11. Chapter 11 The Test
eleven
Chapter 11 The Test
*AZADEH*
W e have barely made it out of the training halls when Caelan approaches us. He is a few inches taller than Flinn and much more intimidating at first glance, with his wild blond hair and his broad chin. He is very attractive but also scary.
“Here you are,” he grumbles.
Simin takes a step back, and I make sure to stand in front of her. “Pri... I mean, Caelan. Hello.”
He pulls two pieces of woolen fabric out of his pockets and tosses one around my neck and the other around Simin’s. “You should wear scarfs,” he grumbles. “It’s cold, and you aren’t used to it yet.”
“Hello there, Neanderthal,” Flinn snorts. “With your grizzly bear expression, the poor damsels in distress probably thought you were out to hunt them.”
“I’m not a grizzly bear,” he huffs.
Flinn pats his shoulder. “It’s alright, I will translate for you.” He turns to us. “Caelan is worried for your health and hence brought you two scarfs.”
I wrap the scarf he handed me around my neck tighter. It’s warm and soft. “Thank you, Caelan.”
Caelan looks flustered and nods. “What are you up to?”
“I showed the ladies the training grounds, and we watched the warrior training for a while.”
“I wish I could train, too,” I announce. Flinn and Caelan look at me in surprise, making me realize that I slipped and probably shouldn’t reveal too much about my own wishes. I make sure to put on a perfect smile. “It’s just a distant dream, an idea.”
“Have you ever trained?” Flinn asks.
I shake my head. “I wasn’t allowed to.” Well, I wasn’t allowed to do much at all, as I spent most of my days locked in the castle, but they don’t need to know all the details.
“I think it’s a good idea to learn to defend yourself,” Caelan says, to my surprise.
“I agree,” Flinn nods, looking at me in interest.
“I can train you,” Caelan offers.
Flinn snorts. “Are you serious? You don’t know your strength sometimes, Caelan.”
“I would never hurt Azadeh,” he says.
“Aza is not a werewolf, though,” Flinn argues. “I think it would be best for her to start with Royan or Ita, and then maybe one of us can help her.”
It feels foreign to have other people call me by my first name, and even more foreign to hear them use a nickname. Normally, I’m just the princess, with the exception of Simin and Shayan. And here, they dropped the formalities around me so fast. To hear these two mention my name so casually and naturally, it makes me smile. It feels like I belong here.
Aza... I like how my new nickname sounds.
“What do you think, Aza?” Flinn asks me.
“I’m sure the both of you know what’s best,” I reassure them. “You are the professionals, and I will happily take your advice.”
Caelan’s lips tug into a careful smile. “I will talk to Royan,” he announces. “He can be her sparring partner, and one of us can coordinate the training. Or maybe General Shayan can show me some tricks about how to train with humans.”
“Good idea,” Flinn nods. “And now, let’s make sure to get to Alana. She already linked me and asked me what’s taking us so long.”
The stables are at the back of the castle. Walking closer to it I can already hear the neighing of horses and the sound of their hooves. Simin tenses up next to me and I take her hand, squeezing it. We have barely walked through the door when Alana calls our names and waves. She is riding on a very elegant black horse, easily maneuvering it through a jump parkour.
“She is fantastic,” I say, impressed.
“She will love to hear that,” Flinn grins. “But I agree.”
“I agree, too,” Caelan says.
I tilt my head, looking at him thoughtfully. “You don’t look happy, though, Pri... Caelan.”
He looks surprised and, once more, flustered. “It’s just, she chose a difficult path,” he says.
“How come?”
Flinn rolls his eyes at his brother. “And we are back with the one-word answers. Alana chose the path of a warrior,” he explains to me. “We sometimes wish she would be taking a less dangerous path.”
I tilt my head. “But, so have you,” I state, “chosen the path of a warrior.”
Flinn stares at me. “True,” he says after a while. “That’s true.”
We can’t discuss it any further as Alana approaches us, effortlessly jumping off her horse. She pats its nose and neck softly. “You came,” she says happily, smiling at us and showing us her perfect white teeth. She wears her hair short, just chin-length, and is dressed in pants and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into them. Despite her short hair and her unusually masculine attire, she looks beautiful, and I respect her so much for following her dreams. I also envy her a little for having a dream.
“I have heard you know how to ride, Azadeh?” Alana asks me. “Ita said you are quite good.”
“I’d say my skills are mediocre,” I admit.
Alana beams at me. “Do you want to learn more?”
“I would love to.”
“And you?” Alana turns to Simin. When Simin shifts around nervously, Alana eyes her gently. “Are you scared of horses, Simin?”
Simin blushes. “There was an incident when I was a child,” she answers warily. Flinn looks like he wants to ask more, but Alana elbows him, making him shut up. Simin’s story is more complicated than that, but it’s hers to tell and not mine.
*CAELAN*
This woman is both fascinating and scary at the same time. Her deep, knowing eyes seem to pierce us constantly, and she doesn’t even seem to be slightly intimidated by our alpha aura. Flinn might come off as juvenile and like he is taking nothing serious, but wolves of lesser rank are intimidated by his aura, just like they are of mine or Endellion’s.
Yet, Azadeh just talked casually to him, completely unfazed. It’s a bit scary how she seems to be in control of her emotions all the time.
Is this what Father meant by melting her barriers or whatever he said?
“She is interesting, isn’t she?” Flinn observes as we watch Azadeh and Alana help Simin up onto a pony; one of the kindest ponies we own, with the emotions of a rock, before Azadeh mounts a beautiful white stallion. It’s a difficult horse, but she said she wanted a challenge to improve.
