Chapter 73 Soften The Target
Simone Pov
I watched the whole thing from across the field. Jace cornering Maddie behind the bleachers. The conversation that clearly terrified her. The way she finally pushed past him and ran.
Perfect. Everything was going exactly according to plan.
I pulled out my phone and texted Jace. "Well done. She looked properly scared."
His response came back quickly. "She is scared. Exactly like we wanted. Tomorrow night she'll be even worse."
I smiled and put my phone away. Tomorrow night. The obstacle course. The final event. The moment when everything would come together perfectly.
My father had already rigged the course. The ropes were weakened. The spikes were hidden. The beams were oiled. Everything was set to force Maddie into a situation where she would have to reveal her true nature or die trying to hide it.
And Jace was doing his part by making her paranoid and terrified. By keeping her off balance. By making sure she was too scared to think clearly when the moment came.
"This is genius," I said quietly to myself. "Absolute genius."
I walked toward the student center where my cheer squad was waiting. We had practice in an hour. I needed to act normal. Needed to be sweet innocent Simone who cared about school spirit and competition.
Nobody could suspect what I was really planning. Nobody could know that I was orchestrating Maddie's downfall. Nobody could connect me to any of it.
Maya waved when she saw me coming. "There you are. We were starting to think you forgot about practice."
"Sorry," I said with a bright smile. "I got distracted watching the races. Did you see Calix win the wolf sprint? He was amazing."
"He was," Maya agreed. "Too bad about that girl who fell during the relay though. That looked really painful."
"Yeah," I said. I kept my voice sympathetic. "I hope she's okay. Falls like that can be dangerous."
"Do you think it was an accident?" another girl named Rachel asked. "Some people are saying the Silverthorn runner tripped her on purpose."
"Oh I'm sure it was just an accident," I said quickly. "These things happen during competitions. People get too focused on winning and don't watch where they're going."
"Maybe," Rachel said. But she didn't look convinced.
We walked into the practice room and started warming up. I went through all the motions automatically. Stretches. Jumps. Formation drills. But my mind was elsewhere.
I kept thinking about tomorrow night. About the obstacle course. About Maddie being forced to choose between exposing herself or getting seriously hurt.
Either option worked for me. Either option would remove her from Calix's life. Either option would clear the path for me to finally claim what was mine.
"Simone you're smiling weird again," Maya said. "What are you thinking about?"
"Just excited for tomorrow," I said. I fixed my expression. "The obstacle course is always the most exciting event. So much drama. So much intensity."
"You really love competition don't you?" Maya said.
"I love winning," I corrected. "And Keane is going to win tomorrow. I can feel it."
We practiced for another hour. Routine after routine. Cheer after cheer. I performed perfectly. Hit every mark. Smiled at all the right moments.
When practice finally ended I grabbed my bag and headed back to my dorm. The sun had fully set now. Campus was dark except for the streetlights. Most students were at dinner or back in their rooms.
I pulled out my phone and called my father. He answered on the second ring.
"Everything is ready," he said without preamble. "The course has been modified exactly as we discussed. Tomorrow night when Maddie runs it she'll have no choice but to reveal what she is."
"Perfect," I said. "And you're sure nobody will trace it back to us?"
"Positive," my father confirmed. "I'm the one in charge of course safety. Any accidents will be blamed on equipment failure or student error. Nobody will question me."
"What about Calix?" I asked. "He's been watching Maddie closely. What if he notices something is wrong with the course?"
"He'll be too busy managing the event to notice details," my father said. "And even if he does notice by then it will be too late. Maddie will have already been exposed."
"Good," I said. "This needs to work. I'm running out of time. Calix is pulling further away from me every day."
"It will work," my father promised. "Trust the plan. By this time tomorrow Maddie will be finished and Calix will have no choice but to turn to you."
We talked for a few more minutes about final details. About timing. About making sure everything went smoothly. Then I hung up and continued walking.
I passed by the medical building and saw lights on inside. Probably treating students who got injured during today's events. Like Maddie with her scraped knees that healed impossibly fast.
I had noticed that. Had seen how quickly those cuts closed. Had realized it meant Maddie was healing faster than a normal person should. Faster than a wolfless person could.
More evidence of what she really was. More proof that she was hiding something big. More ammunition to use against her when the time came.
I smiled thinly as I walked. Tomorrow night couldn't come fast enough. Tomorrow night when Maddie was exposed. When her secret was revealed. When everyone saw the white fur she had been hiding.
"Perfect," I whispered to the empty air. "Let him soften her up. Make her scared. Make her paranoid. Make her too terrified to think straight."
Then I would finish her. Then I would be there to comfort Calix when it all fell apart. Then I would finally get everything I deserved.
The future Alpha. The power. The respect. All of it would be mine. Just like it should have been from the beginning.
I reached my dorm and went inside. My roommate was already asleep. I changed into pajamas quietly and climbed into bed.
But I didn't sleep. I just lay there thinking about tomorrow. Planning every detail. Imagining every possible outcome.