Chapter 11

Matteo strides toward our table, and the room falls silent.

Everyone rises, bowing in respect. The Alpha King takes his seat, and we follow suit.

Plates start circulating, and a mountain of food is piled onto my plate.

I shoot Roman a look of annoyance.

I can’t possibly eat all this; others need to eat too.

I’m about to voice my thoughts when the Alpha King's voice thunders.

“Katelynn.” I slowly turn my gaze toward him. I don’t like the way my name sounds on his tongue. It feels like a threat. I bow my head in respect.

“We have games after the meal. A competition. I’ve signed you up.” Excitement bubbles within me.

I feel Roman’s hand squeezing mine tightly, so I let my magic do its thing until he releases his grip. I bow my head again to the king.

“I’d be honored to show you what I’ve learned, my King.” Matteo smiles at me, waving away my comment with a dismissive hand.

“It would be my pleasure, Princess Katelynn.” Roman stiffens beside me, but I don’t care.

Even his father, the king, can see how much this means to me.

Why can’t he?

Honora looks at me with pride.

A huge grin spreads across my face, and it stays there throughout the meal.

Roman has gone quiet, his hand now relaxed on my leg, but I can feel the tension radiating from him.

Honora’s eyes dart between me and Roman, concern etched on her face, but I ignore it.

I even engage the king in a discussion about the rogue issue.

“Gather the rogues into a pack in the middle of nowhere. Make it a prison, ensure they can’t leave. But make them feel like it’s their new home. They’re rogues, all they crave is power. Put them together, and they’ll destroy each other.”

The king looks at me with a poker face. He stares at me for so long I start to shift uncomfortably in my chair. After what feels like an eternity, he finally nods.

“Thank you for your insight, Princess Katelynn.” He rises, and the room falls silent again.

“Have we all eaten enough?” The pack members cheer and shout until the king raises his hand again.

“Today is in honor of my son’s mate, Princess Katelynn.” He gestures for me to stand.

I rise from my chair and bow to the people at the tables in front of me, then turn to bow to those behind me as well.

“Princess Katelynn will participate in this year’s competition. Don’t be fooled, she is a formidable fighter. I wish you all the best of luck! The games begin in 15 minutes.”

Roman stands and excuses himself. He walks away, anger radiating from him. Honora grabs my hand.

“I hope you’re confident in your power. You might upset him if you win.”

With those words, she too stands, shooting me a smile before leaving the table with her mate.

I look around the room and see several people rising.

I decide to quickly run to my new home and change into a more suitable outfit for the competition.

Of course, Jess approaches me when I’m on my way out again. Roman is nowhere to be seen. Jess grins at me.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, Princess?” I roll my eyes at him and walk past without responding.

“You do know the king only signed you up to get your ass kicked, right?” Now he has my attention.

“If you lose, he can force you into the perfect princess role, just like he did with the queen. She was a lot like you once.” His voice drops to a whisper.

Fearful of someone overhearing his words about their queen. I think about Honora and the concern mixed with pride on her face when she found out I was a warrior.

“So I guess I’ll have to win.” That’s my only response.

I’m not going to let anyone hold me back. This is what I want, what I’ve always wanted.

I never needed a mate anyway, especially not one who isn’t accepting.

I continue walking toward the fair.

The tables have been cleared, replaced by a huge circle separated from the crowd by a force field.

I can feel its magic, and my eyes land on a witch. She has waist-length ginger hair.

She’s wearing an army green dress that I admire, the color complementing her hair.

Our eyes meet, and she gives me a slight nod.

Witches can always sense each other’s magic.

And this witch feels powerful.

I don’t understand why she would help a pack of wolves since witches and wolves usually keep their distance.

But then again, my mother is mated to a wolf.

I spot Honora and Roman.

They seem to be arguing. I activate my wolf-hearing, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

I look back at the witch, and she gives me a sly smile.

I could break the forcefield around them with my magic, but drawing negative attention might not be the best idea.

I start stretching instead.

On the other side of the circle, I see the warriors who are clearly competing.

Some of them are watching me. They remember me from when I fought their friend Lorenzo.

I search for him among the crowd, but he’s nowhere to be found. That’s odd.

The king straightens his back. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today is the 47th competition of our wonderful pack. Each year we fight, take tests, and strive to surpass those who came before us.

“As usual, we will start with the first test, Catch The Bird. Those who end up without a bird will be eliminated. May the Goddess be in your favor.”

The warriors step forward into the magical dome, so I follow their lead.

Catching a bird? What kind of challenge is that?

I look around in the dome but I don’t see any birds.

Some of the warriors shift into their wolf form while others remain in their human form.

“Son, will you hurry?” The king’s annoyed voice echoes through the dome. I turn my head toward Roman and sure enough, he steps into the ring.

He avoids my gaze, though I know he can feel me watching him. So, he wants to play? Let’s play.

The humming of birds fills the dome. The magic amplifies the sounds.

I watch the witch, her eyes focused on the scene before her. I know the birds aren’t real.

