Elora’s POV
Was he mocking me?
Yes.
That had to be it.
It certainly sounded like the Garrett I knew.
I squeezed the night pass in my fist, dragging my mindset around inch by inch.
I was going to make this team.
I was going to show them exactly how wrong they were about me.
I was going to perform so well that Varek wouldn’t be able to reject me—even if he wanted to.
No classes for the next two days meant I had time to throw everything I had at it.
That evening, I packed a small backpack.
Snacks, water, a change of clothes, a few antidotes just in case.
Hazel, who’d helped me pack, swore she was jealous I got to go beyond the gates.
I couldn’t say I shared the thrill.
Trekking into the woods in the dead of night wasn’t exactly my definition of fun.
We killed some time together, put on a movie—but I couldn’t lock in.
My mind kept dragging itself back to the Elite Team.
For whatever reason, Hazel didn’t ask about Varek, and I loved her for it.
Eventually I crawled into bed, hoping for some rest.
Ten minutes before midnight, I grabbed my bag and my pass and got ready to move.
The dorm was dark and dead quiet.
I did my best to slip out without a sound.
Just as I eased my door shut behind me, I turned—and nearly screamed at two familiar shapes.
Sabrina and Chloe stood there like a pair of bodyguards planted in the dark, arms crossed, staring dead at me.
Whatever this stunt was, it had clearly been rehearsed.
My eyes went wide and I pressed a hand to my chest.
What were they even doing here?
Those two were never here.
They started toward me, arms still folded.
I tried to sidestep, but they had me boxed against the wall before I could.
What was it with these Lycans and trapping people?
“I really do need to get downstairs, so if you don’t mind,” I whispered, as friendly as I could manage.
Sabrina let out a soft chuckle and twirled a strand of hair around one finger.
“It’s cute that you made the Elite Team,” she said.
“And I know you’re the last person I should worry about—you’re not even his type.
But stay away from my man.
Got it?”
She patted my shoulder twice, a sick little grin on her lips, and I looked down at her hand.
This was the part where I was supposed to put her in her place.
Not too much.
Just enough to prove I wasn’t something she could shove around—though with Sabrina, I wasn’t sure anything would land.
I lifted her hand off my shoulder, gentle.
“First of all, I don’t want your man,” I said.
“Second, if he really were your man, you wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.”
The grin died on her face.
Chloe, who plainly hadn’t expected me to defend myself, looked back and forth between us.
My heart hammered.
I’d done it to get her off my back—but the way her eyes iced over told me it had probably backfired.
I’d only made things worse for myself.
What had I been thinking, squaring off with a Lycan?
“I—I really have to go now.” I dropped my head.
Then I managed to slip around them and left the room as fast as my legs allowed.
Moving through the halls, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Her lack of reaction scared me more than any outburst would have—but that was a problem for when I got back.
I spotted a guard posted by the door downstairs and flashed my night pass.
Barely any time left.
I broke into a run.
By the time I hit the gate, I was heaving, my forehead slick with sweat.
Of course Varek, Declan, and Garrett were already there, calm and collected as ever, watching me like I was the unhinged one.
I braced my hands on my knees and doubled over, gulping air.
“Hi, beautiful.” Declan laughed, ruffled my hair, then rubbed my back.
“Still breathing?”
I looked up and caught the small smirk on Garrett’s lips at once.
He loved watching me struggle, so it was no shock he was savoring this.
My eyes slid to Varek—who wasn’t amused, either.
His expression wasn’t sympathetic.
If anything, he looked irritated.