Page 4 of A Trial of Fate

“Yeah… don’t pout, Talon Black,” Rhea countered. “It’s ill-becoming of a male. Not the best way to attract a worthy female as a mate… if that’s what you intend to accomplish one of these days now that you’ve shifted.”

Talon crossed his arms and glared at Rhea with a menacing scowl. Whatever Rhea had whispered to him earlier must have hit a nerve, and that was hard to do with the two Black brothers.

“When you see a worthy female,” Talon said with a forbidding gleam in his frosted gaze. “Let me know, and I’ll be sure to turn on the charm.”

I cautiously took a step backward. I liked to push the envelope, but this was one of those situations where I did not want to get mixed up in whatever was going on between them.

I glanced over at Shaw, who gave me a nod, telling me that he was thinking the same thing. We didn’t want any part of this. Over the past few months, Talon and Rhea had been arguing with each othernon-stop. We all stopped keeping count of the number of disagreements because there were simply too many to keep track of.

Shaw, Talon’s adopted brother, was taken in by the Black family when he was only seven years old. We formed a friendship through our love of reading and in competition to be the brightest students in our schooling years. Shaw was the ever-watchful, calculating member of our circle. His clever mind and caution helped our group out of trouble that I and, at times, Rhea, unfortunately, got us into.

Gilen finally joined us near the cliff as Shaw wisely stepped away from his brother’s side. “And this is where I bow out,” Shaw announced. “See y’all at the bottom.” With those last words, he took three swift steps and launched himself off the cliff and into the waters below.

“Watch yourself, Talon,” Rhea growled. “We all know how well this turned out last time…” Her eyes shone with a vengeance. Even I was skeptical about approaching Rhea when she got in this mood, and somehow, Talon had a knack for pushing the right buttons to get her there.

Talon grinned, flashing a cocky smile he recently held only for her as he crossed his toned, tanned arms across his chest. Shifting on his feet, he said, “Care to share our secrets with the rest of the group? I know I’m anxious to find out more for myself.”

Rhea’s cheeks flushed red, and she lashed out with her balled fists, throwing a mean right hook. “You mangy… low-life… dog!” she snarled.

Without hesitation, Talon caught her fist in his hand, spun her around, and pulled Rhea tightly into his arms, holding her steady. Her back was against Talon’s bare chest, and he grinned, keeping a firm hold on his prize. His speed was remarkable and unmatched by anyone else in our circle because Talon was the first among us to shift.

I felt Gilen’s power stir like untamed wind, responding to their scuffle, but he remained where he was at my side. Rhea was not one to go down easy. On cue, she bent her head forward and bit Talon’s hand so hard that he yelped—quickly releasing her.

“Dammit, Rhea!” Talon yelled, shaking his hand and examining the teeth marks etched in his skin. “I think you drew blood!”

“Don’t fuck around with a female if you can’t handle what she can throw at you,” Rhea spat back at Talon.

“Don’t test me…” Talon taunted, glaring at her with heat building behind his strae. Without another word, Rhea turned toward the cliff and dove head-first into the waters below.

“Can’t you command her not to fight dirty or something, Gilen?” Talon asked. “Being the best friend of the future alpha has to have some perks, right?”

Gilen shifted and discreetly brushed a hand across the small of my back before folding it casually behind his head. “Find a more docile female to curb your needs then, Talon. I hear Daphanie has been eyeing you since you shifted.” Talon narrowed his eyes, darting between Gilen and me.

Did he sense something between us? Was there a change in our scents only his evolved shifter abilities could detect? I didn’t dare bring up what had just happened between us on the beach. I don’t think either of us really understood it enough to talk about it with the others. This was unchartered territory between Gilen and me.

“Right,” Talon huffed with a cutting laugh. “Anything new you two care to share with the rest of us today?”

Gilen dropped his hands from behind his head as his expression turned cold and stern. He stepped toward his friend, a deep, rumbling growl protruding from his chest. With a pulse of his power, Gilen snarled at Talon, “As Rhea would say… choose your words wisely.”

There was some unspoken exchange between them that only shifters would understand. We couldn’t communicate with words to our other half; it was more of feeling and connection with our emotions, kind of like a sixth sense combined with enhanced instincts.

This was an animalistic dance of dominance and power, sniffing out the pecking order between the two of them. Even though Talon was stronger as a full shifter, the power of an alpha always shone through, impossible for any shifter, well aside from me, to ignore. Gilen was next in line to become our pack’s leader—the only son and heir to our current alpha, Alistar.

“Okay, ease up, you two. Time to simmer down.” I wiggled myself between them and placed a hand on both their chests. I didn’t wait to give either of them a chance to say another word, so I shoved them backward, causing them to tumble over the cliff and into the water below. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I leaped in after them. The free fall into the water was short-lived but exhilarating. I splashed down next to Gilen just as he pushed himself to the surface.

I dove down toward the reef, where colorful fish darted in and out of their protected homes. The currents under the rolling waves above carried me, giving me a warm embrace as I drifted toward thesandy bottom. Majestic sea creatures casually swam around me, adjusting to my presence in the underwater world. The home of these animals was, sadly, not as beautiful as it once was. Large sections of the once colorful reef were stark white and slowly dying. The acceptance of our world withering away into nothing was difficult, but the evidence was hard to miss. The worst part was that we didn’t know why or how to stop it from progressing.

The waters I sank into muffled the commotion above the surface, and it allowed my mind to drift. My animal was still restless, and this quiet allowed me to calm the anxiety rushing through me. Our relationship and soul connection had always been strong. She never pressured me for dominance or control. Instead, we held a symbiotic relationship that I treasured.

We were one being.

She gave me strength when I needed a push, and I gave her stability when she was teetering on the edge of control. I could only imagine what our first shift would be like. To embody the other half of my soul would complete the missing piece of the puzzle of who I really was. I often dreamed of what animal I would become, but regardless of what type it was… I knew it would be magnificent.

The young ones who leaped into the waters before us were busy splashing and taking turns diving down to the bottom to retrieve shells. I watched a few swim past and gave a friendly wave as they retrieved their various trinkets from the depths below. Feeling my lungs begin to burn, I kicked off the sandy bottom and rocketed upward to join the others at the surface. Breaching the water, I inhaled a deep breath of fresh air that filled my lungs with cool relief.

“I thought you drowned,” Rhea teased.

“Well, glad to know you’d come looking for me, at least,” I answered. “Where did Gilen and the others go?”

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