Kingmaker

Dahlia ~

“Kaden, Orion, Aurelian, Silas, Theo and Caleb.” The instructor called.

All students were gathered once again at the training fields, it wasn't even dawn yet and I had barely managed to get enough sleep the previous night because of how irritable Kaden was, he intentionally bumped into me so many times that I feared I might have developed a concussion.

He was such a sore loser.

And when it was finally time to go to sleep, my duvet was nowhere to be found.

Now, everyone else was fully dressed yet my training gear AND my uniforms were discovered missing this morning.

I would kill the son of a bitch, slowly, ensuring he felt every single agonizing moment, and then I will kill ALL werewolves, they were all vile creatures that did not deserve breath.

A shiver racked through my body as I stood bare foot on the grass, wearing nothing but my skimpy silk pajamas.

Yes, my shoes were missing too.

I was lucky he left my chest bandages. Otherwise one look at me and everyone would know I was a girl.

But I still felt rather self conscious. The masculine uniforms and training gear helped to cover up my full hips and this pajama set only accentuated my figure more.

“Cold, princess?” Kaden asked as the six of us walked to the front of the crowd.

I shot him a look that surely portrayed all my anger but his smirk didn't even flinch.

I stepped on a sharp stone that jutted from between the damp grass and cursed loudly. I felt the slickness of blood between my toes.

“Watch your steps,” Kaden warned and turned to the instructor, the smirk never leaving his face.

“Oh, you're dead,” I said to him in a harsh whisper.

“Why aren't you in uniform, Caleb?” The instructor asked and my gaze tore from Kaden, the instructor pressed a finger to his temples as though he was utterly tired of being in this Academy and dealing with these students.

“A wounded beast has them,” I said and I didn't miss the stiffness from Kaden and the chuckle from the rest of the group.

“What do you even mean by th—” The instructor started, but he shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh, “you know what, never mind, the six of you are the next in line for the hunting challenge.”

“As I stated in the instructions earlier,” he tossed a shirt towards us, and Kaden caught it effortlessly. “You will track the scent of someone hidden within the forest or mountains and when you find them, three points will be awarded to you. The points will be awarded based on teamwork and speed. Two points for speed and one point for teamwork.” He continued.

“From what I have here,” he glanced at his booklet. “Your team is assigned to the forest.” He continued.

Relief coursed through me and Sienna let out a sigh of relief beside me.

As strolled into the imposing forest, the golden hue from the rising sun mingled with the blue haze of dawn creating a visual spectacle that I couldn't even appreciate due to my hurting feet.

We were provided with thick training boots for a reason, my feet would be torn to shreds after this.

Kaden gave Silas, Aurelian, and Orion a go at sniffing the shirt.

“Damn, this perfume smells like shit,” Aurelian commented as he handed the shirt to Silas.

“Ever considered that maybe it's not perfume,” Sienna said and Aurelian’s face contorted in disgust.

Silas moved to give me the shirt but Kaden snatched it from his grip sharply.

“They don't need to, they're not wolves.” He commented, pushing past us and strolling deeper into the woods.

I rolled my eyes as we followed him.

We hadn’t made it far when a group showed up and intercepted us.

On closer inspection, I could recognize them.

The last pack we had clashed with, the ones whose Alpha Orion had choked out, came striding toward us, this time with two new additions, bringing their numbers to six.

They must have some faith in the extra new additions yo their pack considering how easy it was for them to run away the last time.

The blonde-haired Alpha smirked at Orion.

Orion cracked his knuckles, unfazed. “Come back for a proper beatdown?”

He took off his glasses and placed them gently in one of his many pockets.

And just like that, it started.

Fists flew. Growls ripped through the trees. Bodies slammed into each other… they were so excited to fight like wild animals, the glint in their eyes told me all I needed to know.

Such savage beasts should not even exist.

Sienna grabbed my wrist. “Now.”

I snapped out of my thoughts and we sprinted toward the east.

The old cathedral… that was where Naima said the gemstone was located. And I prayed to all the gods, old and new that the gemstone would still be in that location.

I needed to get out of this place.

The wind slapped my face as we ran in the direction of the cathedral, our lungs burned and our feet were barely touching the ground.

By the time the cathedral finally came into view finally reached the entrance, my legs were wrecked cuts and scratches decorated my skin and they burned with every step.

I wondered how much blood I would need to feed on to heal these wounds.

The cathedral was ancient, overgrown with thick vines and twisted shrubs. It looked like something out of a nightmare.

Sienna shoved some vines out of the way to reveal a door.

She twisted the handle and to our surprise, it groaned open.

And then we saw it, it was impossible to miss after all.

In the heart of the ruin, resting atop a crumbling altar.

The Kingmaker gemstone.

I exhaled sharply. “Holy shit.”

Sienna let out a breathless laugh. “We actually found it.”

And then something caught my eye. The green shirt that held the scent the vicious boys were supposed to track, Sienna held it in her hands firmly.

“Fuck! Why are you still with the cursed shirt?” I questioned.

She tore her eyes from the gemstone and gave me a clueless look.

At that same moment, I heard heavy foot falls just outside the cathedral.

Shit! Shit!!