*Alice's POV*I wiped the sweat off my brow and brushed the dirt off of my hands. The sense of accomplishment I felt as I looked at my final trap made it worth it.The last few nights had been full of Simon teasing me, so I decided that I was going to get him back.After the night when he made me run until dawn, we officially started combat lessons.However, it wasn't in the way I was expecting or hoping.He had been provoking and teasing me every night until I would mutate. Simon believed that for me to be truly strong that I needed to quit rejecting my mutations and use them to fight. And it pissed me off.I knew that shifter blood was stronger, but that didn't mean I magically liked it. So, he had to provoke me every night in order to get me to change.Simon would corner me or rush me or do whatever he thought necessary until I would shift. Most of the time, it was rage that caused me to shift, but occasionally it was pain as well. Or even surprise

*Alice's POV*On the way back to the main palace, I stopped and pulled out the pen and paper from my dress pocket. Time for payback. And it would even kill two birds with one stone.I scribbled out a quick note to Olivia, pretending to be Simon, and asked her to meet him at our training spot. I couldn't help but smile at the wickedness of it. Simon would be teased romantically, since Olivia was not so easy to get rid of. She thought everyone should like her. Although she was afraid of Simon, she would go crazy if she thought that he liked her. And Olivia would be humiliated, just like she attempted to do to me earlier.It was a win-win.Since I was already about, I finished up a couple of things to help Joan before getting back to my plan. The last thing I did was swing by the bedrooms. Dropping the note off at her room, I hurried back to my own to change into my training clothes to get there as soon as possible. I needed to be there so I could eavesdrop and w

*Simon's POV*"Lucky for him, I am such a vicious woman that I don't give up easily."Alice's eyes burned, telling me that she was serious. "I already get too few things, so if it was me, I definitely would not give up. I will stop at nothing to snatch up what I like."My heart seemed to skip a beat.I stared at her, impressed by what she had said. It hurt to think about the fact that she didn't get much of what she desired, but the fact that she fought so hard for what she did want was admirable.I found myself wishing that I had that determination. That fire that burned into her life. I used to have such strong emotions as well, but they had ebbed out slowly over time.I could use that fire in my life.Laying on this beautiful mountain clearing was very relaxing, and I soon found myself opening up to her as we continued to talk. The more I talked to her, the more I began to understand her, and I found myself almost feeling guilty for bringing her out here

*Simon's POV*Watching Alice run away made my heart clench. She must have misunderstood and thought it was me who wanted her to duel Olivia. Although when the Alpha King made this request, I did not refuse. There was my selfishness in this, but I hoped that Alice would take this opportunity to build her self-confidence. No matter how much she aspired to be human, she was a shifter. She had the characteristics of a wolf, and she was not weak. I wanted everyone to recognize that so that no one dared to bully her anymore.Seeing the redness on her face almost made me lose control but I quickly calmed down. I couldn't protect her all the time. I need to teach her to protect herself. I wanted her to show off her attack in a way that no one would ever underestimate her. I knew I needed to talk to her. But obviously, I had to deal with the matter here first. What's more, the Alpha King was still here, and I had to make him believe that Alice would definitely participate

*Simon's POV*The following day…I sat silently on the judging stage, holding my injured shoulder. I barely slept. Between the pain and dreams of Alice leaving the palace, I found myself tossing and turning all night. The duel was supposed to start soon. It was already getting late, and I hadn't seen her since she jumped.I had spent the morning hoping that she had returned—that maybe she had second doubts and would come back. It was the reason I was here now, at the duel. I had to believe she'd change her mind. But I hadn't heard from her since our phone call, and didn't see her anywhere around the grounds all day. Maybe she really did leave. Olivia, on the other hand, I had crossed paths with everywhere. It always seemed that she was around, no matter how hard I tried to avoid her.Now, she was cockily flaunting around the stands, and saying how excited she was about this duel. She would tell anyone that would listen that she was going to teach Alice a lesso