by G. K. DeRosa
“You know I’m not a fan of the Silverstalkers, and I hate to see you suffering. I only know what little your father told me about fated mates, and the process of breaking the bond is brutal. You need to start preparing for it, Sierra.”
Just what I needed to hear. “I’ll be fine.” Geez, how many times had I said that recently? “Come on, we have to get going. And no more Hunter talk, okay?”
She nodded and grabbed her purse by the door. “No more Hunter, period.”
Right. If only I could get my traitorous heart onboard with the plan.
I paced the top of Lupine Hills, peering down into the university quad below. After classes, I’d come up here to think. I’d finally found where I belonged, found my pack, only to discover they’d been decimated and my father brutally murdered. What did that mean for me? I’d never be tied to a pack? Never truly belong in any world. Fury burned through my veins, sadness strangling my wolf. She needed her pack.
Despite my words of fearless determination to my mom, I didn’t have the faintest idea how I was going to take on Tyrien Silverstalker and avenge the slaughter of my people. My number one problem was no magical powers. And with no other Mystic wolves around, there wasn’t exactly anyone I could talk to for advice.
I couldn’t wait for Cass to get here. Her head was going to explode when I told her about my dad. I wondered if Ransom’s father, the Royal Pack alpha, would fill her in on the story of the Lunar Packs. How would she feel about playing healer to a bunch of vampire werewolves?
As I scanned the quad below, my eyes focused on a familiar curly blonde head. My heart swelled and I raced down the hill, winding along the dirt pathways.
“Cass!” I shouted at my bestie and Ransom as he led her through the bustling quad. Summer session was in full swing and students filled the university grounds. I’d been meaning to make new friends, but now that my bestie was here, I hoped I wouldn’t have to bother.
Cass took off as I sprinted toward her, weaving between the loitering wolves. A few growled as I barreled by them, but I was so happy to see my best friend I didn’t care. It had been almost a month since I’d seen her and an extremely monumental one at that. When tears pricked my eyes as her arms closed around me, I let them fall.
“Sierra! I missed you so much, girl.”
“Me too,” I blubbered into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m totally ruining your blouse.” I released my best friend and forced a smile. “Is it new? It’s super cute by the way.”
“It is! You know I had to make a good impression on my new boss.”
“So you met Lucien?” I still hadn’t made the Royal alpha’s acquaintance, but I’d heard plenty from Ransom.
“Briefly.” His attractive son sauntered over after politely giving us a minute to catch up. “Father is quite busy these days in preparation for the trials. The Royals are tasked with logistics for the event. Mind numbing work and quite tedious.”
“I’m sure.” I smiled at Ransom. His cocky way used to grate on my nerves, but now I found it weirdly endearing.
“So when exactly do these trials start?” Cass asked. “Ransom filled me in on the overall gist, but I’m still unclear on the details.”
“I’ve been here for a month, and I still don’t get it either.”
“The kickoff is on Saturday and extends well into the early hours of Sunday. There will be an opening ceremony and gala held at Silverstalker Lair. Technically, the actual trials do not commence until Monday morning. Think of it as one last hurrah before the slaughter.”
A chill skirted up my spine. The idea of anything happening to Hunter twisted my insides. Even Ransom… He was the only friend I’d made since my arrival in Moon Valley. I didn’t count Vander as an acquired friend since it was more like Hunter had thrust him on me.
“Sounds terrifying.” Cass’s eyes widened. “How do we get tickets?”
“Cass!” I elbowed her in the gut.
“What, a bunch of hot males battling it out in front of an audience? How could I pass that up? It looks like I got to Moon Valley right on time.”
I couldn’t help the peal of laughter from bubbling out.
“I’ll make sure you both have seats. Front and center,” said Ransom.
“Thank you.” I shot him an appreciative smile. “And thank you for getting my friend here earlier than scheduled. Having her in Moon Valley makes it feel more like home already.”
“Anything for you, Violet.” Ransom sketched a bow and finished it off with a mischievous wink. “I’ll leave you ladies to get caught up, and I’ll come by to get you tonight?”
