It took a few moments to realise she wasn’t in her bed when she woke up. The usual comfort she was wrapped in was replaced by a damp surface that stuck to her cheek as her eyes drifted open. An earthen scent filled her nose and, as she blinked back the blurriness of her vision, she saw tall trees surrounding her. They reached high to a pale sky, which had the pale hues of the early morning painted into its blue. A jacket slipped from her shoulders as she pushed herself up and rolled the sleep from her aching muscles. Whatever position she had taken on the cold floor, her body disagreed with it and already yearned for the familiar snugness of her own bed. She had slept on the floor many times before, often when she was a pup and convinced her father to let her camp under the stars, but there was a difference that morning. An added danger, an uncertainty, for it was officially the start of the third trial of the Alpha Games. A buzz carried over her skin as she got to her feet and p
They travelled all day, keeping a pace Maddie could maintain and only stopping for breaks every few hours. By the time dusk fell, she was exhausted. Her legs were burning, her chest was aching, but she refused to be the one to stop them. She knew she was the weak link on their team, weaker than all the other contestants. Michael could make the trip back to Silver Moon far faster without her, but he chose to stay in their pair and reminded her that her knowledge of the ports and the Silver Moon territory would be more valuable than a slightly quicker pace. Though she was determined to make that true, she was also determined to not slow him down. As the sun faded, taking the light of the day with it, Michael called for them to stop for the night. She had felt his eyes on her for the past half hour but kept forcing herself to keep pushing, but she could no longer hide the toll of the day. Her pants were ragged, and she knew their speed had slowed. Relief flooded her when they finally c
Maddie had never taken watch before. She had done all nighters at parties, but she was beginning to see how much harder it was to stay awake without the stimulation of alcohol and music and a man or two. The only entertainment she had was watching the soft rise and fall of Michael’s chest as he slept. Strangely, it did help to pass the time. It soothed her and she quickly found herself lost in its rhythm. After a while, she had grabbed his jacket and tucked it over herself like a blanket. She told herself it was to fight off the chill of the night, but the mild air taunted her of that lie. It had been hours since he had finally fallen asleep. He fought it for such a long time, jerking at every owl’s hoot or flap of a bat’s wing, that Maddie was convinced neither of them would get any rest that night. However, each time he woke, his eyes fell to her and he relaxed. Then he would drift back to sleep, falling deeper and deeper every time until he stopped waking. Pride swelled in her
The growling and sounds of fighting grew more vicious behind her as the smell of her blood filled the air. She could almost imagine Michael trying to turn and help her but the other three wolves increased their attacks, preventing his aid from coming. However, she didn’t move her eyes from the danger before her. The woman was grinning, its pull unnatural as she stepped closer. She was tall and gaunt, malnourishment hollowing her cheeks. She held up her weapon, the curved blade flashing in the moonlight, casting an unhealthy glow over her pale skin. Maddie bared her canines, growling in short bursts around her pants. Her arm was on fire, its pain only flaring brighter as the silver poisoned her system. It hurt so much, her knees wanted to buckle, but she locked them in place, refusing to go down. If she did, it would leave Michael’s back defenceless. However, her strength ebbed with every breath. She didn’t even trust herself to pick her knife up off the floor. Her options whittle
Maddie couldn’t move. She felt leaden. Every muscle had been pushed past its limit and refused to listen to her, however she couldn’t stay where she was. The body beneath her was rapidly cooling, the blood now dripping from its neck in a steady trickle. Bile clawed up her throat, giving her the reason to push one last time and roll away. She whimpered as she caught herself on her wounded hand, and the last of her resistance shattered. She puked. Everything she had eaten that night came up, punishing her, until there was nothing more to come. Then, she forced herself to crawl away from the disgusting smell before flopping to her back. She could hear the whines and cries of other wolves nearby, but she couldn’t find the energy to lift her head. None of them sounded like Michael though. She was certain she would know if he got hurt. Instead, she stared at the sky above, gentle and unaffected by the attack and the wounds she had gained. A final crack and gurgle sounded before the cleari
“We’re falling. We’ve been fighting for a long time, but we can’t last much longer. Soon, the pack will be gone.” Michael pushed the explanation out in one breath, then watched her carefully. Maddie stared. His words slowly filtered into her mind but they didn't stick. “That can’t... Can’t be right. Dark Night is the second most powerful pack in the kingdom.” “That was a long time ago, Madeline.” He spoke softly, as if it was her who would bear the heartache of the news of his home. “We fell from power back then and have been clawing to keep ourselves alive and a pack ever since.” She pressed a hand to his chest, every thought in her mind firing off a new question that she couldn’t find the strength to speak. What he said went against everything she knew of Dark Night; the strong powerhouse of a pack that her father didn’t dare go to war with. To think of them as broken, lost, defeated, wasn't possible, however she didn’t doubt Michael. She couldn't, not with the raw pain in h
Their pace was steady as they travelled through the woods. Maddie had tried to argue that she could shift and they could move quicker, but Michael had refused after changing her bandages. Her shoulder was healing slowly thanks to the silver blade that had cut her deep and, even though she protested, she held her arm against her chest taking the weight off the wound. They had decided they wouldn’t stop again until they reached Silver Moon, and he answered her grumbles by reminding her of the hours of walking they had left to do. He had woken her at first light, an apology in his tone. It didn’t matter that she had wounds to lick or that she was weighed down with exhaustion, they still had the trial to pass, and now winning seemed even more important than before. Michael didn’t seem to have any problem continuing like nothing had happened. She wondered if that was what his life had been like for the last sixteen years; fighting for his, and his pack’s, lives every day, leaving him w
Neither of them moved. Their Eyes stuck on the body. Blood pooled from its wounds; its arm twisted at an angle that made Maddie wince, but she couldn’t look away. Nala was a great warrior. She was strong and fast and didn’t take any shit from her male counterparts for being a woman. Though they hadn’t really talked before, she had offered her help to Maddie and seeing her so broken and alone made acid burn in her throat. Michael jerked, pulling himself from his shock as he raced across the ruined campsite to the body. He skidded to his knees at Nala’s side, his hands fretting over her like they didn’t know what to do. He steeled his pale features and then reached for her neck with two fingers. Maddie held her breath. “She’s alive.” He whispered. Then whipped his head around to her, frantic as called out. “Madeline, come and help me.” She moved, at his side in a moment, trying to ignore the way her stomach churned at the thick scent of death hanging over Nala. Though her heart