Page 13

The guest quarters of the pack house echo with memories I've spent five years trying to forget—despite myself, I remember this building so vividly.

Every creak of ancient floorboards, every shadow cast by late afternoon sun through leaded glass windows, every whiff of pine and leather and power, it all feels like stepping backwards in time.

I pace the length of my assigned rooms for what must be the hundredth time, magic crackling fitfully beneath my skin.

They've given me the Blue Suite, which feels like some kind of cosmic joke.

These were the rooms traditionally reserved for visiting dignitaries, decorated in shades of azure and silver that remind me too much of Nic's eyes when his wolf is close to the surface.

The same eyes that burned into mine this morning when he pressed me against his desk, his body a solid wall of heat and barely contained want.

I touch my arms where I can still feel the phantom pressure of his grip.

My magic surges in response, making the crystal vase on the sideboard rattle.

Damn him. Damn his intensity and his control and the way he still affects me after all this time.

Damn the lottery for choosing me, for trapping me here when I'd finally built a life where I felt worth something.

A knock at the door startles me from my brooding. I tense, expecting another perfectly polite pack member, come to check that the hybrid is behaving herself. But the scent that drifts through is purely human, achingly familiar.

"Ruby?"

The door flies open, and suddenly, I'm wrapped in a fierce hug that smells of Earl Grey tea and old books. "Luna Morgan, if you ever scare me like that again—"

"How did you get in?" I pull back to study my friend's face. "Nic posted guards everywhere."

Ruby grins, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Please. I've been sneaking around this place since we were kids.

The guards never watch the service entrance by the kitchen.

Besides," she adds with a wink, "I may have mentioned to Thomas that letting your best friend visit might keep you from trying to blast your way through any more walls. "

I wince. This morning's escape attempts weren't my finest moments. "I barely singed the wallpaper."

"Mm-hmm." Ruby settles onto the window seat, patting the space beside her. The afternoon sun catches her dark eyes, showing the concern there. "Want to talk about it? You have no idea how scared I was when I’d heard they dragged you here. I thought they hurt you."

"They didn’t, don’t worry. I’m fine. Well—as fine as I can be.

As for talking, which part?" I sink down next to her, letting my head rest against the cool glass, sighing heavily.

"The part where I'm being forced to participate in some archaic mating ritual?

Where the entire pack is hoping I fail? Or maybe the part where Nic—" My voice catches.

"Where, Nic, what?" Ruby's tone turns gentle. "What happened this morning? The rumor mill is going crazy. Something about flying papers and broken glass in the Alpha's office?"

Heat creeps into my cheeks. "He wouldn't let me leave. We argued. Things got... intense."

"Intense, how?"

I close my eyes, remembering the solid heat of him pressing me against the desk. The way his scent surrounded me —pine and leather and him. How close I came to giving in, to letting him...

"It doesn't matter. None of it matters. I can't stay here, Ruby. I can't go through with these trials knowing they're designed to humiliate me."

"Luna." Ruby catches my hands, her expression serious. "Listen to me carefully. You don't have a choice."

"I always have a choice." But even as I say it, I hear the uncertainty in my voice.

"No, you don't. Not about this." She squeezes my fingers.

"The lottery chose you. If you run, you'll be marked as a rogue.

Every pack in North America will hunt you if you enter their territory.

Everything you've built in Harbor Springs will be destroyed.

Your shop, your clients, your whole life—gone. "

"But—"

"And that's assuming they don't catch you first." Her voice drops lower. "You know what happens to rogues, Luna. Especially hybrid rogues. You'd never know peace again. Every shadow would hide a hunter. Every stranger could be the one sent to drag you back in chains—or worse."

Ice slides down my spine. I do know what happens to rogues. Every shifter child grows up hearing the stories, seeing the warnings. A life without pack protection is barely a life at all.

"So those are my options?" Bitterness rises like bile. "Submit to public humiliation or live as a hunted animal?"

