POV: Orion Kings
My fist crashed through the punching bag, sending sand blasting everywhere.
"Again!" I snarled at myself, grabbing another bag. This one lasted three hits before it burst open too.
I couldn't get the picture out of my head. Jacob Shadowfang standing there like some nightmare come to life. His dead eyes. Those teeth that belonged on a vampire, not a werewolf.
And he was going to fight my sister.
"Orion!" Amara's voice made me spin around. She stood in the doorway of the training room, her face pale with fear. "We need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," I said, wrapping my bloody fingers. "That thing isn't fighting you. I won't let it."
"You can't stop the Ancient Council's dare. If I don't fight—"
"Then I'll fight instead." The words came out before I could stop them.
Amara stared at me. "What?"
"The old laws allow for a champion," I explained, surprised I remembered that detail. "A family member can take your plac
