt badly enough that she has to leave Keane. Both outcomes work for us."
I stared at the map and felt something dark and satisfied settle in my chest. This was perfect. This was exactly what we needed.
"Won't people question why the course was so dangerous?" I asked. "Won't they investigate?"
"I'm in charge of setting up the course," my father said. "As Beta I have full authority over safety measures. If accidents happen then I'll blame it on equipment failure. On student error. On anything except sabotage."
"And nobody will suspect you," I said.
"Nobody will suspect me," my father agreed. "I've been Beta for twenty years. I have a spotless reputation. Nobody would believe I would endanger students on purpose."
"What about Calix?" I asked. "He's team captain. He'll be watching the course closely. What if he notices something is wrong?"
"Calix will be too busy running the event to notice details," my father said. "And even if he does notice anything suspicious it will be too late. Maddie will have already been exposed."
I walked around the desk slowly and studied the map from different angles. Every section had been carefully planned. Every trap had been perfectly placed. This wasn't just a plan. This was a masterpiece.
"When do we make the changes?" I asked.
"The night before the final event," my father said. "After everyone has gone to sleep. I'll have access to the course for final safety checks. That's when I'll make all the modifications."
"And nobody will know until it's too late," I said.
"Nobody will know until it's too late," my father confirmed.
I looked up at him and smiled. "This is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."
"Thank you," my father said. He looked pleased with himself. "I've been working on this plan for weeks. Making sure every detail is perfect. Making sure nothing can go wrong."
"What happens after she's exposed?" I asked. "What's the next step?"
"Chaos," my father said simply. "When everyone finds out Maddie is a white wolf there will be chaos. Some people will want to protect her. Some will want to use her. Some will want to destroy her."
"And Calix?" I pressed.
"Calix will be forced to make a choice," my father explained.