Solomon turned, walked toward his still-running SUV, climbed in, and took off down the narrow trail. Snow sprayed behind him as the engine growled and disappeared through the trees.
Nadia stared after him. “I am absolutely going to help get him fired someday.”
Luca scoffed. His cheeks were red from the cold, eyes sharp and alert. “First thing I do as Alpha.”
They walked together to the slab, which sat half-buried in snow, a massive round disk of slate taller than Nadia’s waist and thick enough to look immovable. Frost rimmed its edges. Snow clung to its surface in uneven patches.
“So,” Luca said. “Any ideas?”
She stared at it. “We roll it?”
He crouched and shoved his hands under the edge, muscles standing out as he lifted with a grunt. “Fuck. It’s heavy.”
“I think it’s supposed to be,” she said. “Everything about these trials is supposed to be miserable.”
He tilted the slab up onto its rim. It wobbled once, then settled. “All right,” he grunted, his face turning red. “I’ll roll. You scout ahead. Tell me where to turn.”
“Got it.” She moved ahead, boots crunching through snow, scanning the ground for roots and rocks. The forest closed around them fast. Pines rose tall and close together, their branches heavy with snow. The air smelled sharp and clean and faintly metallic. Wind threaded through the trunks and set the trees creaking softly overhead.
They hadn’t gone far before the slab started slipping.
“Careful,” she called, doubling back to brace it with her shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said through clenched teeth. “This is a pain.”
Snow kept falling. Fine at first, then thicker, turning the ground slick. The slab slid faster than expected, forcing them both to scramble. Nadia dug her boots in and grabbed the stone with both hands, cold seeping straight through her gloves.
They moved like that for a long time. Push. Stop. Adjust. Push again.
“How serious are things with you and Caidrik?” Luca asked suddenly.
Nadia stumbled and caught herself on a tree, shoving branches aside so the slab could pass. Bark scraped her palm through the glove. How much did he know? “What do you mean?”
“Come on. He’s been your enforcer for a while. There’s something between you.”
“Yeah,” she said softly, unwilling to give him any more. If he discovered she and Caidrik had broken the rules, he’d surely turn them in. “Why didn’t you drink the tea the first day?”
He sighed heavily, his gloved hands gripping the slickening slate. “I don’t like tea. It’s that simple. I give you my word that I didn’t poison anybody.” He slipped and caught himself, knocking the slate into branches. “I think Bulwark did it.”
Nadia pivoted again, using her hip this time to angle the heavy slate the right direction. “Yeah, but he got sick, too.”
“That asshole is reckless enough to have poisoned himself just enough to make it look real,” Luca said, his voice rough as he strained to move the slab around an ancient pine tree. “It killed Dax. Should’ve killed Caidrik, since he drank two cups.”
Yeah, Caidrik was seriously tough. “It could’ve been Bulwark,” she agreed. The jerk.
Luca hesitated. “When I become Alpha… would you ever consider being my mate?”
The question landed heavy, and she didn’t know the answer. Her entire future was beyond her reach, and she didn’t know the right move to make. What was best for the pack? For Caidrik? For her?
Luca cleared his throat. “Just think about it. Both you and Taryn are impressive females who’d do an excellent job for the pack.”
That was a kind thing to say.
The mine appeared suddenly through the trees, a dark mouth carved into stone. Rusted beams framed the opening. Snow drifted into the entrance but didn’t soften the blackness inside. “Oh thank God,” Nadia breathed. “We made it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Luca said, straining as he rolled the slab forward. “But yeah.”
They guided it into the opening, and he shoved it inside with a rough push. The stone clattered and bounced, the sound echoing deep and hollow. It soon disappeared into the blackness of the cavern. Then came a heavy boom that shook the ground.
