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Chapter 79
~Jade’s POV~
At the sa ti, I saw Isadora walking past the class. Her steps slowed down when she saw , but I looked away and focused on my more pressing matters.
From the corner of my eye, I saw her biting her lower lip before getting pulled away by Silvie.
"Alright, let’s go..."
"Are you okay with being on Dean’s team?" Silver asked, interjecting. "Because if you do not, I’ll talk with our horoom Professor."
I shook my head and held up my palm before he could say sothing else. "I’ll be fine, thanks, Silver."
By the ti the final bell rang, the tension sitting in my chest had not eased.
If anything, it had only settled deeper. Which was probably why I felt strangely relieved when Professor Hale’s voice echoed through the training hall.
Training ant action, and action, I’d soon realised, ant less thinking. And right now, that was exactly what I needed.
By the ti the final bell rang, the five of us were the only ones left standing in the training hall.
Everyone else had either passed their assessnts for the week or been dismissed after evaluation. The instructors did not bother hiding the fact that we were the last team to be tested.
"Outdoor arena," Professor Hale ordered without explanation or encouragent.
Just that.
The walk there felt longer than usual.
I glanced at my teammates. We were all clad in black combat attire, which futher helped hide my birthmark and the matebond mark.
The outdoor training arena sat beyond the main building, enclosed by high steel fencing reinforced with wolfsbane wiring and layered enchantnts to prevent full shifts. It was designed for controlled combat, not chaos.
Students gathered along the elevated spectator railings as word spread that the final team was being assessed.
I felt Isadora’s gaze before I saw her. She stood two rows up, arms folded, staring directly at .
I looked away first.
"Hey." Ziva appeared at my side, lowering her voice. "We’re sticking together."
"We are a team," I replied.
She gave a knowing look. "No." I an, I’ve got you. Now, let’s do this together."
"I seem to rember us being a team." I looked up to see who had spoken, only to see Dean and Kai walking closer to us. While Kai had his hands in his trousers’ pocket, Dean tucked one hand in and the other he relaxed, staring directly at .
"No. I just did not think you guys would want to..."
"We tead up for a reason. So before you write us off without giving us a chance, I suggest you rethink that decision," Kai added, rather coldly or bluntly.
"Sa here. I’d be happy to join," Claire, who hadn’t spoken a word since we gathered her, voiced.
I shrugged at Ziva. "If we are to excel in whatever they throw at us, I believe this is how we do it. Nice working with you guys."
They all nodded and in the next few seconds, Professor Hale stood at the centre of the arena.
"You have one month before inter-academy combat trials against Lunar Crescent High," he announced. "From today forward, assessnts will be faster. Harder. You will either keep up or be removed."
A low murmur rippled through the watching students. "Today’s test," he continued, "is Pack Efficiency Under Pressure."
Dean muttered, "That sounds comforting."
Professor Hale ignored him. "You will retrieve three marked flags placed across the arena. Each flag is guarded. You may not shift fully. Partial shifts allowed. You will face obstacles, distractions, and simulated attacks. You have fifteen minutes."
Claire adjusted her gloves. "Guarded by what?"
As if summoned by her question, three chanical gates on the far ends of the arena lifted, and tallic constructs rolled out.
We were expecting wolves or another race, but not training automatons. They were fast, armored. Programd to strike without hesitation.
Kai swore under his breath. "Those things hit like trucks."
"Well, it’s simple," Dean remarked, tilting his neck from side to side. "Ensure you do not get hit."
"That’s it?" I asked, my eyes darting between all four of them. "No plan?"
Neither Dean, Ziva or the rest got a chance to answer when we heard Hale’s voice. "Begin."
A horn blared, and the others ran. As a team, we needed planning focus, not working as individuals. Together we are part of sothing bigger. Individually or without structure, we’re like ants without a queen.
Dean imdiately veered left toward the first flag, which was planted atop a raised concrete structure surrounded by rotating steel bars.
