Chapter 46 No Safe Ground
Lycian read the message over my shoulder. His whole body went rigid.
“That’s it,” he said. Voice deadly quiet. “We’re done playing their game. You’re not doing the final trial.”
“What?” I sat up. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub. “I’ve come this far. I’m not quitting now.”
“It’s not quitting. It’s survival.” He grabbed a towel. Wrapped it around me as I stood. “They just said the real threat is beginning. Sarah tried to poison you tonight. Who knows what they’ll do during the final challenge?”
“So I should just give up? Let them win?”
“You should stay alive.” His hands framed my face. Desperate. “I don’t care about trials or traditions or proving anything to anyone. I care about you. Safe. Breathing. Here with me.”
Through the bond, I felt his terror. Raw and overwhelming. He’d watched me get attacked tonight. Seen how close I’d come to being poisoned. His control was fracturing.
“I’m not giving up,” I said firmly. “One more trial. Then it’s over. Then we can leave. Take that beach trip. Be normal for a while.”
“And if something happens during the trial? If they succeed this time?”
“Then you’ll be there. You’ll protect me. Like you always do.” I kissed him softly. “I need to finish this. For me. To prove I’m strong enough.”
He closed his eyes. Pressed his forehead to mine. “You’re already strong enough. You don’t need to prove anything.”
“Maybe not to you. But to myself.” I pulled back. Met his gaze. “Please. Trust me on this.”
The conflict played across his face. Love versus fear. Support versus protection.
Finally, he nodded. “One condition. The final trial happens on our terms. Our location. Our security. No surprises.”
“Deal.”
We got ready for bed in heavy silence. The bond thrummed with tension. Worry. Neither of us slept well.
The next morning, Thaddeus called. The council had reached a decision.
“You passed the social trial,” he said. Voice formal. “Unanimous vote. Your hosting was exceptional. Your crisis management is exemplary. You’ve completed three of four required trials.”
“Thank you.”
“The final trial will be in two weeks. Combined challenge testing all three areas. Physical. Mental. Social.” He paused. “Given recent events, we’re making changes. Closed location. Vetted witnesses only. Maximum security.”
“Lycian told you about the message.”
“He did. And I agree with his concerns. We’re not taking chances with your safety.” His voice softened slightly. “You’ve earned this, Elowen. The title. The position. Don’t let fear stop you now.”
After the call, I felt strange. Empty. Three trials done. One to go. I should feel accomplished. Instead, I just felt tired.
Elena visited that afternoon. Bought coffee and pastries from my favorite bakery.
“Congratulations on passing,” she said. Settling onto the couch. “The pack is talking about last night. About how you handled Sarah. They’re impressed.”
“They should be horrified. One of their own tried to poison me.”
“They are. But they’re also seeing your strength. Your composure under pressure.” She bit into a croissant. “You’re changing minds. Slowly. But it’s happening.”
“Not fast enough. There are still others who want me gone.”
“There will always be people who resist change. That’s not your problem. That’s a them problem.” She squeezed my hand. “You’ve done everything right. Passed every test. Prove yourself over and over. At some point, their hatred says more about them than you.”
Her words helped. A little. But couldn’t erase the constant weight of being watched. Judged. Threatened.
Tessa called later. “I saw photos from the gathering online. You looked amazing. Very fancy Luna.”
“Thanks. It was intense.”
“I bet. Hosting that many people sounds like my nightmare.” She paused. “You okay though? You sound off.”
I told her everything. The attack. The messages. The exhaustion.
“Come visit me,” she said immediately. “Just for a day. Get away from pack stuff. Be normal college students for like five minutes.”
“I can’t. Security won’t let me go anywhere without guards.”
“Then bring guards. I don’t care. You need a break before you break.” Her voice was firm. “Tomorrow. My dorm. We’ll watch terrible movies and eat junk food and forget about wolves and trials and all of it.”
She was right. I needed normal. Needed to remember who I was outside all this.
“Okay. Tomorrow. But I’m bringing Cade.”
“Fine. He can judge our movie choices with us.”
The next day, Cade drove me to campus. Stayed in the common area while Tessa and I holed up in her tiny dorm room.
It felt like stepping back in time. Posters on the walls. Clothes everywhere. The smell of cheap candles and instant ramen.
“This is what I needed,” I said. Collapsing on her bed. “Normalcy.”
“You say that now. Wait until my roommate comes back. She’s weird about her side of the room. Has literal tape down the middle.” Tessa handed me a bag of chips. “So. Real talk. Are you happy? With all of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“The pack life. The trials. The constant danger.” She sat cross-legged on the floor. “Is it worth it? Or are you doing this because you feel like you have to?”
I thought about it. Really thought. “Both. I’m doing it because I love Lycian. Because I want a life with him. But also because I’m tired of people telling me where I don’t belong. I belong wherever I choose to be.”
“Good answer.” She grinned. “Just making sure you’re not sacrificing yourself for some guy.”
“He’s not some guy. He’s my guy.”
We spent hours talking. About everything. Nothing. The classes she was taking. Her boyfriend drama. My upcoming final trial. Life outside the intensity.
Around five, my phone rang. Lycian.
“Hey,” I answered. “What’s up?”
“Where are you?” His voice was tight. Stressed.
“Still at Tessa’s. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Sarah escaped custody. An hour ago. No one knows where she is.”
My blood went cold. “How?”
“Someone helped her. Disabled security. Created a distraction.” He was moving. I heard car doors. Engines. “I’m coming to get you. Stay with Cade. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Okay. Hurry.”
I hung up. Looked at Tessa. “I have to go. Sarah escaped.”
“The one who tried to poison you? Shit.” She stood. “Go. Be safe. Text me when you’re home.”
I found Cade in the common area. Told him what happened. His expression went hard. Professional.
“Car. Now.”
We moved quickly. Out of the building. Across campus. The parking lot was mostly empty. Late afternoon. Most students are at dinner or studying.
Cade’s car was parked in the far corner. He unlocked it remotely. Scanned the area. Everything looked normal.
We were ten feet from the car when someone stepped out from behind an SUV.
Sarah. Hair wild. Eyes manic. She held something in her hand.
A gun.
Cade moved instantly. Stepped in front of me. “Get back.”
“Move,” Sarah said. Voice shaking. “I just want to talk to her.”
“Not happening. Lower the weapon.”
“I can’t. They’ll kill me if I don’t finish this. They said if I failed again, I’m done.” She was crying. Desperate. “Please. Just let me talk to her.”
“Sarah,” I said. Staying behind Cade. “It’s over. You’re making it worse.”
“It’s not over until you’re gone. Until things go back to normal.” She raised the gun. Aimed at me. Her hand shook. “I didn’t want this. Any of this. But Marcus said it was the only way. To preserve tradition. To save the pack.”
“Marcus used you. He’s gone. Banned. This won’t bring him back.”
“But it’ll stop you.” Her finger moved toward the trigger. “I’m sorry. But you have to go.”
Everything happened at once.
Cade lunged toward her. Sarah fired. The sound was deafening.
Pain exploded in my shoulder. Hot. Sharp. Overwhelming.
I hit the ground. Tasted asphalt. Heard shouting. More gunshots.
Then Lycian’s voice. Roaring. Furious. Inhuman.
Through the bond, I felt his rage. His terror. His wolf is taking over completely.
I tried to stay conscious. Tried to reach for him through the bond.
But darkness pulled at me. Insistent. Heavy.
The last thing I heard was Lycian screaming my name.
Then nothing.