Chapter 13 Trish
Trish
Screw this. I’m going.
No, you’re not.
I groaned as I buried my face in the fur blanket. It was way too early in the morning to argue with my wolf, but we’d been at this all night.
You don’t understand. I tried to make her see reason. This is our last chance to prove that we’re not as weak and damaged as they all think.
Once Alpha Kera got here with Alec, they’d make sure I didn’t set foot near Vincent or his war plans against the humans. It was a miracle they’d even let me come at all, but I’d sealed my fate as soon as I ran to tell my sisters what was happening.
I didn’t regret it, because I wasn’t going to make some stupid mistake that ended up causing problems in the long run by hiding important information.
Despite how messed up things were, I did actually like my life.
If something happened and Alpha Kera or Mom knew that I didn’t tell my sisters first, they’d kill me.
But now, the clock was ticking down until Alpha Kera arrived.
She’d swoop in. I’d be pushed aside. Already, I was supposed to spend the next few days shopping and lying around while…
what? A warlord warlock made plans that could affect every pack in our country as I sat around sniffing candles all day?
Not on my watch.
I pushed back the fur blankets.
Your magic… My wolf started pacing in my mind. You can’t do this.
I’m not a freaking bomb, I cried.
After a few seconds of silence, my wolf went low, whispering, Jaxon doesn’t want you there.
I hesitated with my toothbrush halfway to my mouth. He’d done his whole forced Alpha wolf protection thing again last night, swearing he didn’t think I needed him and it wasn’t about that anyway, but I could see the relief on his face when I said I wouldn’t come.
Jaxon doesn’t get a say in this.
I shoved the toothbrush in my mouth, ignoring my wolf’s growls.
I didn’t know this Vincent warlock well, but his cause resonated with me—as I’m sure it did to the other witches and warlocks who were eager to prove themselves.
This was my mom we were talking about. I’d seen firsthand how she’d suffered because of the humans, try as she might to keep the worst of it from us.
You know what riled me up?
Anyone messing with my family.
I spit out my toothbrush and dunked my face in the cup of cold water from my canteen, using a rag to quickly wipe my pits.
Three days.
That’s about the maximum amount of time I had before my sister would get our Alpha and they’d all come charging back here with teeth and claws out.
I was running out of time to prove that I wasn’t some liability to my pack. That I could protect them like they protected me—that I could live up to my Gram’s last wishes and show them I was more than they believed me to be.
This is a mistake, my wolf warned.
I stepped outside, squinting as the morning sun beat down on the empty tent canvases. I’d thought it was still early, but by the looks of things I was… late.
Damn it. I took off running.
I wasn’t sure where to go. I managed to catch Jaxon’s scent through the festival. It was hours old and fading, but I used what I had to get to where I needed to be.
Past the festival tents was a dirt field that dipped into a valley, forming some sort of arena with towering wood walls, canopied makeshift structures, and wire fence lining the far eastern border.
I slid to a stop in the field, coming up breathless behind the other warlocks and witches who were talking and stretching out their limbs as they faced the empty podium at the front.
Thank the gods, I’m not late. I rested my hands on my knees, catching my breath.
I wouldn’t be thanking anyone yet, my wolf whispered.
Slowly, I raised my face. Jaxon glared at me, standing next to Calla with her two wolves and the guys. The five of them were just enough removed from the rest of the group and towered over them with their shifter height to look—for all intents and purposes—exactly like a coven.
And they all seemed equally upset to see me. Heat flushed my skin when I thought about what Jaxon would’ve told them. That my Alpha was coming to save the day and I was supposed to hide until she got here.
No wonder they’d all stopped coming around when my magic went on the fritz. Wolf shifters valued strength, and here I was, some broken witch who couldn’t even make it one day without running to their Alpha.
No more.
I raised my chin, ignoring the looks they gave me. I didn’t need them as a coven then, and I didn’t need them now. A horn sounded, drawing our attention to the front, and everyone quieted down.
“Good to see you all this morning.” Vincent took the podium, using magic to project his voice again like he’d done last night.
But this morning, he wore looser fitting pants and a black shirt that clung to his muscled chest, not that I was looking at his body that way, like some of the other witches who stood up straighter to get a better view.
“If you’re here, it’s because you’re rumored to be the best of your pack,” he said.
Then why are we here?
Shh. He’s still talking.
“But before we can test your magic, I need to know your physical capabilities. Your magical skills might not be enough to save you if you’re trapped behind enemy lines, and except for telekinetics, they won’t carry you out if you’ve fallen.”
This won’t be so bad.
I glanced around again, looking for other wolf-witches. We weren’t the only ones here, but there were so few of us that there was a clear disadvantage, especially if we were testing physical strength.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Jaxon still staring daggers at me.
Some of us have more of an advantage than others.
Focus. I turned my attention back to Vincent.
“We’ll run a basic endurance trial. Sections are roped off and numbered throughout the arena with skills you’ll need to pass before continuing to the next round.” His gaze swept the crowd, passing right over me and landing on someone in the distance.
I didn’t need to be a seer to know who he was looking at. Vincent wasn’t a wolf, but the dominant and challenging stance was clear.
“The criteria will only get harder after this,” Vincent said. “Feel free to leave now if you don’t have what it takes.”
