Chapter 206

Cara’s POV

That night, after our conversation, I had hoped that Alaric might roll over and pull me into his arms again. However, as he had before, he stayed entirely on his own side, lying flat on his back all night, not even turning toward me.

I was certain of this because, as much as I tried to, I could not find sleep that night at all. My anxieties stayed with me, filling me with doubts every time I closed my eyes.

It wasn’t like me to feel this kind of nervousness. I was used to giving important presentations as a Beta. Yet, something felt different this time. Maybe it was because of my condition and the limited time I potentially had no for the rest of my life. Everything felt direr, more urgent, than ever before.

Or perhaps it was the nature of the meeting itself that was unnerving me. Never before had my existence been called into question.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. Alaric woke in the morning and left while I continued to pretend to sleep. He didn’t lift the covers this time, just walked out the door.

I had too much else going on in my life at the moment to let this bother me. Later, I could worry about this. After I was allowed to stay in the competition.

Ruby came over as she said she would, well before my meeting time. Not only did she have her very own copy of the rulebook, highlighted and marked with little paper tabs, she also had some printed out pages she said she found on the internet.

“This isn’t the first time they tried something like this,” Ruby said. “The last time, they tried to exclude someone because she was the pack Alpha’s ex-wife.”

“Did it work?” I asked.

“For a minute,” Ruby said, “Until the scorned woman proved the commission accepted bribes. They’ll have a harder time of it trying to kick anyone out now.”

“Bringing that up might not paint me in the best light,” I said. “I want to convince them, not bully them.”

“Yeah, well. Keep it in your back pocket just in case,” Ruby said. “They are trying to mess with your dream, Cara. We can’t let them.”

Eventually, we had to head to the hotel to meet the commission. As they were merely visiting, they didn’t have a building of their own, so the rented out the banquet room of the hotel. There, they had one single chair in the middle of the room. They sat behind desks that formed a U around it.

I arrived before they did, and after seeing the room, stood awkwardly in the hallway outside, speaking with Ruby. In a bag hanging from my shoulder, I had her marked up rulebook and my notes.

“I don’t feel confident about this,” I admitted.

“You should,” Ruby said. “They are trying to exclude you, Cara, because you don’t have a wolf? So many of the events, you wouldn’t even shift for. Don’t let them do this.”

She was right, and I tried to soak up the words, letting the righteous fury fill me.

Meanwhile, the commission members must have entered through another way, because before long, I was being tapped on the shoulder and told it was my time to speak in front of them.

“Good luck,” Ruby said. “But you won’t need it.”

Entering the room, I felt like the temperature dropped twenty degrees. The commission were already seated, each staring at me with expressionless faces

I didn’t recognize any of them, so I had no friendly faces among this group.

The man who sat at the desk directly in front of me was the oldest of the group, and possibly the chairman. After I sat down, he was the one to begin the meeting.

“You wished to speak with us, Cara Auburn? I presume to know if you may continue to compete in our prestigious competition, even though you lack the ability to shift,” he said.

That wasn’t entirely right. “I wish to plead my case.”

“You believe you have a case?” he asked.

“I do,” I said. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out Ruby’s rulebook.

“Before we begin,” said the woman to the chairman’s right. “I’d like to have it on record that Miss Auburn is the sister of the Alpha of this pack. It is important to note that special privileges will not be made based on this fact.”

“I’m not asking for special privileges,” I said.

“Yet you want to compete in a shifter competition, not as a shifter,” the woman said.

“There are only two events that would require shifting,” I said. “I could sit those out and still be competitive.”

“It’s not ethical,” said the man to the chairman’s left. “You would be weaker than the other contenders.”

“I am capable.”

“If there is no competition, the audience will grow bored.”

“I am capable,” I said again.

“Listen, sweetheart,” the chairman said patronizingly. “We get you are the princess of this pack, but that does mean you deserve to compete. If you could shift, we’d allow it. But as such, you are no better than an average human. It’s just not good for television.”

Not good for…?

Annoyed, I hopped to my feet. Holding my rulebook, I stormed toward the chairman and threw the book down hard on his desk.

“Show me, exactly, where in the rulebook it says that a wolfless cannot compete,” I said.

The chairman’s condescending smile slipped right off his face. “It’s implied.”

“It isn’t stated anywhere in there,” I said. “You cannot make up rules that have not been voted on by a committee a year in advance. That itself is a rule in the book.”

The chairman sneered. “A rule we will change in the future.”

“But one you can’t change now,” I said.

The chairman glanced around, looking at the others of the commission. They all stared back, some with bigger frowns than others, but none of which looked happy.

With a sigh, the chairman said, “Very well. You may compete. But enjoy it, because we will be changing the rules for next year.”

“Not if I win the whole thing,” I said.

The chairman huffed a laugh. “That will never happen.”

“Watch me,” I said.

With the meeting adjourned, I burst out into the hallway and threw my arms around Ruby, pulling her in for a hug while I laughed. My relief made me happier than I’d been in a while.

The commission had been terrible, but I had found a way to persevere. Now, I was more determined than ever not just to compete, but to win.

“Come on,” Ruby said. “Let’s go celebrate.”

I’m thrilled and ready for a toast. Yet, just as we turn to walk out of the hotel, we see a familiar woman walking toward us. She’s coming right for the banquet hall. To speak with the commission?

“Is that…?” Ruby said, like she almost couldn’t believe it.

I wasn’t sure either at first, at least not until she came closer.

She sauntered closer, exuding confidence. As if she hadn’t just been exiled from the DuskWood pack in disgrace.

There could be no question.

The woman coming toward us was Melinda Bedford.