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Kayden gasped and gripped my hand. A second later, the lights flickered once, then the lights went out, only the flames from the candles lighting the room. We could see, but not as well as in wolf form. Outside the ballroom, the estate was pitch black.
The urge to shift was strong, despite knowing this was a test, a simulation to see how the women would react under pressure. Trying to keep up the charade, I whispered to Kayden, “The soldiers have all left the room.”
“Jenna,” Kayden hissed, grabbing her sister and pushing her towards the back wall. “Just hide. Whatever you do, don’t come out.”
Jenna complied, Kayden immediately jumping into action as she began calling the names of the contestants nearest her as she scanned the dim room. There was a hint of fear on her face, but more prominent was the determination. Pride swelled in my chest. I’d underestimated Kayden when she first arrived, but I knew better now. She was strong—a fighter.
Something she proved as she effortlessly took the lead, calling out commands and directing the others. I was surprised to see her working closely with Sydnee, though perhaps I shouldn’t have been. Sydnee was a strong contender, making her a wise choice to team up with. As far as the women knew, we were actually under attack.
“First, we need to secure the room,” Kayden said. “Use what we’ve learned to create a perimeter and protect our guests.”
I stepped back to let her do her thing, impressed with her plan of securing the estate, section by section, clearing it in strategic moves. Then everyone was shifting, just as wolves came out of nowhere, four of them rushing through the door. I shifted as well, following behind, waiting for an opportunity to jump into the fray myself and make this more believable.
As we made our way to the front grand foyer in the center of the estate, more wolves burst through the front doors—time to fight.
The largest wolf at the front of the pack was Garrett, his wolf’s size only second to mine. Kayden charged at my mother, though I was certain she had no idea who she was fighting from the way she went into full-on attack mode. Distracted by the way Kayden’s wolf moved, swiftly and gracefully, the silver-white fur gleaming in the moonlight that streamed through the back wall of windows, I nearly got bowled over by Garrett when he leaped toward me.
I met him head-on, pushing off with a powerful leap to collide with him in mid-air. We fell in a heap, quickly regaining our footing. He snarled and shook his massive head, and I growled, snapping my teeth twice in return. A friendly challenge. We might as well have fun with this and get our own training session in.
It turned into a game, Garrett and I circling and attacking each other, seeing who could get the other to submit first. Wolves were fighting each other all around, and the atrium was full of snarls and growls, the sounds of a battle all around us. One by one, wolves began to submit as others bested them.
A flash of white caught my eye, and I turned in time to see Kayden pin my mother to the ground, her massive golden wolf submitting before Kayden could take it too far. Her silvery wolf swung its head toward me as if sensing me watching, but in the time I’d allowed her to distract me, I’d given Garrett an opening.
I sensed him before I saw him, hurtling through the air, ready to knock me to the floor and deliver a winning blow. But before I could react, Kayden’s wolf was diving over me, throwing herself in front of me. There was no time to stop her, no time to intervene.
Garrett smashed into her so hard that they went tumbling across the marble floor, landing in a heap with Garrett’s giant wolf on top of Kayden’s. A deafening roar of fury ripped through the room as pure rage consumed me. I ran to them, knocking Garrett to the side before shifting back to human form.
“What the fuck?” I yelled at him as I dropped to my knees by Kayden, running my hands along her heaving sides, checking for broken bones.
Around me, applause broke out as the final wolf was pinned, and the guests from the party who knew what was happening came out to see. I barely noticed, my only concern for Kayden, even as anger boiled in me that she’d been hurt.
“Can you shift back?” The other wolves were shifting back, assistants running out with clothes. Kayden shifted, her face pinched in pain as she lay motionless on the floor.
“Somebody get a medic,” I roared, panic setting in as I hovered over her. “Kayden, what hurts? What can I do?”
She blinked, staring at the ceiling for a moment before shaking her head slightly. “I’m okay. I just got the wind knocked out of me.”
I wasn’t settling for that until she’d been thoroughly examined. Faye rushed to my side with clothes for Kayden, and I helped her put them on once she’d caught her breath. I lifted my head to see Grandmother approaching.
“Out of my way, boy,” she said.
“I want to help,” I told her, worry for my mate too strong for me to leave her side. If Garrett had caused real damage, he’d have me to answer to.
Grandmother gave me an exasperated look. “You’ll be more help by stepping aside.” She shook her head. “What’s come over you lately?”
I met Kayden’s eyes, and she shook her head slightly. A warning that I was showing my hand again. “Just let her work, Holden. Please.”
I gritted my teeth, not liking it one bit but knowing it was what was best for her. I moved out of the way and let her check Kayden. The foyer began to clear as everyone dressed, the assistants and coordinators ushering them back to the ballroom.
“She’s going to be sore, that’s for sure,” Grandmother said. “Some bruised ribs, perhaps. But nothing a couple of shifts and some rest won’t fix.”
She rose to her feet, narrowing her eyes at me, a question there that I wasn’t ready to answer, so I looked away and held my hands out to Kayden. “Can I help you up?”
But Grandmother wasn’t one to be so easily dismissed. She pointed her finger in my face. “You need to go back into the ballroom.Alone.” The way she said it—as if she was on to Kayden and me—made my stomach drop. But even if it revealed too much, I wasn’t going to leave Kayden out here.
“No,” I said. “She’s hurt, and I’m going to help her.”
Grandmother huffed out an irritated breath, grumbling about me being an idiot, but I ignored her as I helped Kayden to her feet.
