Chapter 16 – Plans Change
Lila
The moment Damon spoke, the room erupted in shock. Gasps, whispers, and even a few barely concealed curses filled the air.
A one–on–one match with the Lycan King was unheard of. At least surviving one was unheard of.
I could feel the weight of dozens of eyes snapping to me, their expressions a mix of disbelief and, in some cases, satisfaction. Some of the girls were already celebrating my defeat in their minds.
Who here could possibly best Damon in combat? No one. That meant elimination, I was sure.
Beta Ronan, now standing beside Damon, lifted a hand for silence.
“This segment of the selection is meant to test stamina and combat ability,” Ronan announced. “After each battle, every participant will receive a score. The bottom twenty will be eliminated.”
A ripple of unease passed through the room. That was nearly half of the remaining candidates.
“But,” Ronan continued, his mouth curving into something like amusement, “fighting the King doesn’t necessarily mean elimination.” His eyes flickered toward me, assessing. “The matchups will be determined by lottery. Whoever draws the Lycan King’s insignia will fight him.”
A few girls exhaled in relief. A lottery. That meant I still had a chance to avoid getting my ass kicked.
Damon showed no reaction, no flicker of interest in the chaos he had just created. His eyes swept the crowd once, then he turned away as if the whole thing was trivial.
I clenched my fists. He had just upended my entire strategy – again – and didn’t even care.
I needed to get out of here.
I turned on my heel and walked briskly back toward the residence, ignoring the looks still boring into me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t alone.
Vanessa, seething, followed close behind, her heels clicking furiously against the polished floor.
“This is your fault,” she spat.
I let out a tired sigh. “What is?”
Her hand curled into a fist at her side. “If you hadn’t been pretending to be weak, you wouldn’t have ended up in this mess. And now, because of you, the training just got harder for all of us!”
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her. “You think I wanted this?” I snapped. “Your little performance was fun and all, but maybe use what little is in your head for once. You think I planned to get stuck in a fight with the Lycan King?”
Her lips curled. “I don’t care what you wanted,” she said. “Just know this… it’s my new mission to make your life miserable.”
I held her gaze for a long moment, then turned and walked away.
Let her seethe. It didn’t matter. I had bigger problems.
Back in my room, I slammed the door and sank onto my bed, rubbing my temples. My head ached; my thoughts tangled in too many directions at once.
I’d always thrived with combat training, once upon a time. There had been a period when I was actually decent at it. I had even been proud of my skills before everything changed.
Before my wolf… weakened..
At first, I’d tried to keep up, pushing myself harder, training longer. But it didn’t matter. Eventually, I just couldn’t match the others. And now, the idea of stepping into a fight against Damon felt like a death sentence.
A sharp, sudden voice cut through my thoughts in a mild link.
Lila.
My stomach twisted at Alpha Henry’s mental voice. His tone was clipped, impatient. The strategy has changed. Forget about what you’ve been doing, from now on you will go all out and be selected.
My breath caught. What?
You heard me. No more hiding. No more blending Successfully unlocked!
Panic clawed at my ribs. Why? That wasn’t the plan! What if I get exposed?! Do as I say. Henry’s voice turned cold.
I gritted my teeth and willed my heart to calm down. You’re asking too much
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Chapter 16 – Plans Change
-Your mother’s condition has worsened.
The words hit like a blade between my ribs. I went completely still.
Do as you’re told, or she won’t get the care she needs.
My hands trembled with barely restrained rage. Seriously? We had a deal, Alpha.
Henry didn’t even bother denying it. I’m ensuring you don’t waste this opportunity. This is bigger than you, Lila. No, do as you’re told.
The mind link cut off abruptly, leaving me in the silence of my room, shaking with the urge to destroy something. Or
someone.
Lila? My wolf’s voice was a whisper in the back of my mind. He must want something, she murmured, sounding just as shaken as I felt. That royal seat Damon mentioned. Henry never cared about us. He’s just using you as a pawn.
A numbness spread through me. Of course he was. And yet…
I closed my eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I had no choice. I had to win.
The thought distracted me until Beta Ronan’s voice boomed through the halls, calling us to gather downstairs.
He stood at the front of the room, holding a small wooden box. “It’s time to draw lots for the combat selection challenge.”
I exhaled slowly. My luck had always been terrible. No matter what I drew, and I sent a quick prayer to the Goddess that it wasn’t the Lycan King’s Insignia, I had to win.
My pulse thundered as I stepped forward.
Damon
The image of Elena lingered.
The way her hand fit into mine, warm and delicate yet steady. The way her body moved under my touch, hesitant but unwilling to yield. The fire in her eyes when she spoke to me, as if she were daring me to look deeper, daring me to see her.
I clenched my jaw, irritated by my own thoughts. I never let a woman occupy my mind like this. She was just another candidate, just another name in the selection… yet she refused to act like one.
I should have forgotten her the moment she stepped away from me. Instead, her absence clawed at me.
With a frustrated sigh, I pushed back from my desk, my chair scraping against the floor. My body was tense, my wolf restless beneath my skin.
This was ridiculous. There were at least ten women in the harem, all more than eager to warm my bed tonight. I should take one of them, clear my mind the way I always did.
But the thought of any of them left me cold.
I exhaled sharply and called Helen to my rooms. The housekeeper arrived quickly, her expression composed as always.” Yes, Your Majesty?”
I turned to face her, my voice lowered in thought. “Tell me about Elena Ashford.”
Helen’s lips pressed into a thin line, her disapproval evident before she even spoke. “That girl is trouble,” she said curtly.” She doesn’t dress properly and refuses to present herself well. It’s clear she doesn’t respect the selection. If I may speak plainly, Your Majesty, she should have been expelled long ago.”
I folded my arms, listening in silence.
“She is ungrateful,” Helen continued, sniffing. “Any other woman would be honored to be here, yet she behaves as if she despises it. It’s disgraceful.”
I tapped my fingers against my arm, considering her words.
Disgraceful? No. Elena’s defiance was something else. A challenge, deliberate and sharp–edged.
Zane scoffed in my mind. Maybe she was forced to come here, he mused. Not every pack is eager to send their daughters into the hands of a tyrant.
His tone was teasing, but something about the words grated against me and I tensed. We don’t actually know what kind of woman Elena is.
And she was the only one I had been paying attention to. But she had made it painfully clear she wanted nothing to do with
- me.
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