Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

Destin

I shot up as if waking from a fever dream. My head throbbed dully, probably from the wine. I winced slightly and rubbed my temples. My memories were startlingly clear, not a blur like I'd feared.

I remembered everything. The taste of her. The feel of her skin against mine. The desperation and need. I turned to look at Lana, and she was already staring at me. Her cheeks were flushed as she clutched the sheets to her chest. Her hair fanned out around her, a dark halo against the pillow.

I took a breath, trying to steady myself. I wanted to say something, but the effects of the food and wine had worn off. The words didn't come easily anymore. So instead, I lifted my hand to reach for her, but the world shifted beneath us.

The bed vanished. The forest along with it. All of it was replaced by the cold, hard ground of a cavernous chamber. The walls stretched up into darkness, and the air held a chill that seeped into my bones. I blinked, trying to make sense of the abrupt transition from intimate warmth to this vast, foreboding space.

Lana's breath hitched beside me, and I turned to see her standing where the bed had been, her hair no longer a tangled mess, her skin back to its usual hue. We were dressed. Clean as if we'd both washed in the creek. She looked as disoriented as I felt, her eyes wide as she took in the scene around her.

Your second challenge awaits. The voice echoed through the chamber, smooth and haunting. So that was it, then. Last night had been what? A reward? A trick? Probably that. We'd barely slept, and now Lana was being thrown back into the arena.

I turned to look behind me, and my breath caught. There, stretching out like a gaping wound in the earth, was a bottomless pit. It seemed to swallow the light, its edges jagged and unforgiving. Above it, suspended like a series of precarious stepping stones, were slabs of rock. Each one was etched with symbols, their surfaces worn smooth by time.

Lana took a step forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied the stones. "What is this?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

The light was still there, gently pulsing. This is your test of knowledge and instinct. To cross the chamber, you must step on the correct stones in sequence. Each stone bears a mark from the lore of the Shadow Pack. Choose wisely, and you will proceed. Choose poorly, and you will face the consequences.

I glanced at Lana, my pulse quickening.

She cleared her throat, her hands clenched at her sides. "What kind of consequences?"

The stones will only stay solid for a few moments. You must move quickly.

Lana's jaw tightened. The light faded as it had the day before, and her eyes flicked to mine. "Good morning."

Fear and uncertainty rippled through me. Her emotions. I grunted, my shoulders tense. I wanted to protect her from this. At least have a conversation about last night. But there wasn't time for that.

Lana took a deep breath and stepped onto the first stone. It flickered beneath her feet, the symbol etched into its surface glowing with a soft, otherworldly light.

Then, the riddle appeared, inscribed in the air above her in shimmering script.

In the darkness, we thrive. In the light, we wither. What are we?

Lana frowned, her eyes darting to the stones ahead. She muttered something under her breath, and I strained to hear her. "Shadows. It's got to be shadows." She glanced back at me, and I gave her a nod. Was that too simple? What did that have to do with Shadow Pack lore?

Lana took a breath as the stone to her left lit up with her answer. She stepped forward, and the moment her foot made contact, the symbol on the first stone crumbled and dropped. The second stone held. She'd chosen correctly.

I exhaled, not realizing I'd been holding my breath. Another question blazed in the air.

I am the howl that first broke silence, the moon that gave birth to night's kin. Without me, the wolves scatter; together, I bind what cannot be tamed. Who am I?

My wolf growled, pacing in my head. He was worried for her. He'd been in my head all night, pressing forward toward her wolf, urging me to mark her. I'd fought him tooth and nail and actually won for once.

But now he was pissed. He wanted her safe. He wanted her ours .

"Alpha," Lana called out, and her eyes briefly flicked to mine. I clenched my jaw. So we were going to get some indoctrination along with this challenge. Fantastic.

Lana pressed on, her movements becoming more confident, but I could feel her uncertainty. Her wolf pushed her to act, to leap from stone to stone without hesitation, but she needed to think through each answer, and the questions weren't getting any easier.

With a glance back at me after the fifth question, she took another step. The stones were more unstable now. She hovered over the middle of nothing, the only stones behind her the wrong path. The stones ahead . . .

I dragged my hands through my hair, pacing as I watched. The air grew thicker, the silence oppressive. Lana's hair clung to her skin with sweat, and I could see the tremor in her muscles. She was on edge, her wolf instincts screaming at her to move faster, to leap and run, but she fought for calm. For control.

I live where the past lingers, woven through stories told in whispers and scars. I am a weight you must carry, yet release, to run free under the moon. What am I?

Lana paused, her chest heaving. She was panicking. She didn't know the answer. Her frustration and anxiety pulsed through me, and I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to do something. Anything.

"Breathe!" I called out. I was impotent there on the sideline and it was ripping me apart. The idea of her dropping into nothingness had my wolf pawing at the ground, baring his teeth.

I needed to calm down. To think. I live where the past lingers, woven through stories told in whispers and scars. It could be anything.

"Destin!" Lana's voice shook. She'd been standing there too long. The stone beneath her feet was beginning to waver.

