Page 56 of Once You Go Pack
The thoughts pulsed through him like a heartbeat as he watched her square her shoulders. Even covered in training sweat with her golden hair escaping its ponytail, she looked every inch the queen she was destined to become.
“It’s going to be a crash course,” he warned, already moving toward the door. “But knowing you?—“
“I was born ready,” she interrupted, her voice carrying steel beneath the silk. “I’m more than ready to train for this trial and become your future queen.”
As they walked through the castle toward the ceremonial hall, Cade felt some of his earlier anxiety begin to ease. Her ancestral ties to wolves would give her legitimacy during the trial and would help strengthen their union when they faced whatever nightmares the ancient magic conjured. The council couldn’t question bloodlines that predated their own laws.
She adapts like she was born for this,he mused, watching the confident way she navigated the castle now, and how pack members instinctively showed her respect.Because she was.
They found Lyra and Martin in the war room, bent over maps and strategy documents. Lyra looked up with bright eyes as they entered.
“I take it’s finally time for trial prep?” she asked, already standing. “Martin’s been boring me with logistics for the past hour anyways.”
“Strategic planning isn’t boring,” Martin protested mildly. “It’s what keeps us alive.”
“Says the man who color-codes his weapon inventory,” Lyra shot back with a grin.
Cade felt his lips twitch despite his nerves. This was what he’d missed during those dark days after his father’s death—the easy banter that made them feel like family rather than just pack.
The ceremonial hall stretched before them, its vaulted ceilings disappearing into shadow. Ancient stone columns carved with wolf runes reflected the flickering torchlight, and the ceremonial circle in the center seemed to pulse with dormant energy.
“The Moonfire Trial,” Lyra began, her voice taking on the formal cadence she used for official pack business, “is amandatory ceremonial test for new mates to prove their bond publicly. For Cade, as High Sovereign, completing it successfully will give him the council’s official blessing to make Mila his queen.”
Mila nodded, absorbing every word. “What exactly does the trial involve?”
Martin stepped forward, his expression grave. “Ancient magic creates illusions based on your deepest fears and doubts. You’ll face them together, and your ability to support each other through the worst moments will prove the strength of your mate bond.”
“The magic feeds on psychological weaknesses,” Lyra added. “It’ll try to break you apart by showing you visions designed to make you doubt each other and doubt yourselves.”
Cade’s jaw clenched tight as unwelcome memories surfaced—his mother’s death, his fears of failing his pack, the crushing weight of responsibility. But worse than his own fears was the thought of what Mila might face.
“Let’s start with some scenarios,” Martin suggested, moving to the center of the ceremonial circle. “We can’t replicate the actual magic, but we can help you practice responding to each other under stress.”
For the next hour, they worked through possible visions. Martin and Lyra took turns playing different roles—pack members rejecting Mila, council elders questioning Cade’s judgment, and scenarios where one of them appeared to betray the other.
“Remember,” Lyra coached as Mila practiced ignoring a particularly vicious illusion of pack rejection, “the magic will make everything feel completely real. You’ll believe what you’re seeing, feeling what the illusion wants you to feel.”
Mila’s hand found Cade’s, their fingers interlacing naturally. “We anchor each other,” she said, her voice steady. “Whatever we see, we remember that our bond is real.”
My brave, beautiful mate.
Cade’s wolf preened with pride, but underneath lurked a gnawing worry. Both of them were holding back during this practice session—he could sense it in the way Mila’s scent shifted when certain fears were mentioned, and the way his own chest tightened when he thought about his deepest vulnerabilities.
“There’s something we’re both not addressing,” he said finally, stopping mid-scenario. “We’re preparing for the fears we know about, but the trial will dig deeper than that.”
Martin nodded grimly. “The magic finds the fears you don’t even know you have. The ones buried so deep you’ve forgotten them.”
A chill ran down Cade’s spine.
What if the trial revealed something that truly could drive them apart? What if his wolf’s primal nature, unleashed by ancient magic, terrified her?
“We’ll face whatever comes together,” Mila said firmly, seeming to sense his dark thoughts.
“Together,” he agreed, but the word felt heavier than it should have.
As they finally headed toward his chambers for the night, Cade’s mind churned with determination and dread in equal measure. He needed to show the council and his pack that their mate bond was unbreakable, and that Mila deserved her place as queen. But more than that, he needed her to prove her strength and adaptability in a way that would silence every doubter.
She’s stronger than any of them know,he thought fiercely.She just needs the chance to show it.
