I dragged my suitcase along behind me, feeling every bump and jerk as the wheels travelled over the rough ground. The rucksack on my shoulders was easier to carry, but after half an hour of walking, it was starting to feel like a dead weight. My feet were rubbing against the insides of my new walking boots, and I was beginning to regret packing so much. I would never complain, though. I'd die before I complained.

There were exactly two dozen of us in the group. Of those twenty-four candidates, seven were girls, three were over eighteen, and one was Prince Kaeden. That had come as the biggest shock. He was dressed in casual clothes and talking to a boy of his own age quietly, but he was still very definitely the prince. Kaeden wasn't all that hard on the eyes. His windswept dark brown hair was outdone only by a pair of distinctive hazel eyes that seemed to run in the Llewellyn family.

What the hell was he doing here? Shouldn't he, I don't know ... be sat in a palace throwing banquets or something like that? Not walking in the mud with us mortals.

My mum had dropped Alex and me off as close as cars could get to Evarlin Fortress. It was located in a highly defensive valley with just a single overgrown footpath leading in. A few guides had been waiting to escort us to the fortress. They hadn't said a single word to any of us — just started walking and expected us to follow.

When we reached the top of the hill, my priority was to take off my shoe and start shaking it in a futile attempt to get out the tiny piece of grit that had been bothering me. That was, until everyone around me started gasping and whispering excitedly. Alex nudging me, combined with my attempt to look up suddenly to see what was so interesting and the fact I was still on one leg, made me promptly fall backwards on my butt.

Sniggers echoed out across the group. My face red with embarrassment, I flipped myself over and rose unsteadily, pulling my shoe back on as I went.

"Sorry, Sav," Alex said quietly. I just shook my head, telling him it wasn't really his fault.

I scanned the amused faces, searching for potential enemies. Three girls weren't bothering to hide their smirks, so I earmarked their faces to be crossed out with red pen later. Most of them had already lost interest by the time I was back on my feet, but the prince for one didn't even seem to have glanced over at the spectacle. I must have been quite far beneath his notice.

Examination done, I turned my attention towards the view ahead of us and let out a gasp of my own. Evarlin fortress stood tall in the valley, its pale, circular curtain wall rising far above the trees. A gatehouse stretched out from the front and the spiked turrets around the walls gave the castle the appearance of a crown. How symbolic. A moat curled lazily around one side, while the other was defended by rows of trenches filled with sharpened stakes.

All in all, it was pretty indestructible. Most castles would be built on hills, so the defenders would be fighting downhill. However as a werewolf, getting the lower ground was an advantage. It gave you an easier shot at your enemy's throat. Whoever had built Evarlin knew that.

"Get a move on, you lazy idiots. We can't gowk at the view all day," someone shouted at us. I took in a short, stocky man with a whistle around his neck and a long, smooth staff in one hand. He nodded briefly at our guides, dismissing them. They melted into the trees around us without a second glance.

He strode onwards so he was in front of us and blew the whistle, just for the intimidation factor. I winced at the high pitched noise. "Make a line! I want to see what sort of incompetent fools I have to work with this summer."

I took a hurried step backwards at the same time as Alex. We narrowly avoided tripping over each other's feet and fell into line with everyone else. He walked up and down, eyeing each of us in turn.

"Why are you covered in mud?" he demanded when he reached me.

Oh, fudge. What an excellent start.

"I fell over," I explained quietly.

"You fell over?" The man started laughing dryly. "Well, that's just great. Do you know what would happen if you fell over while on patrol?"

I didn't reply, guessing he didn't need one. The man carried on, "Someone would probably rip your throat out. Is that what you want?"

"No, sir," I said.

"I should hope not. I suggest you stay on your feet from now on."

I got a moment of relief and distraction as he began shouting at Patrick for having his shoes on the wrong feet. Alex shot me a worried look, but I shook him off with a shrug. My feet shuffled in place anxiously. I hated being shouted at. I really hated being shouted at.

He finally returned to addressing all of us. "I am your instructor during the training period. I give you fair warning, I will put you all through hell. But that is my job. To sort out the weaklings from the potential heroes by making you work to the point of collapse. Try not to get yourselves killed, though. The paperwork is very tedious. Any questions?"

I stayed completely silent, as did the rest of the group. Nobody wanted to distinguish themselves by speaking. That was, with the notable exception of Prince Kaeden, who spoke up in the tone of someone very used to dealing with men like this. "When do we start, sir?"

The instructor looked at him with approval. Kaeden was well built and tall, the kind of strong candidate who was guaranteed a place in the final patrol, should he want it. "Immediately. Did you know that in eighteen years doing this job, you just asked the first question I've ever had on initiation day?"

The Prince gave a faint smile. He exchanged a look with the boy next to him, who shrugged in response. The instructor wasn't finished yet. He strode back down the line, this time looking at our luggage. "You can leave your suitcases here. Someone will collect them and return them to your families. Everything you need will be provided for you here."

