Page 52 of Their Rejected Queen

Fingers that he used on me in my dream.

Hold it together, Lils, I chide myself.

The phantom of his magic seems to throb in my left arm as he gently directs the king’s attention toward the crowd. “It was a splendid idea to bring the sponsors for an early preview. Would you like to see the training gear they’ll be using today?”

Ulara hurries me to one of the lines. “Do as you’re told and don’t do anything stupid,” she hisses at me before she joins the group of shifters in the back.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I murmur to myself, earning glares from the other girls.

I bite the inside of my cheek before I can say anything else.

Ferra leans in and whispers a death threat. “You’re dead meat. And now you’re going to bleed out in front of the king himself. I couldn’t have planned this any better.”

I frown at her. “You can’t just kill me in front of everyone.”

She gives me a manic grin. “I can if they partner us up. It’ll be an accident. It’ll make for a good show.” She licks her lips. “Royals do love a show.”

I know that Ferra is just trying to get under my skin, but I can’t help the shiver of fear that runs up my spine.

Now I regret not bringing my strength potions.

Scanning the group, I find Sofia in the other line. She gives me a slight nod, then mouths, Are you okay?

I nod back.

As okay as I’m going to be, I guess.

That’s when I spot the camera.

It stands out like something foreign and strange in the encampment that doesn’t have a speck of technology, aside from the skyscraper where I had my evaluation.

The bulky equipment sits on the shoulder of one of the shifters who’s strong enough to carry it. There aren’t any wires, but a red light indicates it’s absolutely working.

The shifter must be from another pack. He’s wearing black leather instead of the more natural tones from the Blood Moon Pack and has a different emblem hanging from his neck.

Putting it all together, I frantically realize that this is our first debut with the potential “sponsors.”

“Don’t bore me with training gear,” the king barks as he waves Arwan away. He sets his sights on us. There are pitifully few for me to remain hidden, and I force myself not to curl my shoulders as his gaze rakes over me. “Pair the girls up by size. I want a demonstration.”

Godric steps forward from the group of shifters. “That’s what the first combat is for,” he argues. “These girls only just arrived and completed the basic compatibility evaluation. They’re still adjusting to the infusions.”

The king roars, and black shadows zap out like darts, hurling into the ground. They leave little marks that puff out of existence a moment later. By some miracle, they didn’t hit anybody, or that had just been a warning shot.

“I want a demonstration,” the king repeats. He claps his hands, sending a shock wave throughout the compound that hits me square in the chest. “Don’t forget your place, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. You serve me, not the other way around.”

Godric clearly doesn’t give two shits about serving King Njord, but he cares about his pack. His eyes settle on each spot where every one of the black darts had landed, and then I notice the pattern.

Each shifter stands before a gouge in the ground. If Godric doesn’t comply, the king could easily wipe out his entire pack for sheer entertainment. I have no doubt those darts could pierce a shifter’s heart. While the Blood Moon Pack is full of near-immortal beasts, they likely can’t survive a direct hit like that.

“Very well,” Godric growls, and my heart sinks. The defiance burning in his amber eyes holds too much pain to suggest that the king hasn’t carried out his threat before when met with resistance.

What kind of king does that?

Ulara begins pairing up the girls, and I pray to every god I can think of that she won’t place me with Ferra.

Unfortunately, Ferra and I match heights almost perfectly, and while I’m skinnier than her, she’s lean enough that we look to be the closest in weight.

We totally aren’t. She’s all athletic muscle and I’m nothing but bones.