The Salvation Trials ✔️

Chapter Forty-Two

Winnie Melbourne

The Marks are big, hard to hide, and I cringe. The whole point of being the Shadow Wolf was to be unnoticeable. The Marks make me stick out like a sore thumb.

The Mark of Alpha and Mark of Goddess are combined into one huge mark starting on my collarbone and climbing up to my face. The Goddess one is a darkly shaded Moon on my collarbone with a small wolf below it, howling. The Alpha one is connected to the Moon, three vines crawling up my neck and breaking off into three lines. At the end of each vine, there's a golden leaf.

Underneath the conjoined marks, there's cursive writing in black. I squint my eyes as I try to make out the words but Ezra beats me to it, kneeling on the ground and baring his neck to me with a fist over his heart. "Luna Supreme.", he whispers.

Bronze and James join him, echoing his words. As soon as they stand, I'm left in silence. I don't know what to say or what I'm supposed to do. Bronze senses my turmoil and takes the lead. "We'll head to the top of the Mountain. Everybody who survived the Trials will be going there and greet their new Prime Alpha and for the celebrations."

I nod but my wolf is less than pleased with the plans. She whines her urges to me, wanting, no, needing to go back to the nest. My primal instinct is rearing its head and I push it down, clenching my jaw. "James, lift the lockdown. Alpha Samuel had some vehicles around here somewhere and I wish to take one. If I shift, my wolf will take over and force us to nest again."

Once the lockdown is lifted, we head out and I scent the air. The faint smell of grease and gas fills my nose and I follow the trail until a garage comes into view. With my mates and I already added into the system, the doors lift once we come into view of the cameras. Inside is just one vehicle, a Jeep, and when we clamber in, the keys are sitting in a cupholder.

The Jeep starts up as soon as I turn the ignition, the engine rumbling beneath the hood. James reaches over and turns the heater on low and I pull out of the garage just as the first snowflake falls into the windshield.

With a sigh, I turn on the windshield wipes. "This is gonna be a long ride."

"Do you mind if I take a nap?", Bronze asks from the back.

"No, go ahead. All three of you need some sleep.", I say.

I glance in the rearview mirror as Ezra and Bronze lean their heads against their hands and close their eyes while James curls up in the passenger seat. The corners of my mouth tilt up into a small smile as the sounds of light snores fills the Jeep.

Once we leave Purple Mountain, I feel a weight lift off of my shoulders. There's still some weight there, some burdens I'm unable to shed. Some burdens are permanent while some I can get rid of in a few weeks or so.

The permanent burdens are the thousands of wolves that I am now responsible for. I clench my jaw at the thought. Granted, at Red Mountain I was responsible for hundreds of wolves, but this is different. I grew up with those wolves, saw them on a daily basis, and helped them when they needed it. The rest of the wolves that are now under my care I don't even know. I don't know their temperaments or anything. I'm going in blind.

"Not blind.", I thought, tightening my hold on the steering wheel. "Just ignorant by accident. I'll have to take the time to meet every wolf on the Mountain and try to cater to their needs. I'll use the Shadows if I have to."

I released the breath I was holding and let my shoulders relax as I went through what all I needed to do. Meet the wolves on the Mountain, figure out what they need. Give them what they need or reassurance that I'll try my best.

But first thing?

Quell the Clans once and for all. Kill the head honcho, take out the Clan Leaders, and disband the Clans. Let the other packs absorb them. Any other resistances will be met with severe punishments or death.

I'm the Shadow Wolf. And nobody fucks with me.