Cynthia Dion: "Cynthia!" She arrived, breathless and agitated. "Why didn't you stop?" she complained, finally making eye contact with me. "Because I didn't hear you," I fibbed, attempting to move away, but she kept obstructing my path. "What's happening with you? You haven’t even bothered to check on me all this time." She appeared downcast, pouting and fluttering her lengthy eyelashes. "Did you check on me when you left my messages unread after convincing me to sneak out? My father caught me, Mara," I responded, exhaling deeply. "Wait, oh my gosh, I am so sorry. But you're not the only one who got caught. My father caught me and was furious," she sighed, explaining why she couldn't make it and why she had even missed school. "Oh!" The urge to accuse her of abandoning me faded. We both experienced our share of trouble. "Well, my father did more than just hit me this time. He did this to me." I glanced around and lifted my hat slightly. She gasped and quickly composed herself. "I feel awful. I'm so sorry." She nearly sobbed and embraced me. "Ahh! What a precious moment." Enzo's sarcastic voice intruded on Mara's hug. I wished Enzo wore a bell so we could hear him coming. I observed that he wasn't alone. Rosalie stood beside him, accompanied by Atticus and several other followers, who were all converging around us. "It's no wonder she couldn't make her mates accept her. Her focus was on someone else," Rosalie sneered, prompting a growl from me, although I couldn't retaliate against her. "We're just friends," Mara asserted, her fear evident in her voice. "Everyone who's guilty says that," Enzo retorted, his taunting gaze piercing me as he passed by, surrounded by malicious stares. Atticus was behind them, leaning against the wall, silently observing the situation. "Tell me, weren’t you two about to kiss just a moment ago?" Enzo was clearly enjoying toying with Mara's anxiety. "Step back, Enzo!" I was done with staying silent. I didn't even address him by his title. "Oh!" The crowd reacted with dramatic gasps, seemingly determined to amplify the bullies' behavior. "You're going to argue with me now?" Enzo seemed to take it as a personal hit, his anger escalating. He moved closer, likely attempting to intimidate me, but I stood my ground. "Wow! Look at that attitude. She's daring to insult an Alpha." Rosalie was well aware of what she was doing. Enzo's ego appeared wounded over something minor, and Rosalie was exacerbating the situation by constantly taunting him. A hush fell over the scene as Hila Hughes walked toward us, the group gathered in one place. I couldn't predict if her arrival would offer me protection or more trouble, but I fervently hoped for the former. "What's happening here, students?" Hila Hughes inquired, her gaze landing on the center of attention, which happened to be me and Enzo. "We were just praising Cynthia for her decision to join the contest," Atticus declared. He had remained quiet all along, but his statement now implicated me. I stared at him in disbelief as he outright lied. He snatched the contest forms and began to fill them out. "I'd be delighted to fill them out for her." The assistant seemed pleased with his response, believing that he had convinced a rogue to essentially make a mockery of herself during the competition – which was precisely what awaited me. A visible shiver ran down my body. A triumphant smile played on his lips as he successfully elicited a reaction from me. The crowd was taken aback, seemingly entranced by his charisma and his ability to make anyone suffer. He filled out the form and handed it to Hila. "Looking forward to seeing you on the training ground, Cynthia Dion," he smirked. "That's fantastic!" Hila clapped softly, then accepted the form from him. "I'll encourage everyone to take a leaf out of Cynthia's book and focus on self-improvement. It doesn't matter how poor a student or individual you've been before; now is the opportunity to reshape that perception." Her brief speech was essentially a dig at me. "Now, everyone head to the training grounds and get ready for the practice," Hila smiled, dismissing the group. The students dispersed, leaving me and Mara still lingering by the lockers. "How can you participate in the contest?" Mara whispered, her voice barely audible over the remaining commotion. "I can't, but what choice do I have now?" I whispered back, a sense of dread settling over me at the thought of being on the training ground. Mara was aware of my wolf's situation, so she was understandably concerned. "They've put you in a difficult situation. Ever since they discovered you're their mate, their treatment of you has only worsened," Mara empathetically acknowledged my struggles and anxieties. "Hila would never allow me to back out," I grumbled in frustration. "And you don't even have a ----," Mara's voice was hushed. "Though it's tempting to participate since each round we advance through means more money. I mean--- I can handle the knowledge portion without relying on my wolf. I could manage the training rounds that offer financial rewards. It could help with---," I began to justify attempting the contest, primarily because I needed the money for my sister's fees. But Mara interrupted me by shaking her head. "Are you serious? You'd do that for a bit of money? What happened to your self-esteem? Why would you willingly step onto the training ground with strong and powerful wolves just to humiliate yourself?" Her tone conveyed frustration and disappointment, fueled by the mere thought of my participation. "Mara! The amount might not mean much to you since your father works hard to provide for your family. But that's not my situation. This money holds significant value for me. It can cover my fees and my sister's tuition----," I struggled to make her see the urgency of my situation, even though I expected her to comprehend it naturally."Be real, you're doing this to impress Atticus. You want to appear as the lone she-wolf rogue with enough guts to join. I can't believe you're actually trying to show off," her bitterness seemed misplaced. With an exasperated sigh, she turned on her heel and walked away without sparing me a glance.