*Isla*
The stadium is nearly silent as we watch Keenan’s wolf circle around Elijah’s limp body. My blood rushes in my ears as my heart races. Maddox is holding my hand, squeezing, as we cling to the railing and watch in horror as Keenan begins to approach the royal box, his head held high.
Maddox’s warriors are lingering on the edge of the field, waiting for Maddox’s command to end the match, but he hesitates, his brow furrowing as he gazes at the black mass of fur and blood lying still in the center of the field.
I slowly turn my gaze to Trinity, who has her eyes closed, her fingers knitted as she prays.
“Is that it?” Antony says somewhere behind us. “Is he dead?”
I turn back to the field just in time to see Elijah twitch, slowly raising his head.
“Maddox, look!” I say, shakily pointing a finger at Elijah. Keenan must be looking right at us, because he turns his head as I point at Elijah and stalks back over to him, teeth bared.
“He’s going to rip him to shreds,” Antony says in a hoarse whisper, joining us at the railing. Keenan does look like he’s set on flaying Elijah open, tearing him apart limb from limb, but then….
As Keenan closes in on him, Elijah jumps to his feet. Keenan is taken by surprise as Elijah, obviously not mortally injured like he assumed, launches himself on the wolf and sends them both tumbling across the field. I hear Keenan yelp and screech in surprise, then pain, and Elijah closes his jaws around his neck and pins him to the ground.
Keenan thrashes, his wolf twice as large as Elijah’s but no match for Elijah’s surprising strength.
“It was a trap,” Ben says behind me, swallowing hard as he watches the match with wide eyes.
“Elijah is killing him, Maddox,” Antony says quickly. “He’s killing him. You need to stop the match.”
“Not yet,” Maddox says in a near whisper, his eyes fixed on the two wolves. Elijah is barely moving, but Keenan is thrashing like mad.
“Maddox,” I whisper, squeezing his hand.
“He set up a trap,” Maddox says with a slight smile. “I can’t believe it.” He looks down at Leo, who is standing a few feet from the edge of the field, his eyes locked on Maddox and waiting for his command. Keenan’s desperate thrashing starts to slow, his legs twitching and Elijah bares down on his neck.
Maddox raises his hand and lowers it swiftly, calling the match to a close. Elijah immediately lets go of Keenan and trots toward Leo and his warriors, who are now flooding onto the field. Elijah’s body is blocked by the swell of warriors as he shifts back to his human form, and he looks up at the royal box and the group of us standing stunned on the railing watching his every move.
He nods at Maddox, panting as he shrugs on a dark colored robe, but then his gaze shifts to poor Trinity, who is trembling at my side, her hands covering her eyes.
I nudge her with my shoulder and she peeks through her fingers, taking an audible breath. I can’t tell if she was praying for Elijah’s survival, or his death, but the look of pure relief in her eyes as she slowly lowers her hands makes me think it’s the latter.
I smile at Trinity where she leans over the railing as Elijah disappears from view. In the distance, healers are surrounding Keenan, who is back in his human form and breathing at least.
“So, you have a new Beta?” Antony asks casually.
Maddox lets out his breath, looking down at me instead of Antony.
“I do.”
* * *
The castle is awash with activity in the hours after the last trial. I made it home in time to shower and change for the party being thrown in the new Beta’s honor. Now, I follow Poppy down a hallway toward the ballroom, huffing to myself as I try to secure a bracelet to my wrist.
“Here,” Poppy says, whirling around to help me. She’s dressed in a long silver gown, her dark hair piled on top of her head. I’m dressed in blue silk, and my hair is styled in a classy, sleek updo. Poppy secures the sapphire studded bracelet and smiles, looking far better than she had a few days ago.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” I smile, reaching up to pin a rogue strand of her hair away from her face.
“Well, it’s been rather quiet around here with all of you at the Beta trials. I’ve had plenty of time to rest,” she replies as we ready ourselves to walk into the ballroom. “How late do you think we are?”
“Very late,” I sigh, smoothing my dress.
“Well, you’re the Luna, so no one can say anything about it,” she smirks, linking arms with me as we continue our trek through the house. Isaac went to sleep an hour ago, and getting him down had been a fight, which was part of the reason I was late in getting ready for the party. Plus, we’d been running around all day to different closing events, including Isaac’s naming ceremony, which had drawn a huge crowd. Then, directly after his ceremony, I was made to stand on a stage and be formally announced as the Luna.
This had been met with applause but was undoubtedly the part of the trials I was looking forward to the least.
I was sure there were people who didn’t want to see someone like me on the throne beside Maddox, their Alpha King. Me, a commoner in these lands. Me, a breeder. Me, a… witch, according to some.
“Where’s Trinity?” Poppy asks as we start shuffling through the crowded foyer.
“I haven’t seen her since the end of the trials,” I reply with a start. “Have you seen her around the castle at all today?”
