Misfit Pack (The Misfit Series)

by Stephanie Foxe

  Ceri stepped away from the group and looked over at Donovan. He stood with his betas, watching the proceedings and laughing at Amber’s struggles. Selena, however, stood alone. She wasn’t speaking to anyone and didn’t seem particularly interested in the Trials. As Ceri stared at her, the witch lifted her head and met her gaze. Hate burned in her venomous green eyes.

  Whether the sabotage had been her idea or not, she was the one doing it. Ceri had to get proof, or there would be no way of stopping her.

  Thallan stepped up beside Ceri, startling her. “I see you’ve noticed as well.”

  She nodded. “Any suggestions on how to handle it?”

  He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “No good ones.”

  The pack would help any way they could if she told them, but she was a little afraid Genevieve might do something stupid. Like try to eat Selena.

  Her attention was pulled back to the obstacle course as Amber finally made it out. She raced up the last portion, a steep hill, but the buzzer rang loudly when she was only halfway up.

  Amber didn’t stop running despite her failure but it was too late. Genevieve cursed and turned away, her dainty features contorted in anger.

  Donovan laughed loudly, pointing at her and saying something she couldn’t quite hear to his companions. She heard the word bitten loud and clear, though.

  One of the betas, the hot one that had defended her coming today, looked back at her. He seemed concerned rather than smug about Amber’s failure. Maybe…he would help.

  AMBER

  She shifted back, humiliation coursing through her. Donovan’s jeers carried across the open space. Her hearing was unfortunately good enough to catch every word.

  A door opened ahead of her and Shane stood in the space. He motioned for her to join him. She walked over silently, looking everywhere but him. Jameson was right. The nudity wasn’t bothering her anymore. But the failure was.

  “Chin up,” Shane whispered as she fell in step beside him. “There’s still four more chances.”

  “Was this the easiest trial?” she asked.

  Shane hesitated, then nodded.

  “Great.”

  They walked into some kind of arena. Her toes dug into hard-packed dirt as she followed Shane to the center of the space.

  “Wait here,” he said before jogging toward the side of the pit. He jumped up and grabbed the top of the wall, pulling himself up to join the others.

  Jameson in the center of the group, her pack on his left. “In one minute, the doors below me will open. Wolves have no natural predators in the wild, but we do have one foe. A normal wolf would never be able to defeat this animal on their own, but we are not normal. We have been gifted with greater size and strength. As alpha, you must be able to defend your pack against even the most formidable threats. This trial demands you prove that you are capable of doing this.”

  She swallowed nervously. There was really only one thing that could walk out of those doors and she did not want to fight it. At all. “Do I have to kill it?”

  Jameson nodded solemnly. “Yes. However, there is no time limit for this Trial. You will either prevail, or you will perish.”

  Well, shit. That wasn’t exactly comforting. “Can I change now?”

  “Yes, the doors will open in ten seconds,” he said.

  She shifted quickly, her heart pounding. When those witches had attacked, she’d only had time to react. Knowing what was coming filled her with fear. Having an audience didn’t help much either. She really didn’t want to be ripped apart in front of her pack.

  Ceri leaned over the edge, making some kind of odd hand signal. She had no idea what to make of it but it felt like a warning. Since she knew she was about to have to fight something, that didn’t make any sense. Was there something else going on?

  The doors creaked open, pushing any thoughts of warnings out of her head. From the darkness came a huff and a rumbling growl.

  She dug her paws into the dirt and crouched down, muscles tensed. One massive paw stepped into the fading light, then another. The bear’s mouth hung open, saliva dripping onto the ground in long strings.

  Thick brown fur covered the bulky animal. It padded out, watching her carefully. Once it was free of the confining room, it stood on its hind legs, and roared.

  The challenge was clear. She lifted her head and howled, claiming the ring as her own.

  The bear dropped down to four feet. Then it charged.

  Chapter 42

  CERI

  Ceri’s fingers dug into the wooden railing as the bear charged Amber. She wanted to look away but was terrified to. This was awful, all of it. There had to be a better way to prove Amber was worthy than killing some poor animal.

  The crowd erupted in cheers as they crashed into each other, drowning out the vicious growling. Tommy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she realized tears were streaming down her face.

  Wiping them away angrily, she squeezed him back. She should be trying to take care of him, not the other way around. He wasn’t even an adult.

  The bear swiped at Amber, catching her in the shoulder. She was tossed back twenty feet and hit the ground limply. Tommy’s fingers convulsed on her shoulder, but she was barely paying attention.

  When the bear had struck her, for a brief moment, there had been a curl of smoke. It wasn’t something you’d see if you weren’t looking for it. But it had been there. Just like the last test, this one was being sabotaged.

  She looked up and caught Shane’s gaze. He glanced at Donovan and a muscle in his jaw jumped.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, squeezing Tommy’s hand. He nodded and stepped away, eyes glued to the fight.

  She tapped Thallan as she passed him. He followed her through the crowd and down the wooden steps that led back to the ground. She ducked under the scaffolding that supported the stadium seating and waited.

  The elf leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, clearly bored. A moment later, Shane joined them. Lifting her hand, she cast a simple muffling spell.

