LOGINELARA’S POV At night, I locked the door and lit the small lamp on the table. Ash waited at the foot of the bed. His fur looked brighter than when I’d first brought him home, but beneath the surface, he remained thin and fragile. I cut my palm with a small knife and let the blood drip into a bowl. Ash licked it slowly, pausing to look up at me between mouthfuls. “What are you looking at me for? Drink.”A low rumble rolled through his throat before he dipped his head again and cleaned the bowl completely. Under the lamplight only a faint closed line remained where the cut had been yet the crease between my brows refused to ease. In my previous life, the silver wolf had recovered through my blood until its deficiency was filled. Ash was different. No matter how much blood he consumed, his weakness persisted. His fur grew brighter and his strength improved slightly, but feeding him alone would never solve the problem.I stroked the rough fur between his ears and spoke softly. “We’ll
ELARA’S POVAdrian followed the kneeling man’s desperate glance. His brows drew together slowly. Selene stood exactly where the look had pointed. For a moment his expression held pure disbelief. Selene could barely bear to watch someone receive a light scolding. The thought of her plotting something like this seemed impossible to Adrian.“Take him away and whip twenty lashes,” Adrian ordered. His voice was cold and final. Two enforcers stepped forward at once and seized the man’s arms. He struggled hard enough that his heels dragged long marks through the dirt.“No! Everything I said is true!” His voice rose to a raw pitch as he twisted his head and locked eyes on Selene. “You promised me! You said that as long as I got it done nothing would happen to me!” Selene’s face lost a shade of color. She grabbed Adrian’s sleeve with both hands. “Big Brother he must be so frightened that he’s lost his mind and started talking nonsense.” Her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled.“Twenty
ELARA’S POVMy gaze fell on the coiled leather whip in the warrior’s hand.A similar scene had played out in my previous life almost beat for beat. Back then I had also won the strength contest with the silver wolf. The cheers of the crowd had drowned out the wind itself. I had reached up to stroke the silver wolf’s neck thinking that perhaps this time my family would finally look at me with something close to respect. At that exact moment the man who had drawn the lots stepped forward and accused me of bribing him in advance to arrange an opponent of only mediocre ability. He described the meeting in convincing detail even stating the exact time we had supposedly spoken. He produced a medicinal herb and claimed it was the reward I had given him. I stood frozen unable to form a single word. Before I could understand what was happening the verdict had already been announced from the raised platform. My results were canceled and I was sentenced to twenty lashes as a warning to the res
ELARA’S POV“Dodge!” My voice stayed low but the command snapped out the instant the black wolf’s massive body left the ground. Ash slid hard to the left his thin frame skimming so close to the giant’s ribs that the rush of air flattened the fur along his neck. The black wolf’s claws tore through empty space and scored deep gouges in the packed earth. Ash did not glance back. He braced on all four legs and landed clean on the far side of the ring dust rising around his paws. A few people at the edge of the field let out short breaths of relief only to break into laughter a heartbeat later. “It can dodge once but it won’t manage that every time,” one person said. “One solid hit and that skinny thing is finished,” another added. Selene stood in the front row of the crowd. She curled her lips into a faint smile then quickly smoothed it away and put on a worried expression. She sighed just loud enough for the nearest listeners. “The gray wolf is already so weak. I’m afraid it wo
ELARA’S POVBefore dawn had fully broken a crowd of young Pack members had already gathered at the training grounds. The air carried the scents of fresh grass and warm fur while dozens of wolves lay or stood about their low whines rising and falling in restless waves. I stood at the end of the line with Ash close against my leg. He was still a size smaller than most wolves his age. Among the sleek well-groomed coats around us his dull grey fur looked particularly shabby. A few people sneaked glances his way amusement plain in their eyes. “She actually brought that gray wolf here? She’s got some nerve!” “Just wait and watch the show. That thing looks like a gust of wind could knock it over. It’s bound to lose.” Ash seemed oblivious to the taunts and stayed leisurely at my side. I paid no attention to the voices. Instead I reached out and smoothed the tufts of fur that stuck up along the side of his neck. The coarse texture felt familiar under my fingers. I was not unfamiliar with
ELARA’S POVThe crowd parted and the Beta’s daughter, Lauren Gail, stepped forward with her shoulders straight. “I saw what happened,” Lauren said, her voice cut clean through the noise. “The silver wolf lunged first. The moment the other girl loosened her grip it sprang forward. The gray wolf was only defending itself and its master.” Selene’s eyes turned red at once as tears gathered along her lower lashes. “The gray wolf kept staring at it and growling under its breath,” she lied innocently. “You all know that wolves are very sensitive to their owners’ emotions. Sister was upset and the gray wolf probably became agitated too which provoked the silver wolf. It’s my fault for not holding it properly. This has nothing to do with Sister.”She clutched Adrian’s sleeve, her trembling shoulders making her appear even more distressed. Though she claimed to defend me, she still implied that Ash had provoked the Silver Wolf.The girls nearby jumped in before the last sentence finished.“T







