Page 8 of Last Pack Standing
The screen lit up as the teams ranked one by one. With each cheer from the packs nearby, I grew more anxious. Where was our ranking? Then, when I thought all was lost, our team name flashed across the screen.
We came in first place.
Cheers erupted from somewhere, but I couldn’t be bothered to look. I just let out a huge exhale and turned to Cassie. She blinked at me in surprise, and let out a huge grin.
“We made it!” She shrieked, and jumped into my arms. I caught her, stumbling backward slightly in surprise. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder as Rys stepped up behind me, calmness seeming to radiate from him. Then Leo bounded up, wrapping his arms around all of us and practically lifting us all up from the ground as he bellowed out.
“We did it team!” Leo’s happiness was infectious, and I couldn’t stop smiling in relief, and also in a strange appreciation of this strange type of teamwork.
“Careful now, we don’t need another accident!” the host joked, and Leo set us down, still beaming. Jace stepped over, looking at us and trying to hold back his obvious relief.
“Well, since we’re all still here, how about a pack dinner?” He suggested, and the host stepped closer.
“Oh, you’ll be having a very special dinner tonight! The winners of round one get a candlelit meal out on the terrace, courtesy of our award winning private chef!” The host explained. We gave a team cheer, and were quickly herded toward the exit to prepare for our dinner. I walked next to Cassie as we headed toward our suite.
“I told you we had chemistry!” I said to Cassie as I nudged her. She smirked at me.
“Enough to make it to the next round! Let’s see how far we can get!” She said, and I smiled to myself.
I felt a presence behind me and looked to see Rys, the rugged, handsome alpha who was so quick to try to help me during the challenge, come closer to us. Rys gave me a once-over. “You good?” I nodded too quickly. “Fine. Totally fine.”
But I wasn’t. I wasn’t ready for how my chest had fluttered when Leo caught me during the fall like I weighed nothing. I was caught off guard by how turned on I was when Rys’s strong arms surrounded me, keeping me from being injured. And I was not at all expecting the strange feelings that came up when Cassiegrinned at me after the vote, like we were already in on the same joke.
I was less sure than ever. This was supposed to be easy - I was so good at hiding my feelings, at acting. But thankfully, I wasn’t leaving yet. And that meant I had time to stay in the game. It meant more time to maybe figure out if a broken kid from the outskirts could actually find a place in this ridiculous, impossible team.
“Alright, Team Silver,” the host beamed. “You live to bond another day!”
I smiled at the absurdity of it all. Maybe this was going to be a disaster. But maybe, just maybe, it could be more.
Chapter 8
Leo
“Today’s challenge will be an obstacle course! Each team will try to make it through the course we’ve laid out, and let teamwork guide you! Our cameras will be rolling to catch every moment, so remember, no cheating!” The host said with a beaming smile as each of the teams started lining up. We were supposed to do a ropes course, scale a wall, and other various scenarios laid out in front of us.
“Get to your starting positions!” the host shouted, as our team scrambled to the various posts. We got a few glances from the competitors, and a few sneers, but I shrugged it off.
Obstacle courses don’t scare me. I’d lived through high adrenaline and intense games plenty of times. I’d been chewed up by sports media and spit out because my knee went left whenit should’ve gone straight. I’d played the golden boy, the alpha prototype.
But this? An obstacle course was nothing compared to managing two teammates who are this close to brawling.
“Why did they make the wall so tall? This is obviously favoring alphas over omegas.” Cassie said with her arms crossed, the yellow jersey that they had us all wear far too big for her frame. It was cute as hell to see her all riled up.
“Technically, it’s only regulation height,” Jace offered from behind her, cool and logical, and with no clue how much he annoyed Cassie. She spun to face him.
“Jace, I swear to god, if you mansplain one more rule…”
“It’s notmansplainingif the instructions literally say - ”
“OH MY GOD.” Cassie flung her hands in the air, her voice echoing across the training field. “You ruined my job, now you want to ruin my chances at winning this show!” she huffed as Jace looked helpless, a camera capturing the entire incident.
I chuckled as I watched them. Despite her reactions to him, I could tell that there was something between them. She disliked him a little too much - in fact, I would say she was overcompensating. I’d seen the way she blushed when he got close to her.
Ash, who was currently perched on the grass beside me, muttered, “We’re so going to be the ‘disaster pack’ this season.”
“Yup,” I said cheerfully as I stretched my arms. “And I love it.”
He blinked up at me. “Why?”
