LOGINKalev’s POVWe all saw it a moment too late. Senna knocked her bow and arrow and aimed it right at Thor’s chest. That was the exact moment that Thor reached for something on his belt.Squinting, I saw the object. It was small, but it had familiar markings on it.The same markings as the spire, I realized in horror.I screamed out for Senna, but Thor was already holding the object. He gave it a little flick and then….….Senna dropped her bow. She clamped her hands over the sides of her head. She lilted to the side. Then she crumpled to the ground.“Oh my god,” I said. We all rushed towards her. Thor was standing, the vines wrapped around him.“Flora wolf,” he said.The pieces all snapped into place.Viktor hadn’t sent Thor here to kill Senna. He’d sent Thor here to siphon Senna’s wolf. We’d all be wrong. We’d been outrunning him, thinking he was trying to kill her. He wasn’t though. He was just trying to get close enough to her to siphon her.It had all been one big, giant trap.The vi
Senna’s POVThe pain was blinding. It literally knocked the breath right out of me. One minute, I was standing in front of Thor with my arrow knocked and ready to go. The night, I was engulfed in a bright blue light.I was vaguely aware of the sounds of people screaming behind me. But they sounded far away and distant. I didn’t understand what was happening.The ground fell out from under me. I felt like was suspended in the air. And all the while, this sharp, intense pain throbbed through my head.“Senna.” Verity’s voice came into my head. She was calm. I turned my focus towards her.The last thing I remembered was Thor reaching for that strange object on his belt. Then the blue light, then the pain.“What’s happening?” I asked Verity. The sounds of the people screaming behind me were getting fainter and fainter. My heart started racing. It had all happened so fast. I felt like I was removed from my body. But I still had a heart beat. I could feel it pounding in my chest.“I don’t kn
Senna’s POVWe all stood in front of the waterfall, ready for it to part for us. Verity whined. She was acting strange. She didn’t want us to go, but she couldn’t explain why. I tried to calm her but she was very hesitant.The waterfall parted and we faced a pile of rocks.“Move them,” I told Verity. She helped, although she was reluctant. I held onto my bow. Beside me, Korrigan had his knife. Isolde and Kalev were ready to shift at a moment’s notice. The others were still in the cave. This was too dangerous for them so we told them to wait.Each rock moved, one at a time. We waited with held breath. It felt like it took forever, but eventually all the rocks were gone.And then there he was. Thor. Standing by a tree. His chest heaved with each breath. He was looking around, as though he was confused. But then his eyes landed on us.I gasped.He skin was torn to shreds. Chunks of it hung loosely off of him. Blood dripped down his arms and off of his wrists, pooling on the ground below.
Senna’s POVWe were all breathing very heavily. We took a moment to catch our breath. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.Junie was crying, her face wet with tears.“The island caused an avalanche,” I said. “Thor can’t get through it. We’re safe.”“For now,” Kalev said. He’d shifted back.“What the hell was that?” Korrigan asked. He was pacing the length of the cave, running his hands through his hair, clearly distraught. “That didn’t even look like Thor.”Korrigan was right. Thor’s eyes had been wrong. Vacant almost. And his muscles had bulged in an unnatural way. He looked like something created, not something human.“And how do he make it through all those obstacles?” Junie asked.“They programmed him,” Kalev explained. “My friend, Endrick and I, we found him at a facility near the ocean. Viktor owns the facility. At the time, he was tied to a chair with metal things hooked up to him. He was…he was still himself. Mostly. I should have taken him when I had th
Senna’s POVI stood fixed in place as Thor came barreling at me. I didn’t understand. What was wrong with him? Why did he look like that?The whole thing was so unnerving. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. But I didn’t know what.“Thor,” I said. “It’s me. Senna.”He glared at me and kept running. It was as though he didn’t recognize my voice at all.His collar had spikes on it. He was wearing only a loose pair of shorts. His muscles rippled as he ran.As he got closer, I saw that he had burn scars and knife scars all over his chest. I heard Kalev holler behind me. But my mind was spinning so fast and I couldn’t move.“Flora wolf,” Thor growled again. His eyes did not look like his. His voice didn’t even sound like his. He kicked the sand as he ran.When he was only a few feet in front of me, I saw the knife. It glistened in the sun. He held it up over his head. By the time I realized that he was trying to kill me, it was too late. He was only inches away.Suddenly, I felt
Senna’s POVWe all stood staring at each other for a moment. Then the horn blasted again.“What if we don’t go?” Kalev asked.“We have to,” I told him. “Those are the rules.”“Fuck the rules,” Korrigan said. “We’re playing by our own rules now.”“We should go,” I said.“But what if it’s a trap?” Kalev said. The thought had occurred to me. The capital was still in charge of the games. Who knew why they were calling us to the beach?“The others will go,” Isolde said, stepping forward. “The other sector borns. We could gather them. Bring them back here.”“And kill some nobles in the process,” Korrigan said, squeezing his hand around his knife.“True,” I replied. I looked at Kalev. “What do you think?”He paused, thinking. “Isolde has a point. If they’re calling everyone to the island, it could be a good chance for us to find some sector borns and bring them back here.”“It’s dangerous though, isn’t it?” Junie asked. She looked scared. I took her hand in mine.“Don’t worry,” I told her. “
Senna’s POVThe forest thinned long before we reached the beach. We knew the way since we’d done it several time. We’d stayed holed up in the safe place for two nights. As a result, Korrigan and I were a lot stronger.I did my best to mostly ignore Kalev during our time in the safe place. It was ha
Kalev’s POVSenna didn’t sleep. Not really. I watched her, sitting far enough away that she wouldn’t be bothered. But close enough that I could protect her if need be.She closed her eyes at one point, and her breathing evened out just enough that anyone else might have thought she’d drifted off. B
Kalev’s POVThe line went flat.It took me a second to understand what I was looking at. Orrin raged inside of me.One moment, her vitals were there, unstable and erratic spikes. They dipped in a way that made my stomach tighten. But they hadn’t crossed the threshold yet.And the next moment…It wa
Senna’sThe ferals didn’t rush us. That was the worst part. We paused, expecting them to surge at us. Instead, they spread out in front of us, pacing, watching.“They’re not in a hurry,” Korrigan said quietly.“No,” I replied. “They don’t have to be. They’re only here to block us. Just like the wis







