Chapter 27

When the lunch bell rings, I rush to the training field to spend my break training. It’s not ideal to train alone, but I’ve made it work before, and I will again.

I start by running laps. I’m in pretty good shape from my long walks to and from school, but I know that I could be faster. Molly’s strength will only get me so far, I need to put the work in.

When I’m thoroughly winded I check the time and see that it’s time to go back to class. I grab a granola bar from my bag and eat it as I make my back toward the main building.

A few people grimace at my sweaty appearance, but I pay them no mind. Everyone hates me anyway and this is only temporary. I still have to clean the school every day after the final bell, so I need to make time to train when I can.

I smile to myself, satisfied that I pushed myself to run as fast as I could today. A few more weeks of this and hopefully I will be good enough to place into Class A.

This becomes my routine. I wait for the lunch bell to ring and then I alternate between the training field and the gym to get as much practice as possible. I start bringing my lunch and scarfing it down on the way back to class.

People look at me strangely, but that’s nothing new. I need to train when I can.

One day, I’m running laps around the field when I hear footsteps in the distance. I pause to see who could be headed my way and swear under my breath when I see that it’s Alice.

I’d been doing a good job of avoiding her notice for the past few days, but it looks like I’ve finally drawn her attention with my strange behavior.

I resume my run, pretending I didn’t see her, but slow my pace, afraid she will notice how fast I am and begin to wonder if I have a wolf. Unfortunately, my decreased speed makes it easy for her to catch up, and she quickly falls in line beside me.

I don’t say anything as she turns her head and smiles. “I take it your preparing for the warrior program. I can’t think of any other reason you’d come back to class a sweaty mess everyday.”

I continue to ignore her.

“You don’t even have a wolf, so you’ll never be a warrior. I know that you’re only doing this to get close to Vedant.”

I stop, looking at Alice like she’s lost her mind. “I don’t know why you’re stuck on this I don’t want Vedant.”

Alice stops beside me. “You don’t think I remember that you took him to your house? You’re nothing more than a dirty slut who’s only tactic is to seduce him. You need to back off.”

Alice takes a step closer, but I don’t give her the opportunity to put a hand on me before I’m off running again. I don’t go my full speed, but I increase my pace enough that it will take her some time to catch back up to me.

When I see that she intends to follow, I pivot running back in the direction of the main building. Lunch is almost over anyway and even Alice isn’t bold enough to fight me in the middle of a classroom. Glue me to a chair, maybe, but not cause any actual harm with the teachers watching.

I wind my way back to the school, relieved when I push my way through the doors. I bend over and catch my breath. I got away.

Be that as it may, my opportunity to train during lunch hour is gone. Now that Alice knows what I’ve been up to it’s too dangerous to follow the same schedule. I still have cleaning duty for another month thanks to Vedant’s extensions I won’t be able to train right after school either since once I’m done the school will be locked up for the night.

I sigh. My only option is to break back into the school at night once everyone’s left. That’s what I do.

Every evening, I sit at home waiting for nightfall so that I can sneak back into the school. I have to climb over the large gate that separates the school from the rest of the pack, but I just think of it as an extension of my training. I’ll need to be able to climb to be a warrior anyway.

Apart from the late hour my routine is the same as it was at lunch. I train to the best of my ability to make sure I’m prepared for the assessment.

I’m climbing the gate one night after a particularly strenuous run when I hear a rustling from behind me. I turn to look for the source of the noise, worrying that Alice has found me out when my grip slips causing me to fall.

I try to brace, but land on my leg awkwardly. I swear and whip my head around looking for the source of the noise. I swear again when I see that it was only a racoon making its way across the street.

I try to stand, testing my weight on my injured leg. It’s not broken, but I can tell that it’s been sprained. There is no way I’ll be able to climb over the gate let alone make the long walk home. I’m going to be stuck here until someone finds me in the morning.

I drag myself to the edge of the gate and lean against it. It’s going to be a long night. I let my head rest against the cold metal and try to doze.

About forty minutes later my eyes shoot open as I hear another noise, this time louder. “Stupid racoons.” I mumble, annoyed. I had almost drifted off.

I close my eyes again, but after a second a thud sounds from directly beside me. I jump startled and blink to see Vedant standing beside me dusting off his hands.

He looks annoyed. “The bond alerted me that you are hurt. What the hell happened Chiara?”

I quickly explain that I was trying to train for the upcoming Warrior Program, and his scowl deepens. “No. Absolutely not. Every time I come across you, you are hurt or in some kind of other trouble. You are not a warrior, Chiara. Give it up.”

I shake my head. “You don’t understand, I just fell. It’s not a big deal. I will heal before the assessment next week.”

“Withdraw from the program Chiara. That’s an order from your future Alpha.”

My heart falls at his words. My chance to become a warrior, to escape, has once again been ripped from me. I was stupid to let myself hope.

“Please Vedant. I want to be a warrior.”

Vedant glares. “I said that’s an order.”

I blink back the tears threatening to dampen my cheeks. Everything Vedant had said as Felix must have been an act. Vedant is far too cruel to have ever meant a word of it.