The weight of the entire arena seemed to settle on me as I stood at my starting point. The familiar excitement of competition buzzed in my veins, but this time, it felt different. My usual audience consisted of pups eager to win, but now the eyes of the most powerful wolves in the pack—current and future—were locked on me. And worse, my father was among them. I hadn't even seen him approach, and now he sat with the Alpha and the others, quietly judging my every move, as always.

Kylie nudged me playfully. "You’ve been holding out on me, Selene. How did you not tell me you're the undefeated champ?"

I grinned, trying to keep the nervous energy in check. "It’s not exactly something I brag about."

Ryan crossed his arms, watching me with renewed curiosity. "So... you're telling us these little monsters haven’t been able to beat you? In a whole year?"

“Not yet,” I replied, my voice steady but light. “But they are getting smarter.” I glanced over at the kids who were already huddled together, whispering strategies and stealing glances at me like I was some mythical beast they had to outwit.

Aaron shook his head with a smirk. "You're making us look bad, Selene. And here we thought we were the competitive ones."

Ethan nudged Ryan. "I think she might be the deadliest of all of us."

I gave a small laugh, though the compliment stirred something unfamiliar in me—something like pride, maybe. For the first time, I wasn’t invisible. They were watching me not with pity or dismissal, but with a kind of respect I wasn’t used to.

Devin leaned in, grinning. "If you pull this off, I’ll buy you lunch and make sure Ryan doesn’t call you 'Tiny' for the rest of the week."

Ryan scoffed. "Yeah, that’s not happening." But even he was smiling now, a glimmer of amusement lighting his eyes.

"Don’t get cocky, guys," I said, adjusting my stance. "These kids are relentless."

Delta Kyle’s booming voice echoed across the arena. "Alright, cadets! You know the drill. This is your chance to finally take down Selene."

The pups let out a cheer, and I could feel their excitement. They’d been trying for a year to beat me in this challenge, and every time they failed, they only grew more determined.

Kyle gave me a small smirk as he motioned toward the flag hoisted on the forty-foot rope climb. “Selene’s got sixty seconds to grab the flag and make it back to this side of the arena without getting tagged. If she succeeds, well…” His grin widened. “She keeps the title.”

The pups buzzed with energy, already forming small teams, planning traps, ready to swarm the moment I made a move.

I rolled my shoulders, loosening up. “Alright,” I whispered under my breath, more to myself than anyone else.

Kylie leaned closer, her voice low but teasing. “No pressure, but I kind of want to see you wipe the floor with them.”

I smirked, keeping my eyes on the flag. “I aim to please.”

Kyle’s whistle echoed through the arena, signaling the start.

The Chase

The moment the whistle blew, I was off like a shot. The arena blurred around me as I sprinted toward the obstacle course. The kids erupted into action, scattering into pre-planned groups, trying to anticipate my path. But they’d trained with me long enough to know I didn’t play fair.

Instead of running straight to the rope climb, I feinted left, causing half of them to scramble after me. Then I darted right, using my speed to stay a step ahead.

"She’s fast!" one of the pups shouted, his voice a mix of awe and frustration.

Ryan’s laugh echoed from the sidelines. “Yeah, no kidding, kid.”

With a quick vault, I cleared the low wall that divided the obstacle course, making a beeline for the ropes. The pups were hot on my heels, but I could hear the others already repositioning themselves, trying to box me in.

When I reached the rope climb, I didn’t hesitate. I jumped, grabbing onto the rough fibers, and began scaling it with practiced ease.

“Holy sh*t,” Devin muttered from the sidelines. “She’s fast.”

I reached the top just as one of the pups climbed onto the adjacent rope, trying to cut me off. But I was ready. With one hand on the flag, I swung out, using the momentum to kick off from the rope and land back on the ground in a smooth roll.

The kids let out frustrated groans, but they were far from giving up. They regrouped quickly, spreading out in a net-like formation to trap me.

"Come on, Smalls!" Ryan shouted. "Don't let them take you down!"

I didn’t need the encouragement. My muscles burned, but I pushed through, zigzagging around the smaller obstacles, dodging outstretched hands and jumping over a row of tires.

With only seconds left, the goal was in sight. Just a few more steps, and victory would be mine.

But the pups weren’t done yet. In a desperate move, one of the kids launched himself at my legs. I saw him coming and twisted mid-stride, just barely avoiding his grasp.

The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts, the energy buzzing as I closed the final distance.

With a final burst of speed, I crossed the line, flag in hand, just as the whistle blew.

The Aftermath

Panting, I dropped the flag at Delta Kyle’s feet, grinning despite the burn in my lungs. The kids groaned in disappointment, but a few of them gave me grudging smiles, already plotting their next attempt.

"Sixty seconds on the dot," Kyle said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Unreal."

I turned toward the guys, expecting teasing or at least some playful jabs. But instead, they just stared at me, expressions ranging from impressed to downright bewildered.

Devin broke the silence first. “Okay. I’m officially scared of you.”

Ryan nudged Ethan. “We need to up our training.”

Aaron folded his arms, giving me an approving nod. “I gotta admit, that was badass.”

Even Leo was grinning, his earlier tension gone. “I knew you were good, but damn, Selene.”

I tried to downplay it, shrugging as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “It’s just a game.”

“Just a game?” Ethan echoed, shaking his head in disbelief. “No wonder you’ve been wiping the floor with us at training.”

Kyle clapped me on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of me. “Well done, kid. I think you just earned yourself a whole new fan club.”

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. For once, I wasn’t invisible. I wasn’t just someone’s sister or a punching bag for Stacey. I was me. And they saw it.

Ryan slung an arm over my shoulders as we headed toward the truck. “Alright, Smalls. I’m officially making you our new coach. You’re going to turn us into beasts.”

“Yeah,” Devin added with a grin. “But no promises I’ll go easy on you in the next game of tag.”

I rolled my eyes, but inside, I was glowing.