The Trials start here 

"Prove it." The older man's voice was harsh, slicing through the council chamber's suspense. As the other elders sat quietly, their countenance dismal, his hard, relentless gaze locked onto me.

Proof what? Stepping forward, Luca murmured, his voice tinged with controlled rage.

The older man ignored Luca's enquiry and said, " prove that the bond isn't a threat." "You will pass the Trials of the Moon without wavers if the bond is really a blessing as you claim."

"The Trials haven't been invoked in decades," another elderly person replied, seeming unsure. Do we know this is absolutely required? {

"It's the only approach to bring the pack together," the first elder said. "Should they fail; it will show that the link is just as perilous as we worry about."

And in case we are successful? My voice firm despite the knot of anxiety growing in my chest, I questioned.