Chapter 11
*Nathaniel
I told myself this was for the best.
Jiselle’s indifference. Her refusal to look at me, to speak to me. The way she carried herself now, more focused, more determined, more guarded than before. This was what I wanted.
Then why the hell did it hurt so much?
My jaw ticked, and I forced myself to tear my gaze away from her a few yards away. This was for the best. It had to be.
At least, that was the lie I repeated in my head as Instructor Bastian continued calling out pairings.
It wasn’t until a few names were called that I realized something was off.
My spine went rigid as my eyes scanned the pairs forming across the training ground. Strongest with weakest.
My stomach twisted.
It was a good save, pairing Emari Nightshade with Lincoln Laker. People were so focused on the ‘perfect pair‘ that they didn’t realize it was a distraction, to keep them from noticing the pattern here. A few people noticed. Most didn’t.
Though the oldest Laker brother wasn’t as strong as Maximus, he was good enough, and he had the Laker name–a reputation built by Maximus. Not that he’d admit it. They were all egoistic, arrogant assholes, and I was far less pleased with how he and Jiselle grew… acquainted. As for Emari, well, her last name carried weight too. So everyone was busy buzzing about how they’d win to focus on who might not live.
By the time Bastian paired Jiselle with me, I knew.
The killing started now.
Not that I thought Jiselle was weak. But she was still untrained. She wasn’t conditioned the way others were yet.
A muscle in my jaw pulsed as I forced my shoulders to stay loose, relaxed. I knew this system. I’d hated it since my first and second years at the academy. The first year was all about survival, but by the second, it became clear that not all of us were meant to make it through.
The first two years, the instructors paired the strongest wolves together so they could hunt the weak. This year, they flipped the game. They were forcing the strong to kill the weak themselves, testing just how ruthless we could be.
My hands clenched into fists.
“Each of you has fifteen minutes to gather whatever you believe you’ll need to survive the next eighteen hours,” Bastian’s voice carried across the room. “Once time is up, you’ll be sent into the forest. Your assignment is simple–locate one of the claws hidden in the land and survive until sunrise.”
I heard someone mutter, that’s it?‘
Idiots.
It wasn’t that simple. It never was.
There were probably hundreds of claws placed in locations designed to weed out the weak–in pits deep enough that you needed strength to pull yourself out, on cliff’s where balance and agility were key, in areas where endurance, stamina, and resilience were tested. Either your partner killed you out of frustration, or you were killed by the obstacles.
This was where students started dying. Where the weeding process truly began for the year.
And my only instinct was to protect Jiselle.
We didn’t speak as we made our way toward the dorms. Jiselle hadn’t questioned anything, but I could see it in the way she moved–she was thinking. Processing. She knew this wouldn’t be just another challenge.
We parted as she went into Silver Claw dorm, and I left to my private quarters. Turns out, when you have a reputation like mine, no one wants to dorm with you. Not that I was complaining.
I grabbed the essentials. Weapons, water, light packs.
By the time I went back to the intersection of male and female dorms, Jiselle was already waiting, which was impressive but not surprising. It
1/3
Chapter 11
reminded me of when we were kids going on some dangerous childish adventure, and she’d be there before me and Ethan, demanding to go too.
She had tied her hair back and changed into cleaner, thicker leathers, probably anticipating the cold of the night. I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips. Always so smart. She barely glanced at me approaching before walking off, and I burned the twist in my stomach as Maximus–Freaking–Laker pushed past me and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle, before meeting his partner.
I replaced the feeling with anger and swore to myself that I’d end him one day.
We continued to the drop–off point at the edge of the academy grounds.
“You have until sunrise,” Bastian reminded us. “Failing to find a claw will result in consequences. If you find another team in possession of a claw, you are permitted to engage in combat.”
No one needed clarification on what that meant.
The second the signal was given, we were thrown into the trees.
And so survival began.
We were no longer students of the same academy anymore. We were enemies hunting down and protecting something precious to us.
