THE CHALLENGER And he was sure that he did. He was strong, unarguably the strongest Alpha and he was of pure blood. He was also referred to as a good leader…well, he was a good leader. It was just that the people would never approve of his choice of a partner.They would make a mockery of him, but he would cross that bridge when the time came. But for now, he had to partake in this trial.The crowd cheered, some of them didn’t, they were not in supoort, but they couldn’t publicly show it, not when the other contenders were yet to show up.Unknown to everyone, at the very back, shrouded beneath a deep hood that masked her scent and cloaked her aura, stood Aria.She knew that she shouldn’t have come.She’d told herself that a dozen times, told her legs to stay away, told her heart not to listen when it urged her to go to him. But there she was, boots planted in the mud, her heart slamming hard against her chest as she watched the man she loved go to his destiny. One she couldn’t dare
TRIALS The sun shone cross the treetops, gilding the banners that rose with the wind. Crimson, silver, midnight blue, White——the colors of every major pack, all whipped above the massive trial grounds, each one vying for dominance in the sky. The witches, vampires and Lycans were also in attendance. It was the common ground after allThe horns had sounded across the territories, signaling the official declaration of the Alpha kings trial.Below the high towers of the Council Hall, the crowd swelled like a living tide. High ranked wolves and commoners, Warriors and emissaries, spies and sages…everyone from all pack was welcome. The scent of a dozen territories mingled in the air: pine and iron, lavender and musk, the dry tang of desert wolves and the red wolves.Tension vibrated between them. No growls, no weapons drawn, not yet. But every Alpha and Beta present knew that today’s event could upend the entire structure of power across the lands.This was not an ordinary meeting, thi
BLOOD PROOF“You don’t have to do this,” Lyra said quietly, even as the look in her eyes said otherwise. The Elders watching from behind her certainly didn’t believe that either. Half of them were staring like Aria had already transformed into something monstrous.“I have to…” Aria pressed.The ritual chamber had practically fallen apart. Yet for some reason, it still stood tall. Beneath Aria’s boots runes glowed faintly on the walls, casting eerie reflections over the circle where she stood. It was colder than she expected.All this did little to calm her nerves.Elder Lyra stood before Aria, expression unreadable. In one hand, she held a thin silver blade, in the other, a shallow bowl.Aria flexed her fingers once, then stepped forward. “Let’s get it over with.”Lyra didn’t blink. It wasn't her place to show mercy within these walls. She simply extended the blade.‘Maybe if I do this fast enough, it won't hurt as much.’ Aria mused. Preparing for the world of pain she was about to e
MISSING Kai stood on the elevated ground, the teachers gathered around. His presence was domineering and intimidating. "Nothing could have prepared us for this," Ryan sighed, coming up beside Kai.All the students were assembled as well. The ones that were not injured or already healed. They were waiting to be called, so that they could indicate that they were present.His aura made it easy to guess that he was an Alpha.Principal Rawlings, some elders and other members of the pack stood beside him, their faces heavy and filled with exhaustion, their Knees weak and feet tired.Kai began to call out the names with his loud, authoritative voice and each teacher answered present.He called out “Maren” but there was silence. He looked around, waited a few seconds, then called the name again.“Maren” his voice was louder this time. But no one answered or came forward.The teachers began to murmur. They looked around, but there was no sign of her around.“Who has seen Maren today?” he as
MissingThe moon sat low, yellow and bright in the sky, watching and judging like it was taking note of everyone and every deed. Like a god sitting in the sky.It’s silver light casted long shadows upon the earth, but the area was bright and clear, but dark enough to know it was late.Smoke filled the air making it hard to see. The atmosphere was foggy and it was difficult to breathe.There was an air of chaos. You could tell that something was not right.The trees were still, the fog rising, the silence was loud but the noise was so subtle.Burn marks and fire still remained on some branches and leaves.The attack had just ended, but the evidence lingered like the perfume on the clothes in the laundry basket.The students moved slowly in an orderly manner as they were escorted back to their dormitories all silent and defeated. The healer went around checking on the those that were wounded. Some were cleaning wounds, some were applying bandages and giving potions to some patients.
THE CALLAria sat with her knees pulled up, her bare feet buried in the cool sand, half a sandwich in her hand, the other holding a drink Kai had carried from the pack kitchen."This tastes good," she took a monstrous bite letting herself free a bit.Laid out between them on a thick flannel blanket was enough food to feed five people, maybe more. A wooden board held thick-cut grilled steaks, still warm, juices pooling beside them.Aria and Kai had worked hard to ser it up themselves but in the end he had given up and asked for help from the staff and plates too.Next to the array, foil-wrapped baked potatoes were split open and topped with melting butter, herbs, and a generous dusting of salt. There was a container of roasted vegetables — peppers, onions, zucchini — all caramelized at the edges, smoky and sweet.A bowl of spiced rice sat beside two wrapped meat pies, their crusts golden and flaky. Closer to Aria was a plate of marinated chicken skewers, grilled with onions and bell pe