#Chapter 246: Mind Games

Alaric’s POV The day of the sparring contest, I escorted Cara as far as I could to the venue, before we were forced to split. The contenders had to go to a side entrance where the team locker rooms were. While the onlookers had to go find seats in the stands. Before parting, I gave her the tightest hug I could. “You are going to win,” I told her, and I believed that in my heart. But I was also worried about what Lilia had planned. “Please be careful, though.” “I’m coming back to you,” she promised and kissed me. Then we went our separate ways. The venue for the sparring event was an open-air sports stadium, with seats in an oval around what would be a field. Today, that field was a roped off ring instead, elevated slightly above the field. There was some standing room down on the field for some spectators, but the Auburn brothers and I chose seats in the first row of the stands instead. The elevation gave us a better view of the event, and each of us wanted to keep a carefu