The Alpha Weredragon's Favorite
CHAPTER 85

Lyra

I walked into the Harbringer auditorium and stopped short. The usual rows of seats were gone, replaced by card tables set up in neat lines. Each table had two chairs and a timer with a big red button on top. The room buzzed with excited chatter from the other she-wolf contestants.

A test proctor approached me. "Here's your number," he said, handing me a slip of paper. "Line up against the back wall."

I took the number, barely glancing at it as I clutched it in my hand. My eyes roamed the auditorium, taking in the scene. I noticed boxes of Buntae and Ondek games stacked on a side table. A grin spread across my face as I realized there was no sign of Lycaneer.

"Ha!" I thought to myself, feeling a rush of relief. "I can't wait to rub this in Killian's face. He totally psyched me out for no reason with all that Lycaneer nonsense."

I couldn't help feeling a bit smug as I sauntered to the back of the room to line up. Killian had me so worried, drilling me on that stupidly complicated game. I mean, who even plays Lycaneer? Definitely not anyone here, from the looks of it. "Lyra!" a familiar voice called out. I turned to see Janet a girl from one of my classes waving at me from her spot in line.

"Hey!" I said, grinning as I walked over to her. "Can you believe this setup?" I gestured at the tables with a sweep of my arm.

"I know, right?" Janet laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I thought we'd be taking a written test, not playing board games. But hey, I'm not complaining!"

"Well, I for one am thrilled it's not Lycaneer," I said, rolling my eyes dramatically.

"I've never heard of that game," Janet said, wrinkling her nose in confusion. "Wouldn't even begin to know how to play it. Is it hard?"

"Trust me, you don't want to learn!" I said, chuckling as I thought back to the headache I had this morning when I woke up. There was no way I had the mentally capacity to trying to make sense of all the complicated rules Killian had attempted to drill into me. "It's like a crazy mix of strategy, building wealth, and subterfuge. My brain hurtafter one game."

Janet's eyes widened. "Wow, that sounds intense! I'm glad we're sticking to something simpler." She leaned in conspiratorially, lowering her voice. "You know, I heard Brittany is like a total gaming prodigy. Apparently, she's an expert at all kinds of strategy games, even the really obscure ones."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows, intrigued. "I had no idea. I wonder if she's ever played Lycaneer?."

"Maybe you should ask her," Janet teased me with a grin, knowing Brittany and I had this hate-hate relationship. "Who knows, maybe she could give you some pointers!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "I think I'll pass on that. I'm happy to stick to the good old-fashioned ones. At least I know the rules for those!"

A silence descended as Shelia Timber stepped onto the stage, her expression as sour as ever. Again, she started speaking without preamble.

'That she-wolf has some serious issues,' I thought to myself.

"This Luna Trial is to determine the team captains for the five groups you will form," Shelia announced, her voice firm. "Win or lose, you'll still be eligible to become Luna. However, only those who win their games will advance to the next round in the selection process." She paused, letting her words sink in.

"You'll be playing either the game Buntae and Ondek," Shelia continued. "These games will be spread out at random and you have a ten-second time limit for each move you make. Those with an even number will start first." She lifted the water glass on the podium and took a long sip. I could imagine giving all those instructions made one thirsty.

"If you your partner has been eliminated or disqualified, you automatically move on to the next session." Shelia paused, letting the instructions sink in. "When the whistle blows, participants numbered one through ten will come forward and replace a seat," Shelia instructed. "This will go on until everyone is seated. Anyone crowding or going out of turn will be disqualified."

She paused again for dramatic effect and I muttered, "Showboater." Her head snapped in my direction and I lowered my head, a smile on my face.

Shelia gave a delicate cough. "Depending on the number of players, there will be two to three sessions." My stomach dropped as Shelia's eyes landed on me, an ugly look on her face. "For those who don't know how to play, you will have five minutes to read over the rules."

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the snickers and whispers about me.

"As the tower clock strikes one, you may begin." Shelia left the stage, carrying the water glass with her.

I glanced at Janet. "I'm number twenty-two," Janet said, holding up her slip of paper.

"I'm number... thirty," I replied, grimacing. "Of course I would go last."

Janet made a sympathetic noise then went off to talk to someone who waved her over. I remained in place, confidence dwindling as Shelia's instructions warred with the rules of the games, and everything became jumbled in my mind. "Was it Buntae that had the reverse card or was it Ondek?' I muttered. "And what did sour face say about ten seconds?'

I hadn't a clue.

A minute later, the first whistle sounded and my palms started to sweat.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out. I whipped my head around to see what was going on.

"But I didn't mean to!" a girl wailed; her face streaked with tears. Two proctors gripped her arms, leading her towards the exit.

"Please, it was an accident!" another girl cried out, struggling against the proctor escorting her from the line.

I watched in shock as whistle after whistle, girl after girl was disqualified.

"Janet!" I gasped, spotting her among those being led out. "What happened?"

Janet shot me a miserable look, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I accidentally stepped forward before the whistle blew," she mumbled. "I didn't even realize..."

I reached out to squeeze her hand as she passed. "I'm so sorry," I said, my heart aching for her.

In a matter of minutes, over five girls had been eliminated. I couldn't believe it. They must not have listened carefully to Shelia's instructions.

I swallowed hard, a bead of sweat trickling down my spine. I had to stay focused. I couldn't afford any mistakes, not when I'd come this far. Taking a deep breath, I glued my back to the wall and turned my attention to the front of the room. The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, my nerves jangling. Finally, the whistle blew for my group. I stepped forward on shaky legs, my heart pounding in my throat.