"Too obvious," Claire snapped. "It’s bait."
"She’s right," I said. "Ziva, with . Kai, circle right. Dean, draw one of them out."
Dean did not argue. He shifted partially, claws extending as he charged straight toward one of the automatons, forcing it to focus on him.
Kai moved with calculated precision toward the second flag near the sand pit, where the ground was unstable. Ziva stayed close to as we approached the central structure.
Steel bars spun unpredictably around it. Thankfully, Claire joined us, already analysing the rhythm. "They’re not random. I have analyzed their movents. It’s three-second intervals."
I nodded, clearly impressed by her quick and critical thinking. "Can you get us through?" I asked.
She nodded once. Dean’s grunt echoed behind us as tal collided with muscle.
"Ti," Professor Hale called from the sidelines. "Twelve minutes."
Pressure tightened in my chest. "On my mark," Claire called out. "Move."
We dashed forward, ducking and sliding between rotating bars. One clipped my shoulder, sending a sharp sting through , but I kept moving.
Ziva leapt cleanly over the final sweep and grabbed the first flag.
"One down!"
Across the arena, Kai struggled in the sandpit as one automaton advanced on him.
"Dean!" I shouted.
Dean broke away from his opponent and tackled the second construct into the sand, giving Kai enough space to snatch the second flag.
"Seven minutes!"
The final flag sat near the far end, suspended above a narrow balance beam over a shallow trench.
"Trap!" Claire called out again.
"Obviously," Dean replied. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, since he had first dived there. Obviously, he had sothing going on. He behaved too...
Before we could plan further, the remaining automaton charged at all of us.
Ziva stepped forward without hesitation, shut her eyes briefly, and fixed her feet firmly on the ground as she intercepted it head-on.
"Ziva, what are you..." The sharp sound of tal clashing against bone reverberated out loud, but instead of falling as I thought, she held her own.
"Go!" Ziva shouted.
I did not think; I ran.
Kai followed after , lighter on his feet, balancing first across the beam. He jumped, grabbing the suspended rope and swinging toward the flag, but the beam jerked violently.
My eyes darted in search of the cause. Damn it! chanical interference.
Kai slipped the second an electric pulse coursed through the rope. His grip loosened. I lunged forward, grabbing his wrist before he fell into the trench.
Our eyes locked briefly, and fuck, did I feel the agonizing strain of holding soone weighing more than I did.
But rather than scream in pain, I felt strength fueling my muscles.
"Don’t drop ," Kai muttered.
"Then don’t fall."
Dean rushed up behind us, steadying the beam while Claire calculated the machine’s movent pattern again.
"Now!" she called.
Ziva swung once from the rope and this ti ripped the final flag free. She lande don her feet while Dean quickly assisted and pulled Kai back up.
A loud horn sounded just as we regrouped. I did not know when Ziva had left the automaton, but I was glad she was there.
Silence fell over the arena. Everything had happened so fast, I wasn’t even sure five minutes had gone by.
Professor Hale stepped forward slowly while the little murmurings that had begun stopped.
"You lacked coordination at the start," he said flatly. "But you adapted under pressure; sadly, you relied too much on improvisation." He looked directly at . "You fought well together, but your personal tensions are obvious. Leadership under stress is acceptable."
My pulse skipped. "A pack that begins disorganized dies quickly. Fix that before Lunar Crescent High exploits it."
His gaze lingered a second too long before adding, "You all exhibited leadership, analytical thinking, disruptor, objective grab, and brute force. Not bad for a first trial. Do better. Dismissed."
The spectators began dispersing. I glanced up instinctively to find that Isadora was still there watching us.
And this ti, she did not look angry. She looked thoughtful. And honestly, that unsettled more.
I lifted my hand to wave at her when Silvie grabbed her arm gently and whispered sothing to her. They both glanced in my direction before walking off.
"Now that’s not good, right?" Ziva muttered, standing close to .
"No, but I believe she can handle herself."
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