Beth’s warning made Ciara uneasy throughout their patrol trip. She kept stealing glances at Hayley and her friends, in case one of them suddenly attacked her or said some nasty words.But nothing happened until they reached the top of the hill, and the path forked into three. Michael ordered them all to stop.“We split from here,” he ordered. He pointed toward each street’s branch, and then at one of the groups. “You guys go over there.” Then he pointed at the other two groups, including Ciara’s group, and directed them down the remaining two forks.After Michael finished dividing the area, he said, “If anything happens, the Black Stellar pack members in each group can contact me via the mind link.”He studied them one by one before speaking again. “I will go around from one group to another to check on the situation. Stay calm and pretend you are patrolling your own territory.”Everyone nodded in the direction, and Michael ordered them to walk to their respective patrol areas.Ciara
Ciara’s vision turned black and white. She saw the dim faces of Beth and Bianca standing at the edge of the canyon with panicked and frightened expressions as her body continued to slide down.The unbelievably hard impact forced her lungs to jolt the air out before the frigid water submerged her and covered her entire body. She choked on water as she tried to breathe. Her lungs, esophagus, and stomach were filled with freezing water.The swift current curled up against her and made her feel like a dead log, continuing to carry her down the canyon, and as her hands tried to reach the surface, the current pulled her back down.In just a split second Ciara raised her head to look around, and in front of her stretched the vast night sky. She heard a distant rumbling and ahead a landscape stretched out. Ciara didn’t understand why the river suddenly disappeared until her body crashed into a waterfall.Ciara screamed as the water took her into a free fall, but her voice was muffled by the s
“Tell me what happened.”Ciara was now in the same room as Chris, Michael, Scott, and the rest of her team.It was Chris who called after Scott took Ciara to the medical room to check on her condition. The smell of cleaning fluid and syringes made her sweat and her heart rate quickened. And Scott, who realized this, took her out as soon as the doctor said she was fine.“She’s gone mad,” said Hayley. “Suddenly she was acting like a psycho and attacked us. We tried to stop her, but she jumped off the cliff instead.”Ciara looked at the faces of her teammates one by one. There was no Beth among them.“Where’s Beth?”Kenzie’s eyebrows arched up. “Did you forget? You attacked her until she was seriously injured!”Kenzie’s words made Ciara flinch. “I didn’t hurt her! Or any of you!” she cried defensively.She got up from her chair in a fit of emotion, but Scott held her back.“See? She even lost her memory of what happened last night,” Tania added. “There’s always a reason why a werewolf be
“What?” That was one surprising fact that made Ciara dumbfounded. “Are you sure about it?”“Yes. The doctor said that. She won’t regain consciousness for at least the next three days.”That meant Beth would not be returning to training. Because by the time she woke up, this joint training would have been over. If it was Hayley who planned all of this, her method was really, really sneaky.If Ciara conveyed this to Scott, Scott could have asked the coaches to conduct a search. And Hayley must have taken that into account. She could have dumped evidence into the canyon on the night of the incident, or worse yet, she’d embed the tools she used to attack Beth into Ciara’s belongings, cementing her position as a suspect even more.Ciara couldn’t act rashly. She needed to stay calm and entrust the next process to Scott. She wasn’t alone; she told herself.“Let’s go,” Vaire said. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”“I can’t leave yet.” Ciara pointed toward the door behind her. “I have to wait
That meant Ciara would fight Hayley, Kenzie, Tania, and Bianca.Even though Ciara knew what Hayley and Bianca’s fighting skills were like, and Rousel said Kenzie and Tania were terrible warriors, she still shouldn’t underestimate them.And actually, there were other things she was more worried about than defeating them.Her stomach was churning as Chris broke up the line and gave the participants ten minutes to get ready.“Let’s go to the bathroom. Don’t pee your pants in the middle of the fight,” asked Vaire. She took Ciara’s hand and squeaked, “Your hands are so cold!” when their skin touched.Ciara pulled her hand away from Vaire and looked worriedly at her. “I’m so nervous,” she mumbled.“Why?”Ciara hesitated to say it. Until finally she quibbled. “What if I lose?”Even though Ciara was definitely nervous, she couldn’t tell Vaire the truth. So she had to lie.Vaire stared blankly at her, then gave out a laugh that drew the attention of those around them. “You? Lose to them? Serio
Hayley’s wolf was smaller than Ciara’s. So Ciara could easily get rid of Hayley from above her and now the position is reversed. Hayley yelped as Ciara’s four sharp claws dug through her fur and stabbed into her flesh.Hayley rebelled, but Ciara was unshakable. She grinned, then opened her mouth and lifted her muzzle, ready to plunge it into Hayley’s exposed neck because she couldn’t stop moving.“Don’t kill!” Chris shouted from the touchline and Ciara momentarily recovered from hearing his voice.Ciara jumped back, releasing Hayley from her grip.Trembling, Hayley pulled away and struggled to her feet. Blood ran down her fur and splattered on the ground.Ciara waited for Hayley’s wounds to heal before they attacked each other again.It’s like going back to the beginning, Ciara thought.So far, her control over her wolf seems to be only superficial. She couldn’t really get her wolf to submit and obey her. And if she failed to do so here, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to vanquish her w
The joint training that Ciara had so far brought her so many emotions. But she was happy because, on her last day, she could live it with a smile.Her new roommates were lovely. They made her laugh at their antics. The other participants now knew her as one of the strongest warriors, and she once again proved that she deserved that title.When the coaches held a battle between groups this morning, her team won all the battles, and she was ranked first out of all the participants.The battle between the teams finished right at noon and all the participants were now heading to the dining hall to replenish their energy. Rousel was in charge of finding an empty table while the others lined up to get their lunch.“Thanks,” Rousel said as Vaire handed her a tray of lunch.They all started having lunch. This time, they sat down with Beth’s friends from Black Stellar.“How’s Beth?” Vaire asked Denis.“She’s better. It’s just that she can’t be talked to yet,” answered Denis.“That’s great,” sa
Vaire’s words made Ciara’s heart skip a beat, and her pulse never subsided as they walked with the others toward the courtyard. The firelight danced in the distance, forming shadow lines between the golden yellow.Everyone looked happy tonight, after two long and tiring days. Tomorrow was their last day here and they would return to their respective territories at noon. So tonight is their last night together.Rousel embraced Ciara and Vaire as they walked hand in hand towards the courtyard.“Hey!”Denis and his friends ran to catch up. His face lit up as he said, “Beth was already out of the medical room.”The news was met with joyful cheers from Ciara and the others.Vaire looked around, then frowned. “Where is she now? Will she join with us?”“Chris immediately called her to meet him as soon as she’s out,” said Denis. His gaze fell on Ciara for a moment. “Looks like he wants to hear Beth’s version of the incident that night.”Everyone fell silent, understanding what Denis meant. Th