Tasting The Forbidden

10. Be Prepared

Melissa’s pov:

I was so ready to hit the road with Billy, and get away from this shitshow, when we were stopped by the one voice that had me almost tripping on my own two feet.

“Pierce, Parkers, Miller, Ford, and Davis,” he began, his voice as deep and mesmerizing as ever. “You 5 stay back.”

Billy and I looked at one another, confusion written all over our faces, before we spun around to face Mr Blackwood. Jeffrey Miller didn’t wear his heart on his sleeves, and showed no sign of confusion. Peter Ford, on the other hand, was virtually shaking in his boots, apprehension rolling off him in waves.

Olivia Davis, on the other hand, one of the omegas of the pack – the one who had had my back in the school forum – spoke up for all of us, her voice laced with concern, “Are we in trouble?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head negatively.

It was only once the students left that he finally decided to tell us why he held us back.

We were all sitting cross-legged in a circle – his orders – when he finally spilled, “I want you to participate in the festival. I intend to submit your application this evening.”

He wasn’t asking us. It felt as if he was done playing nice. He had made his mind and was ready to execute.

The determined glint in his eyes told us he wasn’t joking, and yet I found myself protesting, “Mr Blackwood, that’s just not possible.”

“What’s not possible?” He raised an eyebrow at me, his demeanor calm and relaxed, even though I was getting undeniably worked up.

“I am not fit for the festival,” I shook my head negatively, even as I fought back tears, “I believe I told you already. I don’t have a wolf.”

“I am aware,” he nodded.

I inhaled deeply, ready to keep the arguments coming as to why this wasn’t a good idea – at least when it came to me – when he spoke up again.

“You have to understand that though you will be participating in the festival, that doesn’t mean you need to get down and dirty in all the trials.”

“Huh?”

To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement.

“I have chosen 5 of you, not 4,” he went on, and that had the knack to make my eyes widen.

Indeed, he had chosen 5 of us, even though it was a known fact that most teams played in 4. Exceptionally, a team would have 5 members. And it would seem like he was going to make an exception out of our team this year.

“This isn’t making any sense,” I shook my head negatively at him.

“You’re in luck,” he let out after a beat. “This year, each team needs to have 5 members. Also, the individual fights are to be in human form, not in wolf form.”

“Really?” Billy all but cheered, clapping his hands. “That’s awesome. That means you should be fine, princess. I will be betting good money that you can hold your ground.”

“Billy,” I groaned, face-palming. “You’re not helping.”

“Think about it,” he insisted. “You don’t have a wolf but you have all the perks that come with being a werewolf in human form. You’ve got speed, strength, and a damned sharp mouth too.”

“Excuse me?” I raised an eyebrow at him even as a smile threatened to break onto my face.

“He’s not wrong,” Jeffrey quipped, a smirk stretching his lips.

I ended up laughing hysterically and chuckles followed, along with a timid giggle from Olivia.

“Fine,” I nodded after a beat, once I had sobered. “Whatever gets you off my case, Mr Blackwood. But if I end up holding everyone back, and I hear so much as one complaint, we’ll have a problem.”

The man merely chuckled again, waving my worries off, seemingly not thinking much of my threat.

“Now that that’s been cleared, any question?” He then didn’t hesitate to look at Olivia, who seemed to be fidgety. “You can speak your mind. I don’t bite.”

His encouragement made her voice out her concerns at once, “I can understand your choice when it comes to everyone but me. I am an omega. I don’t have much going on for me. I would just be a nuisance to the team.”

“There have been some changes to the Blue Moon festival this year,” he told her, a reassuring smile on his face, his gray eyes warm and unguarded, “Not only do you get to fight individually in human form, but there’s also a trial for the omegas and the wolfless.”

My skin prickled at once. Was this why I was in the team? Not because I was good at combat, rather because of this new trial? The thought was somewhat of a wake-up call. I wasn’t that good without my wolf. And no matter what I could manage in human form, it would never be enough.

“And for that section, we are to have 1 to 2 members,” he explained.

“But why me?” Olivia was seemingly on the verge of tears, and I felt for her, even despite the simmering anger within me.

“For an omega, you managed to keep up with us more or less on those 5 laps earlier. And while your fighting techniques leave much to be desired, we have a full month before the festival. We can work on that.”

“Are you sure, Mr Blackwood?” She pressed on.

“Positive,” he nodded. “Now, onto the fun part,” he went on, his eyes gleaming, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he had in store for us. “For the next month, you’ll all have one additional training session every day. I’ll expect you all to be at the pack’s training grounds at 7 on the dot, starting today.”

“Will it last long?” Olivia, who was not just an omega, but also one of the brightest students around, asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“2 hours,” he shrugged, as if to tell us it was no big deal.

“Can you go easy on us today?” Peter asked, speaking out for the first time. “You haven’t exactly been lenient on us today.”

Mr Blackwood merely snorted at that. “Be prepared for my beast mode.”