What the hell was this challenge? How did solving riddles prove anything about Lana and Shadow Pack? The voice had said she'd be tested, but how many times? How long would we be stuck here? How many times would I have to stand here and watch?

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to let go. Fighting emotions never worked. I'd learned that younger than most since they threatened to consume me daily since I was a pup. I allowed my fear and Lana's to rush over me, sweeping through like a flooded river. I acknowledged the pain, the anxiety, the?—

"Guilt!" I yelled, and Lana's eyes widened. Guilt. You must carry, yet release to run free. It worked. It had to work.

Lana spoke the word and stepped up to the glowing stone. It held. I dropped into a crouch, pressing my hands over my eyes, breathing with relief.

And then my eyes snapped open. Lana's emotions had passed through me, and mine were draining like water from a sink.

But there was another current. Another flow of . . . something. It was a slow hum, a pushing and pulling. I stood and turned in a circle, searching the cavern around us. There was nobody there, and yet?—

My gaze caught on the stone beneath Lana's feet. I blinked. It was glowing, but that didn't mean it was sentient. Or could it be?

I closed my eyes, willing my body to still and feel. Yes . There was something there.

In the forest deep, a choice must be made,

One wolf stands alone, in shadow, afraid.

The pack howls a call, their strength in the night,

But the lone wolf's cry tugs at your heart's light.

If you run to the one, the many will fall,

If you stand with the pack, you answer the call.

What will you choose when the paths split in two?

The love of the one, or the pack that is true?

"What kind of question is that?" Lana growled, and her fear spiked. I was already moving. The voice in the light hadn't said a damn thing about me doing the challenge with her.

I skidded to a stop in front of the stones. Or the lack thereof. The only ones that were left were the wrong ones. I had no idea what would happen if I tried to step on them, which meant I had to find another way.

I scanned the side of the cavern wall, tracing the jagged edges with my eyes, calculating. There were outcroppings—barely—but enough to get a handhold if I was careful. Or stupid.

I charged forward and crouched down, running my hand over the rock face. There wasn't time to second guess it.

"Destin, what are you?—"

Without giving myself more time to think, I swung one leg over the side of the stone and reached for a handhold on the cliff wall. My fingers scraped against rough stone, finding just enough purchase. The moment my weight shifted from solid ground to the vertical rock face, my wolf snarled—half excited, half warning.

We fall, we die. No do-overs.

I gritted my teeth, pulling myself against the wall.

"What the hell, Destin!" Anger flared in Lana, and it was a welcome break from the fear. Good. Be pissed. It only added fuel to the adrenaline coursing through me.

Every inch was a fight. My fingers scraped against the stone, rubbed raw as I clung to the cracks and ridges. My boots scrabbled against the rough surface, and I shoved my toes into any crevice I could find.

One misstep and I'd be nothing but a wolf-shaped smear at the bottom of the abyss. I found a decent handhold just above me. The stone cut into my palm, but pain was better than falling. One hand over the other. One step at a time. The sound of my breath echoed back to me, loud and ragged in the cavern. I had no idea how much time had passed by the time I nearly pulled level with her. It couldn't have been long because the stone under her feet was still solid.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" she called out, her eyes wide.

"And you're not?" I hissed back. I glanced up. The wall stretched on endlessly above, but I wasn't aiming for the top. Just far enough to launch myself onto the stone where Lana stood. Easy. Totally doable.

I edged along the narrow ledge, muscles tight, breath measured. My heart pounded a wild rhythm in my chest—part adrenaline, part the wolf's maddening excitement. He always loved a gamble, especially the kind where death was on the table.

A rock slipped loose under my weight and tumbled into the abyss. My stomach flipped, and I dug in harder. I stole a glance toward Lana. She was still perched on that single stone—too far for a human to reach. But I wasn't just human.

My breathing quickened as I tensed. You ready for this? I asked my wolf. He gave me nothing but a hungry growl in response. Good enough.

My muscles tensed and my lungs locked in my chest. It had to be precise—no room for error. My wolf surged under my skin, eager to take control. He liked this. The thrill, the danger, the sheer insanity of it.

Just like I had in that cell, I let him take over. Without another thought, I kicked off the wall, every muscle in my body snapping into action. I launched myself through the air, the wind rushing past my ears, my heart hammering wildly in my chest. The stone loomed closer—too far, too close, all at once.

Lana gasped. My hands hit the edge of the stone, fingers digging deep into the jagged surface. My feet swung wildly over the void below, and for a split second, I hung there, suspended above nothing.

She swore under her breath as she crouched to steady herself against my landing. With a low growl, I hauled myself up.

Lana stumbled back as I landed beside her, panting, heart racing like I'd just outrun the apocalypse.

"Made it." I grinned as I tried to catch my breath.

"Made what exactly?" she snapped, but there was relief in her voice, too. "Now there's two of us to fall?"

I closed my eyes, feeling for that current. Thankfully, since I'd already located it once, it was easier to find under the tumult. There. To our left. "Move. Now."

A retort started on Lana's lips, but I pulled her forward, and it fizzled. The stone lit up under our feet, and I coughed with relief. No more damn riddles and questions. We were doing this my way.