“Or you could spend the night?” I squeezed Cass’s hand. “Since you’re not starting till Monday, right?” I glanced back and forth between my bestie and Ransom.
“Yes!” Cass bounced on her toes. “We so need a girls’ weekend.”
Ransom smirked, shaking his head. “She’ll need to be back early on Sunday so she can learn her way around Royal pack lands.”
“Of course.” She grabbed Ransom’s hand and gave him a flirty smile. “Thanks, wolfie.”
“Ladies, I’ll see you on Saturday night then.” He dipped his head before turning heel and disappearing into the gathering crowd.
“Um, why didn’t you tell me how hot Ransom was?” she squealed as soon as he was gone.
“I told you he was good looking.”
“Girl, he’s gorgeous! And you said he seemed interested. Why wouldn’t you go for him?”
I let out a grunt.
“If you tell me it’s because he’s not Hunter or Aristaeus or Dragon Boy or whatever the realms else you call him, I’m going to slap you.”
“Sheesh, I’m sorry, but I’ve been a little preoccupied.” I hadn’t told her about the latest attack, the mate bond, the breaking of the mate bond or anything about my father. “There’s a lot I need to catch you up on.”
“Well, that’s why I’m here. Lead the way to your new wolfy home.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her side.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Cass.” I tugged her up the hill toward the dorms.
“Me too, girl. I’m going to snag myself a wolf hottie at that ball on Sunday.”
“Ball?” My voice hitched.
“Um, yah, the gala Ransom just told us about.”
“That’s a dance?”
Her head bounced up and down.
“Then you can count me out. I don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to balls.”
“Oh no, Sierra. You are not selling me out this time. There’s no way I’m going to some fancy wolf ball by myself. You’re coming. The end. End of story.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“I can’t believe you’re dragging me to this thing.” The oddest sense of déjà vu came over me as I fidgeted with the plunging neckline of my new dress in front of the mirror. Cass had insisted we go shopping before the big ceremony and gala, especially after I’d caught her up on everything. Reliving Mom’s story had me in a foul mood, and my bestie had assured me retail therapy was the answer. At least it had taken my mind off my revenge scheme for a while. Then I’d accompanied her back to Royal Pack lands to see her new place, which turned out to look a lot like mine.
She smacked my hand away from my bulging breasts. They were spilling over the sexy black dress she’d forced me to buy. “Of course, I am. You need to make that boy suffer for what he put you through. And there’s no better way to do that than by reminding him of what he can’t have.”
I let out an extremely unladylike grunt. “I think that ship has sailed, Cass.” Despite having told Hunter to stay away, a tiny part of me hoped he wouldn’t. Wished he’d come back and admit that rejecting me had been a mistake, that we did belong together. It was stupid and I hated myself for even thinking it.
Whatever this curse was, it was the reason we couldn’t be together, and I had to accept it and move on.
I glanced at my friend’s reflection in the mirror and shot her
a smile. “You look beautiful.” Her glossy curls bounced on her bare shoulders, barely skimming the backless crimson gown. “The wolves won’t know what hit them.”
“That’s exactly the look I was going for.” She winked and grabbed her matching clutch from the bed. “Come on, Ransom is probably waiting for us.”
When we emerged from the dark tunnel, dozens of wolves lined Royal Hills, all dressed in their finest. It looked like the entire pack was attending the big opening event at Silverstalker Lair. My gut twisted at the thought of seeing Hunter. It hadn’t even been three days and like an addict, I was jonesing for a fix. Since he admitted we were mates, the effects of the bond had only intensified. I was having trouble sleeping, eating, even breathing was hard. The longer I was away from him, the more my body revolted against his absence.
I needed to do more research on this mate bond thing ASAP. If Hunter was set on severing our mystical tie, I needed it done sooner rather than later. Preferably something that didn’t involve me watching the man I loved screw another female.
“You okay, Sierra?” Cass’s question tore me from my dark thoughts. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
I waved a nonchalant hand and forced my lips to smile. “Yeah, totally fine.”
