Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“I’ll keep you safe,” Luca said without hesitation.
She lifted her chin. “I’m capable of protecting myself.”
He blinked. “I thought you couldn’t fight.”
She bristled. “I can fight. Just not well.”
That earned her a thoughtful look.
“Taryn is a very good fighter,” Solomon added helpfully.
Luca frowned, looking between them. “They don’t have to fight each other. Do they?”
Dread pooled low in Nadia’s stomach. How fast could someone learn to fight well enough to survive? Taryn had both size and experience on her, and she’d need some good moves just to keep standing.
“No,” Solomon said quickly. “That isn’t how it works. Once the Alpha is chosen, that person declares a mate from the females who endured at least one trial with him. Or her, of course.”
Luca looked back at the massive slab of slate and shook his head. “Does the grimoire say that an Alpha challenger could’ve been female?”
“Absolutely,” Solomon said. “There was no restriction, even back in the day. Anybody with Alpha blood could’ve challenged to be the pack Alpha. Only five of you stepped forward this time, and you’re all male. It’s too bad. I would’ve liked to have seen a strong female Alpha in these trials.”
“There’s Taryn,” Nadia said quietly.
Solomon nodded. “I asked her why she didn’t challenge for the Alpha position outright. She said she doesn’t know the pack well enough, and also that she doesn’t want to spend her life fighting off challengers.”
Nadia swallowed. “I totally understand.”
“All right,” Solomon said cheerfully. Far too cheerfully. He rocked back on his heels as if this were a picnic and not a test meant to break bodies. “Good luck. Once you reach the closed mine, don’t worry. You only need to propel the slab inside. Somehow.” He smiled that intelligent smile of his. “Best of luck with that.”
“Thanks,” Luca said dryly.
Solomon turned, walked toward his still-running SUV, climbed in, and took off down the narrow trail. Snow sprayed behind him as the engine growled and disappeared through the trees.
Nadia stared after him. “I am absolutely going to help get him fired someday.”
Luca scoffed. His cheeks were red from the cold, eyes sharp and alert. “First thing I do as Alpha.”
They walked together to the slab, which sat half-buried in snow, a massive round disk of slate taller than Nadia’s waist and thick enough to look immovable. Frost rimmed its edges. Snow clung to its surface in uneven patches.
“So,” Luca said. “Any ideas?”
She stared at it. “We roll it?”
He crouched and shoved his hands under the edge, muscles standing out as he lifted with a grunt. “Fuck. It’s heavy.”
“I think it’s supposed to be,” she said. “Everything about these trials is supposed to be miserable.”
He tilted the slab up onto its rim. It wobbled once, then settled. “All right,” he grunted, his face turning red. “I’ll roll. You scout ahead. Tell me where to turn.”
“Got it.” She moved ahead, boots crunching through snow, scanning the ground for roots and rocks. The forest closed around them fast. Pines rose tall and close together, their branches heavy with snow. The air smelled sharp and clean and faintly metallic. Wind threaded through the trunks and set the trees creaking softly overhead.
They hadn’t gone far before the slab started slipping.
“Careful,” she called, doubling back to brace it with her shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said through clenched teeth. “This is a pain.”
Snow kept falling. Fine at first, then thicker, turning the ground slick. The slab slid faster than expected, forcing them both to scramble. Nadia dug her boots in and grabbed the stone with both hands, cold seeping straight through her gloves.
They moved like that for a long time. Push. Stop. Adjust. Push again.
“How serious are things with you and Caidrik?” Luca asked suddenly.
Nadia stumbled and caught herself on a tree, shoving branches aside so the slab could pass. Bark scraped her palm through the glove. How much did he know? “What do you mean?”
“Come on. He’s been your enforcer for a while. There’s something between you.”
“Yeah,” she said softly, unwilling to give him any more. If he discovered she and Caidrik had broken the rules, he’d surely turn them in. “Why didn’t you drink the tea the first day?”
He sighed heavily, his gloved hands gripping the slickening slate. “I don’t like tea. It’s that simple. I give you my word that I didn’t poison anybody.” He slipped and caught himself, knocking the slate into branches. “I think Bulwark did it.”
Nadia pivoted again, using her hip this time to angle the heavy slate the right direction. “Yeah, but he got sick, too.”
“That asshole is reckless enough to have poisoned himself just enough to make it look real,” Luca said, his voice rough as he strained to move the slab around an ancient pine tree. “It killed Dax. Should’ve killed Caidrik, since he drank two cups.”
Yeah, Caidrik was seriously tough. “It could’ve been Bulwark,” she agreed. The jerk.