Chapter 18 - Dominic
Standing on the edge of the field for the last test in the trials, I feel confident. I'm leading the scoreboard, but most importantly, I'm leading the way with Cecelia.
Though we didn't get a chance to speak about what any of this means for us going forward, we barely had time when we spent the whole night making love, and had to wake up early this morning for the last test—I've decided to do things right once we return to Nightmist.
Cecelia deserves more than just an impulsive declaration of my devotion, and I still need to address the past and apologize for it. If I ace today's test, there's no doubt that I'll become the alpha. I'll have all the pull to clear her father's name and change how things work in Lunaris.
We just have to get through today.
“Members of the rank trials,” Alpha Sirius begins. “Today marks the final test in the alpha trials, and we have decided to do something different.”
Alpha Sirius gestures to the bleachers where the werewolves who'd attended last night's ball are seated, and I notice my sister in the crowd. I exchange a confused glance with Cecelia, who shrugs as we turn our attention to the others who gathered here to watch the final test.
Just then, a group of leather-clad men emerges from the tunnel on the side, filing onto the field as they roll over tables that are filled with a variety of apparatuses that look like they belong in a horror movie.
Alpha Sirius turns back to us and continues, “For the final test, your fellow pack members will be placed in a simulated situation of danger, while your partners will be taken away as hostages.”
Frowning, I turn to Cecelia as Alpha Sirius continues explaining what the final test will be, my heart pounding as my worry grows.
“All the participants will have to work as a team, mimicking a situation that calls for the teamwork of allies across other packs. You will have thirty minutes to fight through the simulation and ensure that you save your partners who have, up until this point, acted as your imaginary lunas if your rank were of an alpha. The she-wolves will be taken to a secret location, and will be injected with a serum that renders them paralyzed for twenty-four hours if you fail to find them before the timer runs out.”
Blood rushes to my ears as a group of leather-clad men comes over to take the she-wolves away. I grab Cecelia's wrist, my eyes wide with horror at the sheer cruelty of the test.
Cecelia stares at me, offers a reassuring smile, and gives her hand willingly to the alpha's man.
“Do what you need to do, Dominic. I can sacrifice a day of not moving around,” she chuckles nervously.
“No, Cecelia! I'm gonna come get you, I promise!” I call out after her as she and the other she-wolves are taken through the tunnel.
The other members of the pack are taken on the field and huddled together in the center while some of the men prepare machines on the sides to simulate the enemy group of wolves.
My sister looks at me nervously as her hands are restrained by a cable tie, and I notice the alpha's men are doing the same to everyone on the field.
I turn to the other contenders, exchanging a glance with Simon, who doesn't move and folds his arms.
“We're meant to work in a team, so we need to decide who goes for the pack members, and who goes to save our partners,” I say, hoping to join the group that leads us to the she-wolves.
My worry and anxiety are growing by the second, and I wouldn't want Cecelia to be injected with the paralyzing serum, even if she's willingly agreed to take the hit for the sake of this test.
It just doesn't sit right with me or my inner beast, who will do whatever it takes to protect her. No harm should come to the she-wolf I care about, even if it's part of a simulation.
Santo steps forward, patting my shoulder. “I agree. We should split up into two groups.”
Simon snorts. “We need to protect the pack. We can worry about the she-wolves when we know the majority are saved.”
I grunt lowly. “You know how the council feels about protecting our partners. We can't all be on that field. Some of us should go and save them.”
“Did you see how many enemies there are?” Simon says as he points to the field. “There are only six of us, and we need all hands on deck if we want to save the pack.”
Not trusting Simon's word, I turn to see the simulated wolves coming to life on the field. I hate to admit it, but he's right. There are only six of us against at least thirty enemy wolves spread out across the field.
I turn to the others, gauging Nigel, Alex, and Bart's expressions. They all seem to agree with Simon, so I look at Santo, who shrugs.
“He's right. There are too many of them,” Santo reluctantly agrees with a hesitant nod.
I'm left to agree with the others because there's no way only three or four of us can take on that many enemies. Alpha Sirius calls us to the field, and I glance at my new teammates and remind them that we have to fight through the enemies quickly.
“We only have thirty minutes, but we need to finish the fight on the field quickly if we’re going to go after the girls in time,” I warn them.
Simon, who still chooses to be a dickhead, grunts and mumbles that he doesn't need the reminder.
Working as a team isn't going to be easy with him around.
We take our positions and shift into wolf form, and the siren rings out to signal the start of the test. The enemy wolves attack, leaping toward us. With nimble moves, I slash my claws through the projected wolves, seeing Nigel being knocked down across the field by one of the enemies.
“They're able to touch us! Look out!” I signal the warning through the mind link, then notice Bart being swarmed by a group of five enemies.
I claw through another and race toward him to help, but notice that even Santo is knocked down when a simulated wolf headbutts him in the ribs.
Alex and Simon are next to be attacked, and are both too preoccupied to help the others.
Realizing we're becoming overpowered, I turn to Bart just when we've taken care of the group of five, an idea coming to mind.
