“I still have at least a chapter to go.” She needed more time.
Caidrik brushed melting snow from his thick hair. “Did you find anything that would help?”
Nadia grimaced. “I did. But it’s not pretty.”
Bussy jerked upright. “What’d you find? Did you find a way out of this?”
“There is a way,” Solomon said slowly. “But it’s not a good one.”
“I don’t care,” Caidrik said. “What is it?”
Nadia swallowed. “It’s really not good, Caidrik.”
He looked at her and then at Solomon. “Somebody had better tell me.”
Solomon patted the grimoire. “Apparently this situation has happened before.”
“We’re wolves, dear,” Bussy said. “Of course it’s happened before. That means there’s a contingency plan.” She grabbed Margaret’s hand. “Oh, Margaret, this is such good news. I really didn’t want to go on a cruise for a year.”
“Me either,” Margaret said. “I burn in the sunlight. Crazy.”
Caidrik didn’t spare them a glance. “What is it? What do I have to do?”
Solomon looked at Nadia.
Her stomach rolled. “According to the grimoire, you can get back into the contest if you fight twenty-five of the pack’s best fighters.” She gulped. “In addition to any remaining challengers.”
“Okay,” Caidrik said instantly.
“No. Hold on a minute,” Bussy said, holding up a hand. “You can’t just fight twenty-five and then Bulwark. That wolf is a killer.”
Caidrik looked directly at Solomon. “Do I have to fight them all at once?”
“No, no, no,” Solomon said quickly. “It’s one at a time.” He swallowed loudly. “If any of them beat you and take you out—kill you—they get twenty-five percent ownership of all the Slate mines.”
“Ooh,” Margaret murmured. “Now that’s an incentive.”
Nadia frowned. “Caidrik, you were in several fights just last night. You still have bruises.” He had so many he hadn’t been able to heal them all.
“I’m aware of that,” he said evenly. “But we can’t leave the pack to Bulwark.”
“Is there a time frame on this?” Nadia asked.
Solomon nodded. “Yeah. It has to be today, before anyone else is named the Alpha of the pack. I can stall Bulwark with a challenge or two, but it won’t take long. He’s going to want the ceremony tomorrow night at the latest.”
Caidrik looked around the cabin as the firelight danced over his handsome face. “I enjoyed our night here.” His soft words landed hard in Nadia’s chest.
“So did I,” she whispered. She had faith in him. She knew he was a great fighter, but taking on twenty-five trained enforcers and then Bulwark? Caidrik wasn’t invincible.
He must have seen the worry on her face because he winked. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve got the right incentive.”
Chapter 31
Morning light cast the world in shades of gray with light pink riding the bottoms of the clouds. The wind whipped around, throwing snow in every direction. It cut into Caidrik’s bare skin, sharp enough to sting. Bruises still covered his torso, but all of the cuts had healed.
He faced the bleachers, where many of the pack members sat huddled in blankets. Other members ringed the football field. They were rather quiet for wolves. The football field was a sheet of churned slush over frozen grass, slick in patches and heavy in others. His boots found grip where they could.
Solomon cleared his throat, standing once again on the icy track that surrounded the field. “The librarian has accepted the challenge from Caidrik McGregor, who was disqualified from the trials due to breaking the, ah, the chastity requirement.” Solomon flushed a tomato red color. “According to the grimoire, he can be reinstated as a challenger if he survives twenty-five fights with pack members as well as a fight with any remaining challengers, who in this case, is his brother, Bulwark McGregor.”