One of the warriors springs up, and for a moment, I think he’s going to catch one of the blue-white birds.

But the bird disappears, only to reappear behind him.

I can’t help but smile as more warriors, Roman included, leap and lunge, trying to catch a bird.

The same thing happens to them, again and again. Each time, the bird reappears behind them.

I sneak up behind one of the warriors who’s just shifted into his wolf form to catch a bird.

I stay hidden behind him. The moment he’s about to touch the bird, I reach up.

The bird reappears right where I thought it would, and my hand closes around it.

I hold it gently, stroking its head.

The witch is watching me, her face a mask of annoyance.

I weave my way through the ring, avoiding the wolves and humans who are still trying to catch their birds.

I step out of the dome and show the king my bird. He nods at me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our very own princess has caught the first bird. It seems the Alpha Prince has caught one too.” I turn around and see Roman standing behind me.

He’s holding a little red bird.

In the blink of an eye, both our birds disappear. I feel a pang of disappointment.

I would have loved to have a pet.

After about thirty minutes, everyone but one small, unknown warrior has caught their birds.

The small warrior stomps away, clearly annoyed.

Next to me, a woman chuckles.

“Every year he tries and every year the birds defeat him.” I can’t help but feel sorry for the kid. At least he’s trying.

The king rises from his chair, his hand still holding Honora’s. I give her a weak smile, and she returns it with a worried look.

“The second test will be a test of speed. The first one to catch their flags and bring them back down wins.”

I turn to see some of the non-competing warriors placing tall poles in the dome.

I realize now that the dome isn’t completely closed.

The poles are thin and at least twenty-five meters high.

Each one has a small flag at the top.

The bottom of each pole is supported by a massive stone, probably to keep it from falling over.

“This time the last two to get down get eliminated. Let’s begin.” I approach one of the poles as Roman takes his place next to me.

I wipe my hands on my black sweatpants and wait for the signal. The young warrior who was eliminated in the last round stands in front of us.

“Everybody ready? Three... two... one... GO!” I grab the pole and hoist myself up.

Next to me, Roman is moving quickly, his legs circling the pole while his arms do most of the work. I let go of the pole with my legs and pull myself up using only my arms.

My arm muscles tighten as I keep pulling myself up.

I’m almost at the flag when Roman slides down next to me.

I push myself forward, focusing only on him, and grab the flag.

I start to descend slowly. After a few seconds, I realize this isn’t working.

Roman is already halfway down, and I still have a long way to go.

I hold the flag tightly in my teeth and let go of the pole.

I’m falling, the wind roaring in my ears.

I summon a gust of wind to slow my fall.

Just a second after Roman lands, I set foot on the grass.

I hear a murmur from the crowd, but my eyes are locked on Roman, who looks furious.

Furious is an understatement.

The vein in his forehead is bulging, and his jaw is clenched so tightly I’m afraid he’s going to break his teeth.

“I see our princess has some tricks up her sleeve.” Honora winks at me.

“The third test is my favorite. Each of you will get a cloth with a scent on it. The scent belongs to one of our pack members who has been ‘kidnapped’. Free them and bring them back here. The last three will be eliminated. Good luck boys... and Princess.”

We’re all lined up next to the dome.

The witch approaches me with a cloth in her hand.

I touch it, then smell it.

She scans me with her eyes before bowing slightly and stepping away.

What was that about?

One of the warriors who was eliminated in the last round gets us ready.

He counts down while I manipulate the wind, letting different scents come to me.

The moment the warrior says GO! I’m off. I can’t help but smile.

The person they’ve given me is Lorenzo.

Having fought him, his scent is already deeply ingrained in my memory.

It seems fair, since all of the pack members already know each other.

I dive under the tree line, shifting into my wolf form. I can smell Lorenzo, but I can’t see him.

I look up at the trees until I spot ropes in one of them.

I circle the tree, and sure enough, there’s Lorenzo.

He grins down at me.

I use my flames to cut the rope.

Lorenzo keeps grinning at me, but he doesn’t move.

I growl at him to come down, but he stays put.

Okay, time for plan B. I summon a gust of wind, knocking Lorenzo off the branch.

He falls, trying to grab branches on his way down.

I push him away every time he gets close to one.

I slow his fall a bit, but not enough to prevent him from landing painfully on his butt.

He glares at me, and I toss my head in the air as if to say, pfft.

I growl at him again, and this time he moves. I start running, and I hear him following me.

When we get back to the starting point, I see that Roman has already freed his hostage.

She’s a woman about his age with long, curly brown hair.

Jealousy hits me, and before I can stop myself, I growl.

Roman and the woman both turn to look at me.

Roman looks amused, but the woman looks annoyed.

I see her hand on Roman’s arm and growl again.

I set my paws on fire, which seems to startle the woman.

Next to me, Lorenzo nudges me, and I realize that my distraction has allowed someone else to finish. I quickly step behind the start line, and the witch approaches me again.

“Good job, witch-wolf. Show them how we stand in battle.” I look at her, puzzled, but she just hands me a pair of clothes and walks away. What was that about?