Chapter 43
TESSA POV
The instant I woke up enough to know where I was, I hightailed it over to my side of the bed. Rolling so clumsily my head hit the bedside table with a vicious thump.
Even that felt too close for comfort.
His sweet yet dark scent, handsome face, sleepily furrowed into his pillow with messy dark brown hair. His hand slowly reached out across the mattress, hunting for me.
So I headed into the bathroom.
Not because I don’t trust Maxim. I don’t trust myself.
Bored and unwilling to try and fall asleep against damp shower tiles, I styled my hair into a series of braids before twisting them up and around inta something resembling a style.
It got me a mocking series of whistles from our group when I walked in for breakfast.
Even Kai and Silas grinned at me whilst Allette changed benches, abandoning Kai to start looking through and adjusting little bits and positions. “You know you have to do this every day now don’t you?” she smiled.
“Oh this is a one–off. I just couldn’t sleep,” dismissing her compliment.
“Why not?”
Goddess why must I always give myself away. Before I could even think of a decent reason my cheeks burn. I should have said nightmares. A bat flew in and landed on my face. Blamed lovely little Pawesome. Anything.
“Ohhhh,” Allette grinned. “Kai, go get our weary girl some more food!”
I put my head in my hands and murmur, “I’m not talking about this!”
“You don’t need to. You practically cartwheeled in here!” Allette coos, before tickling me under my outstretched arm.
“Allette!” I shriek, making people around us stare.
Silas chuckles away, “I hope that means Maxim is in a better mood then. He’s been miserable as hell for ages.”
Dodging some more of Allette’s tickles I blurt. “I’m sorry I think that’s all down to me.”
“You don’t have to say sorry,” Briggs adds quickly. His dislike of Maxim is barely veiled these days.
Enough to make it a little awkward until Kai triumphantly places what he calls a Breakfast of Replenishment down before me. Three fruit juices, every kind of bread and a pile of crispy bacon.
I devour the lot.
Surviving the insane amount of time Maxim dangled me over the brink has left me aching today. I secretly wonder if my wolf has left me this way on purpose. Walking, even just sitting, has a strangely delicious burn to it. I know some more of his kisses, or his gripping hands would soothe it and for a second I kind of hate my wolf.
My dreamy little world of wonder snaps back into focus when Silas asks, “No Irene? Almost the bell for you firsties.”
“Firsties?” Allette rolls her eyes, picking at her plate of grapes.
1/4
Chapter 43
“I knocked on the door for her, but there was no answer. I did leave earlier than normal though.”
“Ah, maybe you should get another breakfast of replenishment ready then Kal!” Allette jokes, her gray eyes bright with amusement. She is wearing a deep amethyst coloured scarf today, set against her jet black hair, it makes her whole face come alive.
Kai doesn’t move. None of us really laugh at her joke. We all know that isn’t Irene. Deflecting questions, getting quieter every day. She isn’t rolling in with a loved–up blush about her anytime soon.
“Maybe we should go check on her?” turning to Briggs. He’s tired too, dark circles under his eyes, his black hair even messier than normal.
Only for the bells to ring. Gulping down orange juice, Briggs just shrugs. “Maybe she had to start early in the armoury?”
Until Maxim walked by I felt like this could work. Fighting my natural instinct to hide away, I made myself I Unless he’s wanting to meet me to try and ignore everything he promised last night.
look at him. He doesn’t deserve my coldness.
We can be friends.I think.
“Shit, look alive. Alpha Hale has come to watch this one,” a man behind us grunts.
“And half the fucking wardens!” another, Oliver murmurs. “We’re fucked. So fucked.”
Briggs doesn’t flinch, just keeps stretching his knee high into his chest. “Don’t panic. That’s what they’re looking for.”
“But then if I don’t panic, they’ll think I’m fit to send to the front and die? You heard about the bodies they found on the barbed wire!” Oliver witters.
Over and over he fusses with his bow tension, his narrow face all edges. Wiry, hidden strength compared to the bulk of men like Briggs or even the lion-
like Silas.
“What’s happening outside isn’t for us right now” I offer. He doesn’t listen to me. None of them do. His hands are red and scabbed where has picked every available ridge of skin. “We’re fucked. This is it. We’re dead after this-”
“Shut up now,” Briggs snaps. “Just get on with it!”
“Line up!” Warden Kendrick, the tormented badger shouts, his black and white hair forever intimidating. “Long–distance accuracy today. Adapted bows-” he snaps as Beta Isaac, Irene’s surly mate begins handing out modified longbows and one arrow each.
He doesn’t give Briggs or myself a second glance.
I’ve not practiced this. This is all new. The bow feels completely foreign in my hand. Harder, heavier. I test the tension and it’s enough to make me grit my teeth. Just being able to get the pull I need, is going to take everything I have. But I take it without a word. Because the Alpha is watching,
Oliver is still muttering to himself, panicking about the new bow. His quick brown eyes, pointy nose and high cheekbones all i
the edgy look.
“Imagine scouts tell you the enemy is three hundred metres away. When we give the signal, we want a hail of arrows to come raining down on them.”
