Page 56
“Have you ever considered entering the games?” I ask. One interrogation tactic is to take them off guard with a personal question.
I’ve learned by now that female shifters enter the games based on their own merit. It’s not just an event for humans.
She blinks at me. “Yes. I had a mate for a time. He died. My kind doesn’t mate twice.”
While my tactic worked, guilt now eats at me as Ulara walks ahead and I follow in her footsteps.
So her relationship with Godric really is platonic. But to not be able to mate again? That’s harsh.
“I didn’t mean to—”
She snatches open the heavy door to the hub where all court-related activities have taken place. “Don’t worry about it. I got over it a long time ago.”
I sense there’s a lot of history there she’s not letting on about, but I nod and head inside.
Mage lights illuminate the walls and give off a soft atmosphere. The building is more inviting than it was my first visit here.
Then again, that likely has something to do with the fact that most camps I’ve attended in the hub aren’t fatal, unlike the combat-related lessons outside.
The hum of chatter perks me up as Ulara leads me to a room I haven’t been to before. This one has a long dining table stretched out in the center of it with stations all around.
And just like all the other skill camps that have taken place in the hub, I easily spot the cameras huddled in the corners watching our every move.
Somehow, the evaluation itself is not something that’s recorded. At least, mine wasn’t. Which might explain why both Arwan and Godric were in attendance.
But what, exactly, is so special about me to award that kind of trouble eludes all my investigation efforts.
Sofia excitedly waves at me. After a month of training and settling into the pack, she’s strangely flourished.
“I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re excited about a cooking challenge,” I tell her as I take the empty station adjacent to hers.
I scan the room and quickly find Ferra with Violet and Coraline. The three of them have tried to kill me more than once, but I can’t imagine what they’re going to do at this challenge. Chuck their knives at me?
“I’m going to cook my specialty, and then they’re going to take me right into the pack, for sure,” Sofia proudly informs me. “Forget the games. I don’t need a mate.”
I sigh with relief as I pick up one of the apples that must be grown somewhere nearby, based on the firmness between my fingers that says it’s fresh. I haven’t seen any orchards yet, but I’ve heard some packs have them. “Good. The last thing I need is to worry about you being hunted down by a feral wolf in the games.”
She gives me a raised brow. “What do you mean?”
I sigh. “Did you never really watch one?”
She wrinkles her nose as she examines the ingredients on her table. She picks up something green and turns it over. “No. Too violent. Why did you watch them?”
“My brother,” I immediately respond.
Sofia gives me a knowing nod. “Of course. He probably gained some sick sort of satisfaction from watching you squirm.”
I think back to the gore and the senseless death. I’d tried to squeeze my eyes shut, but my brother had made me watch. “Mother wants you to be naive and clueless, but not on my watch, Liliana. You’ll know how dark this world is, because you’re part of it, whether you like it or not.”
Maybe he was trying to be a good brother, in his twisted way.
Another stray thought crosses my mind, but I dismiss it before it can take root.
What if he knew I’d wind up here and he was trying to prepare me?
“So, do you want a mate?” Sofia asks with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “A certain burly shifter that already shares your bed, perhaps?”
I open my mouth to tell her what Ulara said about Godric not being a sponsor, but a loud bell makes me cover my ears.
