They Voted Me Out, So I Rose as a Lycan Warrior Chapter 09

They Voted Me Out, So I Rose as a Lycan Warrior Chapter 09

I put my phone aside and continue preparing for the combat test that afternoon.

When Roselyn wakes up and sees me still sitting at the desk, she looks startled.

“You didn’t sleep all night?”

I shake my head, “I slept for a little while.”

She glances at the dark circles under my eyes but doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, she asks, “You sure you’re okay for today’s combat test?”

I shove my training shoes into my bag, “I’m fine.”

That morning, I head to the training grounds to warm up.

I’ve barely reached the lockers when I sense a familiar presence behind me.

I turn around and see Nathan.

He looks much more exhausted than he did the last time I saw him at the school entrance, and he’s

holding a cup of hot cocoa.

It’s the drink he used to bring me all the time.

He always liked shoving a cup of hot cocoa into my hands while complaining about how much trouble I was, yet he would keep both hands around the cup until mine were warm.

I look at the hot cocoa but don’t take it.

Nathan’s hand freezes in midair.

After a long moment, he speaks quietly.

“Nora, I need to talk to you.”

I open my locker, “If you’re here for Sebastian or Rebecca, don’t.”

“No.”

He immediately shakes his head, “I’m here for myself.”

The training hall is filled with noise, the scents of wolves mixing with sweat and the metallic smell

of protective gear.

Nathan lowers his voice, “What I said before the Wolf SAT… I meant it.”

I look up at him.

His gaze drops.

“When I said I’d make my move once we got to Ravenhill, that wasn’t a joke.”

I say nothing.

He looks up at me, his eyes filled with belated panic.

“You’re my Mate. I’ve always loved you. But you were always so perfect that sometimes… I felt like I wasn’t good enough for you.”

I look at him.

“So when you carried her to the pack hospital and blamed me, did that finally make you feel good. enough for me?”

“When you told me to apologize, did that make you feel less inferior?”

His lips move, but no words come out.

That rainy night, all he had to do was look back once to see me standing in the rain.

But he didn’t.

He carried Rebecca away instead.

Nathan’s eyes slowly turn red.

“I’m sorry, Nora. I know I messed up. Can you give me another chance?”

I close my locker and turn to him, “Alpha Nathan, the deadline has passed.”

He stares at me in a daze.

I say calmly, “My feelings expired with it. Even our Mate bond.”

I don’t look back.

When I walk out of the training hall, Clara is standing at the bottom of the steps.

The moment she sees me, tears immediately spill from her eyes.

“Nora, I’m so sorry. I really regret it.”

She cries as she continues.

“I shouldn’t have told Rebecca about us. I shouldn’t have matched outfits with her. And I shouldn’t

have taken her side when you needed me.”

I look at her.

So many memories flash through my mind.

She grabs my hand and promises that we’ll be best friends for life.

One day, she falls, and I carry her on my back to the infirmary.

During our senior year, we hide under the blankets and plan our graduation trip, even promising that we’ll go to college in the same city.

It turns out that even so many genuine moments can slowly be worn down until they become

unrecognizable.

I say softly, “Clara, let the past stay in the past.”

Her face instantly turns pale.

I walk past her.

Behind me, she cries out, “Can we still be friends someday?”

“No.”

That afternoon, when I step onto the platform for the combat test, the arena is already packed.

Roselyn is sitting in the front row, waving at me enthusiastically.

“You’ve got this!”

I tighten my wrist guards and take a deep breath.

The moment the battle begins, my wolf snaps into fighting mode.

My hearing, sense of smell, and reflexes sharpen to their limits.

I lift my eyes and scan the audience.

In the very back row sit three familiar figures.

Sebastian, Nathan, and Clara.

All three are watching me.

Guilt, regret, and a hint of cautious hope fill their eyes.

If this were before, I probably would have softened just because they finally came.

But now, I simply turn my gaze away.

I focus on the opponent in front of me.

Fists slice past my ears, claws scrape against protective gear.

The entire arena erupts with cheers and the thunderous sounds of battle.

No one here knows who abandoned me, and no one is asking me to give up my place.

When the test ends, my name sits firmly at the top of the scoreboard.

Applause instantly sweeps through the arena, and Roselyn is the first to stand and cheer for me.

I stand in the center of the platform, the lights shining down on me.