CHAPTER 7
1503 Words
SIENNA
The morning of the training mission arrived beneath a sky the colour of storm clouds.
Dark.
Heavy.
Threatening.
And freezing.
I rolled over in bed and immediately regretted leaving the warmth of my blankets.
The cold had seeped into the room overnight, settling into the walls and floor until the air seemed to bite straight through my skin.
I reached for the remote and switched on the television.
The weather report wasn’t exactly encouraging.
Strong winds.
Freezing temperatures.
Sleet.
And a very real possibility of snow.
I stared at the screen.
Surely they were going to cancel.
Nobody in their right mind would send a bunch of kids out into weather like this.
At least, nobody sensible.
Apparently, I was about to discover just how much common sense the Blood Moon Pack leadership possessed.
I dragged myself out of bed and hurried into the bathroom.
A hot shower helped, but the moment I stepped out, the cold returned with a vengeance.
I quickly pulled my hair into a high ponytail before turning my attention to the real challenge.
Getting dressed.
If I was going to spend hours outside in those conditions, I intended to dress like I was preparing for an expedition to the Arctic.
Thermal underwear went on first.
Then several layers of shirts, each one thicker than the last.
Leggings.
Waterproof pants.
Thick woollen socks.
My favourite Celtic & Co. Woodsman boots.
A heavy wool scarf.
A waterproof snow jacket.
And finally, the matching beanie.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
I was practically wearing half my wardrobe.
Good.
At least I’d be warm.
Hopefully.
I hurried into the kitchen.
Sara was already there preparing breakfast.
She looked up as I entered and smiled.
“Oh, good. You dressed for the elements.”
“Yeah.”
I rubbed my hands together.
“It’s freezing.”
Sara shook her head.
“These conditions are going to make today’s mission harder.”
I sat down.
“I’m starting to think they should cancel it.”
“So am I.”
I looked at her in surprise.
“You agree?”
She placed breakfast in front of me.
“But they’re not going to.”
I sighed.
Of course they weren’t.
“Then be careful,” she continued. “Think before you act. Look after your teammates. Remember everything Clay has taught you.”
I nodded.
“Stick together.”
“Exactly.”
She smiled gently.
“Wolves work together.”
I looked down at my breakfast.
I wished I could believe that applied to the people I’d be working with.
Because if the Alpha had anything to do with it, I suspected teamwork wasn’t going to be the problem.
Survival was.
⸻
I arrived at the training facility shortly after nine.
The moment I stepped through the entrance, my stomach tightened.
Kids were everywhere.
Talking.
Laughing.
Standing in groups.
Checking equipment.
I recognised far too many of them.
People who had laughed when I’d been shoved into lockers.
People who had watched me get knocked to the floor.
People who had joined in because Sean told them to.
My anxiety climbed another notch.
I hated this.
I hated being here.
And I hated knowing I’d soon be expected to work alongside some of them.
Then I saw Clay.
He was standing across the training floor, talking to Alpha Jackson.
I stopped.
Something was wrong.
I’d spent enough time training with Clay to know him well.
He was calm.
Controlled.
Almost impossible to rattle.
But right now?
He looked furious.
Not annoyed.
Not irritated.
Furious.
His shoulders were rigid, his jaw clenched and his hands were balled into fists at his sides.
For a man who had mastered the art of controlling his emotions, Clay looked like he was one badly chosen word away from putting Jackson through a wall.
I couldn’t help wondering what the Alpha had done.
Clay glanced across the room.
His eyes found mine.
He said something to Jackson and walked towards me.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.”
He gave me a small smile.
But it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I didn’t believe him.
“Did something happen?”
Clay hesitated.
Then he placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I need you to be careful today.”
My stomach dropped.
“I will.”
“No, Sienna.”
His voice became serious.
“I mean really careful.”
I swallowed.
“Why?”
“The team you’ve been assigned to…”
He paused.
“…is not going to make this easy for you.”
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Clay’s expression hardened.
“The Alpha chose your team.”
That told me everything I needed to know.
“He deliberately put you with people who are likely to make things difficult.”
My stomach twisted.
“Who?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
He squeezed my shoulder.
“Keep your eyes open. Don’t let anyone isolate you. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”
I nodded.
“Remember your training.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“And whatever happens, don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t handle it.”
I took a deep breath.
“I promise.”
Clay smiled.
“I know you will.”
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
“Alright, everyone!”
Alpha Jackson’s voice boomed across the training facility.
“Gather around!”
The conversations stopped.
Slowly, everyone moved towards him.
I stood near the back with my arms folded, trying to make myself as inconspicuous as possible.
It didn’t work.
Nothing about today was going to let me disappear.
Once everyone had gathered, Jackson began explaining the mission.
“Today’s exercise is designed to test your ability to work as a team.”
I almost laughed.
That was ironic.
“Each team will be assigned a separate grid reference.”
He pointed towards the large map mounted on the back wall.
“You’ll complete an orienteering course combined with a treasure hunt.”
A few people murmured excitedly.
“At each checkpoint, you’ll locate a clue. Solve the clue, and you’ll receive your next set of coordinates.”
He looked around.
“Simple enough?”
“Yes!”
The response came from everyone.
I remained silent.
Jackson continued.
“I’ll now assign everyone to their teams. Your team number corresponds with your assigned grid on the map.”
He began reading names.
“Team One…”
I stopped listening.
My thoughts were racing.
Who would I be stuck with?
Would Clay be able to intervene if things became dangerous?
Would Jackson deliberately put me with Hayden?
Sean?
Both?
I felt someone touch my shoulder.
I spun around.
“Hey, bestie!”
Carla wrapped her arms around me.
I hugged her tightly.
“Hey.”
At least I had her.
Having one familiar face would make this a little easier.
“If the two of you have finished your little reunion…”
Jackson’s irritated voice cut through the moment.
“…perhaps the rest of us can get back to the task at hand?”
Carla rolled her eyes.
I had to bite back a smile.
“Carla,” Jackson snapped. “You’re team two. Get up here.”
She gave me a quick smile before joining her team.
I watched her walk away.
Then I waited.
Team after team was announced.
One group.
Then another.
My heart beat faster with every name.
Until finally—
“Team Six.”
Jackson paused.
I looked up.
“Sean.”
My stomach dropped.
“Sienna.”
Everything inside me went cold.
“Hayden.”
My blood ran cold.
“And Troy.”
Silence.
For a moment, I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
I stared at Jackson.
Then at Sean.
Then at Hayden.
Sean was already looking at me.
And he was smiling.
Not a friendly smile.
Not even a smug one.
It was the smile of someone who had just been handed exactly what he’d wanted.
Hayden looked equally pleased.
My fingers curled into fists.
So that was why Clay had looked furious.
The Alpha hadn’t simply put me on a difficult team.
He’d put me with the two people who hated me most.
The two people who had spent weeks making my life miserable.
The two people who had already shown me exactly what they were capable of.
I slowly turned my head towards Jackson.
Was he really this stupid?
Or was this deliberate?
Because there was no way he could possibly believe this was going to be a fair team.
Then I looked back at Sean.
His smile widened.
And something cold settled in my stomach.
This wasn’t a training mission anymore.
It was a trap.
And somehow, I had a feeling the real test wasn’t going to be finding clues or navigating the wilderness.
It was going to be surviving my own teammates.
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