Chapter 68
Zoe nodded and then made one last adjustment to the sleeves of the gear as she said, “I made it thick so it helps if you have to face a wolf. It will give a little resistance against bites and claws. You look beautiful, Vee.” She said this while looking at her friend through the mirror, admiring her perfect figure that many would envy or even kill for.
She had the most beautiful face and features that one couldn’t help but stare and admire, and Zoe hoped it wouldn’t be a waste today.
“Thank you,” Viola said as she watched Zoe leave the space, wiping her cheeks as she stepped out.
Her own throat burned from how Zoe had been sobbing silently, which only made her more fearful, and Viola couldn’t afford fear and tears now. She needed to think straight and carefully calculate her strategy.
After Zoe left, Viola turned to the mirror, looking deeply into her own eyes. Despite how much she didn’t want to take anything from the Alpha, she had worn the contact lenses so she could face this battle without worrying about her glasses falling off in the middle of it. The last thing she wanted was turning blind in the middle of a fight or critical moment.
She didn’t know why he had sent her those things last night, and after she had hung up the call on him, her pride couldn’t bring her to call him back and ask him about it or seek clarification.
Viola was acutely aware of what she would face because of the cheat sheet. She stared at the suit Zoe had given her, then at Nick’s wristband, and finally at the Alpha’s contact lenses resting in her eyes, adjusting to her vision perfectly.
“Gifts from people, and I can only repay them with my victory,” she whispered softly, then added internally, except the Alpha, of course, who she knew had ulterior motives that she would have to uncover by surviving this. The Alpha remained baffling and unpredictable to her, a man she couldn’t understand yet.
Viola reached for her daggers and carefully fitted them into the belt sheath. Her heart beat a little faster, pounding steadily against her ribs, but she pushed every ounce of fear, every pang of doubt, deep down into the darkest corner of her mind. She couldn’t afford them, not today, not when everything was on the line.
She left the room, and soon she and the other two participants were photographed. The moment their pictures were uploaded onto the large screen inside the arena and across the entire holographic display screens throughout Silver, many people couldn’t help but admire the suit the wolfless girl wore and her powerful stance.
Instead of a wolf image standing behind her like the other participants, she stood holding her bow and daggers firmly in her hands, looking battle ready.
The fierce look in her blue eyes as she stared directly into the camera made many almost believe she might not be as weak as they had assumed. Only, she was unfortunate enough not to have a wolf, because bows and daggers alone wouldn’t be enough to save her from what awaited her today.
Sebastian, who was seated in the high seat reserved for the ruling family inside the arena, stared at her on the massive screen in front of him with a completely expressionless look masking his thoughts.
“Man, bows and arrows won’t save her,” Matt commented from beside him, watching the screen with mild skepticism and feeling somewhat sorry for the wolfless girl who should have simply taken the offer to go to America months ago. Had she gone, she would have owned a house of her own and secured a steady source of monthly income from the Alpha, but she had let that chance slip away for this. And those damn elders were already bent on getting rid of her today in this competition and blocking any chances of her winning.
As much as Matt didn’t personally like her that much, he didn’t wish for her to die. “Who advised her to pick those weapons? They won’t help her, Seb p>
Sebastian’s lips twitched slightly at the corner.
“You will be surprised what she could use them for,” he said calmly, though his tone carried a hidden layer of meaning.
She was beautiful, he thought while looking at her on the screen. Her beauty was something one wouldn’t have noticed months ago, but it was surfacing now, especially with that pretty little nose that added to her delicate features. She was not only gorgeous, but daring, stubbornly daring.
’And she’s my girl. My girl will win, she must not die,’ Muffin said with unwavering confidence.
’Her stubbornness might be her downfall today. She might not win,’ Sebastian replied with a silent sigh.
’Are we back to that again?’ Muffin asked, annoyed that Sebastian was returning to underestimating their mate.
Sebastian wasn’t underestimating her; he was being realistic. He had seen the game, and she would need her wolf to stand a real chance, but she didn’t have one. It was missing from her body or hiding for reasons he didn’t know or understand.
He had called to help her last night and to tell her to meet him at the training grounds for a few survival tips, but she had cut the call on him and even dared to block his contact afterward, testing the limits of his patience. Nobody ever ended a call on him, not even his closest allies. Sebastian had been so annoyed last night that he had texted Laila afterward and was back to rooting for her, as it was beginning to seem she might truly be the winner today, just as the elders had already predicted would happen.
Viola’s chances today were not only slim but almost entirely impossible. He stared at her profile picture, feeling his heart constrict painfully while his insides burned at the mere thought of losing her today, yet being unable to do anything now that it was far too late to interfere or help her the way he had intended last night.
’Stubborn little idiot, you better win and not let me go through the intense heartbreak of losing a mate. You better become my wife and get your three wishes p>
With the little time he had spent with her, he found her far more interesting than all the females he had encountered so far and felt an unfamiliar desire to know her better. But then again, if she didn’t win this competition, it would mean she didn’t have what it takes to be his Luna and didn’t deserve it.