Assertion Trials

by Melaina Rayne

  So excited by the prospect of eliminating one of the creep trio by the end of day one, I barely registered the fight happening in front of me. In the end, Thorin triumphed. I couldn’t wait to see who won Rafe and Lyall’s match.

  I soon learned that Lyall had no qualms about beating his pack mate—his friend—to a bloody pulp. He didn’t stop even when Rafe lay motionless on the hard ground. Though Kene himself called a stop to the fight, it took three guards to pull Lyall off the unconscious male.

  Kene descended the steps and I held my breath yet again when he took Lyall by the throat with his massive hand and snarled. With the crowd deathly silent, the Guard Master’s words rang clear in the warm afternoon air. “You were warned. And because you have no restraint, you will advance no further. You are hereby expelled from the trials.”

  Chapter 9

  Wyatt lounged against the doorframe with his muscular arms crossed over his chest. From where I sat fidgeting with a loose tendril of my hair, I could see his face. His body appeared relaxed, but he carefully watched those moving around outside.

  Decker sat at the table, his back against the wall and his long legs stretched out on the bench. His hands rested on his lap and his intense stare never left me. It should have been unsettling, but I found it more annoying than anything else.

  Nailana sat quietly with her latest carving, whittling away at the foot-long piece of Osage, her weathered hands making grooves in the hard, golden wood.

  I knew from experience, once Nailana focused on a project, her attention stayed there. Conversation was the last thing the woman wanted. I, however, might just go insane listening to the scraping sounds echoing in the room’s relative quiet.

  Overwhelmed by the need to tune out the incessant rasping, I rose from my place by the fire and moved to the window overlooking the fighting yard. It helped matters none. Instead, it only shifted my mind back to the coming fights. And that was the last thing I wanted to think about.

  Of the ten competitors, only four remained. Thanks to Lyall’s complete lack of control, he not only eliminated his friend Rafe from the trials, but also disqualified himself by not obeying the laws. Moving forward, my only worry was Resno. I could only hope one of the others took him out in the coming round, and from there, I didn’t care who won.

  Putting my back to the window, I released a hard breath and leaned a shoulder against the cabin’s rough wall.

  “What is it?” Wyatt asked without taking his gaze from the preparations happening outside.

  “Nothing. I am only eager to get this over with.”

  Wyatt turned the force of his pale aqua eyes on me. He searched my face for a long moment before focusing once again on guard duty. “Are you eager for your companion or impatient with the unknown?”

  “A bit of both, I suppose. Truthfully, I would rather join your ranks, but I doubt my father would approve.”

  A faint smile tugged at the corner of his full lips.

  It wasn’t often a female became a member of the guard, so I imagined my admitting to wanting such a life for myself surprised him. Most—male or female—had valid reason to offer their services to the guard. I merely wanted to live my own life. I didn’t want to run off and join the ferals. I just didn’t like the idea of my fate depending solely upon a bunch of males beating each other senseless.

  Studying Wyatt’s profile, I found myself curious about his reason for choosing his current path. Had he grown tired of being a leader? Had something tragic happened to push him into it?

  As if feeling my eyes on him, he asked, “What’s on your mind, Shala?”

  I didn’t bother easing into the conversation. I just went for it. “Kene said you chose to relinquish your alpha status to join the guard ranks. Why did you do it?”

  Faint lines wrinkled Wyatt’s brow, suggesting he was older than I’d first thought. A hint of sorrow clouded his eyes, but he cleared his throat and answered anyway. “I haven’t the time to tell that story right now, but trust it is a sad one.”

  I instantly regretted asking. “I’m sorry.”

  My voice barely carried, but he shifted his gaze to me and offered a half-hearted smile. “No worries. We all have our tragedies.”

  I didn’t. The saddest thing in my life was losing my grandparents, and that happened before my second birthday. I had no memory of them, only the stories I grew up hearing. Sometimes I wish I could’ve known them, but the fates hadn’t given me that.

