Rise of the Banished She-Wolf (Evelyn) novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

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Evelyn

The insistent buzzing of my phone dragged me from the depths of sleep. I groaned and burrowed deeper into Devon’s chest, pulling the covers over my

head.

‘Make it stop,” I mumbled against his warm skin. “It’s too early.”

Devon’s chest rumbled with a soft chuckle as he reached over to the nightstand and silenced the alarm. “It’s after eight, Evie. Don’t you have that

competition today?”

“Shit! My eyes flew open, sudden panic clearing the fog of sleep from my mind. I attempted to sit up but winced as my shoulder protested the movement.

Devon gently helped me upright, his blue eyes studying my face with concern. “I can have Jason arrange to cancel your participation.”

“That’s not happening,‘ I said firmly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “I’ve been preparing for this for weeks. Silver poisoning or not, I’m going.”

I stood up, swaying slightly as my body adjusted to being vertical. Devon was beside me instantly, one strong arm around my waist.

“I can walk, I insisted, though I didn’t push him away.

“I know you can. I just like being close to you,” he replied with that infuriating smile that made my heart skip.

In the bathroom, I started brushing my teeth, but found myself zoning out mid–brush, my eyes drifting closed. Devon appeared in the doorway, took the toothbrush from my hand, and finished the job himself. Then he helped me wash my face as I stood there, sleepy and compliant, rubbing my eyes like a

child.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked, handing me a towel.

I met his gaze in the mirror, my silver eyes sharpening with determination. “Positive.”

Three hours later, I strode into the competition hall, dressed in the school’s official team uniform emblazoned with the university crest. The place was buzzing with activity–teams from various colleges setting up at their stations, judges conferring near the front of the room, and nervous energy palpable in

the air.

‘Finally decided to show up?” Kate’s voice dripped with sarcasm as I approached our team’s designated area. “The briefing started fifteen minutes ago.”

I didn’t bother responding. I scanned the room, noting the positions of the cameras, judges, and most importantly, Samuel, who stood among a group near the judges‘ table. I slid into an empty seat beside a nervous–looking sophomore named Mike.

‘Did I miss anything important?” I asked him quietly.

“Not really. Just going over the rules again,” Mike replied, relief evident in his voice now that I was there.

Kate leaned over, her lips curved in a smug smile. “Samuel made it onto the judging panel.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The competition has eight judges. From what I understand, Samuel is just on the judges‘ assistant team. He’s not an actual judge.”

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Chapter 145

Kate’s smile faltered slightly.

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The competition organizer’s voice boomed through the speakers, announcing that the preliminary round would begin in five minutes. Teams were assigned to different groups–our team was placed in the third group, scheduled to compete Inst.

I’ve assigned the most critical components to you,” Kate told me, handing me a folder with our strategy outlined.

I glanced through it, nodding. “Makes sense. But I’m going to need someone to type for me. I rolled my shoulder with an exaggerated wince. “My injury’s still giving me trouble.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she nodded to Mike. “Help her out.”

When our turn came, I dictated code with rapid–fire precision while Mike’s fingers flew across the keyboard. We completed the preliminary challenge first among all teams, earning approving nods from the judges. What no one realized was that while dictating, I was simultaneously using my phone under the

table to coordinate with Edward and the others.

From his position on the main stage, Joe spotted me in the crowd. Our eyes met briefly, and I quickly raised a finger to my lips in a silencing gesture. Joe’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod in understanding.

“The following teams will advance to the final round,” announced the head judge, listing six team names, including Crescent Moon University.

Kate visibly tensed as we moved to the finals area, while the other team members could barely contain their excitement. When Kate received our assigned challenge, she immediately handed it to me.

“This is it,” she whispered, anxiety written across her face.

I scanned the document, feeling my silver eyes flash with intelligence. “Mike, you handle the data flow structure. Lisa, work on the interface logic. Kate, coordinate the modules integration. I’ll tackle the encryption framework.”

We worked seamlessly for almost thirty minutes until Mike suddenly hissed, “I’m hitting a wall with this encryption system. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen

before.”

I leaned over to look at his screen, recognition flashing in my eyes. “I have a decoding program that might help,” I said, inserting a flash drive into the

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