Chapter 265


    Book 4


    The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)


    Chapter 65 (Evangeline)


    After spending a couple of hours talking with my parents, I promise we’lle visit. I warn my father


    again about crossing me.


    “I’m willing to give you another chance dad, but this is yourst one. There won’t be any more chances.


    You either trust me and Jaxon, or that’s it. I want you in our child’s life, but not at the risk of my mate.


    He doesn’t deserve the treatment you’ve given him, and I won’t allow it.”


    “I’ve been very honest with Jaxon, Evangeline. Someday, when we have more time, I’ll have the same


    conversation with you, if you’d like. In the meantime, I’ll just be thankful to have you around again and if


    you decide to give birth in your old dad’s pack, I know your mother and sisters will be thrilled.”


    “What about you, dad?”


    “I’d be thrilled as well, of course. I can’t wait to meet my grandson,” he says before pulling me into a


    hug. “I love you, Evangeline.”


    “I love you too, Dad.”


    It wasn’t muchter before the announcementes for everyone to meet outside to get the


    information on the nextpetition.


    Nearly everyone has remained to get the information on the nextpetition. via is the only Alpha


    that didn’t make it to round 3. Half of the remaining contestants are Alphas, many more are ranked


    members and then there are a few remaining warriors.


    As we walk outside, Jaxon takes my hand.


    “We should start paying closer attention to the remaining group of individuals. Ten of us will be


    Alphas, but after that, we’ll need to choose our Beta and Gamma. I’m not sure the remaining Alphas


    willpete, but I’d like to start making a list of the other ranked members and thesest few warriors.


    Even if we don’ t choose one of them for a ranked member, we’ll need a Lead Warrior too.”


    We walk outside to the stage, seeing Elder Jason walk up the steps and to the microphone.


    “Congrattions to our top 30 contestants!” he announces and we all cheer. He waits for the apuse


    to die down before continuing.


    The next two contests will ur much more quickly as we, the council, do not feel that much additional


    preparation is needed. In these events, you either have the skills and knowledge or you don’t.”


    He stops, looking at the group of us. “In one month’s time, we willplete the sensory portion of the


    contest. The thirty remaining contestants will arrive the day before the contest begins. You will be


    randomly selected for your slot in the contest and assigned a g color. Each day 10 of you will have


    the opportunity to showcase your sensory skills as well as your speed. You will each have one hour to


    collect as many gs as you can get from within the old iming territory. The only clues you will have


    will be visual, auditory and olfactory. You must use your senses to find and collect as many of your


    colored gs as possible while you are in the territory. The maximum number of gs will be 10, giving


    you six minutes in between to find the new station, collect your g and move on. At the end of the


    hour, the number of gs you have collected will be counted and you will obtain one point per g. If


    you collect all 10 gs andplete the task in under an hour, you will get additional points.”


    “I’m not sure if this puts me at an advantage or disadvantage, being pregnant,” I say quietly to Jaxon.


    “You’ll be great, baby,” he says, putting his arm around me.


    Councilman Jason continues. “In the event that there is a tie, and the top 20 individuals cannot be


    identified, day 4 will be a timed contest to see who can get all 10 gs the fastest. All contestants will


    run in at the same time and the first ones out will win, depending on how many are left to achieve the


    top 20.”


    “So, ten individuals will be eliminated in the next contest?” someone asks.


    “That is correct. And in the final contest, the top 10 contestants will be the new Alphas, and based


    on the rank in the final contest, they will choose their new packnds.”


    “Any additional questions?” Councilman Jason asks, looking around.


    “Hearing none, this contest is adjourned. You will meet back in one month’s time.”


    I look around as we walk back inside, taking inventory of those who remain in thepetition. “If my


    math and pack lines are correct, each pack how has between two and four individuals in the


    competition.”


    Jaxon looks around. “Let’s make a list at dinner. I know there are four of us still from Jordan’s pack,” he


    says.


    “There are four from my father’s pack too, but I think we’re the only two packs with that many still in the


    competition.” Dinner is just the two of us. As I look around, I see what looks like a lot of mate pairings,


    Maggie and Caleb, Reid and Ainsley, Tobias and via, Rowan and Enzo. Lazio looks lost as he gets


    his food and realizes that nearly everyone is paired off.


    “Lazio,” I call, tapping the seat beside me.


    Hees over and looks around. “Now that there are fewer of us, the mate bonds are much clearer.”


    I put my arm around his shoulders. “Don’t worry, little bro. You’ll find your mate. You’re still young and


    maybe she’ s even younger,” I tell him.


    “Or maybe she was eliminated already. If that’s the case, you might not be around her to smell her now,


    but when the Beta Trials start, you might find her then,” Jaxon says.


    That cheers Lazio up, and he looks at what we’re doing.


    “Counting pack members, smart. It looks like all the packs have some level of representation.”


    “They do, mine and yours having the most,” Jaxon says, smiling at me.


    “Strong Alphas,” Lazio and I say together andugh.


    “So how are we going to prepare for the next contest?” Lazio asks.


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    “We need to set up a space where we can begin hunting using our senses. I’m not sure exactly how


    they n to do that. Like are they going to say there are these 10 elements, human, bear, dead


    squirrel, etc, in the territory and tell us to find them, or are we just supposed to search for anything that


    smells off? I think we should set up a space and each day, one of us or even Jordan and Alejandro can


    set up the area and the rest of us hunt, timing ourselves.”


    “That’s a good idea, but hopefully dead squirrels or any dead animal isn’t on list of items to search for.


    Your son isn’t going to be having any of that, I can tell you,” I say, already feeling queasy at the thought


    of smelling freshly killed meat.


    “We won’t practice with that at least. There are plenty of other things we can use to practice AND we


    have to practice them with different senses. For instance, let’s use the bear. We don’ t know if they are


    going to give us that as a visual, auditory or olfactory sense test, so we’ll have to rotate them around in


    three different ways.”


    “That’s a good point,” Lazio says. “I’ll call dad and Al tonight and have them set something up for us to


    begin running drills.”


    He turns to me. “Are you nning to spend time at home in the next month, Evie?”


    “Yes, we’re going back to Alpha Jordan’ s pack first. We’ll help them get set up with their space and


    then we’lle join you guys for a week or so, alternating back and forth.”


    “Excellent. Well, I’m off to call Dad and Al. See you both in the morning and hopefully in a week or so.”


    “Sounds good. Goodnight, Lazio,” Jaxon and I say together.


    As he begins walking away, Jacees over to us.


    “So, I was thinking about the nextpetition. I’ve drawn up some ideas for how to set up the drills in


    our pack,” he says and the three of us begin talking it through, readying ourselves for the next phase of


    thepetition.