  Though I remained curious about Wyatt’s story, I couldn’t force myself to press further. I had no interest in dragging the man through his painful past. Instead, I left him be and shifted my attention to Decker.

  His hard expression hadn’t changed over the last hour, except to grow more intense. I wanted to talk to him, ask him about his own reasons for joining the guard ranks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the mood for chit chat. I suspected that much was always true. He seemed like the type of man who only spoke when necessary.

  I passed the next twenty minutes attempting not to think of the final fights but failed miserably. Somehow, I circled back to the four remaining competitors, playing over all potential outcomes.

  In a perfect world, the Assertion wasn’t the way of our people. Instead, females chose their own companion. Regrettably, that wasn’t my reality. Traditions still stood, and my fate would be decided by day’s end.

  Wyatt cleared his throat, drawing my attention. “Let’s go. Kene is ready for you.”

  Of course he was. The man wasted no time, and I was grateful. I couldn’t wait for the day to be over.

  Flanked by my personal guards, I exited the cabin and joined Kene at the bottom of the stairs. He nodded to me in greeting.

  As he faced the packs, eager eyes focused in our direction, their excited chatter instantly dying away.

  Though Kene’s voice was low, it easily carried across the vast clearing. “Will the final four competitors come forward?”

  Thorin, Balfour, Resno, and Kai stepped into the fighter’s circle one by one.

  “Today, before the sun reaches its highest point, only two of you will remain.”

  I lost track of Kene’s words as my gaze drifted over each male. When I lingered too long on Resno, a hint of satisfaction lit his dark eyes. He wouldn’t look so smug if he knew the vile things I wished upon him.

  “Shala,” Kene called my attention back to him. “Please choose the first pairing.”

  Stepping forward, I reached into the ceremonial chest and allowed my fingers to drift over the four remaining stones. Each one felt unique in size, shape, and texture. Too bad I couldn’t recall which was Resno’s. Not that it particularly mattered. I didn’t want him fighting any of the other three. I wanted him gone, but I supposed it was too much to ask that he withdraw from the trials.

  Without looking, I chose two stones and held them out to Kene.

  “Balfour. Resno.” Kene announced. “You two shall go first.”

  Thorin and Kai exchanged a meaningful stare before returning to their packs on opposite sides of the wide circle. The animosity between them told me their coming fight would not be a pretty one.

  I shifted my focus to the center of the fighter’s circle where Resno and Balfour stood. They weren’t even looking at each other. Both focused on Kene, waiting for him to give the signal.

  The Guard Master nodded to them both. “You may begin when you are ready.”

  Each male bowed to Kene, then to one another, before touching fists. That was all the preamble to come. Instead of both males stepping back into a ready stance, Balfour advanced on Resno, catching him with a powerful left hook across the chin.

  Resno stumbled from the force. He hadn’t expected the first punch to come so soon, but he quickly recovered. His fury-filled eyes bore into his opponent. Though it frightened me a little, the death stare didn’t intimidate Balfour. He went after Resno again. This time, the leaner male was prepared. He easily dodged the blow and came back with a powerful jab to Balfour’s exposed
ribs.

  As the fight quickly escalated, cheers and taunts rose from the packs, echoing around the ferocious males. Still, each sickening thump of fist meeting sweating flesh reverberated all around. Though Balfour took everything Resno threw at him, his body rocked back with each hit.

  Not only could Balfour take a beating like no other, but he also had some of the most powerful punches I’d seen yet. If he’d had Resno’s speed and agility, the fight would have been over in no time.

  I couldn’t decide whether Balfour was lucky he could take such vicious blows or if it only prolonged the inevitable. Had Resno’s endurance not been slightly better than his, Balfour would have been the last male standing.

  It didn’t play out that way though. Both men stood on unsteady legs. Balfour blindly flung one last punch at his opponent. Resno managed to narrowly escape his meaty fist, the momentum causing Balfour to lose his footing. Resno took full advantage, coming across with a right hook, sending a fine mist of blood and sweat into the air.