It’s obvious she has only learned the basics so far, but her posture is elegant and graceful - even though she lacks the skills, she proves to have talent. Her cute friend, Simin, seems to be terrified of horses, but both Alana and one of the other warriors are doting on her a lot. “You are doing great,” Flinn calls towards Azadeh when she rides past us.
She shows us a grateful smile.
“She is amazing,” I state. “It’s almost like she is perfection.”
“No one is perfect,” Endellion’s voice reaches us, making both Flinn and I turn our heads in surprise. “Should I really be able to sneak up on two alphas?”
Flinn rolls his eyes. “First of all, you are always stealthy; second, we are triplets and can easily sneak up on each other.”
“You don’t think Azadeh is perfect?” I ask, completely uninterested in their bickering.
“I think she is breathtaking,” Endellion says. “But, she looks sad sometimes.”
“Where do you see sadness in her?” Flinn asks, confused.
Endellion shrugs. “Just a gut feeling.” He stays silent for a while, watching the two young women in their riding lesson with us.
“Say,” Flinn interrupts the silence. “Does our silly Tynan have a crush on the stoic general?”
“I have no idea,” Endellion sighs. “Maybe he is just trying to be nice.”
I stare at my two brothers in surprise. Tynan is an old friend of ours, and I know he can be silly and reckless sometimes, but he certainly wouldn’t try something odd with General Shayan. “You must be imagining things.”
“You really didn’t notice?” Flinn says in disbelief.
“Caelan,” Endellion snorts. “He gave him his favorite piece of ham this morning! Tynan is all about hunting, eating and fighting.”
“I bet he is going to invite him on a hunt, too,” Flinn grins. “I wonder where his sudden interest comes from?”
Endellion shrugs. “Who knows? It’s not our business anyway.”
“I agree.” Other people’s affairs have never bothered me much.
“Why are the both of you not curious at all!?” Flinn groans. “You are so annoying!”
“Because Tynan’s private life is none of our business,” I repeat, relieved when Endellion nods at my words. He is the most composed and level-headed of us three, and he never chooses a side just by sympathy alone.
Flinn sighs, shaking his head at us. “At least one of us knows how to have fun.”
“I think our definitions of fun just differ,” Endellion chuckles.
We all fall into a comfortable silence, watching Alana carefully lead Simin and her pony through the hall. The young woman seems to relax more and more. “She is good at that,” I point out. “Alana, I mean.”
“She is making more and more progress daily,” Endellion agrees. “Ever since Dad agreed to let her become a warrior, she has worked so hard.”
Flinn beams in pride when he watches our sister. He might not say it out aloud, but he and Alana share a special bond. They understand each other on a deeper level. “She can achieve anything she wants,” he exclaims.
We keep watching until Alana wraps up her lesson with Azadeh and Simin, leading the two women back to us. “You really made fast progress,” Endellion tells Azadeh, a smile curling his lips.
She seems to be flustered at first but soon smiles politely. “Thank you.”
“What are you three up to?” Alana asks us.
“I’m heading to training now,” Flinn says, waving us goodbye and winking at Azadeh and Simin. To my surprise, both girls show him a smile and laugh.
Alana rolls her eyes at our brother and turns to us. “And, you two?”
“I wanted to visit Ita’s parents,” Endellion says while showing me a basket with goodies. “Her mother has just given birth.”
His words seem to have caught Azadeh’s interest. “Is it usual for you to visit new parents?”
“Yes, we try to do it with all our pack members,” Endellion explains, a hint of nervousness in his otherwise confident expression. He shifts around, before looking at her. “Do you want to come with me?”
“Wouldn’t that be weird for Ita’s parents?” she asks, sounding a tad unsure.
“Not at all,” Endellion assures her.
Azadeh tilts her head before she nods. “Then, yes, thank you, I will accompany you.”
Her friend Simin decides to stay with Alana while I watch Azadeh and Endellion walk off. Endellion seems to be more nervous than usual, casting careful glances at her and smiling. I can’t blame him; she is indeed a beautiful woman.
“He is so crushing on her,” Alana says aloud what I was thinking.
I snort. “You figure?”
“It’s hard not to see,” she chuckles.
“You mean Prince Endellion likes Aza?” Simin asks curiously, naturally starting to use the nickname as well. She seems to be excited all of a sudden, her shyness completely forgotten as she keeps rubbing her hands against each other with a grin. “Can we set them up? Can we?”
Alana chuckles. “Who knew this would get you out of your shell.”
“Aza is always putting everyone before herself,” Simin says. “I want her to be happy!”
Hearing her makes me remember my father’s words, his test to us as he calls it. He wants us to help Azadeh warm up to us. Is this what he meant? Endellion doesn’t have a mate bond, so if he is interested in her, maybe we could indeed help him.
I frown.
But, if Flinn and I help Endellion and Azadeh set up a date, if she even wants that, then who wins my father’s test?
My wolf, River, stirs inside me. Our old man clearly has other plans , he grumbles.
I’m surprised by his words. Why do you say that?
Because it doesn’t make sense , he groans. Don’t always be so gullible! No one can win his stupid test. It’s impossible. How does he even want to judge who won? Melt the princess’ heart , he said. How does he even figure out when and how that happened? No. I can see him shake his head, his eyes glinting slightly. Father wants one of us to become his successor, and the Desert Princess is the key. But there is something he isn’t telling us .
In what way is she the key though? I watch as Azadeh and Endellion disappear into one of the houses. The home of Ita’s parents, two kind-hearted wolves who are so proud of their daughter for receiving the rank of Gamma.
That we will need to find out, my wolf says. Maybe we should confide in our brothers. Flinn is annoying but cunning, and Endellion is a strategist .
I let his words sink in before I voice my agreement. I don’t know what my father is plotting, but at least the princess is adapting quite well. For now, that’s at least a little success.