Heart of Iron

Chapter 1: Test of Courage

It was a clear night. The moon was hanging low, peeking through the spaces between the evergreens. Honestly, the light was a blessing. It guided me through the riskier shortcuts as I raced across the Barrens. The knot of fear in my stomach gave each ragged breath the acidic tang of bile.

This was beyond stupid.

I should've gone and found my brother after I'd spotted the group of juveniles out after curfew.

He was bound to give me a good, long lecture followed by combat drills as punishment once he discovered I was missing. And he'd notice. He was my self-appointed keeper.

I could already see the rapid movement of his lips and permanent crease in his brow. Why risk your life for people who would never do the same for you? But when I caught a flash of familiar red hair among the crowd all logical thinking left me.

Sadie was Ellis' little sister. She'd never be just another person to me. He loved her as much as Cameron loved me. And since he wasn't here to protect her—since I was the reason he wasn't here—well, her safety felt like my responsibility.

Even though I knew she'd hate me for it, I followed, hanging back in the shadows. I watched as the group waited for a gap in the patrols at our border before making a mad dash into the Barrens. My heart abandoned my body when I realized what they were up to and where they were headed.

The hot spring.

It was that damned test of courage. Even with the stern warnings from the upper-ranked wolves to steer clear of the no man's land, almost every juvenile attempted it after they turned eighteen.

To them, it was no big deal; all they needed to do was make it across the two-mile-wide stretch of land to a secret cave that housed a natural hot spring. But the danger was that this section of land wasn't under the authority of any Alpha, which meant it was left to the free reign of anyone, including rogues.

They were only a few months outside their first shifts, and they thought themselves powerful—invincible.

I was like them once. Confident and unburdened.

I hadn't understood how real the dangers were, how quickly things could change. Until they did. Forever.

Those nightmarish memories thrashed against the confines of the iron box I'd locked them away in. I scrambled to move faster along the rocky ledge like the devil himself was chasing me. The scenery blurred around the edges of my vision. I intended to cut them off before they reached the hot spring.

The rockface came to a sharp and sudden slope downward. At the bottom was a fast moving, but narrow river.

I hesitated.

The wind whipped my hair into my face as it pushed at my back like a giant invisible hand, threatening to shove me over the edge. I took a step back. Tiny pieces of rock broke loose and rolled down into the dark. My breath quickened. The smell of the minerals in the water, leaves decaying on damp earth, and smoke from a far-off fire burning overwhelmed me. I was losing it.

Stop panicking, Rowan. Do it like all the times you practiced with Cam.

Quick breath out, deep breath in.

Focus. Ignore all the trivial information grabbing your attention.

Calm breath out, deep breath in.

Lock in on the prize.

Then I caught it, the familiar scent of my packmates.

Resolve filled me on my next breath. The wind was at my back. That meant I'd gotten ahead of them. I wasn't going to give up and turn back now.