Page 2 of A Trial of Fate

“Come on now… that’s not how it’s done,” I scolded, making Gilen laugh. “You can’t expect the boys to give you any respect if you squeal like a pig while jumping off the edge. They’ll assume that’s what your animal is, and then no one will ever respect you.”

“Oh, really?” Gilen asked. His carefree laughter set me at ease for the moment. “Do you even remember what sounds came out of your mouth the first time you jumped?”

“I sure as hell didn’t squeal.” I kicked some sand at Gilen, but he reacted in time to block it from hitting his face. Darn those quick shifter reflexes; it was hard to get anything past him.

He casually brushed the sand off his shoulders and gave me a gentle smile that had me curling my toes. “Care to test out your memory and show me what you can do?”

“Is that a challenge?” A faint growl sounded at the back of my throat. Shifters were competitive by nature, and my instinct was always to win.

“You bet your lazy ass it’s a challenge.” My eyes grew wide with excitement. This was a new twist to how these situations typically went. “How else am I going to assess your potential for our pack? You need to start showing up to the group sessions. I can’t keep training you privately and playing catch-up.” Gilen arose from the sand and grabbed the bottom of his tan tunic, pulling it over his head before dropping it onto the beach, readying himself for a sparring match.

As shifters, we grew accustomed to nudity at an early age, but I couldn’t help the warmth in my middle from spreading whenever I looked at Gilen. Strong muscular arms framed a chiseled chest and stomach that could only come from years of training and fighting to protect our people and lands. I couldn’t stop myself from admiring his physique for a moment longer, but I quickly averted my gaze when Gilen’s half-smile hinted that he caught me lingering longer than I probably should have.

“Come on, Sky,” he taunted in a sing-song voice.

After surviving through our teenage years, he filled his tall frame with a taut muscular build. His thick, dark blond hair swayed loosely around his face, brushing against dark brows that framed honey-hazel eyes. His tanned skin was kissed by the weathering sun, defining his high cheekbones and remarkably unscathed facial features. He was the epitome of handsome, a golden boy, and the constant trail of willing females vying for their chance to become his mate only grew with each passing year.

“Challenge accepted,” I answered as I jumped up from the sand and tried to wrestle him to the ground. “It’ll be fun showing you what arealfemale can do.”

Gilen was stronger than me, but I was faster.

I jumped at him and tried to wrap my legs around his torso, but he anticipated my move and threw me back against the ground. I recovered, spinning around to strike at him with a punch, which he dodged, but wasn’t quite fast enough to evade my kick that followed. I collided with his shin, and he backed up a step, giving me a small opening that I wouldn’t let go to waste. We continued back and forth, exchanging blows, testing each other’s weak points, and pushing one another until both of us had sweat dripping from our brows. I cursed under my breath as a coy smile curved at the side of Gilen’s mouth—the bastard was toying with me.

“If you only came to our lesson today.”

We’ll see about that.

I lunged for him at a blistering speed I knew he would have difficulty matching. I made a connection with my fist on his jaw, but sadly, that was only the bait to lure me in. Gilen took the hit—losing the battle only to earn his victory in the war. He followed the momentum of my punch, moving backward as he ducked under me and grabbed my wrist, bending it behind my back and twisting my arm.

Ouch. “Dammit,” I cursed. With one move, he could dislocate my arm from its socket. I was stubborn… But I also had enough sense to know when to bow out. “I yield,” I said as I hung my head and gritted my teeth. I did not like to lose.

“Good… Now, next time come to the training session.” His dark brow arched with a cunning half-smirk that made me want to turn around and punch him in his smug, handsome face. My animal sent a pulsing wave of power, agreeing with me, even though I knew it was pointless.

Losing was one thing, but I refused to be a sore loser.

Gilen released me, and I moved away, stripping off my now sweat-soaked loose shirt and pants. My black undergarments were all I kept on my body, enjoying the sea breeze on this warm, late summer day. The winds suddenly shifted, lifting my hair off my shoulders, andgently cooling my neck. It encircled my nearly six-foot frame before dancing off in the other direction, where Gilen stood in the shallow rolling waves.

Suddenly, Gilen’s entire body stiffened. His eyes darkened and locked onto my gaze as I threw my clothes on the sand next to his. The intensity of his stare made my hands tremble, and my body shake. Danger. My animal stirred inside my chest, acutely aware of him, but she didn’t encourage me to run away.

I closed my amber-colored eyes and lifted my chin, detecting a faint change in the air from Gilen’s scent. My eyes snapped to meet his as my breath caught in my chest.

I swallowed nervously. “Gilen?”

Bravely or stupidly—I was not quite sure which one yet—I stepped toward him to try and help, but it seemed to do the opposite. His nostrils flared, and his fists clenched so hard at his side that his knuckles turned white.

“Skylar… Back. The. Fuck. Up. Now!” Gilen was visibly shaking, but he remained frozen where he stood. His eyes looked more feral than human right now, and I could feel his power, his magic, rising around him.

Oh no. His animal was trying to break free. Questions danced inside my mind. What caused this sudden change? Why was Gilen holding back? Why was his animal trying to break free now?

“Gilen. Come back. Come back to me…” I don’t know where my commanding voice came from. Some spark inside of me was pushing my instincts into overdrive. It wasn’t the time for his animal to emerge—not yet.

Gilen shook his head and forced himself to turn away from me. His blond hair fell in front of his face as his shoulders hunched forward. Every muscle in his body flexed, trying to fight the urge to shift.

“Gilen!” I didn’t yell, but my voice deepened. My power pulsed, begging to break free. Without thinking, I moved in front of Gilen and flung my arms around his neck. I pulled him in close and pushed my body up against his. I could feel his resistance as I tightened my hold on him. He was a solid wall of muscle, and I was naively asking him to soften and bend to my hold. If his animal broke free right now, he would be in grave danger. There was no full moon. No one was here to guide him through his first shift. Gilen could lose himself forever to hisanimal form.

Desperation pulled at me, and I released my own power from its internal cage. “Do not shift. Release him.” My words thrummed with my animal’s magic, my eyes glowing. But I had no choice. I would not lose him.

Gilen turned his head and inhaled a deep breath against the nape of my neck, sending chills of excitement down each vertebra of my spine into my toes. He was marking my scent, putting the smell and feel of my power into memory. Strong arms wrapped around my waist as he picked me up and held me closer to him. He rubbed his nose along my collarbone, and his lips hovered over my skin, daring to make contact.

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