  Balfour went rigid, and I knew the fight was over before he ever hit the ground. As did Resno. He didn’t even wait for the alphas to call the fight finished. Though he struggled to drag much-needed air into his lungs, Resno turned away from his fallen opponent and met my staggered stare.

  The self-satisfaction sparkled in his dark eyes and I wanted nothing more than to knock that irritating smile right off his face.

  Next to me, a familiar voice whispered. “Rein it in, princess. Your temper is showing.”

  Tearing my gaze from Resno, I threw a stunned look over my left shoulder. Decker didn’t acknowledge my reaction. His face remained expressionless as he stared straight ahead. No. That wasn’t true. His annoyance was palpable. I could do little more than gape at him. He hadn’t spoken a word to me in over twenty-four hours. Why had he chosen to speak at that very moment? Was he trying to rile me?

  Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen. I faced forward again, decidedly ignoring him. My temper was not showing. I wasn’t even angry…except for the princess comment. If I hadn’t been in front of all the packs, the temptation to pop him a good one right square in the mouth would have won over.

  Fortunately, I managed to restrain myself, biting my tongue to keep from reacting to his unwanted comment.

  With my teeth clenched, I forced myself to listen to Kene speak to the remaining competitors.

  Kai and Thorin stepped into the circle’s center, each of them focused intently on their rival. The similarities ended there. Kai appeared alert, yet a calm emanated from him that could only be confidence. Thorin, on the other hand, looked as if he might explode at any moment. He couldn’t disguise his feelings for Kai as anything except pure hate.

  “He doesn’t like Kai much, does he?” I muttered under my breath.

  “No,” Wyatt confirmed, his voice as quiet as my own. “Those two have been at each other’s throats damn near since birth.”

  I wasn’t surprised. It was no secret the Vilkas and Sandalio packs despised one another. Still, Kai stepped toward his opponent, lifting his relaxed fists in a gesture of respect.

  Instead of being a good sport and touching knuckles with him, Thorin left Kai hanging and spat on the ground at his feet.

  Kai showed no outward sign that it bothered him whatsoever, but I found it incredibly rude. I knew a person’s actions were a direct reflection of their true spirit, and if Thorin chose to act with such coarseness, I wanted nothing to do with him. It was one thing to try intimidating a rival, but disrespect only proved him an unworthy companion in my eyes.

  I already had Resno to worry about. I didn’t need two ill-mannered, intolerable beasts in the final trial.

  Thorin spoke, undoubtedly adding to his vulgarity in attempt to provoke Kai, but it didn’t work. Kai remained calm as they circled one another.

  As expected, Thorin swung first, but Kai easily dodged the punch, eliciting a frustrated growl from Thorin.

  Kai sidestepped a second attempt and threw a quick jab to Thorin’s jaw. His fist landed with a loud crack, snapping the male’s head back on his spine.

  I lost track of time as I watched them exchange one vicious blow after another.

  Thorin’s injured fist slammed into Kai’s ribs, and even from my distance I could see them both visibly wince. Thorin didn’t let up. Once he realized he’d found Kai’s weak spot, he kept pounding it until Kai roared in pain.

  Still holding tight to Kai’s shoulder, Thorin tried to shift his stance. Big mistake. It gave Kai the opening he needed.

  He jabbed his palm under Thorin’s chin, and the male instantly released his hold. He staggered backward and Kai charged him, slamming his shoulder into Thorin’s gut. The move took him clean off his feet and they both hit the ground with a hard thump.

  More excited shouts went up from the crowd, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the fight. Covered in sweat and dirt, dripping blood from various places, they continued to pound the crap out of each other until the nearest alpha called a halt to the beating.

  Panting hard, Kai flopped onto his ass next to Thorin and momentarily lifted his damaged face toward the sky. Despite his battered state, he had won. And for the first time, I had hope that my future might not be so bad. The only thing left to see was whether Kai could defeat Resno as well.

