Chapter 18

Vedant's POV

Every muscle in my body tenses as I face off against my opponent. I am the future Alpha, I have to win. My reputation is riding on it.

He feints left, but I realize what he’s doing before he can complete the maneuver. I move forwards quickly, keeping face. His face falls as he realizes what I’m about to do, but he’s too late to stop me.

I land the final blow and grin. Victory is mine. I hadn’t doubted it for a second, I am the future Alpha after all, but the combat made me feel alive.

I walk head out of the sparring ring and see Simon giving me a thumbs up. As I reach him I clap him on the back and laugh. “Now, I feel alive.”

He laughs back before pulling me forward. Come on, Alice’s last match just ended and she’s in the finals. If she wins this next one, she’ll win it all.

I hold back a sigh, knowing what that will mean, but Simon’s enthusiasm is contagious, so I let him drag me along. We come to the edge of the girls’ sparring ring and I am forced to hold back my surprise when I see that Alice’s opponent is Chiara.

I watch sure that Chiara will be knocked out immediately, but to my surprise she seems to be holding her own. She dodges when needed and even manages to land a few well timed blows to Alice’s shoulder.

Chiara dodges around the ring and I wonder again how she achieves such speed without a wolf. She have trained for weeks to hold her own against Alice, and even with a wolf it should have been difficult. Chiara must have been dedicated.

I start to settle in thinking that such a well paired match will take some time, when I see Chiara falter.

Simon laughs, “I’m surprised that someone wolfless like Chiara was able to hold her own for this long. She’s quick, I’ll give her that, but Alice has this one in the bag.”

I nod in agreement thinking that I had perhaps given Chiara too much credit as I watch Alice corner Chiara. For not the first time, I am glad that I didn’t make my mate bond to Chiara public.

She is about to lose in a spectacular fashion, and I am the future Alpha. It would be disgraceful to attach myself to a weakling like that.

I am almost positive that Alice has won the match when all of a sudden, she groans in pain. Chiara moves to take the winning blow, but one of Alice’s friends screams from the sidelines.

“Something’s wrong. Alice’s cry was wrong! Something is off!”

Simon nods and adds his own voice to the call. “Didn’t you hear them? Stop the match, something is wrong! I know my sister, she wouldn’t go down like that!”

The referee blows the whistle, but the momentum of Chiara’s fist is too much, coming down in the direction of Alice’s face. It doesn’t seem purposeful, but the match has been called so I jump into the ring, catching Chiara by the arm before she can strike Alice.

I look between the girls, confused. How had something like this happened? One second it looked like Alice was going to win and the next Chiara’s fist was about to make contact with Alice’s face.

It had looked like an accident at first, but as I look down at Alice’s pale face, I realize that something else is wrong. I look back up at Chiara. “What did you do to her?’

Chiara shakes her head. “I didn’t. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

I Ignore her and press my head to Alice’s chest, checking her breathing. It’s slowed but still present. As I pull my head back, I catch a whiff of her breath and recognize the herb.

It isn’t fatale, but causes extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. I turn to confront Chiara, but Alice lifts her head, before I get the chance.

I lean in closely to hear her weak voice. “Chiara only got lucky last time. She must have heard that whoever won the final match would get to be your Luna so she took matters into her own hands. I knew she was crazy, but I never expected her to resort to poisoning.”

I watch as Chiara’s face turns white at Alice’s words. She quickly steps forward. “That’s not true. I was never trying to be your Luna. I only wanted to pass the class so that I could enter warrior training.”

My first instinct is to lash out. I am one of the protectors of this pack and the idea that someone would use foul play in a training class sets my blood on fire. My rage pushes Nelson to the front, and I have to fight to keep from shifting.

Alice may have been pushy lately, but she is my best friends sister. I have known her since I was a kid. If she’s actually in danger I don’t know what I’ll do.

I scan Chiara’s face, looking for something, anything that will point me toward the truth. Her eyes are pleading. She doesn’t look like she’s lying, but if she’s telling the truth how did Alice get poisoned?

I hesitate, reluctant to demonize the girl I used to know so well, the girl I used to trust with anything, but Simon steps forward. “You don’t really believe her do you? She’s the reason your brother is dead. She can’t be trusted.”

Anger flashes across Chiara’s face. “You have no evidence that I poisoned Alice. Where is your proof?”

I start to nod, understanding Chiara’s point. No one her really knows anything. Alice could have gotten food poisoning at home or at a restaurant for all anybody knows.

One of Alice’s friend’s steps forward. “I saw you earlier. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but you must have been adding something to Alice’s drink.”

I watch as Chiara opens her mouth as if she has something to say, but eventually she closes it, silent. She doesn’t have a defense.

I pause, thinking about the Chiara I used to know. Could she really do something like this? I don’t want to believe that she could, but she can’t even deny it.

I think about Owen and how she had lured my innocent brother to his death. He was just a kid, there was no way he could have defended himself against a group of rogues.

Disgust pulses through my body as I realize what she was willing to do in order to win. “You cheated. You were willing to risk Alice’s life in order to get what you thought you deserved. There is no way around it. You are pure evil Chiara.

Chiara shakes her head and I watch as a single tear streams down her face. “You love to accuse good people of bad things, but you know nothing. You surround yourself with only the most vile among us, but love to pretend that you are better than me.”

I feel my blood boil at the accusation. “How dare you! You can’t even own up to it. You are officially expelled from the training class. You will never be a warrior.”