  “She’s being sabotaged and we both know it,” she said angrily.

  “I know, but I can’t be the one that protests. It has to be Thallan,” Shane said, pointing at the elf. “Especially as Jameson’s beta, I have to remain neutral.”

  “How does he protest it?” she asked.

  Shane took a deep breath, rubbing his hand along his stubbled jaw. “Bring your proof to Jameson. Declare the interference, accuse who you suspect, and be prepared to prove it.”

  “How the hell are we supposed to get proof?” She threw her hands in the air, exasperated.

  “I want to help you, but I can’t. Try to think outside the box, okay?” he said, taking a step back. “I shouldn’t have even come down here. And I can’t stay.”

  “Fine.” She turned away and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

  “Perhaps we just protest and figure it out along the way?” Thallan suggest, unhelpfully.

  “That won’t work and you know it.”

  He shrugged. “You think there is something on the bear’s claws, right? If you demand they be examined, they’ll find evidence of interference.”

  She shook her head. “It’s probably gone by now. If I was doing this, I would have put just enough so that the first few swipes got it in her bloodstream, but it would be undetectable after that.”

  GENEVIEVE

  Genevieve looked behind her and realized Ceri was gone. So was Thallan. Shane walked past and gave her a strange look, almost guilty.

  She grabbed Tommy and tugged his head down so she could whisper, “Do you know where Ceri is?”

  He looked around, his eyebrows drawing together, then shook his head.

  “Come on,” she said, dragging him after her. Ceri was up to something, and there was no way she was going to leave them out of it.

  She followed her nose. Thallan left a distinct trail that even a human could follow. It led through the crowd, then down the s
tairs.

  There was a glimpse of white through the scaffolding that looked like Ceri’s dress, but she couldn’t hear them talking, or even their heartbeats.

  She doubted Thallan and Ceri were just standing in there silently, so they were keeping anyone from hearing them intentionally.

  “I think I see them,” Tommy whispered.

  “Me too.”

  They slipped under the scaffolding and walked over. Genevieve was turned away from Thallan like she was angry. The elf looked unconcerned, as always, but he was on his third or fourth cigarette. Even he didn’t usually smoke that much.

  Thallan looked up as they drew close but didn’t say anything. Static zipped over her skin as she crossed some kind of invisible barrier.

  She put her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on?”

  Ceri jumped and whipped around, her eyes bouncing between her and Tommy. “Umm, I just needed a minute…alone.”

  “Don’t lie to us,” Tommy said, sounding really hurt. He and Ceri had gotten pretty close over the last month.

  “You either think Amber is being sabotaged or that she’s about to die. Which is it?” she asked, wanting to get to the point.

  Ceri swallowed uncomfortably. “Sabotage.”

  “Shane was down here, right? What did he say? Can we stop it?”

  “Thallan has to protest it to Jameson, and then we have to prove that someone is interfering,” Ceri said with a sigh. “We have a few minutes to figure something out, or Amber is going to die.”

  Genevieve crossed her arms, thinking. She’d been great in school debate competitions when she’d had to improvise but there had never been stakes this high before. “What if…we bluff.”

  Ceri looked up sharply. “Bluff?”

  “Yeah, we know they’re sabotaging her. Do you have any idea how?” she asked, trying to appear more confident than she felt.

  “I know what I’d do,” Ceri answered with a shrug.

  “Then we go to Jameson, say what you think is happening, and point him toward something that would prove it. Is there anything that Selena or Donovan have done that would leave a trace?”

  “When she was in the dark maze it looked like something blew up in her face. Could that have left a residue?” Tommy asked.

  “It might have. It would be hard to detect, and it would be a very small amount,” Ceri said.

  “I could go look for it while you start the protest. If I find something, I’ll bring it back.”

  Bluffing was risky but they didn’t have many options. She might be able to pull it off just long enough for Tommy and Ceri to find something. “What should I tell them is in there?”

  “Glass,” Ceri said with a decisive nod. “If she left something, it would have had to be in glass. A very thin tube most likely, something that would shatter into pieces so small they’re almost a powder.”

  “Do we even have time to find that?” Tommy asked.

  “Probably not,” Ceri admitted.

  “Then we have to go with the silver. If Selena used it on the bear, then wouldn’t have some on her?” she asked.

  “Yes, that stuff gets everywhere, like glitter,” Ceri said, her tone going thoughtful.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked.

  Ceri nodded. “Do you know how to do the protest?”

  “Yes,” she turned to Thallan. “Do I need to write this down, or can you remember it?”

  “I think I’m capable of remembering it,” he said, flicking his cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out with the toe of his shoe.

  “Alright, then this is what you need to say,” she said. Her heart was beating so fast she almost couldn’t breathe. She hoped she remembered it correctly, or Amber was screwed. And it would be her fault.

  Chapter 43

  CERI

  Thallan was walking too slowly. He had no sense of urgency at all, and it made Ceri want to strangle him. They had to squeeze through the crowd. Once they were back by the railing, she risked a glance down into the arena. Amber was stumbling around, barely dodging the bear’s attacks.

