Chapter 3

I couldn’t be surprised. Normally, I would have teased Cameron a little or even make a joke about their suits. I would have even faked an interest in what dress Hannah was going to wear.

“Dad just has me doing stuff. You know my dad, he demands perfection.” The lie tasted bitter, but she accepted it. Only Cameron tilted his head and looked between Simon and myself. He must have said something in the mind-link because. Simon frowned and looked at Cameron.

That was my cue to leave. Closing the door, I started down the hallway and down the stairs. Even being as quiet as a mouse, my dad still hears me. “Riley.” He just said my name. It was both a command and a question.

“Yes, Beta John?” In public, I was forced to address him as such.

“Come in and shut the door.” He didn’t even look up from his desk as he spoke. Shutting the door quietly, it felt like the longest walk to his chairs to sit down. In reality, it was only a few feet, but I hated being called into his office.

“What’s going on, kiddo?”

My body instantly relaxed when he called me that. It meant he was being my dad right now and not a beta. “What do you mean?”

“Simon said you blew him off when he tried to talk to you. You might be 18, but I can still feel your emotions and you weren’t thrilled to be nominated to do the tournament.”

There wasn’t a question there. “Simon has a big mouth.”

“Simon is the future alpha and deserves respect. However, I know he gives you a pass because he sees you as a true friend and not someone that is going to challenge him.”

“I was just surprised… and a little… I don’t know. Scared isn’t the right word. People die in that tournament. I just never pictured that as my future. I haven’t met my mate. Haven’t even seen outside of this territory or even kissed a boy and now I am headed to my potential death.” The words were out before I could stop myself. Sierra was annoyed with my human emotions. She wanted to leave today.

“It’s an honor to be nominated.”

That was the statement that told me I wasn’t going to be getting any support. Dad wanted a son, but he got a daughter. I learned a long time ago that he didn’t do emotions, so I might as well forget I had any. “It is, and I am honored to go. I’m just wrapping my head around it. Sierra is thrilled to go.”

“Simon also said you asked for a training session tonight. I think that is an excellent idea. Shows how dedicated you are.”

“I don’t do something halfway. You taught me that.” I tried to put a smile on my face.

Dad seemed pleased. “Good. You can go now.”

Standing up, I took a few steps before turning back around. “Am I free tomorrow? Hannah wanted to hangout.”

Dad looked up and frowned. “I suppose a day off would be okay. After all, everything I have taught you is going to be questioned next week.” He put his head down in the official dismissal.

He didn’t require a response, so I just turned and walked out. “Guess what? I can go to the pool with you!” I said to Hannah as I skipped out of the pack house. Dad usually never gives me the whole day off, so this was going to be fun.

“Really? That’s awesome!” Hannah screamed, making both Sierra and I cringe.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Cutting the mind-link just as I reached my jeep. This Wrangler and I have a personal relationship that no one would compete with. Part of my youth was learning the basics of a mechanic and the result of it was this jeep. Probably the best memories I have with my dad are over this thing.

Part of my youth was watching the tournament with dad. In order to prevent cheating and Alphas mind-linking, the contestant banded an audience completely. Instead, it was broadcasted on the television for everyone to see.

Since my mother was killed in childbirth, it’s always just been dad and me. He allowed me to have the master bedroom so I could have the privacy of the bathroom. Having a house separate from the packhouse was my mom’s idea, and I was thankful. Nothing was better than the quiet the forest provided.

As soon as I was done showering, I turned on last year’s tournament. Seeing Steven walk across my television screen hurt my heart. He made a grave mistake. They were forced to spend a week in the forest. Survival training task. Who had the skills to survive the elements? Not all tasks were about physical strength, but mental as well. Steven didn’t recognize the type of mushroom he was eating and started hallucinating. He ended up falling down a cliff and snapping his neck.

The next was an archery task. Then it was a battle against two rogues. One task after another kept playing in front of me. The only thing I learn was how random these tasks could be. Literally anything to test you physically, mentally, and emotionally. The only thing consistent was the lack of females.

“Riley?” There was a knock on my bedroom door.

“Cameron?” Opening the door, I looked up at Cameron. He was standing there in sweats and a tank, looking sexy as hell. “What are you doing here?” He had never been into my bedroom, so when he pushed past me, I was a little conflicted.

“Simon told me.”

“I can’t talk about it.”

“You can. Simon told Alpha Kent, and he allowed me to know and talk to you. Simon told me you wanted a training session tonight as a last-minute thing.” His eyes went over to the tournament that was still playing on my television.