The courtyard buzzed with snarls and murmurs. The crowd pressed closer, a sea of golden eyes and bared teeth. Their hatred burned hotter than the torches lining the walls.
And I stood alone at the center.
Kane had dragged me here, his hand locked around my wrist like a steel cuff. He hadn't said a word on the way, only stalked forward as if daring anyone to stop him. When he released me, it felt like being thrown into a pit of wolves.
Because I was.
"She doesn't belong."
"She'll weaken the Alpha."
"Kill her now before she kills us later."
Every voice was a blade cutting into me.
Kane raised a hand, silencing them. His silver eyes glowed, sharp and cold. "You doubt my choice," he said, his tone calm but heavy enough to make even the boldest wolves flinch. "You question my mate."
A ripple of growls answered.
He turned his gaze back to me. I felt it pierce through flesh and bone, straight into the marrow of my fear. Then his lips curved into a cruel smile.
"Then let her prove herself."
The words hit me like a stone. My chest tightened. "What?"
Kane didn't look at me. He addressed the pack. "If she survives the trial, she is Bloodfang. If she fails, the moon decides her fate."
The pack erupted in approval, stomping feet, fists pounding against chests. The sound was deafening.
I spun toward him, fury drowning my fear. "You're throwing me to them?"
Finally, his eyes met mine. Cold. Possessive. "I'm giving you the chance to stand. Do not waste it."
Before I could scream at him, two warriors dragged forward a cage from the shadows. The stench hit first—blood, rot, fury. Something inside snarled, a sound so guttural it scraped along my bones.
They threw open the cage.
A rogue wolf burst out. Its fur was matted, its eyes wild with hunger. Scars marked its body, proof of endless battles. It was half-mad, but strong, stronger than any human should face.
And Kane wanted me to fight it.
The crowd roared. They wanted blood.
The rogue's gaze fixed on me. Saliva dripped from its jaws. It lunged.
I ran.
Claws raked the ground behind me, teeth snapping at my heels. The courtyard blurred as I dodged, weaving between stones, pillars, anything that bought me seconds. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but the wolf was faster.
The pack jeered. "She runs like prey."
"She won't last a minute."
The rogue pounced. I rolled, the impact of its weight cracking the stones where I'd been. Dust filled my mouth. My body screamed, but I scrambled up, grabbing a fallen torch from the wall. Fire hissed, licking the air.
The rogue snarled, circling me. The torch shook in my hands. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it would shatter.
It lunged again.
I swung the torch. The flame seared its fur, and the beast howled, recoiling. For the first time, silence fell over the pack.
Adrenaline flooded me. I struck again, forcing it back, sparks flying. The torch broke across its skull with a sick crack, but the wolf didn't fall.
It came harder.
Teeth sank into my arm. I screamed, white-hot pain ripping through me. Blood gushed down my skin. The crowd howled with it, chanting for the kill.
Something inside me snapped.
Heat blazed in my veins, hotter than the fire. My vision blurred, then sharpened. My nails dug into the rogue's muzzle, and for the briefest second, they weren't nails at all. They were claws.
The wolf faltered. Its eyes widened, sensing something new, something dangerous.
I shoved it back with strength I didn't know I had. My chest heaved, every muscle trembling, the bond between me and Kane burning like fire under my skin.
The rogue growled low, uncertain now.
And from the edge of the circle, Kane finally spoke.
"Shift."
The word was a command, laced with Alpha power. My body obeyed before my mind did. Pain ripped through me, bones bending, flesh tearing, blood boiling under my skin.
I fell to my knees, screaming. The pack's roars blurred into one endless howl as the world split apart.
The rogue crouched, waiting to strike.
And Kane smiled like the devil.