The Alpha Weredragon's Favorite
CHAPTER 88

Lyra

I stared in disbelief as for the last session the proctors brought out five boxes of Lycaneer. My stomach twisted.

Unlike many of the other girls who only had to play one game, I had already played through two grueling rounds of Ondek and one of Buntae, each victory harder won than the last. I didn't have much left in me.

"Lycaneer?" I muttered under my breath. "You've got to be kidding me."

A friend of Janet's who'd sat next to me during our one and only fifteen-minute break, leaned over. "Gosh, I hope I don't have to play that."

I nodded. 'Why was my mouth so suddenly dry?'

Fear. Unadulterated. That was it.

I managed to rasp out, "We can only hope right."

The girl went on, oblivious to my distress. "My father's a professor of strategy, and once a year, he plays in a Lycaneer tournament...He has yet to win."

The cramp in my stomach had gotten times worse.

Before I could moan in agony, Shelia came on stage to make an announcement. "Ten of you are left. Those who win will become the five team captains. At the sound of the whistle, you have one minute to find your seats."

The whistle blew and ten pairs of legs moved in unison as we scrambled to find our seats. At least number thirty wasn't too hard to find this time. My chair was front and center of the stage.

I sat down at the card table, my heart galloping in my chest. Still, I managed to be polite and extended my hand to a red-haired girl who turned up her nose and ignored it.

Should've known, she was one of Brittany's friends.

"Are you ready for this?" the girl said. She looked confident as she shuffled the deck of property cards.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled. My hands felt clammy, and I wiped them on my pants.

"At home they call me the Game Master. I've been playing Lycaneer since I was eight. How about you?" Her eyes gleamed with mischief.

"It's it's my first time," I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush.

Her smirk widened. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."

Seraphina, whose name I learned after one of the test proctors congratulated her for getting so far, placed her pieces on the board with a practiced ease. I fumbled with mine, trying to remember the rules Killian had taught me. After a slight hesitation, I placed my Alpha, Beta, and Gamma on the first row, with the witches and pack members behind them. The proctor had already given us the miniature gold coins to buy the properties we landed on.

The whistle blew, and in my rush to get going, I toppled my stack, sending everything crashing to the floor.

Seraphina laughed. "Guess you lose a turn, huh wolf-less." She tossed the twelve-sided die like she was shooting Craps. It landed on twelve. From what I recollected, that meant she could roll again. By her second roll, her witch was already deep in the forest, safe from any attack, at least for the moment.

I swallowed hard and rolled. My piece landed on a six, and I advanced my Delta cautiously. "Your move," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

It took over ten rounds before I managed to kill one of her pack members, while she had taken out all of mine.

"Not bad for a beginner," she sneered. She moved her Alpha into the mountains, grinning as my Beta was forced to move back.

I bit my lip, trying to think of a strategy. "Focus, Lyra," I whispered to myself. I rolled again and moved my witches to the edge of the forest.

"Looks like someone hasn't been practicing," she said with a laugh. She attacked my Gamma with one of her pack members. "Feeling the pressure yet?"

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I glanced around, catching the pitying looks from the other contestants.

Two moves later I watched in horror as my Gamma fell off the board. "I-I'll get you back for that," I stammered, positioning my remaining pack members defensively.

As the game progressed, I struggled to keep up. My pieces were scattered and Seraphina's forces were relentless. She rolled again, moving her witch into the water, bypassing my defenses. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" she taunted. That damn smirk of hers never left her freckled face.

Sweat trickled down my back. With shaky hands, I threw the die and managed to land a ten. "Take that!" I shouted, moving my Alpha to attack her Beta and knocking the piece off the board. "You're learning, wolfless, but you're still leagues behind," Seraphina growled, leaning forward in her chair.

We were nearing the 30th round, and I knew I had to act fast. Seraphina was slightly winning, holding several prime properties. "This is my final move," she announced, rolling the die and positioning her Alpha to challenge mine. My stomach churned as I realized it was now or never. I clenched my fists, feeling a surge of determination. "I'm not giving up yet," I said, rolling the die with a flip of my wrist.

A perfect twelve. I could hardly believe it.

I moved my Alpha to face hers, the tension almost unbearable. "Attack!" I shouted, rolling the die again. Seraphina's eyes widened when I rolled another twelve. With a grin I marched my piece up to her Alpha and knocked that little shit off the board.

Nothing had ever felt so good... except for Ryan holding me close.

"I-I did it," I breathed, hardly believing my eyes.

Seraphina stared at the board in disbelief, then looked up at me. "Beginner's luck," she muttered, trying to hide her frustration.

"No, that was pure skill," I replied, feeling a wave of relief and triumph wash over me.

I stood up from the table, my heart still racing from the intense game. Seraphina approached me, her expression a mix of shock and grudging respect. "Ser..." Brittany's voice was laced with disbelief. "She beat you?"

Seraphina extended her hand to me, and I shook it firmly. "Wolfless beat me fair and square," she admitted, giving me a wink before walking away.

Brittany lingered, her eyes narrowing as she hissed, "You'll regret winning, you little bitch. Just wait and see."

I watched her storm off, my stomach twisting with unease. What did she mean by that? I shook my head, trying to push away the nagging worry. I had won, and that was all that mattered.