Chapter 7
BOOKER
Iwas awake before the first hint of light touched the mountains. Which wasn’t surprising when my wolf had been pacing inside me all night. He was pissed off and restless, shoving against my ribs every time I drifted toward sleep.
The separation from Alara was a physical ache that felt wrong in a way nothing else ever had.
I dragged a hand over my face and blew out a slow breath. I’d never been afraid of a challenge, but the stakes had never been this high. Letting my mate down wasn’t an option.
A knock sounded on the door, pulling me from my thoughts.
“It’s time,” Riven’s voice rumbled through the wood.
My wolf pushed at my skin, eager to see Alara again. I pulled on the boots Keane had brought for me and opened the door. “Ready.”
We walked through the dim corridors in silence until he led me to a door that opened into the same courtyard as yesterday. Keane and Kace waited near the steps. Having both of them at my back settled something restless inside me.
We stepped fully into the courtyard, and Alara was already there. Meeting her gaze, I vowed not to fail her. Not now. Not ever.
Caelan stepped forward and announced, “For the first trial, three symbolic tokens have been hidden along the ridgeline. You must locate and return them before the sun reaches its zenith.”
A test of awareness, patience, and intuition. My wolf pressed hard against my skin, eager to bolt forward and prove we could do this.
Across the clearing, lynx shifters positioned themselves along boulders and ledges, gazes fixed on me. Alara was at the edge of the crowd. Just knowing she was watching anchored me.
Caelan looked toward Keane and Kace. “Will either of you be assisting him?”
Keane folded his arms. “No.”
Kace shook his head. “He won’t need us.”
A ripple of surprise traveled through the chain. They’d expected the alphas to give me an edge. But this was my trial, not theirs.
Caelan lifted a hand. “Begin.”
My wolf lunged in my chest, but I kept my feet planted for a breath. I forced down the instinct to rush forward, focusing instead on the details that mattered. Wind direction, soil displacement, and broken moss. The faintest scent trails hidden beneath cold morning air.
I followed one about a hundred yards, then lowered myself to a crouch, inhaling slowly. When I found a patch of pine needles that had been smoothed too evenly, I followed the line and brushed aside a small cluster of stones. The first token, a carved wooden sigil, rested beneath them.
Murmurs broke out behind me, but I didn’t look back.
The second token took longer. Whoever hid it knew exactly where a wolf’s instincts would lead him, so I ignored the obvious paths and instead followed a nearly undetectable ripple in the scent pattern along the eastern ridge.
Twenty minutes later, I found it wedged deep in the roots of an old cedar.
My wolf preened inside me, smug as hell.
The third token proved the trickiest, hidden in slick stone sloping into a ravine. I took my time. Felt for vibrations. Studied claw marks so faint only someone familiar with steep mountain territory would notice.
Another five minutes, and I fished the token from beneath a slab of rock.
When I returned to the courtyard, Caelan kept his expression neutral, but the slight widening of his eyes gave him away. He was impressed.
Keane gave a low whistle under his breath. Kace just nodded once, pride shining in his gaze.
But it was Alara’s reaction that hit me hardest, joy shining from her gray eyes. My wolf lifted his head, pride rolling through him.
We’d passed the first trial, but we weren’t done yet.
Caelan motioned toward the far edge of the courtyard, where the mountain rose in a jagged line of stone and shadow. “Your second trial is endurance. Climb to the top of the white-marked ridge and return before the sun sets.”
My wolf pressed forward immediately, eager to run straight up the slope, but I forced him to slow down. Charging headfirst wasn’t an option here. This wasn’t forest ground or packed soil. The stones would become unstable under the wrong kind of pressure.
Stripping out of my clothes and shifting to my wolf form, I stepped onto the path, and loose gravel skittered beneath my paws. Everything about this terrain favored lynx agility over wolf power.
My muscles tightened as I hauled myself higher, but my wolf’s breathing stayed even as I adjusted my weight the way Kace’s father drilled into us as pups.
Behind me, lynx watchers stalked along alternate paths, observing without interfering. Their movements were effortless, a clear reminder of how easily they conquered this terrain.
Hours passed with the sun pounding down on me. Sweat slid down my fur, and my muscles burned. But my wolf stayed steady, lending me strength instead of impatience.
Near the highest point, where the ridge narrowed to a knife-edge of pale stone, one of my back paws hit a patch of loose shale, and it gave way beneath me.
A sharp gasp cut through the air as I dropped to my belly, digging my claws against the stone to brace myself. My pulse hammered, but instinct and training kept me anchored. I shifted my weight, found a solid foothold, and pushed back up in one fluid motion.
The murmurs behind me died instantly.
I kept moving without looking back, even as the strain deepened into a full-body burn.
When I finally touched the ridge marker at the peak, no part of me celebrated. This trial was about resilience. Proving I wouldn’t break under pressure.
The descent was slower, more focused. One wrong step could undo all of it. When I trotted into the courtyard again, Caelan’s gaze swept over me. His eyes were filled with respect, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod as I shifted back to my human form and tugged on my clothes.
But the only reaction that mattered came from the woman next to him. Alara exhaled like she’d been holding her breath the entire climb.
I passed the second trial, only one more to go.
They led me to the center of the courtyard again, where Caelan stood holding a carved lynx totem the size of my forearm. It was made from pale wood with intricate markings.
His voice carried across the stone. “For the final trial, you will protect this sacred object from warriors who will attempt to take it. You may not injure them, and you may not shift. But you don’t have to stay in the courtyard.”
My wolf snarled at that last restriction. He didn’t like that I would face off against lynx warriors without being allowed to defend us both the way he wanted to.
Caelan stepped forward and placed the totem in my hands. It was lighter than it looked, but the weight of what it represented settled heavily in my chest.
This challenge was about my ability to protect Alara.
Lynx warriors circled, and I shifted my stance, keeping the totem tucked against my ribs. Wolves were faster over long distances, so turning this into a race with the dwindling light seemed like the best strategy.
I took off on foot, determined to outpace as many of them as I could. My strategy worked at first. I only had to deflect a few early attempts. Then a ripple of unease scraped down my spine. My wolf lifted his head, his ears pricked and fur bristling under my skin.
I scanned the periphery, but no threat revealed itself. While I was distracted by what had tweaked my senses, another warrior lunged.
My wolf exploded forward inside me, his instincts howling for blood. Not because the lynx was a danger, but because of the unseen threat prickling along the edges of my senses.
I pivoted, deflecting the strike without harming him, and grounded my boots to hold my position.
Another warrior came from behind. A third from the right.
I shifted my weight, spinning low and guarding the totem with my body.
My wolf pushed against the edges of my skin, and gold flashed across my vision.
I forced air out of my lungs, centering myself. Shifting would break the rules, end the trial, and potentially cost me everything.
Then two warriors dove at once in a coordinated move meant to overwhelm. My claws threatened to punch through my fingertips, and I slammed my mind down on the instinct, wrestling myself back under control.
And that was when everything went sideways.