"No." Ruby's grip tightens. "Your options are to face these trials with your head high, proving everyone wrong about you, or to let them win. To let them break you like they almost did five years ago."

The words hit like a slap. She's right—I ran once before. Let their cruelty drive me away from everything and everyone I loved. Built a new life because I couldn't face the ruins of the old one.

"I'm not that girl anymore," I whisper.

"No, you're not." Ruby's smile holds fierce pride. "You're stronger now. Wiser. And your magic..." She gestures at the still-rattling vase. "It's different. More focused. They can't hurt you the same way they did before."

Unless they already have. Unless Nic's touch this morning, his devastating nearness, has already cracked the armor I spent five years building.

"He's different too," I find myself saying. "Nic, I mean. There's something... I don't know. Heavier about him. Like he's carrying more than just the Alpha title. I keep catching myself thinking maybe he grew up, and then saying, ‘To hell with that idea’. But…”

Ruby's expression turns knowing. "You still care about him."

"I—" The denial dies in my throat. What's the point in lying to the one person who saw exactly what his rejection did to me? "It doesn't matter how I feel. He made his choice five years ago. The pack will always come first."

"Maybe." Ruby stretches her legs out, considering. "But maybe the pack needs exactly what you are—someone willing to challenge the old ways. To prove that being different doesn't mean being weak." She pauses. "And maybe Nic needs that too."

I snort. "Right. Because the mighty Alpha Blackwood secretly wants his mate to be a hybrid who can't even shift."

"His wolf seems to want you." At my startled look, she grins. "Oh, please , the whole pack saw how he reacted when Melissa tried to bully you yesterday. That wasn't just Alpha protection. That was pure possessiveness."

Before I can argue, a wave of exhaustion hits me. I've barely slept since receiving the summons, and this morning's magical outbursts didn't help. Ruby notices immediately.

"You should rest. The trial won’t take them long to set up—they’re saying it’ll be tomorrow morning now—and you'll need your strength."

"I can't sleep here." But even as I say it, my eyes grow heavy. "Every time I close my eyes..."

I don't finish the sentence, but Ruby understands. She pulls a small sachet from her pocket—lavender and chamomile, with a hint of something deeper. Dream herbs. The scent reminds me so strongly of my shop that it makes my heart seize. "Here. It'll help."

"You're the best friend I could ask for." Tears prick my eyes. "I've missed you so much."

She hugs me again, fierce and protective. "Get some sleep, witch-girl. Tomorrow, you show them exactly what a hybrid can do."

After she leaves, I clutch the sachet to my chest and finally let my eyes close. The herbs work quickly, pulling me down into dreams filled with amber eyes and burning touches and the memory of how Nic's voice used to sound when he whispered my name like a prayer.

Abruptly, I’m there in his cabin again, five years ago. Moonlight streaming through windows that would shatter hours later when my magic exploded in response to his rejection. But in this moment, his hands are gentle as they trace my curves, his voice rough with want.

"Perfect," he whispers against my skin. "You're perfect, Luna."

I arch into his touch, magic sparking between us. "Nic, please..."

"Mine." His wolf eyes glow amber in the darkness. "Say you're mine."

"Yours. Always."

The scene shifts, blurring into this morning's confrontation in his office. My feet are under me again, and my knees aren’t shaking, but it’s a close thing. I can feel a heat in my core I can’t acknowledge for fear of what it would do to me.

His body presses me against the desk, but this time, there's no interruption. His lips crash into mine, desperate and claiming. Papers scatter as he lifts me onto the desk. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. Magic crackles between us like lightning.

"I never stopped wanting you," he growls against my throat. "Never stopped—"

I jerk awake, gasping, magic surging wildly enough to rattle the windows. Dawn light creeps through the glass, painting the room in shades of rose and gold. The dream herbs' sachet has fallen to the floor, its protection spent.

For a moment, I let myself feel the phantom sensations—Nic's hands on my skin, his voice in my ear, the solid heat of him against me. Then, I force it all away. I can't afford these distractions. Not today.

