Chapter Seven: Shadows In The Room

Kaelen moved faster than humanly possible.

Before the shadowy beast’s black talons could touch my skin, Kaelen tackled me to the side. We crashed hard onto the floor, rolling across the stone as the creature’s sharp claws slashed through empty air, splintering the heavy wooden table where my soup had sat.

"Stay behind me!" Kaelen roared.

He scrambled to his feet, pulling a broad silver sword from the wall display.

The creature let out another ear-splitting shriek. It wasn't a real wolf or a human shifter. It was a shadow-beast—a dark construct made of dark magic, smoke, and sharp, icy claws. Its glowing red eyes locked straight onto my neck, completely ignoring the Alpha King standing in front of it.

It was summoned specifically for me, I realized, my blood running cold. Someone didn't want to wait for tomorrow's trials.

The beast lunged again, its shadowy jaws snapping wide.

Kaelen stepped into its path, swinging his heavy silver blade with terrifying power. The steel sliced right through the creature’s shoulder. Black, smoky blood sprayed across the floor, burning holes into the rug like acid. The beast howled in pain, flailing its long claws and hitting Kaelen across the chest.

The impact threw Kaelen backward. His back slammed into the heavy stone fireplace, and his sword clattered across the floor, spinning out of reach.

The beast turned back toward me, its red eyes burning with pure malice. It crouched low, preparing to leap right onto my chest.

I didn't have a broadsword. I didn't have warrior strength. But I had my eyes, and I noticed the way the shadow smoke thinned out near the creature’s chest, swirling around a tiny, glowing purple crystal.

Its core.

As the beast leaped through the air, I didn't run. I reached down to my boot, pulled out my small hunting knife, and dropped low to the floor.

Just as the shadowy monster flew over me, I thrust my small blade straight up into the glowing purple crystal.

CRACK!

The crystal shattered into tiny pieces.

The beast let out a final, muffled groan before its entire body dissolved into a cloud of cold, black ash, falling harmlessly over my clothes and skin.

I lay on the floor, gasping for air, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Kaelen pushed himself up from the fireplace, his broad chest heaving. He stared at the pile of black ash on top of me, then looked down at the tiny knife still clutched in my trembling hand.

"You hit its core," Kaelen said, his blue eyes wide with dark wonder. "Most warriors don't even know shadow-beasts have cores."

"I told you," I gasped, sitting up and wiping black dust off my face. "I'm good at finding weaknesses."

Kaelen walked over, reaching out a large, warm hand to pull me up to my feet. He didn't let go of my hand once I was standing. His gaze drifted down to my knife, then back to my eyes.

"Shadow magic is illegal across all five realms," Kaelen said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low rumble. "Only one family still uses it."

My stomach flipped upside down. "Marcus."

"He didn't just come here to demand your return," Kaelen said, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. "He left a dark caster behind inside my walls. Someone high up in my court is working directly with your stepbrother."

Before I could answer, the heavy doors to Kaelen's private chambers were pushed open.

Lady Lyra stood in the doorway, wrapped in a dark velvet robe. She looked completely fine not a single trace of poison on her face. Behind her stood three high elders of the Northern Realm, all wearing strict silver robes.

"Your Highness!" Lyra gasped, her eyes darting from the broken window to the black ash on the floor, and finally to Kaelen holding my hand. "We heard a terrible noise! The rogue she must have brought dark magic into your room!"

"Silence, Lyra," Kaelen commanded, stepping in front of me. "The rogue just saved my life."

The oldest elder stepped forward, his eyes cold and unforgiving as he looked at me. "Be that as it may, Your Highness, dark magic inside the citadel means the Trial of Mates cannot wait. The council has decided. The first trial begins right now, in the middle of the night."

My jaw dropped. "Now? In the dark?"

"The Obsidian Forest does not wait for sunrise," the elder said with a cold, mean smile. "If you survive until dawn, girl, you earn your asylum. If you fail, the forest keeps your soul."

Kaelen turned to look at me, his face grim. "Valeria..."

"I'm ready," I said, setting my jaw and gripping my knife tighter.

Ten minutes later, I stood alone at the edge of the Obsidian Forest. The trees were jet-black, towering high into the dark sky like giant claws, completely blocking out the moon. A thick, eerie purple fog rolled out from the treeline, smelling of rot and ancient magic.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the pitch-black woods.

The moment my boot touched the dark soil, the trees behind me closed tight like a wooden wall, locking me inside.

Then, a voice echoed out from the heavy purple fog a voice I knew better than my own name.

"Hello, little sister," Marcus whispered right behind my ear.

I whipped around, pulling my knife, but nobody was there.

"Did you really think you could run from me?" the voice laughed from every direction at once. "Look down, Valeria. Look what you did to our father."

I looked down at my hands. They were suddenly dripping with thick, warm, dark red blood, and lying in the dirt right at my feet was the lifeless body of the old Alpha.