And that precious thing was walking a few feet ahead of me, her light–brown hair catching in the faint light of the setting sun as she adjusted the strap of her training bag over her shoulder.
Her frame was smaller compared to most of the wolves around us, but she was leaner now, stronger. The past few weeks had stripped away whatever softness had once settled in her limbs. She was all sharp edges, all coiled tension, all fire.
And I hated that I noticed.
She shifted as if she could feel me staring, then threw a glare over her shoulder at me. “What?” she asked, eyeing me with suspicion.
I masked my pain with indifference as I was so used to.
“Nothing.” I said quickly, turning on my heel without warning her. “We need to move. This way.”
Jiselle scurried behind me to catch up, falling in line with my steps. “So, what’s the plan?”
1 hesitated. “We locate a claw, keep it protected, then head to the cave near the southern cliffs before nightfall.”
Her brows furrowed. “A cave?”
“It’s safe,” I said shortly. “Best we do this as soon as possible. By night, things will get…messy. If you see a classmate, don’t regard him as such. Because make no mistake, we are all enemies now.” I jabbed a finger to my chest. “The only person you trust until sunrise is me, got it?”
She exhaled sharply but nodded. “Fine.”
Then, just as quickly, she went back to ignoring me.
I rolied my shoulders, trying to shake off the irritation curling in my chest as we walked for another twenty minutes in complete silence.
Hell, I knew I was an ass, but once upon time, we could’ve had a decent conversation without Ethan being present.
‘Yeah well once upon a time, you didn’t sleep with her and left her for two years, asshole, my wolf bristled, the first time he’s spoken to me in weeks. He’s pissed that I’ve pushed Jiselle away when she came here. He’s pissed that I won’t claim her. But he doesn’t get it. He wasn’t there as yet. I owed Ethan everything. Do I love him more than Jiselle? No. But do I keep my word? Absolutely.
Yet, my pesky emotions got the best of me and I finally snapped.
“You’re seriously going to keep up the silent treatment during this?”
She didn’t even glance at me. “Seems to be working so far.”
I clenched my jaw, trying not to snap. “Fine. Then let’s split up and meet back here in thirty minutes.”
Jiselle stopped dead in her tracks leveling me with a glare that 1–annoyingly so–found sexy as hell.
“Are you crazy? That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
I exhaled, annoyed. “It’ll be faster-”
2/3
Chapter 11
“It’ll be stupid,” she interrupted, eyes blazing. “And dangerous.”
I didn’t give her room to argue. “Meet back here in thirty.”
Then, I walked off.
I spotted the claw wedged between two boulders at the top of a ravine. It was a death trap.
The only way to retrieve it was by scaling the uneven rock face, and one wrong step meant falling straight onto a jagged pike of stone below. Impaled.
A weaker wolf wouldn’t stand a chance. They’d die instantly.
Fear prickled my scalp. What if Jiselle found a claw in a place like this? What if she was standing right now at the edge of a similar drop, trying to climb down?
I snatched the claw quickly as if it was sitting in the grass unprotected, heart pounding as I swung myself back up. My pulse thundered in my ears. What if she slipped?
The thought ripped through me, cold and paralyzing. Why was I so stupid? She was right. Splitting up was dangerous but I was so angry at…
Myself.
I was angry at myself and punished her for it, because she isn’t the one keeping us apart. I am.
I needed to find her. Now.
I bolted through the trees, every muscle in my body tight with urgency.
I reached the meeting spot and she wasn’t there.
Panic surged like acid in my gut. Damn it, Jiselle.
I closed my eyes, reaching through the only connection I had to her–our mate bond. I’ve never used it before, but I’d be damned if I didn’t find her right that minute. ! squeezed my eyes shut, as dangerous as doing so was, and forced my senses outward. Where are you?
Nothing. Then-
A scream. Her scream.
My entire body went cold. Then hot. Then I was running, tearing through the trees like a beast unleashed.
And for the first time since this assignment started, I was terrified.