I did my best to fight back a growl. I had dragged it all the way here for nothing? And what about my phone? My books? Why hadn't they just told us when we arrived?

"Now, come with me," he finished. "We're going to see what you're made of."

I reluctantly shrugged off my rucksack and dropped the suitcase, along with everyone else. They formed an untidy pile, completely out of place in the wild meadow. I wasn't keen on leaving my phone here as well, but I didn't think the Moon Guard would steal it. They were essentially police, after all.

Almost as an afterthought, I touched the pocket where my souvenir from Nate's visit remained. I could leave it here with my stuff or smuggle it in. I decided on the latter. Just in case I saw him again, I reasoned. It would have to be returned at some point.

It was a short walk to the assault course. At least, I thought it was an assault course. The combination of mud, wooden frames, tyres and rope made it hard for me to imagine what else it could be.

"There is only one rule. No physical violence. Anything else is fair game. First one to the end wins, and you have a two-minute penalty for every obstacle missed." And with that, the instructor planted his feet firmly on the driest bit of ground available, flipped out a stopwatch and blew his whistle.

The more resourceful half of the group set off at a run towards the nearest obstacle. The slower half (which included me) realised that we were supposed to move five seconds too late. When I finally did start running, the mud made for unsure footing. Determined not to fall over again, I focused completely on maintaining my balance.

The faster candidates were already clambering over the short wall by the time I got there. I grabbed the rough wood with both hands and jumped high enough to get a leg over.

I could do this entire assault course. Of course I could. See, that's the spirit. Nice and positive. Just keep running and try to forget that your body is currently undergoing anaerobic respiration and you have an oxygen debt.

The next obstacle was a net. We had to climb up one side and down the other. I looked from side to side as I grappled my way up the slimy ropes. They had been smeared with grease just to make it harder for us. The yellowy substance clung to my fingers like ivy to a tree.

I was in the fastest third coming off the second obstacle, given that I dropped off instead of climbing down. Alex was somewhere close behind me. A girl with auburn hair shoved into me roughly as she tried to get in front. I was too meek to shove her back, instead choosing to step on the accelerator enough to keep up with her.

The rest of the obstacles were similar. The group began to space out, so that by the time we got to the rope over the river, we didn't have to queue up. Several people even gave up when they saw that we had to get our clothes muddy to commando-crawl under a net. Mine were already ruined, so I didn't hesitate.

I was nowhere near the leaders, but I was vaguely aware of some sort of battle going on between Kaeden and one of the older boys for first place. They were more than welcome to tire each other out, just as long as I didn't get caught up in the middle of their pissing match.

By the time I reached the last obstacle, a crowd was gathered beneath it. My hands were sore and covered in grazes, my knees bruised. Every single in my muscle was on fire, screaming a thousand different complaints. I had never felt more alive.

The wooden wall rose in front of me like a sheer cliff face. It was easily as tall as two of me and completely smooth. Not a single handhold, nowhere to grip. And so obviously impossible. Several of the taller boys were trying running jumps to grab for the top, Kaeden foremost amongst them. But none of them even made it close.

Something made me suspect that it was deliberately just taller than anyone could reach, just an inch taller than physically possible. Not a single person would be able to get over.

Having reached that conclusion, I ran straight around it and finished back up where the instructor was waiting. I was the first one there, with my single two-minute penalty. Unless anyone managed to get over that last obstacle, I had won. It gave me a feeling of pride and satisfaction unlike any I'd ever felt from doing well in school.

"I've never seen anyone figure that out so fast," he muttered dryly, pocketing his stopwatch. "Go sit down, the rest of the buffoons might take a while to give up."

And he was right. No matter that they'd all seen the person before them fail, everyone else queued up and tried it out for themselves. Nobody could believe that they would fail until they had a go. Maybe that was where my strength was — I knew my limits. I also knew that if boys like Kaeden couldn't do it, I couldn't do it.

They began to realise what I had done, first in a trickle and then all at once. Alex was one of the first ones to spot where I was sat under the shade and run over. Once Kaeden worked it out, a large portion of the others joined him to finish the obstacle course. They all followed him like ... well like a pack of wolves following their leader.

The one who had been fighting over lead spot was one of the slowest by the end. He triedan extra four or five times while his friends watched on. The instructor looked a bit angry by the time he reached us. "What's your name?"

"Ethan," the boy sneered, his voice full of insolence.

"Well, Ethan, were you born with rocks for brains? Next time you keep me waiting, you'll be doing push-ups until you drop." With that threat, the instructor span on his heel and walked off. The entire group followed, with the exception of Patrick, whom everyone had forgotten about and was still stuck under the net. He caught up with us ten minutes later, panting and red-faced. I was the only one who noticed.

This time it seemed we were really going to the fortress.