Crowned by Fate (Skye) novel Chapter 121

My heart ached for him as I remit mbered how his mother had chosen Maxwell –had chosen to stand beside the man who had stolen Adriana birthright. couldn’t imagine the betrayal he must have felt.

“She must have her reasons,” I suggested gently, reaching up to touch his cheek, ‘Reasons we might not understand.”

she,‘ he wrived with a small, und smile.

Seeing the shadow in his eyes, I decided in change the subject. “We have five days in prepare for the next trial,” I said, sitting op straighter. “The Trial of Wisdom is always different each year. We should study the past challenges to prepare.”

Adrian’s expression cleared, grateful for the shift in comensation. “Good idea. The Council archives should have records of previous trials. I’ll ask Gerrett to research them remotely from Dasishem.”

“From what I’ve heard, the Trial of Wisdom is a team competition, I continued, my mind already working through potential scenarios. “We need to make sure our team is fully prepared, Lydia and Ryder will need to be at their best

Adrian nodded, his eyes warming as he watched me slip into my Bets role so naturally. “Our team is small but strong,” he assured me. “Together, there’s nothing we can’t face.”

“Task Garrett to look into past trials,” I said, pulling out my phone to send a quick message. “He’s excellent at research, and we need as much information as possible.”

Half an hour later. I received a call From Garrett

Garrett’s excited voice greeted me as soon as I accepted the call “Skye! Is Adrian with you? Put me on speaker!”

I pressed the speaker button, exchanging a curious glance with Adrian. “We’re both here, Garrett. What’s going on?”

“Fint things first–congratulations on passing the first trial, Alphat‘ Garrett’s enthusiasm was palpable even through the phone. “Everyone at Osborn is celebrating! Venus arranged a feast for tonight, and Marcus has the entire park involved in security drills. They’re determined to have us ready for whatever

comes nex.”

Adrian’s expression softened at the mention of nur pack members. “Thank them for us, Garrett. Your support means everything.”

“Oh, and thats not all, Garrett continued, the sound of rapid typing accompanying his words. “I’ve sent you both emails with detailed archives of past Trials of Wisdom. It’s fascinating stuff–and frankly, a bit terrifying”

My phone pinged with the incoming email notification, and I quickly scanned the massive document Garrett had assembled. It was impressively comprehensive, with detailed accounts of trials dating back decades.

This is incredible, Garrett,” I said, genuinely impressed by his thoroughness. This must have taken hours to compile.”

“Happy to help,” he replied, though I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “Oh, and Venus had another brilliant idea. We’ve set up official Oasisbon social media accounts to build support for Adrian’s candidacy. Venus is rallying the westem territories, especially appealing to non–werewolf communities who’ve suffered under the current eastern–dominated leadership.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Social media? That sounds more like something Alpha Xavier would do.

“Exactly!” Garrett exclaimed. “We can’t let the easter packs dominate every arena. Venus says building public support could be crucial, expecially for later stages of the competition.”

“Thank her for me,” Adrian said, his tone warm with appreciation. “You’re all doing amazing work back home. We couldn’t ask for better support.”

There was a brief pause before Garrett’s voice returned, nus more serio. “One more thing you both should know. Based on my analysis of past competitions, the Trial of Wisdom is significantly more dangerous than it sounds.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, an ungary feeling settling in my stomach.

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Chapter 121

— thy not just en intelligent, test, Ginett”

Streneli eich year. The Council cleverly di

fect by darsifying these desika differently – theyre feconded an str

Adrian and I exchanged concerned glances. “How is that possible?” i asked. I thoug

danger

Widum Trial was about strategy and hostelse hot phoni

“That’s what makes it so insidious,” Carrell replied. “Candidates expect physical challenges from the Strength Trial and prepare secundiégly. But the bris Trial.. I’s designed to kill you through your mistakes. Through pour judgment, faulty reasoning, he misplaced trust”

A chill ran down my spine at Garrett’s words. Adrian stewightened, his expression hardening with resolve.

“We’ll be careful,” he promised. “Send us every scrap of Information you can find. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“Already done.” Garrett assured us. “Just… watch each other’s backs, okay? There’s a reason they schedule a full They want you at full strength for what comes next,

week between the first and second trials.

After ending the call, Adrian and I spent the remainder of the afternoon huddled over Garrett’s documentation, studying video recordings of past trials wich Ryder and Lydia. The more we watched, the more sobering our mood became.

Π

In one particularly disturbing trial from twelve years ago, teams were trapped in a labyrinth filled with poisonous gas. The test wasn’t simply to find the mot -it was to identify which team members should receive the limited supply of antidote. Several Alphas had sacrificed themes, believing they were saving their teams, only to discover later that their ‘poison had been harmless while their teammates died from the real toxin

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