“Cover me!” I instruct him, and he nods. What I'm about to do wasn't part of the plan, but with our time running out and the contenders heavily outnumbered and overpowered, this is the only thing I can do on a whim.
“Go, Dominic!” Bart gives me a heads-up when he distracts an enemy wolf with offensive attacks. While the others are fighting off the simulated wolves, I race to the center of the field, aiming for my sister.
She meets my eyes, and probably senses what I'm about to do when she shuffles and turns her back toward me. I clamp my teeth on the cable tie that binds her hands to her back, and she turns to me and nods with a smirk.
“Come on!” she tells the pack members, using her human voice to give them instructions to help each other get free.
“You all need to fight!” I tell my sister through the mind link, not wanting to waste any more time by shifting back and forth. She nods and tells the others what to do as each of them is freed.
With at least twenty prisoners freed, there are more than enough wolves to take on the enemy pack, and Donna leads the way when she shifts into wolf form. The others do the same, and the battle continues on the field with the freed pack members joining forces with the contenders.
I glance at the timer, lifting my head and howling urgently when there are only ten minutes left to find Cecelia.
Without waiting for any of my teammates to join me, I race down the tunnel, coming out on the other side of the campsite where traces of Cecelia's scent faintly linger in the air.
Like breadcrumbs that lead me to her whereabouts, I follow her scent into the woods and out to the back entrance of the main hall.
The council didn't hide the she-wolves far away, but they knew that being outnumbered would make this challenging.
I race to the back doors and burst in with a flying kick using my front paws, shifting into human form when I see the she-wolves lined up on chairs, hooked to machines that each have timers ticking on the screens.
Cecelia is at the far end of the line, and I bolt toward her.
“Cecelia!” I call out hastily, my voice echoing with urgency as I notice the time left on her screen. She has ten minutes left.
“Dominic! You made it!” she exclaims with relief.
Apart from being hooked to an empty IV line, her wrists are strapped down to the armrests of a chair with leather belts.
As I reach for the pipe that's hooked into a vein in her wrist to ensure she doesn't get pumped with the paralyzing serum, she suddenly swats my hand away.
“Don't!” she warns. “Help the others first! Our timers are different, according to the scoreboard. Nigel's partner only has a few seconds left.”
Nodding briskly, I don't waste any more time before rushing to Nigel's partner, pulling the pipe out of her arm, and untying her from the chair.
“Help her!” I point to Bart's partner and rush to Alex's partner to undo her binds. With two women freed up already, I rush back to Cecelia and free her, shocked when she rushes to Amber's side to help her get free.
No matter what Amber did to hurt her, Cecelia showed a level of compassion that I never expected from her. But with only six minutes left to make it through the test, I round up the she-wolves and give them my firm instructions.
“We have to fight!” I tell them, to which Cecelia nods and follows me out of the hall.
Backed by another six werewolves, we enter the field again and battle the remaining enemies alongside the other pack members and contenders until none are standing.
Santo serves the final blow to a whimpering simulated wolf just as the siren rings out to call time.
“Lunaris is victorious!” Alpha Sirius announces proudly on the mic, calmly walking onto the field and clapping one hand against his wrist. “Well done!”
One by one, we begin shifting into our human forms on the field, and my immediate response is to pull Cecelia into my arms, relief washing over me that she wasn't hurt.
Even though the threat wasn't real, I couldn't have lived with myself if she had been hurt or affected for those twenty-four hours.
“We did it!” I breathe out a sigh of relief at the top of her head. Cecelia snuggles into my chest, her pounding heart matching the rhythm of mine as we turn toward Alpha Sirius.
“Dominic Rivera…what made you decide to free up the pack members and have them fight?”
“Desperation,” I gulp, stepping back and straightening up. “It was not mentioned that it was against the rules, and I do believe that in a situation like that, all wolves should have the ability to fight.”
Alpha Sirius nods thoughtfully. “You went after the she-wolves who were kidnapped…”
I nod in response. “An alpha is no good without a luna,” I repeat the statement that the Lunaris Pack lives by, suddenly believing those words as I glance at Cecelia, becoming aware that I can’t imagine my life without her in it.
She is my strength, not my weakness. She gives me purpose beyond just leading the Lunaris Pack.
She makes me feel things I’d never dared to feel before.
I was always torn between an aching desire for Cecelia and my quest to become alpha of the Lunaris Pack. I could never have both lest I lose everything. The council would never allow me to be mated with the omega because the pack would never take me seriously.
But that reality changes the moment Alpha Sirius declares, “Well done, Dominic Rivera. You are the victor of the trials! You are the new alpha of the Lunaris Pack!”
The field of werewolves bursts into applause and shouts of congratulations, but I turn back to Cecelia and fold my arms around her with immense gratitude in my heart. I only got through these trials thanks to her giving me the strength and purpose that I wouldn't have found on my own.
I can't wait to go back to Bar, and implement some necessary changes, especially the ones in my own life.