Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I passed the second trial, only one more to go.
They led me to the center of the courtyard again, where Caelan stood holding a carved lynx totem the size of my forearm. It was made from pale wood with intricate markings.
His voice carried across the stone. “For the final trial, you will protect this sacred object from warriors who will attempt to take it. You may not injure them, and you may not shift. But you don’t have to stay in the courtyard.”
My wolf snarled at that last restriction. He didn’t like that I would face off against lynx warriors without being allowed to defend us both the way he wanted to.
Caelan stepped forward and placed the totem in my hands. It was lighter than it looked, but the weight of what it represented settled heavily in my chest.
This challenge was about my ability to protect Alara.
Lynx warriors circled, and I shifted my stance, keeping the totem tucked against my ribs. Wolves were faster over long distances, so turning this into a race with the dwindling light seemed like the best strategy.
I took off on foot, determined to outpace as many of them as I could. My strategy worked at first. I only had to deflect a few early attempts. Then a ripple of unease scraped down my spine. My wolf lifted his head, his ears pricked and fur bristling under my skin.
I scanned the periphery, but no threat revealed itself. While I was distracted by what had tweaked my senses, another warrior lunged.
My wolf exploded forward inside me, his instincts howling for blood. Not because the lynx was a danger, but because of the unseen threat prickling along the edges of my senses.
I pivoted, deflecting the strike without harming him, and grounded my boots to hold my position. Another warrior came from behind. A third from the right. I shifted my weight, spinning low and guarding the totem with my body. My wolf pushed against the edges of my skin, and gold flashed across my vision.
I forced air out of my lungs, centering myself. Shifting would break the rules, end the trial, and potentially cost me everything.
Then two warriors dove at once in a coordinated move meant to overwhelm. My claws threatened to punch through my fingertips, and I slammed my mind down on the instinct, wrestling myself back under control.
And that was when everything went sideways.
8
ALARA
Something was wrong. I felt it a half second before the shouting started. The courtyard around me blurred as fear rolled over me, tightening every muscle in my body. Then warriors raced down the tree-lined path and into the open space.
My breath was caught in my chest until Booker finally appeared.
Blood streaked down his forearm, and his broad chest rose and fell with each deep breath he took. My shoulders slumped in relief when I saw that he still held the sacred lynx totem in his fist.
Caelan stormed forward, authority rolling off him in thick waves. “What happened?”
One of the warriors pointed at Booker. “The wolf almost shifted.”
Furious gasps shot through the courtyard.
Instinct roared inside me, and I stepped between Booker and every shifter gathered there. My lynx surged under my skin, ready to bare teeth at anyone who came too close.
My mate let out a growl behind me, a low warning to anyone who would dare try to go through me. Kace and Keane strode forward, flanking me on both sides in an unmistakably protective move.
That extra intuition ignited, expanding outward in a crackling sweep. I didn’t sense any deceit from the warrior who’d spoken, but Booker only vibrated with protective fury.
There was something off coming from the tree line, though. A shadow slipping away that was wrong.
I swallowed hard, turning my head just enough to catch Booker’s eyes. They were still rimmed in gold, wild with the effort of holding himself together. The sight only deepened the dread pooling in my stomach.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Another warrior pushed forward. Tarek was one of our most trusted defenders. His face was streaked with dirt and his breathing uneven, but his eyes were steady.
“The ambush began as planned.” He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “We struck from the agreed positions. Nothing unusual.”
Murmurs rippled around me. Every lynx here knew Tarek could be trusted.
“Then someone else joined the attack,” he continued. “Not as part of the trial.”
My stomach clenched as the shadow I’d sensed earlier scraped along the edge of my mind again, faint but unmistakable.
Tarek shook his head. “Whoever it was moved fast and kept to the blind spots. They aimed for the totem, but when that didn’t work, they tried to get to us.”
My breath caught, and the protective growl behind me sent a shiver of awareness up my spine.
Tarek turned to Caelan. “Booker didn’t break the rules. Not once. He protected the talisman, and when Rian slipped on the slope”—he motioned toward the limping warrior being supported by two others—“the wolf pulled him out of the way before the saboteur could reach him.”