The guards tryouts

Chapter 005

The Guard Tryouts

SEBASTIAN

I spent the next few days trying to forget about Darius. It wasn’t easy. Every morning, I dragged myself to the market square, picking up whatever menial jobs I could find—hauling crates, scrubbing stalls, sweeping floors. 

Anything to keep my hands busy and my mind off him. By evening, I’d stumble back to my little cottage, my body sore and my pockets a little heavier. I’d collapse at my desk and draw, my pencil scratching out Darius’s face without me even thinking about it. It was like he was burned into my brain, and no amount of dishwater or dust could wash him out.

“Stop drawing him,” I muttered to myself one night, staring at the latest sketch. It was Darius from the Moon Ceremony, his head tilted back as he prayed to the Moon Goddess. I’d gotten the angle of his jaw just right, but it made my chest ache. “You’re just making it worse, Sebastian.”

My wolf, Alisander, didn’t say anything. He’d been quieter since that night in Darius’s room, but I could feel him pacing in my head, restless and annoyed. 

I ignored him and kept drawing, trying to lose myself in the lines and shadows. It was the only thing that kept me sane.

The next morning, I was at the market square again, unloading a cart of vegetables for one of the vendors. I was halfway through stacking potatoes when I noticed a crowd gathered around a wooden post near the center of the square. 

People were murmuring, pointing at a piece of paper nailed to it. I wiped my hands on my pants and wandered over, curious.

“What’s the big deal?” I asked a guy standing nearby, some beta I recognized from the pack.

“Guard tryouts,” he said, not even looking at me. “Alpha Darius is looking for new male guards to work at the pack house.”

My stomach flipped at the sound of Darius’s name. I pushed through the crowd to get a better look at the notice. The words were written in bold, black ink, and I read them over and over, half-convinced I was seeing things. “Male guard tryouts,” it said. “Alpha Darius seeks strong, capable men to serve in the pack house. Candidates must be heavily built, well-muscled, tall, fierce-looking, and brave. Must have fought in a war. Benefits include a monthly salary, meals, and living quarters in the pack house.”

I stared at the paper, my heart sinking. “Heavily built, well-muscled, tall, fierce-looking,” I muttered, reading the list again. “Fought in a war? Yeah, right.” 

I was eighteen, barely five-foot-nine, and while I wasn’t scrawny anymore, I was nowhere near “heavily built.” And a war? The closest I’d come to a fight was dodging a drunk beta who’d swung at me in the market last year.

“Forget it,” I said under my breath, turning to walk away. “No way I’m even close to what he’s looking for.” The idea of being near Darius, living in the pack house, seeing him every day—it was like a dream. 

But it wasn’t my dream. I didn’t fit a single one of those qualities. I was an omega, small and weak, with no business pretending I could be a guard.

“You should try,” Alisander said, his voice sharp in my head.

I stopped in my tracks, glaring at nothing. “Are you serious?” I said out loud, earning a weird look from a woman passing by. I lowered my voice and kept walking. “Did you read the notice? He wants big, tough guys who’ve been in wars. I’m none of those things.”

“You’re tougher than you think,” Alisander said. “And this is your chance to get close to him. To show him who you are.”

“Who I am?” I snorted, kicking a pebble out of my path. “I’m an omega, Alisander. A nobody. He’s not going to pick me. He’ll laugh me out of the pack house.”

“He didn’t laugh you out of his room,” Alisander said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

My face burned at the memory. “That was different,” I muttered. “That was… a fluke. A one-time thing. He called me a lad, remember? He’s not looking for me to be his guard.”

“But you’re his mate,” Alisander said. “You felt the bond. He felt something too. This is your shot to prove you’re more than just some kid to him.”

I shook my head, weaving through the market crowd. “No way. I’d just make a fool of myself. You saw the notice. I don’t fit any of the requirements. I’d be wasting my time.”

“You’re wasting your time scrubbing dishes,” Alisander shot back. “Go to the tryouts. Show up. Even if you don’t make it, at least he’ll see you. At least you’ll try.”

“I’m not doing it,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m not setting myself up to get humiliated. End of story.”

But Alisander wouldn’t let it go. All day, while I hauled crates and swept floors, he kept at it. “You’re throwing away a chance to be near him,” he said as I carried a basket of apples to a stall. “You could live in the pack house, see him every day and talk to him.”

