Maddie’s muscles were bunched, ready for anything, as she crouched down. She controlled her breathing though her heartrate inched higher as she waited. The sea breeze brushed against her skin, playing with her ponytail but she couldn’t take a moment to enjoy it. She was too focused; eyes ahead of her and determined to win. At the sound of the first whistle, her feet pushed off the ground with a bruising force, propelling her forward. Erik had taught her that starting position at the start of the week and it had boosted her time dramatically in the shorter sprints. She was twenty paces, and a good chunk of the way across the field, when the second whistle blew. Immediately, she felt a prickle on the back on her neck as her opponent closed in. The wind against her face felt like nothing compared to the rush of movement behind her. Maddie tried to pick up the pace, but she was already running as fast as she could. Even if a group of starving rogues were chasing after her, she doubted
Training was cancelled that morning so the pack could get ready for the second trial of the Alpha Games. It was the perfect opportunity to stay in bed for a couple of extra hours, but Maddie was up and about as early as usual. Sleep hadn’t come easy to her last night. Strange dreams tormented her sleep and every time she jerked awake from their horrors, she found herself wrapped tightly in her duvet, with pillows thrown everywhere. She had forced herself to stay in bed until a reasonable hour, not wanting to dance around questions about her being awake before the sun. Though the morning had dragged by, the time had now come. In the north of the island, a start and finish line had been created, along which the ten remaining contestants stood. Maddie was happy about them beginning in the north. They were already halfway up the steep incline towards the cliffs, so their first terrain would be the rocky edge. With any luck it would give her a chance to get ahead of the rest as they hit
The speed at which the other contestants belted off the line had Maddie’s eyes flying wide. The moment her father started the race, a rush of air pushed into her side as the wolves all launched off the starting line. She was right behind them, propelling herself forward into the fray, but was already a few steps back from those with the fastest reactions. The contestants all clumped into one group, and she saw elbows flying around as they jostled to get to the front. The commotion slowed them down giving her a chance to catch up. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of movement heading towards her. She flinched, mid stride, unable to avoid the blow, but it never reached her. Instead, a hand intercepted the stray elbow that belonged to none other than Ryan, Daniel’s lackey. Her eyes narrowed to a glare on him, but his attention was on the wolf who had grabbed his arm. With a simple flick of the wrist, he was thrown away and sent stumbling into Nala, whose snarl was any
For the entirety of the second lap, Maddie didn’t see another contestant. The small embers of hope, that she’d catch up to them at the cliffs, died the moment she headed towards the peak point of the island with none of her opponents in sight. Heat stung behind her eyes, but the sea breeze brushed away any tears that managed to escape. Her plan to use the terrain to her advantage had failed. She had underestimated the warriors' ability to adapt to the rocky cliff side and had now been left behind. She was going to lose. Maddie could already feel the upcoming defeat weighing in her bones, trying to coax her to stop and give up. It was tempting. When her chances of passing the trial had effectively dropped to zero, why should she have to keep going? She imagined the faces of all the contestants watching her finish the race long after them. She could already see Daniel’s sneer and the pity in Lewis’ eyes. She didn’t want to face that, let alone the hundreds of Silver Moon wolves watchi
Every step hurt, each breath was a wheeze, and, every moment, Maddie had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder. She was certain she would see the Golden Claw warrior hot on her heels and ready to steal her place in the next round. Her muscles were burning, threatening each step to be her last, but they kept her going down the southern side of the island and across the beach. Hope clenched in her chest as her feet touched grass again and she began the final climb to the finish line. The end was in sight and so was her victory. It burst with renewed strength in her heart, flooding her veins with the energy to keep going. A grin spread across her lips, daring to believe the chance Jess had given her had paid off and that she was about to cross the finish line as the last contestant to pass the speed trial. It was really going to happen. She was going to do it and survive another day of the Alpha Games, and be one step closer to freedom. As the first sprinkling of Silver Moon w
The roar that lifted from the crowd was deafening. It vibrated through Maddie’s bones, filling her with the support of her packmates. Lewis was the first to pull her into a crushing hug and she couldn’t help but laugh. Relief swelled in her. She had truly done it. She had made through the speed trial. Yes, with a lot of help from Jess and only by the skin of her teeth, but she had done it all the same. As her father listed the other successful wolves, most of the crowd weren’t listening. She was passed between them; being pulled into hugs, her hand being shaken, her cheeks being pinched. It was a whirl wind of faces and smiles, and she was lost in the excitement, letting it swirl within her. Maddie was on cloud 9. The adrenaline of the final lap was finally burning off, leaving her with a heady exhaustion. She only just managed to hear the placing of the other wolves. Surprisingly, Lewis didn’t come first like she expected he would. That place was awarded to the Grey Stone wolf, wh
“Goddess, you owe me big time.” Jess groaned. Maddie agreed, though she couldn’t quite understand her friend’s constant grumbling. Not with her feet resting on her man’s lap while he massaged them and cooed at her. It was sickening to watch, and Maddie had to wonder how Jess had managed to wrap the warrior around her finger so soon. Erik didn’t seem to mind. He looked at Jess with a warmth in his eyes that was sweet to see. Every time she saw it, Jess flushed, and Maddie couldn’t help but smile at the pair. However, when Jess complained about her aching feet, Maddie wanted to thump her. She had pushed herself hard the day before, and the blisters on her feet were a testament to her efforts. A day on, a hot bath and twelve hours of sleep later, and they still hummed their discomfort like she was constantly walking over a bed of nettles. She was certain her feet were in a worse condition but, unlike her moaning counterpart, they weren’t getting the same loving treatment. She had
As the tang of blood began to thicken the air, Maddie’s stomach dropped. She picked up the pace, now drawn to swell of noise coming from a couple of streets over. Her feet slapped on the paved ground, the cold night air whipping past her face, her breath blowing like steam from her lips. Her speed was as frantic as her heart, her only comfort was knowing Michael was beside her, keeping pace. She wasn’t alone. She had never heard a noise like that in the streets of Silver Moon. Only once before she had heard a shout so full of pain and terror, but her father had kept her shielded from the horror that had caused it that night. He wasn’t there to protect her now, though she couldn’t help but feel like a young pup again, fear pounding through her veins as she trawled her memory to place the voice and pray that whoever it was was okay. When Maddie turned the last corner, she saw a growing crowd of wolves all standing at the entrance to an alley. Gasps and small shouts rose from them,