The crowd of Silver Moon wolves roared their appreciation at the three pairs of contestants fighting in the middle of the training field. Only the fighters and umpires were allowed on the field, leaving a small gap before the civilians grappling for a look. Some hung from the windows of the houses at its edge, cheering on whichever wolf they liked the look of; usually the bigger strong one of each pairing. Maddie was stood in the one part of the field which had been sectioned off for the waiting contestants and the Silver Moon upper rank wolves to oversee the weapons trial. She stood at Jess’ side, working out her nerves by keeping her body warm. She jumped on her tiptoes, her eyes scanning the group for the wolf she had been paired with. When her father had announced each challenge, she had breathed a sigh of relief that he either hadn’t noticed the change or was happy to overlook her involvement. Either way, she was sure he only did it because he thought her defeat was inevitable an
Maddie was wooden, each movement forced as she walked to the chest at the edge of the field and claimed her weapons. The small daggers gleamed with their recent polish, the silver hilt fitting like a glove in her hand. They had been a gift from her father the night she had gained her wolf. She adored them but hadn’t had much chance to use them. Wolves trained with their bodies more than weapons. Why carry a dagger in human form when you can attack with the razor-sharp claws of your wolf form? She palmed the blade, spinning the flat of it around her hand before grabbing the hilt again. Her muscles remembered the small movements required to make her daggers deadly, just as her skin remembered the cool metal of the blades. Maddie sunk two into holsters at her thighs, keeping hold of the other two as she walked onto the field. Murmurs burst out from the crowd, eyes moving from the two other pairs, already in the heat of battle, to her. The pressure of their gazes was familiar and pulled a
The smirk pulling at Jason’s lips made her skin prickle, but Maddie pushed aside her swelling anger. Instead, she forced every part of her attention on the Wild Shore warrior, dissecting his every move and catching every flicker in his expression. It was clear that he didn’t think much of her. Not only did his features betray the condescension of his gaze, but he was also hanging back, waiting for her to take the first move. He was acting like they were in a training session, and she was a newbie he had been lumbered with. Her fists clamped tighter around the daggers, but she centred her calm. Rather than letting herself anger, at how little he thought of her as an opponent, she would use it instead. He didn’t think she was trained, he didn’t think she was strong, he didn’t think she could win. It was perfect. All she had to do was bait him into believing his own assessments and then strike quickly before he realised what was going on. First though, she had to test the waters. Contor
The games halted while Jason was led from the field by two Silver Moon warriors. He was being taken to the packhouse to grab his belongings and then would be escorted off the territory to go home. Maddie didn’t envy the day he had ahead. He was the only Wild Shore wolf to make it through the scent trial and now he had to go back to his pack to tell them he was bested by the Luna-to-be and then injured her in an unprovoked attack. She watched him go with an air of satisfaction. He wasn’t suitable to be an Alpha, nor her mate, and now she was one step closer to winning. “Are you alright?” Her father drew alongside her, his eyes dropping to her wrist. A dull ache throbbed deep in the bones and she had it cradled to her chest while her other hand tried to rub away the feeling. The cut on her forearm was dripping blood down her leather armour and hurt like a bitch, but she disregarded it under his gaze. She set her jaw and met his eye. “I’m fine.” The Alpha stared at her for a moment lo
“Ouch. Shit, Jess. Be gentle.” Maddie hissed as another pinch of pain added to her already throbbing arm. “Don’t be such a baby.” Jess grumbled. “Here, take this.” Of all the things her friend could’ve handed her, she wasn’t surprised that it was a shot of vodka. Her eye roll was interrupted by another flash of pain, and she quickly downed the drink, its burn stealing the heat off her arm. The gash Jason had gifted her, before she beat him, wasn’t too deep, but it travelled the length of her forearm and hadn’t decided to stop bleeding yet. She had bandaged herself well at the field side, giving her enough time to watch the rest of the matches, while letting everyone see she was unbothered by the commotion her opponent had caused. It was only when the fights were over and the ten wolves continuing onto the speed trial were announced, did Jess notice the red seeping through her bandages and dragged Maddie from the group. It had been worth it to get a chance to watch the figh
Nine of the ten wolves, still in the Alpha Games, attended the warrior training the next morning, Maddie included. The only one not there was Jess, but she hadn’t heard from her since before the date yesterday. It had been amusing trying to guess where her and Erik had stayed the night, but by the look on Lewis’ face, she was the only one who saw the funny side of it. Instead, he grumbled about his sister being irresponsible and putting her needs before the pack, but Maddie didn’t see it that way. Jess was doing her a favour by entering the games, and she was glad doing so had led her to someone special. Lewis stayed by her side during the warrior training and always partnered with her unless his father demanded otherwise. He gave her some pointers and took the time to explain attack and defence moves that the other wolves already knew, getting her up to speed. He did it despite the order the Alpha had given him, and Maddie was grateful. Not only was his help priceless, but he also
As soon as Maddie exited the packhouse, she locked onto the footsteps behind her, following her every move. She could already smell who it was, but continued to march away in the hopes that he would get the idea that she didn’t want to talk and would leave her alone. However, Daniel didn’t let up, following her down the side street to Jess' house, and gaining on her with each step. “Come on, Mads. I got them to stop. Don’t be like this.” He called out, his voice echoing off the walls of the empty street. “They were just having a joke.” Maddie bristled. He was close enough now to grab her, but she whirled around before he could, making him slow down with a glare. “You think trying to humiliate me is a joke?” She hissed. “I admit it, they went too far.” He held up his hands but kept walking towards her. She stepped back with every forward stride he took, needing the distance between them. “I’ll make sure they do double training today to make up for it.” “That’s not enough.
The moment her pheromones flooded out from her control, Michael was at her side. His arms wrapped around her, pulling Maddie tight to his chest as his head dipped to her neck. His scent surrounded her, filling her mind with a heady lust that had her baring her throat and curling into his to find the source of the delicious scent. Its thick, musty aroma was rich like a dark coffee, and she nuzzled into his skin, letting it transfer to her as she fisted his t-shirt, keeping him close. Warmth rushed through her form, spreading through her veins like a wildfire. Her body hummed; its call answered by his touch. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” Michael asked, cupping her face and rolling it from side to side while he searched her expression for a glimmer of pain. Her skin tingled under his palm, and she leaned into his hand, her nose searching for the pulse point at his wrist. “Why did you go into a dark alley with him? He could've hurt you." Through half-lidded eyes, Maddie sear