Chapter 3

“Get off.” I pushed against his chest. His tail swept another happy arc across the path.

If we could shift, we'd have sent him flying by now, Argent snapped inside my head. We're a silver wolf. We're royalty.

That isn't helping, I replied silently.

I'd heard white wolves were rare and powerful, known as the King’s Shield. Nobody had mentioned the part where they knocked you flat and nuzzled you like an overexcited dog.

The white wolf tilted his head. I planted both hands in his fur and shoved again.

“I said, get off me.”

His tail stopped.

The weight lifted so fast my hands fell into empty air. He backed away, ears stiff, and stared down at me as though he'd only just realized where he was.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I propped myself on my elbows. “I was about to ask you that.”

But he didn't seem to be talking to me. His head jerked aside, and the next breath left him in a low, confused growl.

Then he shifted.

I scrambled to my feet while white fur vanished. In its place stood a young man with gold eyes and loose white curls that brushed his shoulders.

Sunlight caught in those curls. His lashes were white too, pale against the gold beneath them, and his mouth had a firm curve that made me forget what I'd been about to say.

My stomach gave a small, embarrassing twist. Eighteen years, and I'd never seen a man who looked quite like that.

Then he moved, and I caught bare skin below his waist. I jerked my eyes back to his face; apparently I was the only one troubled by his lack of clothes.

He turned away without so much as asking if I was hurt.

I stepped after him, ignoring the grit scratching beneath my collar. A beautiful face didn't excuse landing on someone.

“Who let you off your leash?”

He stopped. When he glanced back, those gold eyes held none of the wolf's delight.

“What did you say?”

“You knocked me down.” I pointed to the place where he'd left me. “Usually an apology comes somewhere after that.”

His gaze traveled over me, pausing just long enough to make my skin prickle.

“A wolfless.”

“An observant asshole. We're both making discoveries.”

He faced me then. Without the wagging tail, there was nothing friendly about having his full attention.

“If you're staying in this camp, watch your mouth.” His voice stayed flat. “Don't provoke people stronger than you.”

“Try not landing on them, then.”

He walked away.

“What the hell?” I called after him, but he didn't slow down.

A passing boy slowed beside me. His gaze followed the man, then dropped to the dirt smeared down my jacket. “You’ve got guts, lecturing Ezra Locke.”

“That was Ezra?” I brushed the dust off my shoulder, remembering the body they’d carried out through the gate. So that was the man I had to beat.

The boy smirked. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

He continued down the path, leaving me beside the wall. If Locke treated people like this now, what would he do with a crown?

I swore to myself I wouldn't lose to him.

I'd barely joined the candidates at the training ground when the instructor looked up from his list and beckoned me over.

“Name?” He held his pencil above the page.

“Ari Wren.”

He found it and made a mark. “You'll be assessed before camp begins. Your results determine your starting rank.”

“What's being assessed?”

“Your wolf first.” He pointed toward the open ground. “Shift.”

My fingers curled against the seam of my trousers. The candidates nearest us turned to watch.

“I can't shift.”

His pencil stopped. “Then you get no points for this round.”

“Assess something else, then.” I stepped into the space he'd pointed to. “Give me a chance to—”

“Shift or take the zero.” He lowered the list and beckoned to the candidate behind me.

I blocked the boy's way. “I can still fight. That has to count for something.”

“What would you like me to test?” His eyes swept over my human hands. “Show me a wolf.”

I'm right here, Argent snapped inside my head.

Behind me, someone let out a laugh. I turned toward the sound, and the boy found something else to look at.

The instructor tapped his pencil against the list. “Alpha blood alone won't earn you a place here. Strength decides your rank.”

He pointed the pencil at me. “Pass the Alpha Rite, and you'll be eligible to inherit your pack. Finish in the bottom ten percent, and you lose that right.”

He wrote the zero beside my name and turned the list away before I could object again.

A boy stepped out of the waiting group. His gaze lingered on my body before lifting to meet my eyes, his smile widening.

“How did a wolfless get in?” He glanced at the others. “Anyone seen her before?”

Nobody answered. The instructor bent over his list, leaving the boy to close the space between us.

“Come to my dorm tonight,” he said. “I might give you a little protection.”

His gaze dipped again. My jacket was open over my shirt; I pulled the edges together and held his stare.

“From what? The conversation?”

A laugh broke out behind him. His smile tightened, and he leaned closer.

“You should think about the offer.”

“I did. You should try offering something worth having.”

His jaw shifted. For a moment, his eyes stayed fixed on my mouth.

“You'll be one of the grays soon enough.” He stepped back. “See how choosy you are then.”

He returned to the others before I could ask what that meant. I turned toward the instructor instead.

“Is there another assessment?”

He pointed past my shoulder with his pencil. “Tomorrow morning. In the forest.”

Beyond the cleared ground, roots broke through the soil beneath the trees. Low branches crossed between trunks, and dark gaps opened under the brush where a person could disappear from sight.

…

I knew I needed to score points in the remaining assessments, so I spent the whole evening training.

By the time I finished, my shirt stuck to my back and my legs objected to the stairs. I wanted hot water, a clean shirt, and five minutes without someone explaining why I didn't belong here.

I dropped my brown jacket on my bed and stepped back into the shared space. The bathroom door opened before I reached it.

Ezra Locke came out naked.