Mate Camp

Chapter Five

It was 5 minutes to 9 when we heard the whistle for the first trainee to get to the starting line. Cecilia stretched once more, if you can call it that. It looked more like flaunting her assets towards our Beta. What is it with her being so obsessed with him? Does she think he is her mate? We heard the whistle blow once more and Cecilia started running towards the first task. The first half of the test has to be done in our human form and the second part in wolf form. Cecilia is doing great so far. Despite her being arrogant I do not wish for her to fail. There are a total of eight tasks to complete and Cecilia is now getting to the 2nd. She is climbing up a rope and once she gets to the top she swings over to the next and the next and the next rope without missing a beat. On the last rope she did a double backflip down and landed on two feet. Cheers erupted in the crowd and Cecilia bowed overly dramatic.  

"All that just for attention." Jill said, shaking her head. 

"She is desperate to get Beta Tony's attention if you ask me." Katie said to us.

"Maybe he is her mate." I joined the conversation.

"WHAT?!" Katie snapped her head towards me. "No Way!" 

"I'm just saying it's odd why she would be flaunting herself at him this whole time, if she knows after today she'll have confirmation. Maybe she already knows." I explained.

"If that's really the case then why doesn't Beta Tony return the affection? More importantly, why does he look at you like he wants to rip off your clothes every time he sees you?" Jill said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"He most certainly does not do that." I said laughing out loud. "He's just being friendly since he has been taking over Alpha duties recently." 

"You really don't see it, do you?" Katie asked.

"See what?!" I asked her innocently.

"He has the HOTS for you Jessie." 

Sighing I shook my head and said. "It doesn't matter guys, I'll be able to find my mate after today and that's all that matters." 

"If you say so." Jill said.

"Look guys! Cecilia is about to do her jump shift." Katie alerted us. 

I looked over to the field and saw her run towards the hoops. I can sense the anticipation in the crowd. She was almost at the jumping point but suddenly she tripped and fell to the ground. Gasps were heard from behind us. Cecilia stood up and brushed the dust of her clothes. "Don't worry sweetie, you look fantastic!" her mom screamed through the crowd at her. "Mhh... I wonder where Cecilia gets her shallowness from." Sarcasm dripping out of Katie's mouth. Jill and I laughed at her joke earning us some stern looks from my parents. They must think we are laughing at Cecilia's fall. 

Cecilia sprinted back and got enough distance to the hoops. She started running toward them and this time she made the jump shifting into a dark grey wolf with black spots. She landed on all fours and managed not to bump any of the hoops as she went through them. We saw her disappear into the forest as she continued onto task 5. 

In our human form the tasks are mostly about strength and endurance. In our wolf form the tasks are designed for instinct, speed and sense of smell. If she picks up the clues correctly, she will find her way back to the field. Cecilia has been gone for a while and since there was nothing else to watch, I went over to the refreshments table and picked up a bottle of water. 

"Hey Jessie!" The girl behind the table said. 

"Oh hey Shelly, sorry I didn't see you there." 

"No worries. I'm sure you've got a lot on your mind today. I'm turning 17 next month and will start my training. I am super nervous." She said. 

"You'll be fine. Trainer Argon knows what he is doing and if you struggle with anything he will guide you through it. He may not look like it, but he really is a big teddy bear underneath that stern expression." I reassured her with a smile.

"Thanks Jessie. That makes me feel a lot better. I'm looking forward to seeing your jump shift. I've watched you train a few times and I hope I can be as good as you one day." 

"Thanks Shelly. It's a pretty awesome feeling. You just have to let go of everything, stop overthinking and let your wolf take over." 

"I can't wait." She said, clapping her hands with excitement. "Oh, looks like Cecilia is done." Shelly said looking over my shoulder. 

I turned around to see the grey wolf make its way over the field with a cloth in its mouth. People started applauding as the wolf made its way to the finish line. Even her wolf had something entitled about it, slowly swaying her tail left to right. Finally the whistle blew and the crowd started to descend towards the refreshment table.