Chapter 4

There was a crowd waiting for them when they pulled into the compound. At least eight people stood outside the Council building. It was a long, wooden structure with huge wooden poles at either corner made with woven grass walls. It was where they held meetings and conducted important ceremonies, Amara knew. And yet, for all the time she had spent with the Pack at the compound, she had only ever been inside once.

Nova clasped Amara’s hand as they started forward, their feet crunching over the gravel in their wake. “Are you nervous?” he asked her, a bit of a tease in his voice.

Instinctively, Amara balked. “No,” she answered automatically. But she knew that wasn’t true. Forcing herself to calm down and be less defensive, she took a deep breath. The long, slow inhale and exhale did her good. Maybe she should take up meditation as her next hobby. “Okay, maybe a little,” she admitted. Nova’s lips twitched at the corners. Her eyes widened. “Are you laughing at me, Lowery?” she wanted to know.

Instantly, the little grin disappeared, but amusement still danced in his eyes. “Of course not.”

“You are. Here I am, about to enter some unknown trial to do God only knows what, so a bunch of virtual strangers can tell me if I’m fit to marry, and the man I’m supposed to be marrying is sitting here laughing at me!” And yet she couldn’t help but find the hilarity in it herself.

“No, I’m not,” he assured her with a chuckle. Amara rolled her eyes. “And I do appreciate you doing this. I know you’re going into it blind.”

And wasn’t that terrifying? “Are you sure you can’t tell me what’s about to happen?”

“I wish I could, love. Trust me. But I don’t know any more about these trials than you do.” He shrugged. “Nobody does. It’s a Council secret. Even though I’m technically on the Council, only the Head Shaman knows what goes on during the trials. Even the Alpha isn’t privy to that information.”

Amara frowned. “I thought you said the Trials were public?”

“To the Council, they are. But even they heed the advice of our Shaman. He is the supreme spiritual leader in the community, you know. They say he even has a direct link to our ancestors.”

She suppressed a shudder. Men turning into wolves she could handle, but for some reason, all the magic and spiritual stuff sort of freaked her out. Maybe it was because she had never really been big on faith and religion. Or maybe it was because she was finding out that all her grandfather’s old stories were real.

As they got closer, Nemoy stepped forward. The robe he was wearing was a deep, cobalt blue embroidered with an intricate forest design of red, gold, silver, and green. The others surrounding him were in similar robes of various jewel tones. Nemoy’s face, all sharp lines and angles, looked strange in the torch light. It was almost like it was softer somehow. Happier. Maybe it was because he was smiling. “Welcome Amara, Nova.” He nodded to each of them in turn. “Welcome to the First Trial in your nuptial ceremony. There are three trials in all. If you can pass each of these trials, you will be allowed to wed, and your union will become permanent and untouchable under Pack Law. Mountain Clan wolves mate for life. There is no divorce. Death is the only severance, and as a pack, we fight like hell to keep that from happening. If you fail, however, then you are honor bound to dissolve your union and go your separate ways. The penalty for failure to comply in this situation is exile.

“Amara, we know you are human, however, you are choosing to wed a Mountain Clan wolf and join our pack, so we are unable to change the trials to be more suitable for a human life. They will be challenging, and you will find yourself in situations where being human may be your downfall. Unfortunately, without the completion of these trials, the Council is unable to honor your marriage. Do you consent to participate in these trials and follow the laws of the Pack?”

Amara pursed her lips. She knew she had to answer, but it all felt so formal. Was this part of the trials? Had they already begun? Or was it just part of the ceremony? She glanced over her shoulder at Nova. He smiled his encouragement. Okay then. Amara nodded to Nemoy. “Yes, I consent.”

Nemoy gave her a curt nod, but she was almost sure he’d smiled. He turned to his brother. “Nova, you are the Beta of the Mountain Clan Wolf Pack. You hold the second highest position in regards to prestige, and your strength is matched by no wolf in our pack, save your Alpha. And yet, you choose to wed a human.”

Amara raised a brow. She knew everything Nemoy was saying was the truth, but it still stung a little to hear it out loud. She tried her best not to take offense. Guess I should try harder, she thought wryly.

