Chapter 111

Zenovia

Panting and wheezing, I tried not to slink down to the ground as the final whistle was blown and the

end of the battle announced.

There was an uproar in the arena, and I felt that the crowd erupted in a cheer, but I could only faintly

hear it.

It had only turned into white noise as I placed my hands on my knees. My breathing was ragged, and I

felt that all the air in the world would not be enough to fill my lungs.

I took in big breaths, my mouth wide open as I let the realization sink in. I, a nobody, someone who had

been bullied all my life and looked down as a doormat…I won something.

It didn’t matter that it was not a real life battle, or that I had not killed my enemies…I had won a

match..fair and square.

Caroline came rushing towards me, patting my back and rubbing it as I struggled to breathe. Feeling

her hands slink around me, I let myself finally loose, and she grabbed me, breaking my fall.

“Oh,” she muttered as I let my weight fall on her. Opening the lid of a bottle of water with one hand, she

threw the lid aside and held it in front of my mouth while supporting me with the other hand as I

completely leaned on her.

“Sorry,” I weakly muttered as she smiled at me and replied.

“It is okay. Drink a little”

My heart was still beating wildly and my mind was replaying the last few moments of our spar in my

head.

How far someone would go to belittle others? My gaze flicked to Bella, who was stomping her feet,

clearly agitated by her loss.

She and her gang of friends were staring at me. However, I noticed a difference in their gazes. While

earlier there was plain mockery in their expressions, now I saw a faint trace of respect and maybe even

fear. They had considered me as a pushover earlier but now looked at me warily.

That instilled a seed of confidence in me. Strength and willpower mattered. Callahan was reckless and

would always push me to become

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strong and tough, but now, when I participated in the trials for the first time, I could see the change in

gazes and the body language of almost everybody.

Caroline held the bottle of water in front of me, and I took a sip or two. The juice was sweet and had a

rich aroma to it.

It was rich and invigorating and made me feel energized.

“Have it. You need your strength” She smiled, and I took a few more sips before coughing violently.

“Oh, no!” She shrieked as I spilled the bottle almost entirely and gagged. Matteo came rushing to me

with a concerned look. “Don’t drink too much or too fast. Your body needs to cool down first”

He said, helping me gently get up from the ground and pulling me up back on the bench.

“Congrats” His eyes twinkled with a smile.

I smiled back at him. “Thanks. I bet nobody expected me to win.”

He shook his head while taking a towel from one of the helpers who had come running towards me to

hand it over to me.

Matteo held the towel in front of me and replied, “It was an interesting match. I don’t remember the last

time when the crowd went so mad. You owned the arena.”

I felt a small spark of happiness graze my insides when he said that.

I could not even remember the last time I was praised for my efforts.

“We will take a small break now. Then you prepare for the award ceremony.”

My eyes went wide at that. “Award ceremony?”

I asked, and he nodded his head. “Yeah. Why else are trials held? To find a winner, right?”

“But…but I just wanted to participate. We don’t have to have a ceremony.”

I resisted, but Matteo only ruffled my hair and walked away to start the preparations. I only wanted to

take out my anger and frustration of Cynthia at someone and I was done with it.

I did not want any awards or anything.

But Caroline rubbed my shoulder reassuringly. “Come on. You won. You deserve a little praise. Plus,

don’t you want to be rewarded and applauded

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by the Lycan King himself?”

She asked, and I realized I had completely forgotten about that part.

Being under the watchful gazes of a thousand people was bad enough. But adding Callahan to the mix

was terrifying.

I did not know how to behave in front of him and every time he was around, I would either feel smitten

by him or annoyed. There was no in between.

My mind was muddled as she helped me walk towards the room we had been gathered inside earlier.

I was limping a little as my legs and muscles had been pulled and bent at odd angles many times, but

with her help, I managed to walk.

“Do you need some help with washing your face?” She asked,

“Yeah, for someone who just won a match, I am behaving like a complete loser”

I joked at my expense, but she only shook her head.

“I know what it means to be ridiculed and bullied. So, no, you are not a loser.”

Her line caught me off-guard. She looked like a sweet and innocent girl.

“What do you mean? Did somebody bully you back in your pack?” I asked, but she pretended to not

hear it.

She only helped me walk to the wash basin and turned on the tap while holding out the bar of soap for

me.

The cool water splashed over my face and I felt the heat go down a little. It also helped get rid of the

sweat and muck sticking to my body.

And I only looked at my reflection. My face looked puffed and swollen, a few red spots here and there.

There were also minor cuts and scratches that my wolf, Thunder, had helped heal.

But I guess, being a newly awakened wolf, even she had her limits.

More than the award, I wanted to get a nice shower. That would be more relaxing. And I also realized I

had much more to learn and train.

The group of girls had shown me that I was still weak and gullible. If I wanted to be a pack warrior, I

had to be able to tackle them more swiftly.

Qutside, I could hear the roars and cheers of the audience that had filled the stadium to the brim.

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Caroline walked out of the room to do something and I sat by the bench, slowly wiping the water off my

neck.

My left leg felt a little sprained, and I pulled up my socks to assess the damage.

“Hey, come on. We have to go.”

Caroline called me, but I shook my head. Suddenly, I was feeling dizzy. “No, I am not feeling well”

I answered, but she only took it as a sign of my nervousness.

“Oh, come on, don’t be shy and nervous now. You get to ask for your reward. Don’t miss the chance.”

She urged me and pulled me up from the bench.

But I was trying to shake off the feeling of unease in my body. There was an odd feeling in my chest

that made me stagger a bit.

I blinked rapidly, trying to fight the sudden dizziness overwhelming me as I stepped out of the door and

in front of the spectators again.

I had not even realized that it had gotten dark and the afternoon sun had been replaced by the moon.

Huge lights were flashing all over the arena, making my eyes dazzle as I slowly made way towards the

arena.

There was a small stage set up on the side, and I gulped nervously. Callahan had not shown up

through the entirety of the event, so I did not assume that he would make time for such a silly event

now.

And it was for the better. I would get more time to relax and calm down my heart. My head had made a

few notes of the moves of the and I planned to ask Elijah or Callahan the way to tackle them…Elijah

preferably.

I went up the stage and stood by the side, hoping to get this over quickly with. I did not fancy meeting

the Lycan King or demanding what I truly wanted from him in front of so many people.

And I could not decide if it was for the better or worse, when I saw a familiar silhouette walk towards

me.

But then I blinked, and it was gone.