The Chubby Omega and her Alpha Mate

Chapter 3

Lauressa followed the other unranked members into the arena. She was confident about the knowledge test, this was the easiest part she felt. She had always enjoyed learning about the pack's history, as well history of the werewolf species. Even knowledge of the other species fascinated her. There was nothing she didn't wish to learn. The only thing she was reluctant of was the politics, where it was more common for females to have lesser roles than the males, including very few females obtained a warrior position. This was her time to shine, prove to the council that they are wrong.

As their group passed the Alpha family, a scent caught her attention. Even her wolf had picked up on it. She glanced around, but the scent had vanished as quickly as it came. She shook her head, she needed to focus.

All 32 wolves sat down at their desks, their papers anxiously waiting in front of them. Their eyes all focused on Ms Carrol as she stared down at her watch.

"You may begin... Now." She said, gesturing to the wolves. "You have one hour," She continued, lowering her arm to her side before striding over to her seat at the front of the group, her eyes scanning over the wolves.

Lauressa smiled to herself as she turned the first page. 'Previous leaders of Black Moon pack' read the first question. Yes, this will be easy, she thought.

Time passed quickly and the hour was up. Ms Carrol alerted the group, only to be responded with moans and cries from some of the members. Their papers were collected before the wolves were moved over to the next area. The judges watched the proceedings, making notes of the wolves who complained once the exam time was up.

The next task was apothecary. Freida squealed slightly, to which Lauressa and Felix smiled to themselves. At their stations, there was a list of three potions that they needed to brew within the time limit. During this time, their papers would be marked by a couple of the judges while the other two paid attention to the wolves' brewing skills.

The necessary ingredients were all laid out on a table at the front of the group, but none had labels on them. Worried murmurs came from some of the members, but Freida's eyes shone with excitement. One of the skills as a healer is to identify ingredients and potions from their district colour, smell and appearance, something that Freida had been practicing over the past few months.

The time started; Freida sprinted to the table before any other wolves could get there. She pulled out numerous vials and jars before scuffing back to her desk. Lauressa and Felix exchanged impressed looks, then made their way to the ingredient table as well.

"Nervous Laurie?" Felix asked, scanning over the numerous items in front of them.

"Not at all," Lauressa replied, picking up a couple of vials. She glanced at Felix, who appeared to not be as calm as his eyes moved quickly over the unlabelled items. He was gnawing at his finger, trying to concentrate. "You'll be fine," Lauressa said, resting a hand on his shoulder before returning to her desk.

The potions seemed to be faring badly in the hands of some of the wolves, from mortars cracking to pots overheating and burning the ingredients. The free judges moved around the area, making notes as they went. One approached Freida, glanced at her efficient hands and made notes. She was so caught up in the moment, she hadn't realised she had been approached. She met with the judge's eyes, who simply returned a smile and a nod before moving on. It was unlike judges to show any support or thoughts during the testing process, so that smile and nod made Freida blush. A warming sensation rippled across her cheeks as she tried to regain focus.

The time ended, which caused another stir of moans and cries from the wolves. Eugene was sitting upright in his chair, his fingers interlocked as his hands rested on his lap. He smirked at their complaints, enjoying their torment slightly, perhaps too much. He was so engrossed in the tests that he hadn't realised how far forward Gale was sitting, his eyes fleeting over the group as he tried to identify the scent that still clung to his senses.

The group moved onto strategy, broken down into smaller groups of four. The papers had been marked, so all four judges were available to wander around the group as they performed. The strategy task involved solving a challenge that has been set out. Lauressa, Freida and Felix were all in different groups, which although saddening, it did aid their concentration. Each task was similar in what was required, but the scenario of each group was different.

Lauressa scanned the documents in front of her, mentally highlighting certain phrases as she went.

"I think we should advance on the left flank," one of the members said, tracing their finger along the map.

"No," was all Lauressa replied with, still reading the notes. The other three group members were surprised by her bluntness, but returned their attention to the map.

"How about," the second member started, " we come in from the sea?" They suggested, pointing out various rock formations that could come as cover as they spoke.

"Nope," Lauressa replied again. This caused the other members to frown at her, aggrevating them and forcing low growls from their throats.

"What's your idea then?" one spat, still boring into her blank expression with his eyes.

"Oh, it's quite simple really," she uttered, as if it wasn't completely obvious already. The group pouted at her, waiting for her explanation.

