The first trial

Chapter 5: The First Trial

Ariana’s POV

The air in the grand hall was suffocating. Every wall screamed wealth and dominance marble floors polished until they reflected my every movement, crystal chandeliers blazing with cruel brightness, and rows of sharp, scrutinizing eyes. The pack. His pack.

Every instinct told me to turn and run, but my legs betrayed me, moving forward as if chained. My breath hitched when I saw him at the far end—Kael, standing like a dark sentinel, his arms crossed, his eyes locked on me like I was prey.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t need to. His gaze burned through every inch of me, stripping me bare. For a second, I wanted to demand why he brought me here, why he was doing this, but then whispers slithered through the hall.

“That’s her?”

“The replacement?”

“She doesn’t look like much.”

The venom in their voices pricked my skin like thorns. My jaw tightened as I forced myself to keep walking until I stood beside him.

Kael’s lips brushed my ear, his voice low and commanding. “Stand straight. Eyes forward. Do not show weakness.”

I hated the way my heart skipped, the way his voice seeped into me like molten steel. I hated the way my wolf… purred.

The introductions began, a blur of names and faces I could barely register. Every female seemed carved from perfection—long hair cascading like waterfalls, curves sculpted to tempt even the most disciplined Alpha. Their eyes sliced into me with hostility, some with poorly veiled pity.

By the time the last name was announced, my throat was dry, my palms slick. I’d survived the stares, the whispers, the judging smirks. Or so I thought.

“Now,” Kael’s voice rang out, deep and smooth, pulling all attention to him, “a Luna must be more than beautiful. She must be strong.”

My head snapped toward him. What?

The smirk tugging at the corner of his lips told me everything. He was testing me. Publicly.

“The sparring circle,” he ordered.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. The women smiled like wolves smelling blood.

I froze, my heart pounding. “You can’t be serious,” I whispered under my breath.

“Oh, I’m deadly serious,” he said without looking at me, his voice soft but sharp as a blade. “You claim to stand beside me, Ariana. Prove it.”

I wanted to scream that I never claimed any of this, that I was forced into this twisted union, but the smug faces circling us lit something inside me. Rage. Defiance.

Fine. They wanted a show? I’d give them one.

The training ground was a wide, open circle beyond the hall, its dirt floor stained with countless battles. Two women stepped forward as volunteers of course they did. Both towered over me, muscles coiled with practiced strength.

“Choose your opponent,” Kael commanded.

I met his eyes, then scanned the two warriors. My pulse hammered, fear curling in my stomach like smoke, but I forced a smile. “Both.”

The murmurs exploded into the night air. Kael’s eyes narrowed, his wolf flickering in the depths. He didn’t stop me. He was watching, waiting.

The fight started fast—too fast. One came at me from the left, aiming for my ribs. I ducked, instinct screaming through me, and slammed my elbow into her gut. She stumbled, surprise flashing across her face.

The second woman lunged from behind, but my wolf surged, reflexes kicking in. I spun, catching her arm and twisting it before she could land the blow. She hissed, breaking free, and both circled me again.

Pain flared when a fist connected with my shoulder, but instead of fear, a strange power pulsed through me. Hot. Wild. My wolf howled in triumph, claws itching beneath my skin.

Then everything blurred. Movements came easier, faster, sharper. My body bent and struck like it had always known how. I slammed the first woman into the dirt, breath whooshing from her lungs, then whirled and swept the second’s legs out from under her.

The silence afterward was deafening.

Both women groaned on the ground, defeated. My chest heaved, sweat dripping down my temple, but I was standing. Still standing.

The crowd was stunned—except Kael. He looked… amused. No, not just amused. Intrigued.

He stepped forward slowly, his boots crunching on the dirt, and stopped in front of me. His hand brushed my jaw, tilting my face up, his touch searing my skin like fire.

“You fight like a wolf who’s been caged too long,” he murmured, his voice thick with something I couldn’t name.

I swallowed hard, breath hitching. “Maybe I have.”

For a second, I thought he’d kiss me. His eyes dropped to my lips, his thumb grazing my chin, and my entire body burned. Then he pulled away abruptly, his mask sliding back into place.

“Enough for tonight,” he announced, his tone cold again, but his eyes… his eyes told another story.

As the crowd dispersed, my maid—Liora—appeared, her face pale. “You made enemies tonight,” she whispered urgently as she led me inside. “Those women won’t forgive humiliation. And there are others ones you can’t even see yet.”

I barely heard her. My heart was still racing, my body still humming from the fight… and from Kael’s touch.

---

Later that night, I couldn’t sleep. I stood by the window of my room, staring at the moon, trying to make sense of everything. I was supposed to be weak, ordinary. But tonight, something inside me broke free—and Kael saw it.

I touched my lips where his thumb had been, my pulse quickening again. Why him? Why now?

Before I could chase the thought further, the door creaked open. Liora slipped inside, closing it quickly behind her.

“You need to hear this,” she whispered, eyes darting toward the shadows. “Someone’s watching you. I don’t know who, but I heard whispers among the guards. They’re waiting for you to fail.”

My stomach twisted. “Why would anyone care if I fail?”

Her expression was grim. “Because if you do, you won’t survive here.”

---

Kael’s POV

The night air was cool, but my blood burned. I stood in my study, fists clenched, staring at the map sprawled across the desk.

She wasn’t what I expected. She wasn’t Serena. But the way she fought… raw, untamed… it stirred something I hadn’t felt in years.

I should hate her for standing where Serena should have been. I should resent her defiance, her stubborn fire. Instead, all I wanted was to break it or burn with it.

The door opened without a knock. Jarek, my Beta, stepped inside, his face dark.

“We found something,” he said, tossing a sealed folder onto the desk.

I opened it, eyes narrowing at the report. My wolf snarled low in my chest.

“She’s alive,” Jarek said quietly. “But not where you think.”