He catches my eye and flinches, stopping his instruction mid-sentence.
This has been our adorable little song and dance for the past two weeks. Every time he needs to do his job and teach us, he defers to me because of my status as his Alpha.
He’s okay with the other Rawbonds, but I’m getting nothing. He doesn’t give me orders, he’s slow to criticize my performance, and when he does, it’s almost tentative, like he’s worried I’m going to snap at him for dominance.Resistanceis necessary for strength training.
I need him to be a real instructor, or I’m never going to improve.
“Continue, Daegan,” I grit out from atop Anassa.
He shakes himself as if coming out of a daze and looks back toward the other Strategos pack members. “Move to the side to allow for Daemos to demonstrate their pack powers. Then tap into Strategos foresight abilities and dodge their strikes.”
Stark pipes in. “Daemos Rawbonds, aim for the ground in case Strategos is too slow to dodge. You are not to strike them directly or to use your powers at full strength. Today’s goal is improving each pack’s powers, not hurting each other.”
This is the first time we’ve had a chance to see Daemos powers up close.
The eighteen Daemos Rawbonds circle together, and without warning, wave after wave of magic pulses through the traininggrounds. They’re drawing force from the very air around them, creating battering rams of energy that punch through the arena like massive fists. Debris flies everywhere.
It’s shit-yourself terrifying.
Allegra shrieks when she almost gets knocked off of her wolf. So much for avoiding direct strikes.
I sense eyes on me and search through the cloud of dust until I spot him.
Jonah.
He’s been circling around me all training session, enjoying this more than he should. Each time I catch sight of him through the tumult of wolves and riders and the clouds of dust, he’s had a spiteful grin on his face.
It was only a matter of time before he found some way to reach me. He’s been skulking around ever since the Purge Trial and Perielle’s death, making snide remarks and skewering me with his gaze across the room. I’d say he’s grieving, but he doesn’t seem the type.
Rather, he’s acting like I’ve broken his favorite toy, so he’s going to break my bones in retaliation.
“Daemos,” Stark calls out, “strike again in 5… 4….”
Mentally, I tap into the pack bond. Everyone else’s consciousness flows through me as we use our powers to create a foresight visualization. In the vision, one of the Daemos riders, a woman with shockingly intimidating shoulders, directs a blow to the left of our line.
“3… 2…”
My mind is focused on maintaining the vision and guiding the pack toward the right when a wolf slams into me from the side.
Anassa snarls and whips her head around to bite at the wolf. Pain spirals up my leg from where we collided, and it’s making itdifficult to stay mounted properly. I sag to one side and cling to her fur.
“You keep getting in my way!” Jonah snarls over the thunderous sound of the woman’s blast.
Getting in his way.
He should be halfway across the training yard right now with the rest of his pack. Instead, he’s here, pushing so far into the Strategos side the blast of Daemos power sends dirt scattering over him.
“Get in line, Jonah!” I shout, turning on Anassa to fall back into the flow of my pack. They’re rippling with fine-tuned attention, moving seamlessly around us.
Daemos aren’t so organized or considerate. They surge forward due to the natural rhythms of this exercise, and we’re caught up in the swirling crush of fur and muscle between the two packs.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,commoner!” Jonah shouts at me.
Anassa snarls and turns viciously, like she’s about to eat him.
A massive Daemos wolf shoves past Jonah, blocking him from my vision for a moment. Just then, foresight prickles over my skin and I sense the blow coming.
Too late, though.