"It's simple." she began, finishing off the page which she then laid before them. "Target is in the north, situated along the bottom of a cliff face. Yes, moving on the left is a great idea, we would have cover from the ailments as we traced the rock. However, the cliff top allows a perfect vantage point for the target, as not only can they see us from a distance but they can pelt us from above with any weapon they chose to use, really."

The other group members stared at her in awe as she continued her speech.

"This is also why we couldn't come in from the sea, they would see us coming. I suggest we come from the right, using scouts to see exactly what weapons the target has. The right has cover from trees, and the angle of the land means they wouldn't be able to see us from the cliff. The scouts have already reported that there are numerous traps throughout the forest, but most are situated in the centre, hence taking the right path." Lauressa pointed to various points on the map as she read from the notes, highlighting the areas which have known traps in them.

"You, name, and what are your strengths?" Lauressa asked, staring intently at the wolf to her left. He began to stutter, failing to form a sentence. His eyes drifted to one of the judges who wasn't standing too far away. He cleared his throat as he answered.

"Cain, I have a particular knack for apothecary." The group stared back at Lauressa and awaited her response. She stared down at the map for a few moments before she did.

"Smoke bombs?" She replied. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Y-Yes I can make those." Cain replied.

"Good, you could stay with the main army, but nearer the front so you can discharge the smoke bombs to cover their movements through the open section here " She said, pointing to a location on the map. "Yes, it may seem obvious we are approaching with smoke coming out of the treeline, but they wouldn't be able to see our numbers under its cover. Next."

"Ben," said the next wolf, "I have a good sense of smell, I can pick up silver and other things at a greater distance than others can."

"You would go with the scouts then. They may need help if they were spotted while on a mission. We'd ensure a warrior went as well, just in case an attack did happen." Lauressa replied affirmatively. She looked up to the wolf on her right.

"Hazel," the last wolf replied, "I'm not very good in combat, but I've always been able to heal wounds."

"So, you can make potions too?" Lauressa quizzed.

"I can, but only healing draughts really. Everything else never seems to turn out right." Hazel responded. Lauressa took in her words.

"Thank you for sharing your weaknesses too, both the men here didn't think of sharing those." Lauressa mused, her eyes cheekily looking between Cain and Ben. "You can stay at the back of the army, injured warriors would be sent back for aid when they needed it."

The judge was just about to move off when Ben piped up.

"What about you?" He asked, looking towards Lauressa. The judge halted in their tracks, awaiting the response. They'd become quite invested in Lauressa's strategy.

"I like archery, but also combat." She replied matter-of-factly, earning her some surprised looks from the group. "I would stay near the front of the army so I'm able to cover them with arrow fire as they advanced, but I would be able to defend myself once the target's warriors were close enough."

The judge seemed satisfied with her answer, making some more notes on his clipboard before now moving on. The group all stared at Lauressa.

"Why did you ask us those questions?" Hazel asked.

"I guess none of you read the notes fully then?" Lauressa mused, as three heads shook back at her, "We had to incorporate our own group into the strategy, not just the whole pack army. I only brought it up once I saw the judge waiting over there, wanted them to hear it," She chuckled. The other three smiled in response, seeing that Lauressa was also quite crafty as well.

The strategy task ended, the time was now 16:47, which meant it was almost time for the combat task. Lauressa joined Felix and Freida, who seemed to be holding hands as she approached.

"Nervous?" Freida asked, her own nervousness was evident in her tone. Felix pulled her closer and kissed her hair, trying to sooth her anxiety through the mate bond.

"Excited more like," Lauressa replied, a grin gracing her lips. Felix and Freida raised an eyebrow at her before laughing at her response.

"Of course," Felix replied, rolling his eyes at her.

The trio took a moment to drink and roll out their shoulders, preparing for their next task. The clock struck 17:00 and Ms Carrol summoned the wolves to her side.

"You each have been paired with someone of similar height, build and skill. I know not all of you are fighters. I also know there are more males here than females, so I'm sorry ladies but some of you will need to take on a male." She sighed as some of the females winced at her words. "As I said, we have tried to be as fair as possible with the pairings, not all of you have displayed combat skills so please try not to fret. You just need to show what you can do."

Murmurs erupted from the group, mostly from the anxious females.

The group moved over to the assignment board, reading who they had been paired with. Felix had been paired with Ben, Freida had been paired with a girl called Sally and Lauressa had been paired with Cain. He stood behind her as he read their names.

"This will be interesting," he said, looking down at the little wolf. Lauressa turned to face him.

"Yes it will be," she smirked. They both nodded to one another before moving to join the group.

Everyone had their pairs, positioned on opposite sides of the mats. They just had to wait for the claxon to sound so they could begin.