I had to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes. What was it with macho male pissing contests? A few growls told me that the challenge was issued and accepted.
You don’t have to accept it…
You’re really chatty this morning, I barked at my own wolf. Stay quiet so I can focus.
Are you sure you won’t need me for this?
Oh, she was smug.
I marched over to the first challenge, getting right up front since I was closer to the starting point.
From what I could see, we’d be running. I didn’t need wolf strength for that.
Better yet, it didn’t seem like a race. The line moved slowly as each individual stepped up to a warlock, who held out an old hand clock, making note of the starting time.
I could do this.
Not that I was a fan of running. I preferred running toward something enjoyable instead of doing it for fun. But Alpha Kera had trained me and my sisters since we were pups, making sure all three of us were fit enough to handle ourselves in case of any challenge.
“Name?” The male warlock wearing the same loose black pants and shirt as Vincent held out a clipboard when I took the next spot in line.
I hesitated, not sure if they had my formal name. “Tisiphone Cerberus,” I said, “But it might be under my nickname, Trish.”
“Cerb… Cerberus.” He tapped the charcoal pencil against the page, looking up. Whatever he saw made him smile. “I’ve got you here. You’re next.”
What is he smiling at? My wolf started growling, which made the warlock take a step back.
Will you please stop being weird?
I sighed as I took my mark. “So…” I asked, trying to make up for my awkwardness. “Is there a time we need to beat?”
The warlock shook his head. “Go.”
“Like… now?” I stuttered.
“Go!”
I ran, not even needing to draw on my wolf strength, and overtook the runner in front of me, crossing the finish line a step before they did. I was barely winded as I jogged over to the second obstacle setup.
Like I said, unfair advantage.
But the witches and warlocks in this new line were still going strong, amped up with the energy of the challenge. I took a second to really look at them. Most would’ve grown up with wolf packs of their own, so they were used to being around shifters. Still, they gave me a wide berth.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I was a wolf-witch or if they could sense my broken magic, but I decided I had too much going on to care about that now.
Besides, the second challenge took most of my focus, and the breath from my lungs.
The females in my family were very physical.
We trained hard and fought harder. I’d grown up with two sisters who were always ready to fight, being alpha and sigma wolves.
A part of me thought it was good I didn’t have the unfair advantage of my magic to use against them as we got older.
Glass-half-full kind of thing. They had enough competition between them already.
As a beta wolf, I preferred to keep the peace—though I could hold my own in wolf form.
But what I really preferred more than anything else, was keeping both feet on the ground.
I didn’t like heights.
I bounced from foot to foot, waiting my turn in line to scale the at-least-fifty-foot-high wood wall with its frayed rope meant to help you hoist yourself all the way to the top and over the edge, having no idea what was on the other side.
Death, probably.
Except I wouldn’t die. Nope. I was a wolf shifter. That meant if I fell, I’d feel the crunch and rapid healing of each of my broken, shattered bones.
I might need your help.
My wolf put her paws over her eyes. Told you this was a bad idea.
I stood stock-still, watching as the witch in front of the line grabbed the rope and leaned back, putting her foot against the wall.
Sweat beaded on her face as she used her leg and arm strength to move herself higher.
At the top, she looked back to us lowly ants and I held my breath along with her as she peered over the edge.
Would she be forced to jump? Propel down?
The not knowing was killing me.
The witch didn’t spare us another glance as she went over the top.
“Last name?” Another warlock in black held a clipboard and the male in front of me answered.
Last names. We were using those. Smart. Then they’d know what pack to notify when you turned into a pancake on the other side of the wall.
A strong presence pressed against my back and my wolf took one paw off her eye as the warm scent of earth surrounded me.
“You don’t have to do this,” Jaxon spoke against my ear.
“Neither do you.” I clenched my teeth, staring at a particularly fascinating knot in the wood wall instead of watching the warlock ascend.
Jaxon would’ve had to move insanely fast to catch up with me. That was him, though. He didn’t belong here, doing these stupid tests with us mortals when he could easily wipe everyone in the vicinity off the map.
“You don’t like heights.” Jaxon’s voice took on a pleading quality that was hard to ignore. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” I refused to turn around so he couldn’t see the truth on my face. “Can’t I just be here to see what all the fuss is about?”
“Last night… Your sister…”
“It’s none of your business,” I snapped. My palms were sweaty as I moved forward another place in line while the witch ahead of us gave her name.
I didn’t know how to explain what I was doing here to him, especially when I couldn’t explain it to myself. But the last thing I needed was for him to be worried about me too.
“Fine,” Jaxon growled in frustration. “Be stubborn. Get yourself hurt. See how well that goes over with Alpha Kera.”
I knew what he was doing and I hated him for it. “My Alpha wanted more information. I can’t give that to her if I’m hiding under the tents all day.”
I took another step forward, ignoring my wolf’s soft whine. If she had her way, we’d turn around and throw our arms over Jaxon, begging him to get us out of here.
Then he’d be right in thinking he had to protect me. They’d all be right.
Maybe I did have something to prove.
The warlock in black nodded at me. “You’re up next. Name?”
“Cerberus,” I said my last name proudly as I took my spot at the mark.