Page 48 of Villainous Fate

Deacon,

Everything’s fine here. I’ve had Manny keeping an eye on her after her shifts just to be sure. You’re ready for the final trial. The initial test was to ascertain your level of endurance and cunning. The second trial was for communication and teamwork to see if you can follow as well as lead. The duels show dedication to training and overall physical strength. The final trial is always centered around your ability to adapt, test your alliances, and establish yourself as a leader. If you’re allowed to use your wolf, use him. He’s your best chance at getting through this.

I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it, Brother. See you soon.

Luca

***

Luca’swordsallowmeto breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Grace is being watched, and by someone Luca and I both trust. His warning about the trials also helps. I forgot the pack Alphas can come to the final trial and ceremony. Though I doubted mine would. Giovanni Marlo didn’t concern himself with his second son. I only hoped it meant he was sending Luca instead. I’d love to have his support.

I wondered briefly if Stone’s Alpha would make an appearance. Joshua Barton rarely attended events in the region anymore. Rumor has it his health was declining and he didn’t want to show weakness before his son was ready. Based on his lack of attendance at our training retreat, I’m going to guess there are problems in the Vegas pack. Jonathan Barton’s name was on the list of cadets, and yet Stone is here in his place.

Glancing over at Marcus’s bunk, I see him studying the map I’d brought with me. Smart to prepare. We fell into a quiet friendship over the past three weeks. When the trials picked back up, we competed together on the red team with Dith, Hines, and Miller. Stone and Hines were both blindfolded, and I swear Hines did everything he could not to listen to a damn thing I said. It slowed us down significantly. Climbing over makeshift walls, and under rope crawling felt like pulling teeth. By the end, we literally dragged him through it, barely beating the orange team.

For the duels, I silently cheered every time Marcus took someone down, and I could see him smirk when I won my battles. When the final round came up, and we were seated at the top, I knew it would come to a face-off. He avoided my eyes as we returned to the bunks the night before, and I knew he was struggling with having to try to defeat me.

I let him wrestle with it overnight but woke the next morning intent on relieving his guilt.

“You ready for me to kick your ass Stone?” I asked, pulling on my T-shirt. His eyes flew to me, confusion evident. “I mean I could take it easy on you if you prefer.” I finished with a half grin on my face.

“You better not pull your punches, Marlo.WhenI win, I want to know I earned it.” He lifts his eyebrow a sparkle in his eye.

We’re going to be just fine.

He needed this win more than I did, and I didn’t even have to try to make it look like he won it. Years of ‘losing’ to Luca made me really good at slightly leaning my weight into a punch or shifting too much of my weight when throwing one I knew would miss.

It looked real.

However, there was a moment in the fight before I started my downfall, where I wondered if I could beat Marcus in a straight-up fight. Honest answer. I don’t know. He’s a damn good fighter, and it made me respect him more than I had anybody in a long time.

His face when I tapped was priceless. Surprise and relief flashed in his ocean eyes before a grin overtook his entire face.

The same thing happens when Grace smiles.

I’d made the fight last, made the takedown believable, and made a lifelong friendship all in a single moment.

It was nice to have a best friend.

Grace had always been the only person in my life. I have Ashley and Luca, but they are family. Grace was the only one who chose me. Everyone else in the pack followed the Alpha’s lead ignoring or fearing me. Having Stone in my corner made me hope that my future with Grace didn’t have to be so solitary.

Not that Vegas was a place we could move to. It was too close. We would need more distance to truly escape the hold Giovanni has on the area, but maybe Marcus would end up with another pack. He has no ties to Vegas leadership. He could lead anywhere, and he’s strong enough to take down a sitting Alpha in a lot of packs.

That’s a possibility.

“Did you notice we set up not too far from this cliff face?” Marcus interrupts my future planning. He extends the map in my direction, prompting me to take it before pointing to the place he indicates.

“They used a similar rock drop for a challenge several years ago,” I say, wondering if he was on to something. “But, if I remember correctly, they lost too many cadets. Doubt they would go back to anything similar without some sort of contingency plan.”

Shifters are hard to kill but not impossible. A broken neck from that height would certainly do the trick.

“I guess you have a point. Man, I’m spinning on this final trial. Do you think we won the advantage?” His face shows the worry he’s carrying.

“I do, but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow. From my understanding, we get all the information after closing formation, and then they move us to the final trial,” I respond, handing him back the map. “You’re going to do just fine.”

My statement does nothing to ease his tension, and he shifts his gaze to the paper on my chest.

“Your girl write you another letter?” He asks in an attempt to distract us both from the challenge looming ahead of us.

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