A Kingdom of Lies and Deception

Chapter Two

Slick sheets of snow and ice pelted me as I scaled the cliff, pinching my skin like thousands of teeny needles. Several metres from the top, I arrived at the second-last of the wooden stakes. Pausing to balance on it, I calculated my next move. One wrong misstep would lead to an unceremonious fall to my death, which would be pretty fucking inconvenient.

I seized a moment to centre myself, sucking a breath of crisp air into my lungs and allowing instincts to take over. The muscles in my legs coiled and the rest of my body tensed, ready to make the leap.

Lunging, I planted my feet firmly on the next stake before propelling myself upwards. My fingers grasped the edge of the cliff, digging into the frozen earth and using the momentum to drag my body up, rolling over the ledge. There was no time to rest or complain about the nail I'd torn from its bed. I pushed up from the ground, breaking into a sprint, following the route that curved around the sierra.

The mountain that we lived on was beautiful – nature at its finest. Surrounded by dense woodland, it jutted up against the horizon in a jagged, snow-dusted line. At this altitude, I could see across the embrace, past the border wall and into the Forsaken Land. Vesenians were forbidden to venture past the gates without permission – doing so saw you cast out. I shivered at the thought – another reason to keep my mouth shut about my failed hunting trip this morning.

Nothing happened though, I reminded myself. Nothing at all.

Sweat beaded on my brow as I ran, dodging patches of ice and compacted snow. The path cut over several deep ravines, with only a fallen log or a rope hanging from a branch to help cross. For one trench, I had to take a running leap and ignore the sharp rocks at its base promising certain death. Soon enough, I caught up to the rear of the group.

Bim noticed me, her features instantly twisting with suspicion. "Did the War Chief change her mind?"

Shrugging, I kept my attention on the trail, not bothering to deign her with a response.

"What's that supposed to mean?" her eyebrows knotted together.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." I waved my hand, picking up the pace to pull ahead of her. She'd probably already mind-linked Reva, dobbing me in.

"Siora!" she called after me, but I ignored her. Bim and I were friends, but lately, we'd been drifting apart, differing opinions and priorities meant we didn't see things as eye-to-eye as we used to. Bim wanted to find her mate and settle down. I wanted other things.

I ducked and weaved between the other fledglings, spotting Cren up ahead, running at the front of the group. Arrogance rolled off of him. Satisfaction swept over me as I closed in, ready to wipe that smugness off his face. Passing another shifter with ease, I inched closer.

There was one male between us. Sidestepping him, I pulled in front, breathing down Cren's neck. A boulder with a line of navy paint swiped across it came into view, marking the path to the proving grounds and the location to release our wolves.

The proving grounds was where the warriors went to prove themselves worthy once they came of age, with the annual event – the Running of the Wolves festival – just a week away. When Ryen took part three years ago, he'd finished first, giving him ultimate bragging rights and the tribal mark of a champion.

This year, it was my turn. The title was going to be mine. I didn't want to be known as the Beta's daughter or Ryen's sister or the local troublemaker. I wanted to stand out for something that I had accomplished on my own. And while I was gunning for the win, completing the run itself was also a big deal. It meant that we were ready for adult responsibilities, including guarding the gates, hunting parties, and (the one I was most excited about) leaving the embrace to visit the other Packs.