Chapter 44

Raven

The morning sun cast long shadows across the training yard as I swung the wooden sword in a wide arc, sweat dripping down my forehead. My muscles screamed in protest from a morning spent training, but I gritted my teeth and continued the routine Ember had drilled into me.

Block, parry, strike—over and over until the motions became second nature.

“You are getting sloppy,” Ember called out from a few paces away, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m trying my best.”

“Trying isn’t good enough. Again.”

I sighed and resumed the sequence even though my injured hand was bleeding through the bandages. We’d been at it since dawn, and I was beginning to regret asking for more intense training.

Just as I was about to ask for a moment to catch my breath, I heard the unmistakable sound of hooves approaching.

Glancing up, I saw Neil leading two horses toward us. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him—shirtless, his torso glistening with a light sheen of sweat, muscles rippling with each step.

Heat flushed through me, and I quickly averted my gaze, focusing intently on the ground as if it were the most interesting thing I had ever seen.

“Let’s go, Raven,” Neil said by way of greeting as he came to a stop beside us.

I swallowed hard, still avoiding his eyes after what had happened between us last night. “Go where?”

“The succession battle is exactly one month from today,” he stated firmly. “You will need to improve your archery skills if we’re going to win.”

I frowned, finally meeting his gaze. “My archery skills? But I’m not the one who will have to fight,” I protested.

Neil’s eyes hardened. “While you won’t be fighting in the main battle, I need a strong Lycan woman by my side. You will be participating in the archery contest against the other fiancées. You will need to hit multiple targets while on horseback.”

My jaw dropped. “Archery? On horseback? Neil, I’ve barely grasped the basics of staying on a horse. How do you expect me to—”

He cut me off. “That is why we’re starting now. There’s no time to waste.”

Ember gave me an unsympathetic look. “It is a crucial part of the succession rituals. The performance of the future queen reflects on the strength of her mate.”

I threw my hands up in frustration. “This is insane. Can’t we at least take a break? I’ve been training all morning just so as not to get murdered by Hannah, and I’m exhausted.”

“No,” Neil said, storming up to me. “Get on your horse.”

“Seriously? Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

I glanced at Ember for support, but she simply shrugged. “You did say you wanted more intense training. And besides, Hannah is a good rider. She could run you down with her horse if she decides to kill you.”

I stared at the two of them, incredulous. I was exhausted, and my hand was bleeding from holding a sword all morning.

Neil sighed, stepping forward. “If you’re not going to get on willingly…” Before I could react, he lifted me effortlessly, placing me on top of the horse as if I weighed nothing more than a feather.

“H-Hey!” I exclaimed.

Ignoring my protests, he simply adjusted the stirrups and handed me the reins. “Hold on tight, petal.”

The guards nearby snickered, and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “You could’ve just asked,” I muttered under my breath.

“I did,” he replied coolly. “Now, keep up.”

Without another word, Neil mounted his own horse and urged it into a gallop, heading toward the forest. I scrambled to gather the reins properly, my own horse already itching to follow Neil’s/

Taking a deep breath, I nudged my horse forward, nearly slipping from the saddle as we lurched into motion. The wind whipped past my face as I tried to focus on staying upright, the world a blur of green and brown as we entered the forest trail.

“Neil, wait up!” I shouted, but he didn’t slow down. If anything, he seemed to be pushing his horse faster, putting more distance between us.

“Keep up!” his voice echoed back to me.

I growled under my breath, but urged my horse to go faster. Branches whipped at my face, and I ducked to avoid a low-hanging limb, almost losing my balance in the process.

After what felt like an eternity, Neil finally pulled to a stop in a clearing. Various targets were tied to tree branches, swinging gently in the breeze.

“What’s all this?” I asked, pulling up beside him and trying to catch my breath. I was pretty certain I’d already pulled a muscle just from trying not to fall.

“Your training course,” he replied matter-of-factly. “You will gallop through the path and shoot each target with an arrow. And we won’t leave until you can do it with your eyes closed.”

