Emily’s POV
“Emily!” Alex called behind me, but I increased my speed.
I couldn’t believe he wouldn’t let me participate in his little adventure. Not that it bothered me; I had something else planned for tonight. This was a blessing in disguise.
Alex’s voice died off. He must have given up and crossed the border with his father.
I sighed, relieved, and went at a slower pace.
“Where to?” Willow asked.
“Jax is waiting for us at the border with the car,” I said, and Willow sprinted in that direction.
Jax must have heard me coming; he turned his gaze to the direction of the forest, picked up a bag, carried it to a nearby tree, and set it down.
“Evening, Parker,” he said, and he moved away.
Willow yapped, thanking him, grabbing the bag, and carrying it behind the tree.
I quickly shifted and opened the bag.
I groaned when I lifted the short black cocktail dress from the bag. It shimmered under the moonlight and was gorgeous, but the front of the dress was cut way too low for my liking.
“Seriously,” I hissed under my breath when I turned the dress over, seeing the back of the dress. “What the hell was Mila thinking? I am going out working, not stripping.”
“I don’t think she was,” Willow snickered.
I sighed, frustrated.
There was no way I could run back home and find myself another dress. This one will have to do.
I moaned under my breath as I fit the dress, pulled the thin straps over my shoulders, and made my way back to the car.
The only reason we were going out was because Angelica and some of her snobby high-ranking friends were going out to Tango Hearts tonight. I had overheard them talking about it earlier at the training session.
Jax waited patiently for me, holding a pair of silver stilettos and a handbag in his hands. He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say a word when he saw me. I guess my facial expression told him to just shut up.
“Mila said these would match your outfit,” he said, handing me the accessories.
“Remind me to thank your mate for overdressing me,” I hissed.
Jax just nodded with a smirk and went to open the passenger door for me. He knew very well that his mate could get on my last nerves when it came to dressing up, and Mila took advantage tonight.
I got in the passenger seat, and Jax closed the door, went around the car, and hopped in the driver’s seat.
“Ready?” He asked, startling the car. He sounded excited about tonight.
“Sure, let’s do this,” I said, feeling uncomfortable in the dress, and I unconsciously started fiddling with it.
Jax nodded, turned his attention to the road, and sped towards the gate.
The trip down to the city wouldn’t take too long at the speed Jax was driving, and we would reach the outskirts of the city soon.
“Relax, Parker,” he said, giving me a side glance. “You know I drive better than you!”
“Only because you have a clean driving record,” I said, crossing my arms around my chest and rolling my eyes. I have written off three SUVs in the past two years-not because of poor driving, but due to unforeseen circumstances.
“No,” he said. “Because I scored better on my driving test.”
“Only by one point!” I huffed.
“It’s still better than yours!” He teased and turned his face to look at me.
“I still believe that you bribed the instructor to give you a higher score than me!”
Jax threw his head back and laughed. “You know that was not the case!”
I rolled my eyes at Jax; we had become close friends, and I welcomed the comfortable light teasing.
I knew he was only trying to distract me from thinking of Alex.
I was worried that they might run into trouble, and I suddenly wondered if they were on time to get the proof of Axel being the attacker.
“Don’t worry so much,” Jax said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “Alpha Alex will be okay. He can take good care of himself.”
I nodded, smiled, pulled my hand back, and turned to look out the window.
We had almost reached the end of the forest. About 3 to 4 miles further down, the forest would fade out into open grasslands and stretch as far as the eye could see, and the gravel road would make way for a decent tar road that would lead into the city.
My thoughts wandered off, thinking about Angelica-the reason why I went out tonight.
I shivered, feeling every hair on my body rise just thinking of her. There was something seriously wrong with that girl.
This morning at the she-training was no different; everyone could see that I didn’t like Angelica, no matter how hard I tried to hide my feelings.
Whispering erupted when I entered the training area. I guess Angelica informed the girls that she stole my mate.
“Have you decided on which training the she-wolve is going to do first?” Mila asked, eyeing Angelica. She was appointed to assist me with the she-wolf training today.
A sly smile followed on my lips, and I nodded.
“I think we will test their endurance and fitness first,” I let out.
Mila’s eyes flashed out in excitement. She liked that idea. She quickly called the warriors closer and informed them, and she quickly divided the she-wolves into four groups.
