The velvet door chime in Lila's room dinged—not a polite knock, but an authoritative sound designed to break any moment of peaceful introspection.
Lila, still breathing heavily from her dramatic three jumping jacks, jumped off her bed. "I swear, if that's another report on my emotional stability..." she muttered, smoothing her hair.
She opened the door to find a Beta servant, thin and shaky, holding a small, silk-wrapped package.
"Miss Blackwood," the servant whispered, avoiding eye contact. "Alpha Wolfhart sends his compliments. This is a small gift. And he instructed me to relay that your mandatory conditioning tomorrow will be a survivalist trek through the Academy's forested hunting grounds. At dawn."
The Beta practically shoved the package into her hands and fled as if pursued by a very fast, very scary accountant.
Lila stared at the silk package, then at the empty hallway. A gift? Adrian Wolfhart gave gifts? Was this a traditional part of the villain's research protocol?
She carried it over to her ornate vanity and tore off the silk. Inside lay a delicate, intricately carved wooden figurine: a tiny, sleeping wolf. It was undeniably beautiful, carved with astonishing detail, but its meaning was chilling. It looked like a silent, beautiful warning.
"Oh, marvelous," Lila muttered, dropping the wolf next to a vase of unnervingly fresh, pristine roses. "A mini-Adrian to watch me sleep. He literally gives me a tiny symbol of his terrifying, possessive claim and then sends me on a forced death march."
She then reread the message: Survivalist Trek. Dawn.
Dawn? That meant about four hours of sleep. And a "survivalist trek" with Alphas would not be a gentle walk; it would be a brutal, stamina-destroying run designed to showcase strength and weed out weaknesses. Her internal organs felt like they were already giving up.
Lila knew she couldn't run from this. Adrian was testing her obedience and her stamina. She needed to prepare. And she needed Elara's help, fast.
She snatched up a piece of charcoal and a thick sheet of Academy vellum. She scribbled a new, urgent note:
Elara,A: NEED Pheromone Neutralizer NOW. Bring it to the Central Stables BEFORE dawn.B: Find me the most detailed map of the Eastern Hunting Grounds possible.- L
She folded it tightly and crept out to the service lift. She knew Adrian had Beta spies, but she was counting on the efficiency of the night staff. She slipped the note into the internal message basket, watching the ancient pulley system groan as it carried her fate down to the ground floor.
Back in her room, she turned her attention to the immediate problem: What does an introverted bookworm wear for a forced hike with a True Blood Alpha?
She yanked open the closet doors, finding rows of impractical, expensive Omega attire.
"No, Lila, you cannot wear a lace-trimmed tunic to a death march!" she scolded herself. "I need something that says: 'I am not an incubator, I am merely highly disciplined and very fast!'"
After ten minutes of frantic searching, she pulled out the only suitable items: a pair of thick, dark-green leather riding breeches and a heavy, shapeless canvas vest. They were stiff and uncomfortable, but they were practical.
"Perfect," she declared, looking at her reflection. "I look like a disgruntled park ranger. Zero pheromone appeal. One hundred percent functional despair."
She then rummaged through her vanity, grabbing a massive, ornate vial of perfume—the original Lila Blackwood's signature scent, something heavy and floral.
"If I can't have the neutralizer, I will attempt to overpower the toxicity," she reasoned. She doused herself liberally, trying to create an impenetrable force field of jasmine and headache.
"Report for Alpha Wolfhart," she muttered to the ventilation grate. "Assistant Blackwood is now attempting chemical warfare via perfume. Note: The scent of her fear is now mixed with the aggressive fragrance of The Last Stand of a Desperate Socialite."
Lila woke up two hours later, stiff, terrified, and smelling aggressively of flowers.
At the agreed time, she reported to the Alpha Headquarters entrance. Adrian was already there, dressed in black, rugged gear that somehow made him look even more dangerous. He was mounted on a massive, pure black courser—a powerful horse bred for speed and stamina.
Lila's eyes widened. "Alpha, I was not informed this was a mounted exercise."
Adrian merely smiled—that terrifying, shark-like flash. "Did you truly think I would risk my Omega Asset losing her way in the forest, Lila? You will be secured."
He was not offering her a mount. He was offering her himself.
Adrian reached down, gripping her waist with one powerful, gloved hand, and effortlessly hauled her up onto the saddle in front of him. The contact was immediate and overwhelming making Lila blush and stunned for a second. She was pressed tightly against his rock-solid chest, surrounded by the oppressive heat and chilling scent of his True Blood Aura.
Toxic! Toxic! I'm going to seize right here! she screamed internally, desperately trying to focus on the overwhelming smell of jasmine and old leather instead of his pheromones.
"You smell... different this morning, Assistant," Adrian murmured, his breath warm against the top of her head. "A truly bold attempt at obfuscation. Did you think a simple floral scent would mask your unique energy from me?"
Lila cleared her throat, trying to sound aloof despite being held prisoner on a massive horse. "It is an ancient Blackwood remedy for nervous energy, Alpha. Highly potent."
Adrian chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through her back. "I see. We will test its potency."
He spurred the horse forward, plunging them into the dense, dark woods just as the first sliver of dawn painted the sky. The horse moved at a punishing pace. Lila was immediately thrown against Adrian, the constant jostling making her increasingly dizzy.
"The goal of this trek, Lila," Adrian called over the rushing air, "is the retrieval of a supply crate hidden near the Ancient Sentinel Stone—a five-mile distance. Your task is to maintain mental acuity and provide me with geographical direction based on the map you retrieved."
Lila froze. "I... I did not retrieve a map, Alpha."
Adrian's grip on her waist tightened slightly, a silent warning. "Oh, but you tried, Assistant. You tasked your Beta collaborator with finding one. Your mission, which I authorized, was to provide me with the map. Your failure to obtain it is your first consequence."
"But I didn't get the map yet!" Lila protested, clutching his forearm for balance.
"Irrelevant," Adrian stated coldly. "A true asset uses the available resources. You will rely on your Omega senses and your extensive theoretical knowledge of the Eastern Hunting Grounds."
He was testing her ability to adapt to a failure he had orchestrated.
As they flew through the forest, Adrian leaned down, his voice dangerously close to her ear. "Show me, Lila. Which way? East? Or do we cross the Black River now?"
Lila squeezed her eyes shut, desperately picturing the one schematic map of the Eastern Grounds she had skimmed in the Academy catalogue.
Think, Ava! The Sentinel Stone is mentioned in the prologue! It's near the old ruins!.....I guess?
Without thinking much "Left!" she yelled, pointing a trembling finger into the gloom. "We must go left! The terrain is flatter to the east of the Black River, which leads directly to the ruins. Trust my lineage, Alpha!"
Adrian paused, then jerked the reins, swinging the horse sharply left. "A bold guess, Assistant. Let's hope your lineage is correct. Because if you lead us astray, I assure you, your consequence will be far less humorous than a bad report on your perfume usage."
Lila sagged against him, praying that the world-building of a fictional villainess's biography was accurate enough to save her life. She was held captive, desperately allergic, lost in the woods, and gambling her survival on a vague memory from a fantasy novel. It was going to be a very long dawn.