Please, don’t let me be a dud.

The high mage’s lips tipped up in what I hoped was a smile. “Please join me.”

A few of the alpha heirs snickered, and I heard one of them groan—probably Justice. Or Rage. Someone needed to pull the sticks out of their backsides. How was it that they were brothers with Noble and Honor? Why were they here anyway? They already knew their affinity.

I scooted past the crowd at the edges of the room to the aisle, keeping my head held high. Never let your foe see your fear, my father would say.

As I strode toward the raised dais, I started to wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt before remembering it wasn’t my dress—not to mention everyone was staring.

I stepped onto the dais and felt the heat of one of the high mages’ gaze—blue cloak, the same one from earlier. I was no genius, but for some reason, that dude had it out for me. I could feel his magic wash over me as if … scanning me.

Mother Mage, protect me.

I wished he’d stop staring.

Something fizzled in the air, and then it was just me and the older high mage. I blinked and then frowned because the tall high mage standing in front of me was no longer wearing long silver robes with his milky galaxy eyes. He was … smiling at me kindly, and we were both dressed in shorts and tank-tops, standing outside on a sandy beach.

What the mage was going on? I spun, looking for the crowd in the room but saw only miles and miles of endless shoreline.

“Isn’t this your favorite place?” he asked.

My jaw hit the sand, and I shook my head. “I’ve … never been here.”

I’d always wanted to go to the beach, but since the alpha king banished us to our small lands in Montana, I’d never been able to go. This was absolute confirmation that he could read minds. Right? And teleport people to beaches…

He cocked his head and inhaled deeply through his nose. “You are more powerful than I thought—”

“What? I’m confused…” My heart, which had been lulled into a slower beat because of the crashing waves, picked up its pace again. Nothing about this made any sense. And if no one else was here…

“Where are we?”

He shrugged noncommittally. “That’s a conversation for another day. I’m going to need your hands now.”

Apparently, we were going forward with the ceremony … on a beach. Had the other students seen this? Did he take each student to their favorite inner-mental landscape? Maybe it’d be best to get this over with and return my body to the school. I held my palms out, my confusion by this time far greater than my fear of the silver dagger.

Even so, I forced a swallow and then asked, “Will it hurt?”

The high mage chuckled, a legit laugh—which sounded like wind chimes. I was 84.8% sure he didn’t laugh with the other students. He wasn’t even friendly with them.

“Definitely not,” he responded. His expression turned somber then. “But I need you to listen. Before you drip your blood on the crystal, you need to pick an affinity and tell me what it is.”

What? I shook my head, trying to dislodge the heaping piles of WTH.

“We get to pick?” I asked, frowning. “Is this what you were discussing with everyone else?” Maybe that’s what he whispered to everyone. You want fire? Okay, done.

He shook his head. “I need you to pick one. We’re running out of time. I cannot hold us in this place much longer without the others knowing—”

What the what?

“Oh-kay. Fire,” I said, thinking of my father and the ability to make one’s blood boil in their skin. Seemed like a decent affinity.

The high mage grinned, and it was all feral excitement. “Then, think orange—the color of a deep sunset.”

Orange. Orange. Orange, I chanted in my head for good measure.

“Close your eyes,” the mage whispered.

This dude had me so confused, but I wasn’t about to question a high mage during a special ceremony. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and tried to think of the color orange. Why? I had no idea. Maybe it helped my element come to the surface?

I felt an icy kiss on my palm like a snowflake brushing warm skin after pulling off my gloves. For some reason, Rage popped into my mind then. I thought of how his gaze dipped to my lips when he was lying on top of me in the car. I wondered what his affinity was. Water? Air?—Ugh, he was such an ass. My lip curled in disgust.

Think Orange, Nai!

Crap!

Orange sunset, illuminating red-rocked mountains…

Cold icy magic bludgeoned me in the solar plexus, and I gasped, clenching my eyes shut. The biting cold seared my skin like an icicle slicing into me, and I hunched over with a cry.

He said it wouldn’t hurt!

“Oww,” I muttered between my teeth.

“Holy fecking mage!” one of the students shouted.

My eyes popped open, and my jaw dropped. Gone was the sandy beach. I was back in the atrium of Alpha Island, my hands hovering over the crystal and dripping blood. Colors danced and swirled above us. Gradually, the blues, yellows, and greens faded, and then, there in my palms, a vibrant teal light swirled and twisted, mixed with a deep, beautiful orangey-red. The vermilion became flames, licking my palm as if it were dry wood, and the teal transmuted to a light blue and then swirled in my hand like a mini water tornado. Yikes. This didn’t look like fire element.

My stomach dropped.

“How many affinities does she have?” someone cried from behind me.

I grimaced. My attention jumped from my hands to the high mage who still held them. He muttered a chant under his breath and opened his eyes, fixing them on me. There was disappointment there and … fear, but then it was gone.

“Sorry,” I whispered, guilt wiggling in my gut. Perhaps that was residual discomfort from whatever that pain was. “I tried to pick one.” My voice was barely a whisper, meant only for him.

He shook his head. “No matter, Nai. You did fine.”

Pride swelled within my chest, and a warm trickle of energy flowed up my arm. The ache over my abdomen waned like putting aloe vera on a sunburn. “Thanks.”

“She has two affinities!” the old man told the crowd, which now pushed closer, including the teachers. My gaze scanned the crowd before landing on Rage. He’d pushed off the wall and now stared at me through a slitted, sharp gaze.

“What in the name of the high mage?” a man shouted, his voice raspy and harsh.

I spun on my heel and faced the High Mage Council. The one dressed in royal blue glared at me. “It’s been nearly a century since we had a student with two affinities—and that alpha almost destroyed her clan.”

I gulped as silence descended over the crowd.

He took one more step toward me, and my entire body stiffened. “We’ll be watching you, wolf.”

Shock ripped through me, and shame burned my cheeks.

My eyes flicked to Kaja, who looked down at her feet. Rumor was that a century ago, a Harvest Clan alpha had two affinities and went mad from it. She had to be put down…

Before I could retort, the high mage at my back cleared his throat. “Calm yourself, Kian. I’ll keep an eye on her myself. Now, back down so we can finish.” His tone was clear. That was an order, and this badass was clearly in charge of the others. The old man’s shield, Kaja’s sister, stepped closer to him as if threatening Kian to refuse.