“Stop it,” I hissed, setting the basket down harder than I meant to. The vendor gave me a look, but I ignored her. “I’m not going. I don’t need to make a fool of myself to know he doesn’t want me.”

“You don’t know that,” Alisander said. “You’re letting your pride get in the way again. Just like you did after the ceremony.”

“Pride?” I laughed, wiping sweat off my forehead. “It’s not pride. It’s reality. He’s the Alpha. I’m an omega. He needs guards who can actually do the job, not some skinny kid who’s never thrown a punch.”

“You’re not a kid,” Alisander said. “And you’re not as weak as you think. You’ve survived on your own since you were thirteen. That’s not nothing.”

I didn’t answer, just grabbed another crate and kept working. But his words stuck with me, nagging at me all day. By the time the sun set, I was exhausted, but I couldn’t shake the thought of the tryouts. 

“What if Alisander was right? What if this was my chance to get closer to Darius? Not as his mate—that was a pipe dream—but as someone who worked for him, someone he might actually notice.”

“Fine,” I muttered as I locked up my cottage that night. “I’ll go to the stupid tryouts. But when I get laughed out of there, you’re gonna owe me.”

Alisander chuckled. “Deal.”

The next morning, I stood outside the pack house, my stomach in knots. The courtyard was packed with huge werewolves—guys who looked like they could snap me in half without trying. They were all tall, broad-shouldered, with scars and muscles that screamed “warrior.” I felt like a mouse standing among giants.

“I shouldn’t be here,” I muttered, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “This is a mistake.”

“Don’t you dare leave,” Alisander growled. “You made it this far. So stay.”

I glanced at the other candidates. Some were laughing, others sizing each other up, their eyes sharp and confident. I didn’t belong here. I wasn’t heavily built or fierce-looking, and I’d never been in a war. I was just… me. 

“They’re gonna laugh me out of here,” I said under my breath. “I’m gonna make a complete idiot of myself.”

“You won’t,” Alisander said. “Just stand tall. Act like you belong. You’re here for a reason.”

“Yeah, because you wouldn’t shut up,” I muttered, but I stayed put, joining the line of candidates. The pack’s main guards were walking around, eyeing everyone, their faces hard and unimpressed. I tried to stand straight, but I could feel their eyes on me, judging me. I wanted to bolt, but Alisander’s voice kept me rooted.

“You’re doing fine,” he said. “Just wait for Darius.”

I didn’t have to wait long. The crowd parted, and there he was, striding into the courtyard like he owned the world. My heart jumped into my throat. He was wearing a dark tunic, his hair pulled back, his blue eyes scanning the line of candidates. I forced myself to look down, not wanting to meet his gaze. I was already regretting this.

Darius moved down the line, stopping in front of each guy, asking questions, testing their strength with a quick grip or a shove. I could hear him talking, his voice low, but I couldn’t make out the words. My palms were sweaty, and I kept wiping them on my pants.

“You’ve got this,” Alisander said. “He’s coming. Just look him in the eye.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered. “You’re not the one about to humiliate himself.”

Darius got closer, and I could feel my heart pounding harder with every step. When he finally reached me, I forced myself to look up. He stopped, his eyes locking onto mine, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of recognition. Then he smirked, that same infuriating smirk from the Moon Ceremony.

“Well, look who’s here,” he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “Didn’t expect to see you in this line, omega.”

I swallowed hard, my face burning. “I… I thought I’d give it a shot,” I said, my voice coming out shakier than I wanted.

He raised an eyebrow, still smirking. “A shot, huh? You sure you’re in the right place?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but he was already moving on, calling out names. “Toren, Brak, Joran, Calen, Mikal,” he said, pointing to five of the biggest guys in the line. They stepped forward, chests puffed out, looking every bit like the warriors he’d asked for.

I started to turn away, my stomach sinking. “Told you,” I muttered to Alisander. “I’m out of my league.”

But then Darius’s voice cut through the air again. “And Sebastian,” he said, his eyes flicking back to me. “You’re the last.”

I froze, my mouth dropping open. The other candidates turned to look at me, their faces a mix of confusion and annoyance. I just stood there, staring at Darius, trying to process what he’d just said.

“He has the assignment of guarding my private quarters,” Darius added, giving me a conspiratorial wink.