“Good, because here comes Ransom.” Cass ticked her head down the hill at the approaching male in a dark suit. “And boy does he look yummy.”
Smirking, I shook my head at my friend, but I couldn’t help my eyes from scouring over Ransom. With a navy-blue suit that nearly matched the deep blue sheen of his black hair, his porcelain skin, and his tall, muscular form, he was a sight even my she-wolf appreciated. You’d have to be blind not to notice how handsome he was. Or stupidly infatuated with another man.
“Ladies, you look phenomenal,” Ransom growled as his dark gaze raked over us. “If I die in the trials, it’ll all have been worth it.” His incisors lengthened as he offered each of us an arm and escorted us through the thickening crowd.
“Don’t even joke about that,” I hissed.
“Oh, Violet, I’m touched. Are you saying you’d be saddened by my death? I was convinced you only had eyes for our supreme beta.”
His words expelled all the air from my lungs. I’d thought I’d been so cool around him. Wasn’t Hunter worried about others finding out we were mates? “Of course I’d be sad,” I blurted. “And please, Aristaeus is ten times more douchey than you. No, thank you.”
Amusement lit up his pitch irises. “I’m pleased to hear that I still have a chance.”
“That’s not exactly what I said,” I countered. “I’m not interested in finding a life mate right now. I just want to keep my head down, pass my classes and go from there.”
He smirked. “Somehow, I doubt that very much.”
Cass watched our playful banter, her eyes darting between us.
“What about you?” I asked. “Still no mate in tow? I thought you needed one to strengthen your wolfish powers for the trial.”
“I’m still looking. Besides, this is only the beginning. The first round is nothing. It’s the later ones that will require me at my best.”
There was still so much I didn’t know about these trials. Despite doing some research, the details of the event were scant.
“Are all the competitions open to the public?” Cass asked.
“No, not all. The first few rounds are held in the arena. They’re basic tests of physical skill, strength and endurance. Once the finalists get to the later rounds, they could be held anywhere. Some are weeklong trials of endurance. At the last trial ten years ago, I heard the semi-finalists were dropped in a deserted part of the Underworld and forced to make their way back to civilization. One died and the other two barely survived.”
“Whoa,” said Cass.
A shudder snaked up my spine, and all the words stuck to the back of my throat. Hunter had been forced to compete when he was just a child. How far had he made it in the rounds?
“Why are you doing this again?” I asked.
“For the glory.” He shot me a megawatt smile, running his tongue over his pointy fangs. “Come, we don’t want to be late for the opening ceremony.” He led us toward a looming black fortress in the neighboring hill. It wasn’t nearly as large as Silverstalker Lair, but it was still huge. “There’s a portal at the entrance of Royal Hill reserved only for my family. This way we’ll avoid all the riffraff on the portal train ride over.”
“Isn’t that special?” I teased.
The portal spat us out a few yards away from the entrance of the alpha’s lair. A crowd had gathered at the foot of the hill, and I could barely see over the dense mob. From my limited viewpoint, I could only make out some sort of wooden platform built in front of the fortress. I squeezed between a pair of broad-shouldered males, and I could finally see. Grabbing Cass’s hand, I tugged her closer.
Guards in both human and animal form stalked the length of the stage. A throne sat in the middle carved of dark roughhewn stone with a wolf head at the end of each arm rest and an immense wolf jutting over the top of the headrest. A snarling, fanged beast sculpted from a jagged boulder. That could not even be comfortable. A smaller high-backed chair sat next to the stone monstrosity, carved of the same cold, unrelenting stone.
“This is nuts,” Cass whispered.
The vast clearing in front of the fortress grew more crowded, bodies packed tighter and tighter together. “I know,” I answered and turned to Ransom. “How many people come to this freakin’ ceremony?”
“Only the entire population of Moon Valley, Violet.”
“Seriously?”
He puckered his lips. “Well, anyone that can walk anyway.”