  Chapter 10

  The midday sun warmed me to the bone. Or more likely, it was only my uncle’s brew swimming in my belly. After the morning’s fights, I’d needed something to calm my frazzled nerves. The stout beverage did the trick nicely.

  Chattering voices surrounded me. Packmates talked about how impressed they were with the trials so far, several demanding to know what I thought of the two finalists. I refused to reveal how I really felt. No one needed to know that I hoped Kai pulverized Resno.

  My father and the other alphas stood to my left, recapping the fights, impressed with the skills some of the competitors had demonstrated. The females, instead, spoke of the competitors themselves.

  I faded in and out, not paying full attention to either conversation, but Amarya’s words broke through my haze. “…body on Resno is spectacular.”

  Otsanda scoffed. “With a personality like that, a chiseled physique is irrelevant.”

  Deidre agreed. “Besides, Kai is the whole package. Body and spirit.”

  “He’s incredibly sweet, too,” Katalin added. “It’s good to see he’s finally found interest in someone.”

  That got my attention. “What do you mean by that?”

  Katalin shrugged. “Just that you are the first he’s volunteered for in all these years.”

  That caught me by surprise. “Are you serious?”

  Katalin nodded.

  I shifted my curious gaze toward the big male in question. He lounged against the railing at the end of the porch, his midnight eyes focused on something across the yard.

  Following his attentive stare, I found Resno talking animatedly with a small group of males. If I’d had less to drink, his antics might have irritated me further. Thankfully, I wasn’t feeling much of anything…except interest in why Kai had volunteered for me when he’d never made the effort with another female.

  With my glass in hand, I slipped away from the swooning females and approached Kai. I hadn’t a clue what I would say once I reached him, but I knew I should at least wish him luck in the final trial.

  Decker and Wyatt followed only two paces behind me as I crossed the yard. I found it hard to ignore them with everyone I passed glancing at the towering males before offering me a courteous smile.

  Kai straightened as I came near, his deep blue eyes doing a quick sweep of my guards before nodding respectfully to them.

  After we exchanged a polite greeting, Kai indicated my glass, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “What do you have there?”

  I let out a nervous laugh. “Liquid courage.”

  He quirked a brow. “Did you need courage to come speak to me?”

  My smile widened. “No, but if I’m b
eing truthful, I’m only drinking so I can tolerate being this close to everyone.”

  Surprising me, a quiet chuckle slipped from Kai. “Still don’t like crowds?”

  “Not really. I’d rather be out in the woods, somewhere high in a tree.”

  A curious expression danced over his masculine features. “I figured you would have grown out of that habit by now.”

  I smiled up at him. “Not a chance.”

  Kai shifted closer to me, and I instantly felt the change in both guards. Neither moved. Nor did they speak, but judging by the faintest hesitation on Kai’s part, one of them gave him a warning look. A small grin tugged at his mouth. “You’re going to give your companion hell, aren’t you?”

  I leaned toward him and whispered. “Only if he tries to cage me.”

  An amused laugh burst from him.

  “I will admit I wasn’t expecting you, of all people, to volunteer.”

  Kai’s dark head tilted a fraction. “Why?”

  I shrugged. “Partly because you are so much older than me.”

  As if worried or trying to puzzle something out, Kai held my gaze. “Does that bother you?”

  “Not particularly,” I admitted without hesitation. “It’s just that you’ve known me since I was a child, and I never imagined you’d see me as anything else.”

  “Ah,” he said thoughtfully. “Rest assured, I see nothing of the child I remember.”

  A sarcastic, unladylike snort escaped me before I could stop it. “I wish everyone felt the same.”

  Next to me, Decker shifted his stance, but he said nothing.

  “Anyhow,” I quickly changed the subject. “I wanted to come over and wish you luck in this evening’s fight.”

  “Thank you.” Kai grinned. “Are you going to wish Resno luck as well?”

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Not if I can help it.”

  “Well, you might think of something to say to him. He’s coming this way.”