Finish line

My four legs dashed through the woods and dodged every tree or branch that existed in my path. Suzan was lightening with her speed and to exceed her I had to put in extreme efforts on my side. The forest had already showed to me how being reckless would only turn out against me.

Suzan did not even have to be careful as I remembered her ability- she saw everything slowed down while she sped off. But there has to be a limit to what her muscles can do.

She had already left me behind in the forest as my feet moved cautious yet fast. I finally crossed the woods and came out into the open training grounds. Everyone who didn't take part in the competition was standing at the end line looking like mere ants from this far away. Diana was still running, and we had caught up on her in no time. So much for being grumpy to cross the finish line she was.

My eyes moved to my actual goal, Suzan! Dashing through the wind, running so fast her feet barely touch the ground. She did not take me lightly as the forest was my enemy, but my speed can allowed to be uncontrolled here in this open ground.

Suzan had reached halfway to the finish line as she had gone ahead in the forest. But I would not lose now. My paws picked up more and more speed, splattering dirty in the air, keeping my body in a straight line with my neck forward to reduce the air resistance. She held her Blue task completion strip between her jaw, her eyes straight at the finish line.

I crossed Diana, who was pushing her limit. A fruitless effort to surpass Suzan. Her eyes looked a little offended, with me exceeding her effortlessly.

My focus shifted completely on the end line, not checking if I was going ahead of Diana or Suzan. I just ran, desperately and the fastest I had ever been. The competition was undoubtedly the bigger goal, but the little race between me and Suzan was our current target. It had an odd feeling of competitiveness inside me. Not malicious, something that wished for me to grow along with this girl.

My eyes watered from the winds that swooped past my body. Feet that weren't even feeling the ground it left behind.

I gave myself the final push as the cheers from the end line became more and more boisterous. I didn't know who they were cheering for, as I lost the noise in the winds. Maybe Suzan passed the line, but that thought only made me speed up more.

The finish line was mere 2 seconds away from me, and my neck turned to look at Suzan and she was running right beside me. She turned to look at me and the look in her eyes showed a distinct satisfaction, a different happiness as we leapt forward and crossed the finish line together!

Suzan slowed herself down, running away from the crowd. Our momentum was way too much to be stopped, just like that.

Me, having never run this fast like an idiot, tried to stop myself directly instead of slowing down first. And physics did the rest. My paws skid against the dusty ground and my hock bone twisted as I tumbled like a big hay roll. After some tumbling, my body slid across the ground, wounding my entire right half, peeling away my skin and making small open wounds.

I breathed heavily, laying there internally giggling at how heedless I was. I really needed to learn how to slow myself before stopping. This is the third time in the past two weeks in Winterwells of me getting injured.

I had never tasted the winds like this back at the castle. I would only turn into my wolf when training, barely ever running, and testing the full length of my capabilities. Of course, my parents had to train me after planning my marriage. Giving away a daughter that turned out to be worthless because half of her life spent was in a dungeon would be no good in a political marriage. I was allowed a few minutes on the ground to train with a stringent trainer.

Channing was the first to approach me. "Are you fine, Selene?"

I just raised my head looking at him and his expressions were so mild compared to what I saw in the morning. He bent down, sitting on his one knee as his fingers caressed my head.

What was this feeling? We shared a caring gaze with each other and it made my heart calm, as if this moment should stop right here.

Channing immediately retreated, as if he realised something and got up to call for someone else, "Elaine, look after her." He walked off without turning back to me, and that made me feel like something was wrong. Usually, he would have commented something stupid, but Channing just marched away to focus on the finish line.

Yes, of course, that was important. Anyone else can look after me. This rightful selection of Beta was his duty. He can't look after every member in distress.

My panting lungs had lost a lot of strength. The wounds were hurting but they would heal faster, as they were superficial. Wounds heal faster when I am in my wolf form. The Alpha blood running in my veins helps, but my special abilities can do the extra work if I allowed. I chose not to use my abilities, as revealing it would only get me in trouble.

Suzan ran to my side. "What am I going to do of you, Selene!? You really can't slow yourself down, can you? How do you end up falling every time you speed up!" she telecommunicated, as I lay there without moving and a little derelict.

"Are you hurt too much? Let me heal you!" a girl with peculiar green hair said softly as she sat beside my limp wolf.

Suzan's wolf walked behind me as she telecommunicated. "Let me help you up. Elaine needs to move her hands over your wounds to heal them."

Elaine! Channing called for her. And now I remembered the pale-looking girl in the pack. I specifically had paid attention to some pack member's abilities, and she was one of them. She had warned quite shyly that she wasn't good at fighting, so we should take care of her. A healer was sure to be protected first during battles and I wanted to witness how good her healing abilities were first hand, as she was the only healer of the pack.