“Morning everyone,” I said, getting on the platform. “My name is Parker, and I will be your coordinator today. This is my assistant, Mila.”
Angelica’s eyes widened, and murmurs erupted among the she-wolves. They were surprised to know I was in charge.
“Follow us, ladies,” Mila said, excitement erupting from her.
Just like the Opal Moon Pack, we too had an obstacle course-only ours was a bit more muddy and dirty.
I internally snickered.
“We will be doing the obstacle course first,” I announced, and the she-wolves moaned.
“The she-record for completing the course is four minutes and twenty seconds,” Mila announced proudly. “Our own Parker holds the record.”
“I don’t believe that,” Angelica muttered, and the surrounding girls giggled around her. My gaze turned in her direction, and I narrowed my eyes.
Was she challenging me?
Mila saw me looking, and a grin formed on her lips.
“I tell you what,” Mila said, raising her chin. “My friend Parker will gladly show you how it is done, but in return, you will have to do the course on your own without any help.”
Angelica turned quiet, and the surrounding girls started whispering behind their hands.
Was Angelica afraid?
“You said you had beaten her before,” one of the girls said, pushing Angelica forward. “Now is your chance to show everyone here that you are the better Luna.”
“This is going to be fun,” Willow yapped.
Angelica pushed the girl back and hissed.
“Come on, Angelica,” another she-wolf urged. “Show us. You need to put this brat in her place.”
“Why do you suddenly look so scared?” Another girl yapped. “You have beaten her before. This should be as easy as taking candy from a baby.”
“I’m up to it,” I said, and I started stretching my legs and warming up.
More girls were pushing Angelica to compete.
“Fine!” Angelica snapped, red-faced. She didn’t like this idea. “I will compete, but only if Parker can break her previous record.”
“Deal!” I said, coming closer and extending my hand.
Angelica huffed, pulling her face in disgust as she looked down at my extended hand. She turned her back on me and rushed back to her group.
“She knows she is in trouble,” Willow said.
“I know,” I replied, going toward the starting line and taking my position.
“Ready?” Mila asked.
“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on the first item.
“On your mark!” She called. “Go!”
I ran to the first obstacle-the robe ladder-and climbed to the top and jumped off the other side.
Eighty feet further down was the mud pit swing.
I needed to grab hold of the rope in the center and swing myself to the other side. If I missed or was unable to hold on and loosen my grip, I would end up in a pool of gray and sticky mud.
I ran, jumped, grabbed onto the rope, and successfully swung myself to the other side, perfectly landing on my feet.
Next was the network of wires with razor-sharp blades. I needed to leopard crawl through the maze, ensuring not to touch the wires.
I reached it in the nick of time, rolled myself through the obstacle to the other side, got up, and ran to the water pool with a balance beam crossing it.
I passed effortlessly over the four-foot balance beam and proceeded towards the eight-foot wall, then ran to the ten-foot wall.
I got over them fast and without much effort.
The spectators went wild, and the applause sent vibrations through my body.
Next was the winter pit, with freezing waters going down lower than 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The task was simple: get in, go over the stump, and go under the next stump.
The ice-cold water will freeze the blood in your veins and make it hard to concentrate.
I kept my focus, pushing forward and completing the obstacles faster than usual.
Cheers erupted from the audience, leaving a simple smirk on my lips.
Now the final, finally: a 150-foot stretch up a 40-degree hill. I needed to run up the hill, go around a pole at the top, and then come back down the hill, where the last obstacle was a 32-foot rope climb to ring the bell to stop the clock.
Willow increased my speed, and I climbed that hill out unimaginably fast, ran around the pole, and slid down the hill on my butt.
I dusted myself off, ran to the rope, and climbed it to the top.
I took a deep breath when I rang the bell. The test had come to an end, and the spectators went wild.
Mila’s eyes widened out of shock.
I let go of the rope, landed on my feet, and quickly made my way back to Mila and the group.
“And?” I asked, curious to know if I had matched my time.
Mila lifted her hand and gestured to the huge digital timer on the wall.
A shiver ran down my spine when I saw I not only broke my record but even better it.
“Three minutes, five seconds,” Mila gasped. “It is even better than the men’s.”
A smile formed on my lips, and I turned toward Angelica.
“A deal is a deal,” I said. “Your turn…”
****