I stared at him incredulously. “Neil, I can barely stay on the horse, let alone shoot arrows from it!”

Ignoring me, he dismounted and handed me a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He didn’t just hand them to me; he shoved them into my hands, not even looking at me, and stormed over to a nearby tree stump.

As I stared at his retreating form, his shoulders rigid, I felt frustration bubble up inside of me. I knew that what we did last night was a mistake, but he was acting like a moody teenager.

“Start at the beginning of the course,” he said, plopping down on the stump and folding his arms.

I opened my mouth to retort, but then snapped it shut again. There was no use in arguing with him. Not ever, and especially not now.

As I guided my horse to the starting point, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger rush through me. If he was upset about last night, it wasn’t as if I was the one who kissed him first. He was the one who came onto me.

And if it was about Serena… well, that was hardly my fault, either.

But rather than whining, I decided to just do what he asked. At the very least, maybe I could prove that I wasn’t going to let his nasty attitude stop me from training.

Taking a deep breath, I nocked an arrow and urged my horse forward. The first target swung into view—a simple straw dummy tied to a low branch. I drew the bowstring back, trying to steady my shaking hands.

“Focus, Raven!” Neil shouted. “Aim before you release.”

“I know how to shoot an arrow!” I retorted, releasing the string. But, just my luck, the arrow flew wide and missed the target entirely.

“Again!” he commanded.

Grinding my teeth, I nocked another arrow. This time, I tried to block out his voice, concentrating solely on the target. I released, and the arrow grazed the edge of the dummy.

“Better, but not good enough,” Neil commented.

I shot him a glare before moving on to the next target. As I rode through the course, my frustration grew. Each miss only fueled my anger, and Neil’s constant critiques weren’t helping.

“Your posture is all wrong,” he criticized. “Stop slouching. Straighten your back.”

“Maybe if you weren’t breathing down my neck, I’d do better!” I snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuses won't help you hit the target.”

I wanted to scream. Instead, I took a deep breath and moved to the next target. This time, I hit it square in the center.

“See? You can do it when you try,” he remarked.

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I muttered.

We continued like this for the next hour, my muscles aching and my patience wearing thin. Neil showed no signs of relenting, pushing me to ride faster and faster with each pass through the course.

“Agaih,” he ordered as I missed yet another target.

I groaned. “Neil, this is ridiculous. I’ve been at this for hours!”

He crossed his arms. “And you will continue until you can hit every target without fail.”

Finally, I’d had enough. I reined my horse in and turned to face him in the saddle. “Why are you being so cruel?” I demanded. “What did I do to deserve this treatment? Is this about Serena? Or is it about last night?”

His eyes snapped back to mine, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them. “You are overstepping.”

“Am I?” I challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re taking out your frustrations on me.”

“Enough, Raven,” he said sharply. “Get back on the course.”

I shook my head. “No. Not until you tell me what’s really going on.”

Huffing, he rose from where he was sitting and stepped forward, his gaze icy. “You wanted more intense training. Now you are getting it. If you can’t handle it, maybe you’re not cut out for this world.”

His words hit me like a slap to the face. I stared at him, grinding my teeth as a million insults whirled through my mind. I wanted to call him a jackass, a bastard, a chauvinist.

But ultimately, I simply turned away from him, urging my horse back onto the course at a breakneck speed. As I approached the final target, I steeled myself. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me fail.

The target came into view—a small wooden disc swinging from a high branch. I leaned back in the saddle, releasing the reins from my one hand and drew back the bowstring, aligning my shot.

Draw… aim… breathe.

But just as I released the arrow, my horse stumbled over a hidden root, and I lost my balance.

“Raven!” Neil’s voice shouted behind me.

Everything happened in a blur. I felt myself slipping, the world tilting as I tumbled from the saddle. I hit the ground hard, the air rushing from my lungs.

But my own pain was nothing compared to the shrill cry that pierced the air, and I looked up just in time to see my horse collapsing.

My heart froze as I watched her fall to the ground, blood gushing from the wound.

The arrow had struck my horse directly in the leg.