  “Alpha Clark Jameson,” Thallan said, his voice booming over the noise of the crowd. “This sacred ritual has been tarnished by the actions of a coward. I name Donovan Lockhart as coward. I name Selena Blackwood as coward and mercenary.”

  Silence fell over the gathering. For a moment, the only sound was the huff of the bear.

  “How dare—”

  Jameson lifted his hand, cutting Donovan off. “In what manner have these Trials been sabotaged?”

  “The first trial, through magic. A hex to twist the candidate’s ankle, and a trap left to burn her nose. In this trial, through silver powder on the bear’s claws.”

  Selena looked at Ceri directly. Her fingers twitched at her side like she wanted to throw a curse. She wouldn’t be able to get away with it in a crowd like this, no matter how much the witch wanted to hurt her.

  “Your protest is heard. Do you bring proof?” Jameson asked.

  Ceri stepped forward. “Selena Blackwood will have silver on her body. Her hands, clothes, possibly her face. With a dust that fine, it’s impossible to avoid getting it on you. If the maze were to be searched, you would find glass, but very little of it.”

  The old alpha waved the others back, parting the crowd. Selena stood a few feet away with her jaw clenched in anger. “How dare you accuse me of interfering in—”

  “Occultatum fateor!” Ceri shouted, lifting her hand. The magic rushed between them, hitting Selena with a burst of light. Everywhere the silver had touched her glowed brightly. It was streaked across the hem of her dress and shimmering along the curve of her ear.

  Jameson walked over to her and dragged his finger across one spot. Smoke drifted up from his finger. “Why is there silver on your clothes?”

  “I work with silver often,” Selena said, curling her hand into a fist. She held Jameson’s gaze stubbornly.

  “Please, stop the fight. Amber is being poisoned,” Ceri begged. “You’ll find silver residue on the bear’s claws.”

  “This is a ridiculous ploy to save her friend,” Donovan said, shoving forward to stand next to Selena. “A bitten wolf should never have been allowed to undergo the Trials in the first place.”

  Jameson pursed his lips. “If we stop this test, it must be counted as a failure.”

  “It’s going to kill her if you don’t stop the fight,” she said, waving at the arena. “They’ve sabotaged her. You said we couldn’t assist, but you also said no one could interfere.”

  “The sponsor must approve this action,” Jameson said, looking at the elf.

  Genevieve stepped up beside him, expression furious. “Do it. If she dies, it’s a failure regardless.“

  “I approve, stop the fight,” Thallan said, ignoring her.

  Jameson nodded and waved at two of the alphas to follow him. The jumped down into the arena. Ceri couldn’t wait for them to stop the bear, she had to get to Amber right now or the silver would keep weakening her.

  AMBER

  Something was wrong. She shook her head but her vision swam. Her legs were weak. It wasn’t from the pain, it was something else.

  The bear charged in again. She darted under the first swing and bit its hind leg, wrenching it off balance. Frantically, she pulled on the pack bond. It was her only hope. Strength trickled through, and she had a brief burst of energy, but it was a losing battle.

  She tried to lunge under the next swipe but her shoulder gave out and she hit the ground instead. It was numb now. Her good foot scraped against the dirt as she tried to force herself back to her feet.

  The bear loomed over her, rising up to its hind feet. It roared and its paw came soaring toward her face. She couldn’t move. This was not the way she thought she’d die, but maybe it was poetic justice that she die as a werewolf, just like Dylan.

  Her eyes slipped shut, but she caught a glimpse of something hitting the side of the bear. Something large..


  There was shouting. Someone shaking her. Pain. Bright light exploded in front of her. Ceri grabbed her and warmth rushed through her body, chasing away the bitter cold ache. She gasped for air and was finally able to take a full breath. The back of her hand scraped against a small rock and she realized she’d shifted back at some point.

  “Keep still,” Ceri warned.

  “What? You can’t—”

  “There was silver on the bear’s teeth or claws. Jameson stopped the test,” Ceri said, pressing her hand against her chest. “Give me a moment and I’ll have it purged from your body so it can heal.”

  “Am I going…to have to barf…again?” she asked as she panted. Whatever magic Ceri was using was cold. Her teeth clacked together as her body spasmed.

  “Will she live?” Jameson asked, appearing near her head.

  “Yes. I’m almost done, and then her body will take over the healing,” Ceri said, shutting her eyes in concentration.

  Amber’s muscles twitched one last time, and then she felt her limbs fill with warmth. Pins and needles races down her arms as the feeling returned. Ceri removed her hands, and she pushed herself into a sitting position.

  The wounds from the bear were stitching themselves back together, which was an odd feeling, to say the least. She watched one long cut close, pushing out debris as it went.

  “Because this test had to be stopped, it must be counted as a failure,” Jameson said, crouching beside her. “However, you can continue with the Trials, if you still wish to remain an alpha.”

  “So, even though someone interfered, they get rewarded, and I get punished?” she asked, anger clearing the shock.

  Jameson’s lips thinned. “They will be punished, but that will be separate from the Trials.”

  She sighed and let Ceri pull her to her feet. “I’ll continue.”