Chapter 237

Cara’s POV

With the commission decided on what to do with Lilia, there was no longer any reason to withhold the competition, so the next day, the schedule continued, revised slightly to account for the lost days, but mostly as normal.

As such, after swinging by my brothers to see my kids with Alaric, and then kissing Alaric, I left to head toward the familiar pavilion where all the other contestants were already waiting.

They acted strangely to me as I arrived. Though they weren’t friendly, exactly, I seemed to have gained some respect among them for my actions during the race in protecting Alaric. Only those who had become close friends with Lilia continued to glare at me. The rest treated me civilly.

Still, only Georgie and the Claw Sisters actually seemed happy to see me.

“You have to tell us how you defeated the attackers,” Charlotte said at once. “We want to hear about every moment of the fight.”

“You did well to protect your mate,” Claudia chimed in. “There’s nothing a bear would not do for their mate.”

“I’m impressed too,” Georgie said. The big cat shifters were more solitary than wolves or bears, but she clearly respected my actions. “How did you do all that without a wolf?”

“Actually…” I said. Keeping my voice low, just to share with them alone, I told them about Lucy’s valiant return to me, and how she was being returned to me through my love for Alaric.

“That’s so romantic,” Charlotte said somewhat dreamily. She looked at her sister. “Do you think I’ll find a love like that?”

“I haven’t,” Claudia said, lowering her head. “Not yet…”

Claudia was the oldest of the two sisters, and Charlotte immediately frowned, realizing she had made her sister feel badly.

“Perhaps we will both find our mates,” Charlotte said. “Maybe they are here in this pack! We should keep our senses open.”

“Mated to a wolf?” Claudia said, like she never considered it before.

“I’m glad your mate helped give you strength,” Georgie said. “But I don’t see that happening for me.”

“Why not?” I asked her. “Everyone has a mate.” At least, I thought so. Was that not true of cat shifters as well? There were so few around these parts. Georgie was the only one that I ever met.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” Georgie said. “But I don’t need one. It’s not as vital for me as it is for other shifters.”

“Sounds lonely,” Charlotte said.

Georgie shrugged. “To each their own.”

As the conversation naturally slowed, we quietly listened to the topics of those around us. Most were talking about the next event, an obstacle course. Many of the obstacles required human dexterity, such as opposable thumbs for climbing and grabbing, so most expected to stay in human form for this contest.

From what I could tell, only Georgie was considering shifting.

“I’m a panther,” she said. “Climbing is part of what I do.”

“Bears can climb,” Charlotte said thoughtfully, but Claudia gently disagreed with her sister.

“Our bear forms would be too big for many of the obstacles,” she said. “Our human forms, though more clumsy certainly, are sleeker.”

They all looked at me.

“Well, I’m happy to have a contest that allows me to be wolfless,” I said.

“There’s only one part of the course where we will all need to be careful,” Georgie said.

“You’ve already seen the map?” I asked. I wasn’t aware it had been released yet.

She glanced at me but didn’t explain. I guessed that her means weren’t entirely on the moral high ground. Briefly I wondered if I should introduce her to Noel. Perhaps they would get along well.

I pushed the thought away, though, focusing on the now.

“A part of the course runs alongside the gorge,” Georgie continued. “Watch your footing there, or you will have a long fall down into the ravine.”

“Why would they put it there?” Charlotte asked. “That seems dangerous.”

“They want the danger,” I said. “It increases the ratings.”

“They are doing this for television views?” Charlotte seemed surprised.

“The more views, the more money,” Georgie said, seeing what I was saying pretty clearly. “But, the element of danger comes in many forms in this competition. Just be careful.”

We all agree.

With an obstacle course, I thought the organizers might have us race one by one and then compare our times in a sort of time trail. Instead, they had us all line up at the start line just as they had for the foot race through the forest.

Georgie and I shared a concerned look with one another, a half-second before she shifted into her panther form.

Then, the starter pistol fired, and we all tore forward onto the course.

The first obstacle was a rock wall. There was hardly enough room for us all to climb at once so some had to wait their turn. I was already falling behind.

Georgie, though, jumped straight to the top of the rock wall and then disappeared over it, taking a clear and advantageous lead.

“Gods, who let a cat into the competition,” one of the wolf shifters grumbled.

I almost scolded her in reply, but her friend did before I could.

“Don’t be a sore loser.”

After the rock wall was a serious of monkey bars. Georgie walked along the top of them. The rest of us had to dangle beneath.

When we landed on the other side, we were faced with a balance beam.

Georgie was so far ahead now, she was nothing more than a dark blur on the horizon.

“Are we sure this course wasn’t designed by a cat?” Another wolf grumbled.

Pride for my friend filled me. This contest was truly one where she could excel. There weren’t enough cat shifters in the packs near this one. Let them all see what they are capable of.

Go, Georgie, go!

As proud as I was for my friend, I also had to consider myself in this moment, so I stopped looking after Georgie and continued to focus on myself.

I moved through the multi-rig, swinging from one ring to the next. As I push pulled myself, I noticed that I didn’t feel as tired as I otherwise might have. I felt… stronger. Almost like…

Perhaps as Lucy was returning to me, she was giving me her strength as well.

I felt stronger than I had in years, not counting the few bursts where Lucy had aided me in moments of crisis.

Confident, happy, I rushed through the obstacles, gaining momentum and position in the race. Some of the wolves were surprised by my new efficiency.

As I came to the gorge, where the contenders raced alongside the cliffs to the next obstacle, I even joined the main pack.

I saw Lilia among the group, but didn’t pay her any attention.

Not until, at the narrowest part of the course, and the most dangerous, she was suddenly right next to me.

I didn’t see her trip me, but one minute I was running, and the next, something blocked my foot.

I toppled forward, rolled, then slid through the dirt toward the cliff.

“Cara!” one of the Claw Sisters called.

I scraped at the dirt with my fingernails, but my momentum was still too quick. I couldn’t stop myself from sliding right over the edge of the cliff.