I swallowed hard, turning my head just enough to catch Booker’s eyes. They were still rimmed in gold, wild with the effort of holding himself together. The sight only deepened the dread pooling in my stomach.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Another warrior pushed forward. Tarek was one of our most trusted defenders. His face was streaked with dirt and his breathing uneven, but his eyes were steady.
“The ambush began as planned.” He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “We struck from the agreed positions. Nothing unusual.”
Murmurs rippled around me. Every lynx here knew Tarek could be trusted.
“Then someone else joined the attack,” he continued. “Not as part of the trial.”
My stomach clenched as the shadow I’d sensed earlier scraped along the edge of my mind again, faint but unmistakable.
Tarek shook his head. “Whoever it was moved fast and kept to the blind spots. They aimed for the totem, but when that didn’t work, they tried to get to us.”
My breath caught, and the protective growl behind me sent a shiver of awareness up my spine.
Tarek turned to Caelan. “Booker didn’t break the rules. Not once. He protected the talisman, and when Rian slipped on the slope”—he motioned toward the limping warrior beingsupported by two others—“the wolf pulled him out of the way before the saboteur could reach him.”
Gasps echoed off the stone walls surrounding the courtyard, but Booker’s gaze stayed locked on my brother, steady and unflinching.
“He still didn’t shift. Not even when the attack turned real,” Tarek finished.
A hush fell so heavy it pressed against my skin.
Caelan stepped closer, studying Booker with that unreadable alpha stare that showed no hint of the big brother I grew up with. I held my breath, waiting for the verdict, my lynx clawing at my ribs.
Finally, he nodded once. “The trial is complete. Booker Redmond has more than proven himself.”
Murmurs of approval and reluctant respect swirled around me. Some of the older warriors even dipped their chins in rare acknowledgment for an outsider.
My chest swelled so full of relief and pride that it almost hurt. Booker turned toward me, and his wolf flashed in his eyes. The mating bond was pushing me hard, and I knew he had to be feeling the same.
The moment Caelan dismissed the chain and sent guards to sweep the perimeter, the courtyard began to empty in a swirl of tense whispers and hurried footsteps. Booker didn’t move at first, not until Kace and Keane each clapped him on the shoulder.
Kace grinned. “Told you he wouldn’t need our help.”
Keane snorted. “Never doubted him for a second.”
“Sure,” Kace muttered, shaking his head.
Keane’s lips twitched. “Fine. Maybe a little. But I’m glad we came.”
“Me too.” Kace’s gaze slid toward me. “It allowed us to be the first from his life to meet you.”
Heat prickled behind my eyes at how sweet that was. Booker had people who deeply cared about him, and they came all this way for me, too.
Kace winked at Booker before pulling my brother aside for a terse conversation about what needed to be done next, with Keane joining in. The moment they stepped a few paces away, Booker closed the remaining distance between us.
His gaze swept over my face like he was cataloging every flicker of emotion. Then he reached out and brushed his thumb beneath my chin. His touch was so gentle that I almost sobbed.
“You okay?” he murmured.
I gave him a jerky nod and shoved weakly at his chest. “I should be asking that. You’re the one who’s bleeding.”
A wolfish smile tugged at his lips. “It’s nothing.”
“It is not nothing. My heart almost stopped when the warriors returned, and you weren’t with them,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “You could’ve died.”
