Cervidcall
The day before the Imperial Academy trial, my online boyfriend told me his friend had drawn me as his partner.
Before I could even process what he meant, he dragged me into a group chat.
"Congratulations, Liam! You drew yourself a 200-pound partner!"
Right after that, someone posted a photo of me from three years ago for everyone to see.
In it, I wore an XL ceremonial robe, my face so chubby my ears practically disappeared.
The chat instantly exploded with laughter.
"God, that's not a werewolf. That's a porcupine on two legs."
"A bet's a bet, Liam. You drew her yourself!"
"Who says his partner is useless? She could sit on the prey and crush it to death! Hahaha!"
Before long, someone started a betting pool.
They were betting on whether I'd dare show up for the trial the next day.
My online boyfriend bet 10,000 gold coins that I wouldn't.
"Don't blame me, guys. You drew her yourself!"
Liam, the werewolf who had drawn me, didn't say a word.
Then Claire, the girl everyone in the chat had crowned the prettiest girl at the academy, suddenly tagged me. "Sweetie, don't listen to them. You'll still come tomorrow, won't you?"
I watched the insults fly across the screen and laughed.
None of them knew I'd lost 100 pounds for this trial, dropping from 200 pounds to 100.
For the past two months, I couldn't leave the house without some werewolf hitting on me.
Without saying a word, I placed my own bet.
30,000 gold coins that I'd show up on time.