There are still long scratches down the grass where Luna Sabrina and I scrambled last night. Then I went back to Maxim. Then I lost my mind, body and soul to him. Trying to regain focus, I squint out ahead, looking for the target we’re supposed to be hitting.
Am I meant to just fire the arrow four times harder? I don’t think I have the strength!
The grizzled Kendrick gives a nod as one of the other Wardens picks up and slaps together a huge wooden clapper, making our ears ring. Less than a minute later, blue smoke begins to rise up over the treeline.
“We’ll give Warden Marshall a moment to return to us. But you are aiming for the flare on the ground. Up and over the treeline. All of you have arrows with your name on. Fetch and retrieve in a group after every firing.”
Well, at least I am not going to be skewered by an errant shot whilst gathering my arrow.
This sounds impossible. There is no true sense of distance, no way to judge. Oliver, too keen to impress, fires his arrow almost immediately. Just as
2/4
61%
Chapter 43
Marshall appears through the trees.
His arrow goes less than one hundred metres, coming to a dismal landing in front of the treeline.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” he starts cursing, kicking the ground, completely losing his cool.
“WAIT FOR WARDEN MARSHALL YOU FUCKING CLOWN!” Warden Kendrick bellows. The clipboards are scribbled upon at pace.
Alpha Hale’s icy eyes narrow with fury. It’s a low, bitter growl but I swear he hisses to Kendrick under his breath, “Explain to me again why the fuck I’m watching this group of idiots?”
Warden Donlon watches everything, right next to the Alpha. One blue–grey eye and a straight face glare at the arrow fired by Oliver. Kendrick shouts,
“FIRE!”
I pull my bow, but it feels wrong. I stick my hand in the air. “Darnell?” Kendrick scowls. Everyone’s eyes turn to me.
Half the men have shot, their arrows all soaring far away, cutting through the steady puffs of blue smoke, not landing on it.
“I want to fire from up there, if I may approach?” I ask. “I need more height.”
Kendrick says nothing, just takes a step backward. At three metres high, it helps a little. Pulling back the bow is painful. Such a long distance, aiming, gauging the wind, the speed and height makes my shoulder scream with the tension.
But when I finally release it, it’s perfect. It swoops up high in a perfect arch. I know before it even hits the first of the trees that it’s going to hit the target
sweetly.
“No! No! She must have cheated! That’s fucking impossible!” Oliver shouts, throwing his bow down petulantly glaring up at me.
“Calm yourself, you’ll get another shot,” Kendrick tuts.
“No. NO!” his brown eyes wild with anger. “NO! I want to know. Am we going to the front, are the rumours true Alpha?”
Such a simple question briefly made the world stop spinning. Alpha Hale transformed from annoyed to pure rage. Every muscle in his white–clad body expanded with tension. “What rumours,” he snapped. I feel my knees shake.
“Rebels! Merciless, our own kind! I don’t want to fight! We’re not ready!”
“Don’t worry. You’re going home. You’re cut. Now.”
“But!” Oliver panics, his mouth moving rapidly without sound leaving. Aware that I am completely out of place on this banking, I start to make my way back down the slope.
Only for Oliver to charge past me. His thin legs power up the banking. But his arms aren’t just pumping up and down to help with the climb. There is a flash of metal.
“NO! 1 WAS PROMISED! HE PROMISED!” he screams. Looking straight at Warden Donlon.
He’s lost it. Charging straight at the Alpha with a blade in his hand.
Oliver screams, “You can’t cut me now!” taking a flying swipe at the Alpha. It is a pointless effort. Alpha Hale simply grabs him by the throat and crunches his fingers tight. Oliver’s legs kick out feebly, but for only a few seconds. Then a quick spasm of his feet. The thud of the knifes handle hitting the grass.
He isn’t being choked, the Alpha has simply crushed his neck.
Oliver’s lifeless body drops, tumbling towards our group. His neck already a blotchy red. I’ve seen blood working on the farms. But that strange, rattling evacuation of his final breath, wheezed out on impact with the ground…That took me back in time.
The death rattle, I close my eyes for half a second but it takes me back to that ancient dream of mine. Picked up away from something warm, crying, flailing my arms. That warm lump had made that noise too.
Chapter 43
I turn away and shut my eyes.
“Who is responsible for this years Archery?”
Warden Donlon sticks his hand in the air. His one eye hasn’t even glanced at the dead body.
“What promises were made to that fool?”
“Only that he would make the cut if he kept his shit together Alpha-” a punch to the chest silening him. Alpha Hale hits him so hard that Briggs has to lurch us both to the right to stop Donlon landing on us at the bottom of the banking.
Kendrick follows, a punch to the sides hard enough to hear ribs breaking.
Alpha Hale looks down on us all. “Wardens should promise you NOTHING.”
Silence greets his fury. isaac stares down at Oliver’s body, completely frozen.
“You all serve Ravenbow?”
“YES ALPHA.”
“Then do it. Warden Marshall. Take over.”
The drill repeats. Nobody says a word, even when we return with our fired
arrows to find Olivers body removed. Like he never existed.
