Chapter 41 The Test
Councilman Richard Sterling. Mid-fifties. Silver hair. Cold blue eyes that had never looked at me with anything but contempt.
He was the one. Had to be.
I forced myself to stay calm. To walk to the desk. To sit down like nothing was wrong.
Thaddeus sat at the center of the council table. His expression was neutral. Gave nothing away. But his eyes flicked to Sterling. Back to me. A silent warning. I know. Be careful.
“We’ll begin with the written examination,” Thaddeus said. Voice formal. Official. “You have two hours. No outside materials. No assistance. Any violation results in immediate failure.”
Sterling stepped forward. Placed a thick packet on my desk. His fingers lingered on the paper. A small smile played at his lips.
This was it. The sabotaged test. The impossible questions are designed to destroy me.
I looked down at the first page. My stomach dropped.
Question 1: Describe the lineage of the Nightshade Pack’s fourth Alpha, including all mate bonds and offspring through seven generations.
Nobody knew that. It wasn’t in any book I’d studied. Wasn’t relevant to anything.
I glanced at the next question. Just as impossible. And the next.
Sterling watched me. Waited for panic. For me to break down. To prove I didn’t belong here.
I took a breath. Picked up my pen. Started writing.
Not the answers to these questions. The answers to the real test. The one Madison had given me. The one Thaddeus had confirmed.
I wrote about the Valor Pack history. About the founding families. About the laws governing mate bonds and territory disputes. Everything I’d studied. Everything I knew.
My hand cramped after an hour. My wrist ached. But I kept going. Page after page. Filling the packet with correct answers to questions that weren’t there.
Sterling shifted. Uncomfortable. He’d expected me to struggle. To cry. To fail spectacularly.
Instead, I wrote steadily. Confidently. Never hesitating.
At the two-hour mark, Thaddeus called time. “Pens down. Pass your examination forward.”
I stood. Walked to the council table. Placed my packet in front of Thaddeus. Met his eyes briefly. Saw approval there. Hidden but real.
“The council will grade these now,” Thaddeus said. “You’ll wait outside.”
I left the room on shaking legs. The door closed behind me. Lycian was there immediately. Pulled me into his arms.
“How was it?” he asked against my hair.
“Impossible. But I didn’t answer their questions. I answered the real ones.” I pulled back. Looked at him. “Sterling is the traitor. I’m sure of it.”
“I know. My father figured it out yesterday. We’ve been watching him.” Lycian’s expression was grim. “He’s going to lose his mind when he sees your answers.”
“Good. Let him.”
We waited in the hallway. Elena brought water. Damien made terrible jokes to ease the tension. Garrett and Maggie sat quietly. Supportive just by being there.
Thirty minutes passed. Forty-five. An hour.
The door finally opened. Thaddeus emerged. Face carefully blank.
“The council has finished grading,” he said. Loud enough for the gathered crowd to hear. “Elowen, please come in.”
I walked back into the room. Every council member stared at me. Four looked impressed. One looked furious.
Sterling’s face was red. His jaw clenched so tight I heard teeth grinding.
“Your written examination score,” Thaddeus said. Holding up my packet. “Perfect. One hundred percent. Every question answered correctly and thoroughly.”
Murmurs rippled through the room. Shock. Disbelief. Respect.
“That’s impossible,” Sterling said. Standing abruptly. “These questions were… the test was…”
He stopped. Realized what he’d almost admitted.
“The test was what, Councilman Sterling?” Thaddeus’s voice went cold. Dangerous. “Difficult? Fair? Appropriate for evaluating a future Luna’s knowledge?”
Sterling’s mouth opened. Closed. No good answer existed.
“Or perhaps,” Thaddeus continued. “You were going to say the test was sabotaged. Replaced with impossible questions designed to make her fail.”
The room went silent. Every eye is on Sterling now.
“I don’t know what you’re implying,” Sterling said. But his voice shook. “I had nothing to do with test creation. That’s your responsibility.”
“You’re right. Test creation is my responsibility. Which is why I know exactly what questions I wrote.” Thaddeus pulled out another packet. “These questions. About the Valor Pack history. Territory law. Mate bonds. The same questions Elowen just answered perfectly.”