The air thickened as I was jostled around the crowd of bodies. Ransom grabbed my hand and ticked his head at Cass. “Hold on to her, we don’t want to lose each other in the mob. All these wolves packed in one place with tensions high, tempers are bound to flare.”
That was just what we needed, a wolf fight in the middle of this madness and me not allowed to shift. “What are we waiting for exactly?”
“For the supreme alpha to arrive, of course.”
I eyed the entrance of the hill where Vander had brought me the day I’d arrived to Moon Valley. The interior of the lair had been exactly what I’d expected of the foreboding stronghold. Sprawling, cold, and forged entirely of stone. Not unlike that throne.
What kind of a childhood did Hunter have growing up there?
I shook the unwanted thoughts of my mate away. Hunter isn’t my responsibility. Stop worrying about him and his dark past.
A trumpet blared, jerking me from my swirling thoughts. The entire crowd went silent. Slow drumbeats filled the void, and the thundering tempo quickened with each passing beat. My pulse sped up, trying to keep time with the accelerating rhythm. As the drums reached a crescendo, Tyrien Silverstalker appeared on stage. Over his contemporary gray suit, an animal pelt draped across his broad shoulders. An ominous yellowing bone hooked the two ends together and rested over his broad chest. Two massive wolf guards trailed behind the alpha. And massive was an understatement. These beasts were the size of rhinos—if rhinos had fur and jagged teeth. The supreme alpha gave a curt nod to the masses as a wave of thunderous applause echoed through the valley. I could feel his alpha power pressing into me, but I resisted the urge to avert my gaze. The wolves around me had their eyes cast down as he stalked across the stage.
Not Ransom though. From my peripheral vision, I caught him stare down the alpha. I was impressed. He held his own with the intimidating Tyrien for an entire thirty seconds before dropping contact.
Tyrien’s heavy gaze bored down on me next, the weight more intense than the gigantic wolf guards who flanked him. I held his glare, gritting my teeth despite those slate eyes making my skin crawl. My wolf surged to the surface, and a growl slipped through my clenched teeth. Cass elbowed me in the side, and I started. When I glanced back up at the alpha, he’d turned his attention to one of the gua
rds on stage. Dammit! Our epic stare down was over, and I’d lost.
As the supreme alpha folded into his dark throne, my attention swerved to the end of the stage. Hunter. In a modern black suit and tie, almost identical to the one he’d worn the time we’d danced at the masquerade ball, he was devastating. Our eyes met, the force between us impossible to ignore. My heart staggered out an erratic beat as the fiery gold of his blazing irises eclipsed the deep green. His wolf; it was always his wolf that called to me. Through a crowd of thousands, we’d found each other as naturally as if it were only he and I in the whole valley.
I swallowed hard and tore my gaze away from his. It didn’t matter how I felt about him, how perfectly we fit together. None of that mattered. Hunter was set on breaking our mate bond, and our story would be over before it began.
Hunter’s expression hardened, his eyes shifting back to their natural green, and he marched across the platform. Once he reached his chair, Hunter was gone and only Aristaeus, the supreme beta, remained.
One of the guards, dressed in a navy military uniform, strode to the front of the stage. “Quiet down.” He held his hands up and the steady muttering ceased. “As is our tradition on the eve of the great Alpha Trials, it is time to hear from our supreme alpha.”
The masses were silent as Tyrien rose and marched to the edge of the platform. “My wolves,” he began, “I am honored to once again preside over this sacred event. As you know, the Alpha Trials have been in existence since the beginning of time, when the great goddess Luna blessed our people with the power to shift into the almighty wolf. We honor her with these games which cull out the weak from the strong and determine our next leader. This year I will not compete, and instead, my son, Aristaeus will fulfill that honor. I know he will be up against scores of worthy opponents, and I wish you all much luck in this competition.”
I hazarded a quick glance at Hunter. His eyes had glazed over, a hard mask over his high cheekbones and strong jaw. He hated this. I could feel it as clearly as if he’d spoken the words in my mind. Then why was he competing?