“Throughout these trials,” Nemoy continued, “you and your beloved will be placed in situations where her fragile state of being could hinder your success. Her human traits mean she is not as strong, not as fast, and she is not Pack. You may be asked to choose whether your allegiance is to your love,” he held out a hand to indicate Amara, “or to your Pack.” The Council members behind him bowed their heads obediently. Nemoy looked his brother straight in the eye, and Amara held her breath. “Do you consent to participate in these trials?”

Nova never wavered. He stood straight up, his shoulders back, and he stared his Alpha down before meeting the gaze of each Council member in turn, including his own mother. Each look was like a challenge in and of itself. “Yes,” Nova declared, his voice clear as day. “I consent.”

“Very well, then.” Nemoy clapped his hands together. “The ceremony will begin tonight. You may enter the Trial Chamber.”

Behind him, one of the Council members opened the heavy flap and they all filed inside. Amara stared at her surroundings in wonder. The last time she had entered the Council Chambers, there had been a large throne at the far end surrounded by a compilation of benches, all of which were situated around a stone fire pit in the center of the room. It had all been open and airy, not at all claustrophobic. The smoke from the fire had gone straight up and out through a hole in the ceiling which was open to the night sky. The only decorations at all were the few tapestries which depicted the history of the Pack that had adorned the walls.

Now, everything was different. No longer could she see the entirety of the room. In fact, if she hadn’t just come from outside and seen what building they were going in to, she never would have believed it was the same place. If the throne and benches were still there, Amara could no longer see them. The tapestries had been moved, their ends fixed around the opening in the ceiling to form a sort of dome around the fireplace. Flames bloomed from the embers in the center of the pit, and the smoke was so thick and pungent from herbs that it was almost suffocating. Heavy, embroidered pillows lined the bottom tapestries in a semi-circle, while on the other side they had placed what looked like two beds on the ground, each one lined with elaborate cushions and blankets. Next to the fire, opposite the beds, was a rectangular tray made completely out of stone. On it were five little stone bowls filled with herbs, as well as three larger bowls of varying sizes—one of which was filled with some kind of water—and a mortar and pestle.

Amara glanced nervously at Nova. What was this, some kind of séance? Had she really just agreed to participate in some kind of spirit quest?

“Please, sit,” Nemoy instructed, indicating the beds. “Make yourselves comfortable.” The rest of the Council members took their seats among the cushions. Amara had expected Nemoy to sit before the tray as Alpha of the Pack, but instead, he stood off to the right and helped an old man in deep green robes take his place in front of the fire. Nemoy sat down beside him.

“Our Great Shaman, Ianto, will mix the sacred brew.” As if on cue, the old man began to toss the herbs into the mortar and grind them into dust. Then he put them in the bowl of liquid, swirled it a few times, and held the bowl over the fire. Amara was amazed he didn’t burn his hands, they were so close to the flames.

“The Trials will take place in the Spirit Realm,” Nemoy continued. “Each test is set up to test the strength of your loyalty to each other, as well as the strength of your loyalty to the Pack. When the test is completed, you will wake up.”

Wake up? When were they falling asleep? Was that potion or whatever some kind of drug?

After a few moments, the shaman handed the bowl to Neveah—Nova and Nemoy’s mother—and she carefully made her way around the stone pit to where Nova and Amara sat. She walked with her deep purple robes gathered in her hand to avoid the soot of the fire. Neveah knelt down in front of Amara and held out the bowl. The look she gave her was almost warm.

Amara supposed she should be grateful. Neveah was her most vocal opposition when the Pack discovered Nova had fallen in love with a human. But, after the attack on Strathford by the Valley Clan and Amara’s willingness to keep their secrets, Neveah finally came around. Well, Amara definitely wouldn’t call them friends, but at least they were no longer enemies.

“Drink, darling,” Neveah murmured. “It’s not poison. It will be just fine.” Her lips turned up in what was unmistakably a smile. “I went through this before my marriage as well.” She held the bowl up again. “Drink.”

Reaching out, Amara reluctantly cupped the stone bowl in both of her hands, grateful that they were no longer trembling. She brought the potion to her lips and sipped. It was sweet, with just a hint of something bitter. And, despite the heat from the fire, it was surprisingly cool on her tongue. Yet, it tingled on the way down her throat.

Amara began to feel sleepy. Try as she may, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She was only vaguely aware of Nova beside her as he drank from the bowl, and then suddenly, she was laying back on the pillows, staring at the smoke that rose in curls and tendrils from the fire into the night. And then it all went black.