“Not at all. She’ll be here, right?”
“She should be.” She really should, especially since Elijah had just won the trials, and this party was to honor him, and he was her mate, apparently. I’d filled Poppy in on the details, but so far, I haven’t seen Trinity and Elijah actually interact beside the occasional intense eye contact. She’d run out of the royal box and disappeared after Elijah nearly killed Keenan during the last match. I haven’t seen her since.
I follow Poppy into the ballroom, the two of us having to stop and mingle with the guests in attendance. Congratulations for ascending to the title of Luna are thrown my way as we walk towards Maddox and Antony, who are standing with a group of men near the thrones, which are glinting in the fading sunset pouring through the ceiling height windows.
“There she is,” Maddox beams, extending his hand to me. Poppy moves to Antony’s side, who seems relieved to see her. I notice a brief glance between the couple, Antony’s eyes lowering to her stomach before meeting her eyes again with a look of pure adoration. Relief ripples through me, and I fight the delirious smile threatening to erupt across my face. Good, she told him, and based on Antony’s defensive stance, he’s taking his role as her, as well as their unborn child’s, protector seriously.
“Hello,” I say with a bob of my head to the unfamiliar men standing in a semicircle in front of Maddox. Maddox introduces me to the Alphas, several of them from packs I’ve never heard of. One in particular steps forward, bowing low to me, his deep brown eyes reflecting almost a hazy bronze in the light of the chandelier.
“Alpha Abraham of Winter Falls,” he says pleasantly.
“I’ve never heard of Winter Falls,” I reply, giving him a smile.
“Oh, my Luna. I wouldn’t doubt that you haven’t.”
“It’s the northernmost pack in my territory,” Maddox adds, smiling amicably at Alpha Abraham. “We’ve just been discussing the idea of opening a university there.”
“A university for women, in particular,” Abraham notes, wagging a finger.
“Why just the women?” I ask with a little laugh.
“Because there are very few men in Winter Falls. I have ten daughters myself.”
“Ten!” I exclaim. I can’t help it. Abraham beams, his cheeks going rosy.
“Our youngest, Ceilia, is only five. But I brought my eldest daughters with me. Katherine is twenty, Rosemund is eighteen, and Juniper just turned sixteen.” Abraham turns and scans the crowd, smiling broadly as he spots and points at two blonde young women who are currently dancing not far from where we stand. Beautiful young women, I notice. “That’ll be Katie and Rosie. They begged to come to the trials with me, I can’t say no to them.”
“And where is… Juniper?” I ask, glancing around. Abraham clicks his tongue, looking for what I assume is another blonde woman in the crowd, but he pauses and grins at a young woman with fiery, tightly curled red hair.
And she’s standing with Ben, who is pink in the face at her attention.
“She’s rather chatty,” Abraham sighs, noticing his daughter talking incessantly to Ben. “Poor boy. She’s probably been talking her ear off for the better part of the party.”
“I… don’t think he minds,” Maddox says wryly, chuckling to himself as Ben looks Juniper up and down, his eyes wide and a soft grin on his face.
“Oh, great,” I mutter to myself. Ben is going to fall head over heels for this girl, and I’m never going to hear the end of it unless I allow him to travel to Goddess knows where to see her again. I smile as I watch the two young people talk, though. Ben has been such a huge help to us lately, essentially sacrificing his youth…. He deserves to be happy and have a crush.
“Well, my Luna and I are looking for something that aids our pack. Healers are desperately needed, but most of our pack tends to go into warrior training once they graduate from school. Those that don’t, well, they go south for further schooling. A healer college of some kind is exactly what we’re looking for.”
I tear my gaze away from Ben and Juniper and glance between Maddox and Alpha Abraham, who are now deep in conversation about Abraham’s plans for the college he wants. Maddox seems keen on the idea, mentioning something about the importance of strengthening the packs from within as much as possible.
My focus is again torn from the conversation as a hush falls over the crowd. Elijah, dressed in a fine black on black suit with the sleeves cuffed, is walking forward, his eyes fixed on me and Maddox.
And walking at his side is Trinity, who is blushing and smiling like I’ve never seen before.
Well, I take it she’s not so scared of him anymore.
“Alpha King,” Elijah says formally, bowing his head.
Maddox nods his head, saying just as formally, “Beta Elijah. Are you enjoying the party in your honor?”
Elijah’s mouth twitches into a smile, if you can call it that. He’s incredibly handsome but there’s a silent darkness about him that I find interesting. “I would enjoy it even more,” he begins, reaching out and offering his hand to Trinity, who beams at him with what I think are tears in her eyes, “if you allow a union between my mate and I.”
Maddox arches his brow, and I hear Poppy gasp behind us.
“We want to get married, Maddox,” Trinity smiles. “But we need your blessing.”