He dropped Sterling’s sabotaged test on the table. “This is what you placed on her desk. Questions about obscure packs. Irrelevant lineages. Information nobody would know. Where did you get this?”
“I… someone must have switched them. I didn’t…”
“Stop lying.” Thaddeus’s Alpha voice filled the room. Command absolute. “You worked with Marcus Blackthorn. Helped him sabotage this trial. Violated the pack law and council ethics. Admit it.”
Sterling’s face went from red to white. “You can’t prove anything.”
“Actually, we can.” Damien walked in. Held up a phone. “We traced the threatening messages. They came from your personal device. Deleted but recoverable.”
Sterling lunged for the phone. Cade appeared from nowhere. Blocked him. Moved him back with one hand.
“You betrayed this pack,” Thaddeus said. Voice shaking with rage. “Betrayed your position. Betrayed wolves who trusted you. For what? To preserve outdated traditions? To keep power you don’t deserve?”
“She’s human!” Sterling shouted. Lost all composure completely. “She doesn’t belong here. Doesn’t deserve to be Luna. You’re all too blind to see it.”
“The only blind one here is you.” Thaddeus stood. Towered over Sterling. “She just passed an impossible test. Proved her knowledge. Her dedication. Her worth. While you proved only that you’re a coward and a traitor.”
“Alpha, please.” Sterling’s voice changed. Became pleading. “I was trying to protect the pack. To maintain our standards.”
“By threatening her? By working with someone we exiled? By sabotaging sacred trials?” Thaddeus shook his head. “You’re stripped of your council position. Banned from the pack lands. You have twenty-four hours to leave.”
“You can’t do this. The council votes on expulsions.”
“The council votes on normal violations. Treason is my decision alone.” Thaddeus gestured to the door. “Get out. Before I let Lycian’s wolf have what it wants.”
Through the bond, I felt Lycian’s fury. His wolf pacing. Demanding blood. Wanting to tear Sterling apart for threatening me.
Sterling looked around the room. Found no allies. No sympathy. Just disgust.
He left without another word. Shoulders slumped. Defeated.
The remaining council members turned to me. Stood one by one.
“You passed the written examination with perfect marks,” the eldest said. “Now for the oral portion. Are you ready?”
My heart hammered. “Yes.”
They asked questions for an hour. Pack history. Governance. How I’d handle disputes. What qualities made a good Luna?
I answered each one. Drew on everything I’d learned. Everything I’d observed. Everything Elena and Lycian and even Thaddeus had taught me.
When they finished, they stepped into the hallway. Deliberated quietly.
Thaddeus stayed with me. “You did well. Better than well.”
“Thank you. For believing in me. For the test.”
“I didn’t give you anything you didn’t earn.” His expression softened. “My mate would be proud. You have her strength. Her determination.”
The council returned. Sat. The eldest spoke.
“Elowen Hale. The council unanimously agrees. You have passed the second trial. Your knowledge of pack law, history, and governance exceeds requirements. Well done.”
Relief hit so hard my knees went weak. I sat down before I fell.
“Two trials completed,” Thaddeus said. “One remaining. The social trial. Where you’ll host and manage a formal pack gathering. Prove you can lead. Unite. Inspire.”
“When?”
“Three weeks. Gives you time to plan. To prepare.” He stood. “But for today, celebrate. You earned it.”
I left the room. Found Lycian waiting. He picked me up. Spun me around. Laughing. The bond sang between us. Pure joy.
“You did it,” he said. Kissing me. “Perfect score. You amazing, brilliant, stubborn woman.”
Elena hugged me next. Then Damien. Then everyone. Congratulations and pride and relief are mixing.
We went to Rosa’s for dinner. The whole group. Ate and laughed and toasted my success.
For the first time in weeks, I felt light. Free. Safe.
But that night, lying in bed, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number. Again.
I almost didn’t look. Almost let it go.
But curiosity won.
Sterling failed. But we have others. The social trial will be your downfall. Count on it.