The trial awaits.

A knock announces the arrival of my "escort"—two young enforcers I don't recognize, both radiating that particular mix of disdain and uncertainty the pack reserves for hybrids.

They lead me through the pack house's winding corridors, past paintings of previous Alphas who all seem to watch my passage with judging eyes.

The entrance hall buzzes with pre-trial activity. Pack members pause their conversations to stare as I pass, whispers following in my wake. I catch fragments that make my blood boil:

"—can't believe they're actually letting her compete—"

"—disgrace to pack tradition—"

"—Alpha can't possibly accept—"

I hold my head high, channeling every ounce of confidence I've built in the past five years. Let them whisper. Let them judge. I'm not that scared girl anymore.

The morning air hits like a slap as we exit the pack house, crisp with early autumn chill.

The path to the Hollow winds through ancient pines, their branches creating ever-shifting patterns of light and shadow.

Here and there, younger trees grow in clusters—planted by new pack members during their claiming ceremonies.

I pass the twisted oak where Nic first kissed me, its bark still bearing claw marks from where his wolf got excited and forgot to stay contained.

Every step feels haunted by memory. The hollow log where we used to leave notes for each other. The flat rock by the creek's edge where we planned impossible futures. The small clearing where he first told me his wolf recognized something special in me, even if I couldn't shift.

The Hollow itself opens before us like a wound in the earth—a natural amphitheater carved by centuries of water and magic.

Torches ring the space, though they burn with ordinary fire this morning rather than last night's ceremonial blue flames.

Pack members fill the ascending rings of stone seats, their excitement a palpable thing.

My escorts lead me to the preparation area, a small tent set up at the edge of the space. Inside, Victoria waits with what looks like ceremonial clothing, robes, and heavy jewelry.

"The course for the Trial of Strength has been set," she says without preamble. "You'll face three challenges: strength, agility, and endurance. Complete them all within the time limit, and you pass this trial."

I set my jaw. "And if I fail?"

Her silver eyes meet mine steadily. "Exile or death. You’d do well to hope for neither—they are equally unsavory fates.”

My magic stirs at the challenge in her voice. Does she want me to fail? Or is she trying to make me angry enough to succeed?

I change quickly in the minimal privacy I am offered, the fabric cool against my skin. The outfit—fitted black pants, a shirt, and jacket I can move in easily—fits perfectly, which means someone knew my measurements. The thought makes me uneasy.

When I emerge, the crowd falls silent. I scan the gathered faces automatically, looking for.

.. there. Nic stands on the Alpha's platform, his expression carefully blank.

But his wolf eyes flash when they meet mine, and for a moment, I'm back in his office, pressed against his desk as desire crackles between us.

I wrench my gaze away. Focus . I need to focus.

The trial course stretches out before me, a nightmare made real.

Sheer rock faces slick with morning dew.

Rope bridges spanning gaps that seem to drop into forever.

A section of the lake cordoned off for what I assume is the underwater challenge.

Each obstacle looks specifically designed to advantage shifted wolves—and therefore to disadvantage me.

Thomas's voice rings out across the Hollow: "The Trial of Strength begins in two minutes. Candidate, take your mark."

I move to the starting position, forcing my breathing to remain steady. My magic hums beneath my skin, responding to my determination. They want to humiliate me? Fine. Let's show them exactly what a hybrid can do.

"One minute," Thomas calls.

I risk one final glance at Nic. His hands grip the platform's railing hard enough to make the wood creak. Does he want me to succeed? To fail? Does it matter?

"Thirty seconds."

The crowd's anticipation builds like a physical weight. I can smell their excitement, their certainty that I'll fail. Their desire to see the hybrid put in her place.

"Ten seconds."

I close my eyes, letting my magic flow through me.

I am Luna Morgan, daughter of witch and wolf. I've survived their cruelty before. I'll survive it again.

"Begin!"

I open my eyes and step forward to face my fate.