Chapter 2

I don’t bolt right at the beginning, like many others here already have. I find my pace and keep it. Letting swarms of people pass me.

I’ve been training for this for years, and while I’ve perfected my timing, I’ve also done my research. It’s my only edge.

I know where my competition falters, I know who here is actually a competitor and who just signed up with hopes and dreams. I don’t pay attention to them. The other wolves will narrow them out, thinking they’re a competitor.

It’s one good thing about being wolf-less, they don’t see me as competition. They probably won’t even attempt to disarm me until they realize I might be, focusing their efforts on stronger opponents.

I’m many things, but weak isn’t one of them. While being fast is my main skill, I also could have been a member in one of the hunting teams, or competed in the boxing, if it was just human form. I can fight, just not against a wolf.

I keep my pace, keeping to the side away from all the other competitors, when the savage part of the race starts coming out.

A girl next to me, Sable, transforms her hand into a claw, reaching down and cutting the Achilles heel of the competitor to her right. She speeds up and cuts down three more contestants on her way ahead of me. They all go down.

They’ll heal, just not soon enough to win the race. Four down, forty-six more to go.

I keep count of all the fallen as I run past them. One bleeding from her head. I’m not even sure I want to know what happened to her.

Twenty-five left, but I’m currently in thirteenth place.

I look down just at the right time, seeing a hole dug into the ground and jump over it, but the person that was following close behind me isn’t so lucky.

I hear her fall and her ankle snap, but I keep moving. It’s all apart of the race. And it’s what she gets for using me as a shield.

Twenty- four.

I round a corner, and prepare for the hill, seeing the several fallen on the hill, I pay extra attention.

I start up the hill, not seeing anything, but counting ten fallen.

Fourteen, third place.

I catch the dirt moving, just in time to fall to the ground and skid beneath the wire as it’s yanked up to force me to fall.

Cheaters.

I stand back up quickly and start running again.

I turn my head to see the man helping one of the contestants hide behind a tree.

While it pisses me off, it didn’t affect me yet, so I keep running.

This hill is giant, and I can still see Natalie and Sable up ahead, straining to reach the top. They wasted their energy, which is good. It’s exactly what I was hoping for.

Both of them are my biggest competitors. The last two in front of me, I just need to beat one of them. I just need second place, but I want first. I want to win this completely.

I finally pick up my pace and stride towards them. Sable sees me, her eyes narrowing as she speeds her pace as well. I catch up with her though, pushing ahead of her.

She uses her claws and reaches for my ankle, but I was prepared for it. Her claws hit the steel shields I placed around them. Not super helpful when it comes to speed, but it was a risk I had to take.

Sable falters, her body falling when her claws hit the steel, I hear a groan of frustration as she tries to right herself, but Natalie and I have already moved on, down the hill at high speeds.

Natalie’s a lot like me, doesn’t normally sink to the taking down an opponent, she just wants to run the race and may the best person win, but these stakes are higher then most.

Hopefully, she lets that be the case this time, because if she switches things up now, with Sable hot on our heels, I’ll be screwed