Page 35 of The Onyx Covenant

“About your priestess’s face?” When I shoot him a dangerous look, he raises his hands in mock surrender. “Relax. Wasn’t me. Though several of our pack mates are discussing it like a trophy.”

My fingers curl into fists. “Names, Kieran.”

“I already grilled the bastards who were running their mouths,” Kieran says, his voice dropping lower. “Said they had no clue.” He spits the last word like it tastes foul. “Let it go for now, or you’ll get disqualified for starting a fight before the event even begins. Once the ritual starts?” He shrugs. “Have at them. No rules againstaccidentsduring trials.”

The darkness that’s been growing inside me since discovering my mother’s notebooks in the house rises to the surface, a tide I can barely contain. It would be so easy to let it consume me.

“I’ll find them,” I hiss. “And they’ll beg for death before I’m done.”

Kieran studies my face, his usual humor gone. “You’re starting to sound like him, you know.”

I don’t need to ask who he means. The comparison to my father sits like acid in my stomach.

“Besides,” he adds, nodding toward the center of the field. “Our esteemed teacher has arrived.”

Melian glides across the grass, dressed in flowing black robes that billow around her tall, lithe frame. Despite being in her mid-thirties, she carries herself with the manner of someone far older. Her dark hair is pulled back in intricate plaits interwoven with metal rings that catch the morning light. Her face is striking rather than just pretty—high cheekbones, lips set in a serious line, and eyes so dark they appear almost black in certain light. The Covenant member’s presence silences the murmurs instantly.

“I hope you all slept well,” she announces, her voice carrying effortlessly across the field. “You have a long day ahead. One day of training, of learning the basics. Afterward, you begin in earnest.” Her gaze sweeps over everyone. “These rituals aren’t just about winning for your pack but also discovering if you’ve made the right choice in your partner to serve alongside you in the Onyx Covenant for the next decade… someone to trust implicitly.”

Beside me, Kieran snorts. “Trust. Right. Because nothing says trust like throwing people into deadly trials.”

I turn my attention to Lyra, who stands apart from the others.

She shouldn’t stand out. Not here. Not in the middle of all this chaos.

But she does.

Fuck, does she.

The leather armor clings to her curves, molded to her body like a damn invitation. My gaze drags lower—her full breasts, the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips, the way the tight straps highlight the curve of her ass. I shouldn’t be looking. Not now. Not when I know what it cost her to be here.

But my body doesn’t give a shit about that.

Her still-damp hair falls halfway down her back. I remember how it felt tangled in my fists. How it spilled across my chest, her pale lavender eyes locked on mine when she stared down at me.

My chest tightens.Don’t go there.

It’s too fucking late.

The bruises on her skin appear darker in the morning light. It twists something savage inside me. But even bruised and battered, Lyra doesn’t shrink. She holds herself like a warrior—head high, eyes sharp.

That’s what gets me.

Not just her beauty. Not just the curves that still haunt my fucking dreams.

It’s the fire inside her. The strength. The way she refuses to break, no matter how much this world tries to crush her.

And fuck me… I crave her.

Even when she’s pushing me away.

“Today’s lesson,” Melian continues, drawing me out of my fantasy, “is all about trust. Later, we’ll conduct a ritual that will reveal more about the truth you hold for your partner.”

I have no idea what that means, but it sounds ominous. Whispers ripple through the gathered contestants.

“What truth?” Kieran mutters. “I’d trust a snake not to bite before I’d trust that whatever trials we have coming up won’t kill us.” He grins smugly as a few around us chuckle.

“Kieran of Umbra,” Melian calls out. “You seem to have a lot to say. Come, let’s do a practice run.”

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