The Forbidden Wolf King: Kings of Avalier, Book 4(10)

“Great.” I stood and rolled out my neck.

I loved weapons of all kinds. Swords, daggers, throwing stars, a heavy mace. My blood pumped just thinking about it.

Ivanna stood up straighter, apparently not liking my tall stature next to her.

“I am a weapon,” Ivanna announced to the tent as more women trickled in. “So I’ll pass.”

Chills broke out along my arms at her declaration. Did she say that just to get in my head? Or was she really going to pass on the chance to have a weapon?

That was crazy, but also something Cyrus would approve of because it had gotten in my head.

Should I pass too? I didn’t want to look weak for my first fight, especially not if the king was watching. After our run-in last night, I wanted to show him what he had been missing this whole time.

“King Axil is outside right now, making his way to the combat ring,” Eliza said as if reading my mind.

Ivanna and I shared a look and then we were back in a locked stare.

I can do this all day, I thought.

She was clearly looking to see if Eliza’s comment had elicited a reaction from me but I stayed completely void of any facial expression.

More competitors filtered into the tent and then one of the wolven advisors to the king strode into the space, wearing his long red robe. Ivanna and I finally broke our stare-down when the advisor stood directly in front of me, forcing me to look up at him. He held a small wooden box with tiny stone replicas of over a dozen weapons.

“Zara, for the Queen Trials you have been ranked in order of dominance. Because you are number one, you may pick first weapon. Once you have chosen, you will go to the weapons tent where they will exchange this with you for the life-sized version.”

My heart pounded in my chest at that shocking announcement. So it was a dominance ranking. And I’d made number one? How? Ivanna was second in command of her pack. Did Dorian give them an assessment of me or something?

Who cares, I thought to myself.

I knew what Cyrus would counsel me. If Ivanna, who was number two and my biggest competitor, was taking no weapon, then I should pass as well.

“Pass,” I said and turned away from the box. A few women in the tent gasped and the advisor stepped closer to me.

“Excuse me?”

I looked him dead in the eyes. “Pass. I don’t need a weapon,” I told him.

He shook himself as if coming out of a trance and walked over to Ivanna. “Ivanna Rivers, second place. Pick your weapon.”

She glanced at me and grinned, and I knew in that moment that I’d been played. Reaching into the box, she pulled out a tiny replica of a nice broadsword and twirled it expertly in her fingers.

“Nice choice,” the advisor informed her.

I kept my face completely calm, forced my wolf down and began to twist my dark brown hair between my fingers in mock boredom, as if what she’d just done hadn’t bothered me at all. But deep down inside I was furious … and yet also praising her genius. She’d just gotten the number one pick to go into a fight without a weapon. She could essentially knock me out of the race before it even got started. Without even having to fight me! I wanted to hate her, but she’d earned my respect in that moment.

Eliza sidled up next to me while the other girls chose their weapons and there was a pang of sadness when I was reminded that her number was twenty-four. Probably the last or second to last. City people were weak, it was well-known.

“Any advice?” she whispered to me. “You’re such a badass, and I’d love to live through today.”

Her eyes swam with tears and I reached out and slapped her hard across the face. She gasped and her wolf surfaced, her pupils threading through with yellow.

People in the tent turned to us but I ignored them. Instead, I grabbed her lightly by the scruff of the neck and pulled her ear to my lips. “Keep your wolf out when fighting in human form. Your human side is too emotional and it will cost you. Fight dirty. Use every angle you have.”

She nodded, cinnamon blonde fur rippling down the sides of her face.

“You know who you will be fighting?” I asked her in a low voice.

She dipped her chin. “Number twenty-two.”

“No, I mean do you know her?”

She seemed to catch on and then nodded again. “Malin Clearwater. Base Mountain pack.”

It seemed like the fights were weighted and they’d pit us against someone of a similar strength to us. That was both good and bad news for me. Good because when I killed mine, I’d be taking out a strong member and bad because I’d chosen no weapon.

“What can you use against her?” I questioned, letting go of her neck. “Does she have any weaknesses? Fears? Sick mother, ex-boyfriend, phobias?”

Her eyes widened as if what I’d just mentioned was pure evil but then she nodded. “Her … her thigh bone broke last year and never fully set right again. She favors one leg. And … her boyfriend cheated on her this summer.”

“Good. What’s the name of the girl he cheated with?” I demand. The advisor was almost to her and I knew he’d bring her the crappiest weapon because it would be picked last. A small dagger probably.

“Alessia,” she muttered, looking stricken.

“Go in there, ask her how Alessia is doing and then kick out her bad leg, re-breaking her thigh bone,” I instructed. I knew I shouldn’t be giving her any advice at all and Cyrus would warn against it, but something about her innocence and weakness triggered my dominant desire to protect her.