Romane von Aria

Nyra Virellion“Ha… ha…”I stood in the middle of the arena during my second round, breathing hard and starting to question how much I had left in the tank. Thousands of eyes bored into me from the stands. They were waiting for something exciting, something raw that would get their blood pumping and feed their hunger for a real fight.As brutal as it sounded, that was the whole point of the Trial of Heirs put on a show, prove you could lead them.I took a deep, shaky breath and locked eyes with the guy across from me. He was from one of the stronger packs. We were both still holding back our weapons, just circling each other in the early moments of the match.“Are you scared, little girl?” he taunted.My stance shifted from defensive to straight-up annoyed. I relaxed my shoulders a bit and answered, “Not trying to crush your dreams or anything, but I’ve trained harder than anyone else here. I plan to win this time respectfully.”

Nyra VirellionThe roar of the pre-celebration crowd thundered right through the palace roof. The five of us stood lined up in front of the Lycan Alpha, heads high. Prince Vaerith had been running these events for three years straight now, and you could feel the weight of all those past trials hanging in the air.“With all contestants ready for victory, we’re about to begin the last and final Trial within the Trial of Heirs!” the announcer called out, voice buzzing with excitement. “Heartiest wishes to every one of you. Over to the Alpha.”Vaerith looked down at us from his throne high above the stadium, meeting each of our eyes.“May the strongest win.”A rush of confidence swept through the whole line. We were all fired up, ready to fight for those rewards.The signal shot into the air green smoke mixing with exploding confetti across the dome and we turned toward the massive holographic screen. Since there were an odd number o

NyraI woke up from my nap feeling refreshed. My body was buzzing with energy, but my mind was somewhere else completely.I figured I’d find Alpha Vaerith in his usual spot in the gym like always. This time though, I decided I might get a little closer… maybe even tease him a bit.Boy, was I wrong about how that would go.I quietly peeked into the dimly lit gym and caught sight of his back first. I bit my lip. There was this strange, warm knot twisting in my stomach. A sudden breeze from behind ruffled my hair. Alpha Vaerith, who had been setting up two benches at a careful distance, turned around. Our eyes met and mine widened.He smirked.He actually smirked.“Well, hello, princess.”I gasped, totally thrown off by the look on his face. I’d never imagined Alpha Vaerith could be like this. His whole vibe had changed into something wild and intense. And here I thought I was going to be the one doing the teasing

NyraThe chaos from the incident had finally died down. The final list of contestants was out, and both Oryndor and I had made the cut. It was just five of us: Caelyra, Oryndor, two other guys I didn’t know, and me. I hadn’t managed to learn anything about those two men because a certain someone kept giving me vague little hints every time I tried to ask about their backgrounds.I needed real information so I could plan proper battle strategies. Knowing where they came from could seriously change how I performed.“Hey!”“Whoa!”I’d just stepped out of the library into the corridor when a heavy body suddenly jumped on me from behind.“The books might have fallen, genius!”“Does it look like I’d miss a chance to scare you with a pile of falling books? Nah, that’s not me, Virellion.”I rolled my eyes at him.“So? What’s your strategy?”“First rule of winning never let your enemies know your stance. Who knows? You might use it against me later.”I scoffed.“What a friend I have. And what

Nyra Virellion“Alpha Vaerith,” a guard’s voice called from outside the door, sounding unusually tense.Vaerith looked mildly annoyed by the interruption. He glanced at the closed door and answered, “I’m busy.”“F-Forgive me, Your Highness. But the Lord of the South Pack has requested your presence. He has urgent matters to discuss regarding the incident… and some other confidential information. I tried to tell him you were occupied, but he still sent me to fetch you.”I watched Vaerith roll his eyes. It was actually kind of funny seeing him so irritated by the disturbance. I knew he wanted to stay here with me longer, but duty always came first.“I’ll be there in five minutes,” he replied.The guard’s footsteps faded away quickly.“I’m needed, Nyra.”“As you should be,” I said softly.His eyebrows drew together.“Aren’t you upset that I have to leave you?”“Why would I be? You’re the Lycan Alpha. People depend on you constantly. When I become an alpha of my own pack one day, I’ll be

Nyra VirellionI… smiled.When I opened my eyes after realizing he wasn’t going to say anything about me finally accepting his advances, he hit me with words no one had ever said to me before.Who would’ve guessed the Lycan Alpha of the Whispering Pines Pack was such a poetic, hopeless romantic?“Is that all you’ve got for me, Nyra Virellion?”“T-That’s all,” I said, accidentally stammering.He chuckled at my reaction and gently brushed a stray tuft of hair behind my ear. The simple gesture sent butterflies throwing a full parade in my stomach, marching off toward places I wasn’t ready to admit out loud.“You’re adorable, Nyra. Ever since I first saw you harsh facade and all you’ve always been the cutest little thing in my eyes. Maybe… I just see the innocence still in you.”“You’re way off on that, Alpha Vaerith. I’m nowhere near innocent anymore. I might have been… back when my parents were still alive. But after that night, everything in my little world changed. No one deserves the