29

The sudden, violent impact sent a sharp jolt of pain radiating across my shoulders. I stumbled blindly forward, my feet tangling as the sheer force of the unexpected hit completely threw me off balance. My carefully styled hair whipped violently across my face, scattering in wild, messy strands over my eyes. Before my knees could buckle against the hard dirt, Ella’s hands shot out, gripping my arms with a tight, desperate strength. She pulled back hard, steadying my weight until I finally regained my footing. I didn't fall to the ground, but my heart was hammering wildly against my ribs.

"Well, that was incredibly close," I breathed, my voice trembling slightly as I clung tightly to her shoulders for support. Once the dizziness cleared, I straightened my posture and began scanning the immediate area, my eyes moving sharply over the crowded field. Everywhere I looked, warriors and pack members seemed completely absorbed in their own worlds, laughing, stretching, or violently sparring with weapons. Nobody was looking our way. I leaned closer to Ella, my brow furrowing in deep confusion. "Did you catch that? Do you have any idea who threw that ball?"

Ella shifted her weight, her eyes narrowing as she carefully scanned the surrounding faces, looking for any sign of guilt or a smug smirk. After a long moment of silence, she let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "No, I didn't see anyone looking this way or acting strange." Seeing nothing suspicious among the bustling crowd, we decided to brush it off as a clumsy accident. We adjusted our clothes and kept walking down the dusty path, moving deeper into the heart of the training grounds. Soon, we reached the main section of the field, where a massive, roaring circle of people had gathered, their loud cheers echoing through the air. Curious, I peeked through the gaps between the large warriors and saw two remarkably small girls, barely ten years old, locked in a fierce wrestling match on the dirt mat.

I leaned toward Ella, my eyes widening in pure shock as I watched one of the little girls execute a flawless shoulder throw. "Wow... how on earth can children that young fight with so much power and technique?"

A proud, knowing smile spread across Ella's face as she watched the young cubs train. "Well, in our pack, the training starts from the moment you can walk," she explained, her voice lifting over the noise of the crowd. "Many of our girls are drilled in basic combat from a very small age. As a result of that discipline, we actually have some of the fiercest female warriors in the entire region protecting our borders."

A heavy wave of sadness and old insecurity settled deep in my chest at her words. "Wow, that is truly impressive," I murmured, looking down at my own pale, uncalloused hands. A bitter smile touched my lips as the memories of my locked-up past rushed back. "For me, all my life was spent locked away in a dark room like a prisoner. I was never allowed to train, so I'm completely useless in a fight. To be perfectly honest, I'm not actually good at anything at all."

Ella’s cheerful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a deep look of pity. Her eyes softened with genuine warmth as she reached out to grab my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Well, that is absolutely not true, Luna," she protested softly, her voice filled with earnest comfort. "You are actually very, very good at something specific, and that exact trait is what makes you so incredibly special to this pack."

A sudden warmth bloomed in my chest, and I placed my hand flat against my heart, deeply touched by her sweet words. "Aww, that is so incredibly sweet of you to say, Ella," I gushed, a genuine smile breaking through my dark thoughts as I looked at her. "What exactly do you think I am so good at?"

Ella’s sympathetic face instantly melted into a wicked, mischievous grin. "I think you are exceptionally good at doing absolutely nothing," she teased, bursting into a loud, ringing laugh.

"Oh, you did not just say that!" I gasped, my jaw dropping in mock outrage. I instantly rushed toward her with my hands raised, threatening to pinch her sides, but she moved like lightning, retreating backward into the crowd while clutching her stomach from laughing so hard. I stopped and pointed a playful finger at her, trying to keep a straight face. "I swear, it seems like you get crazier and more shameless with every single passing day." Ella didn't even try to defend herself; she just kept laughing, her shoulders shaking as she wiped a joyful tear from her eye.

The playful wrestling quickly drained the last of my energy, and a loud, demanding rumble echoed from my stomach. I rubbed my belly, looking at her with a pleading expression. "Okay, I'm absolutely starving after all that walking. We should go find a vendor and buy some snacks or something to eat."

Ella’s grin widened, and without saying a word, she slid her small hand deep into the front pocket of her white cleaning apron. With a dramatic flourish, she pulled out a massive, neatly wrapped slice of the chocolate cake she had baked the night before. "I thought you'd never ask, sleepy head," she chuckled, holding the treat out to me.

I let out a loud scoff of pure laughter, staring at her hand in absolute disbelief. "Wait... are you serious right now? You actually carry a whole slice of chocolate cake around in your apron while walking through a dusty training field?"

"Yeah, of course I do," she replied matter-of-factly, tossing her head back with a proud shrug. "What if my favorite Luna suddenly gets hungry while exploring the estate? I always have to be prepared." I let out another amused chuckle and eagerly collected the plate from her hands. I grabbed the small fork, breaking off a massive piece of the rich, dark cake and sliding it straight into my mouth. The moment the flavor hit my tongue, I closed my eyes in pure ecstasy, a long, satisfied groan escaping my throat. "Mmm... wow. The sweetness is literally entering my brain right now." I opened my eyes, pointing the fork at her with a playful wink. "Well, as long as you can cook this well, I guess I can manage to tolerate your daily craziness."

Ella immediately crossed her arms over her chest, her nose wrinkling as she gave me a sharp, correcting glare. "Excuse me, Luna, but I didn't 'cook' the cake. I baked it. There is a huge difference."

I rolled my eyes, taking another step forward as I prepared to take another delicious bite. "Baking is literally just cooking with an oven, Ella, it's the exact same thing."

"No, it is absolutely not," she argued stubbornly, stepping into my personal space. "Cooking is an art, but baking is a precise science. You can't just mix things randomly."

I was just about to open my mouth to take another massive bite of the cake, completely distracted by our playful bickering, when another heavy training ball came flying out of nowhere. This time, it struck me directly on the back of my skull with a brutal, sickening thud. The sheer violence of the impact sent a white-hot flash of pain straight through my brain, making my vision go completely dark for a fraction of a second. The force propelled me forward like a ragdoll, causing me to lose complete control of my body as I crashed heavily into the shoulder of a large warrior standing right beside me. The plate slipped from my fingers, and my beautiful cake splattered face-down in the dirt.

A wave of blinding, unadulterated anger washed over me, completely replacing the pain in my skull. My vision cleared, and my heart burned with a fiery rage I hadn't felt in a long time. I whirled around on my heel, ignoring the throbbing ache in my head, and scooped the heavy leather ball up from the dirt. I raised it high above my head, my knuckles turning stark white from how tightly I was gripping it.

"Who on earth threw this?!" I roared, my voice echoing dangerously across the dirt field.

The immediate area fell completely silent, the nearby warriors stopping their sparring matches to look at me. But nobody stepped forward. "Who threw this?!" I shouted a second time, my voice rising into a furious scream as I held the ball higher, my eyes blazing with anger. The heavy silence spread like wildfire across the entire training ground, and the massive crowd of hundreds of pack members began to turn their heads, their murmuring voices completely dying out as every single eye locked onto my trembling form.

The tense silence stretched for three agonizing seconds, the large warriors parting like the Red Sea to create a wide path in the center of the field.

Just then, Lucy stepped slowly out from the shadows of the crowd. Her arms were crossed casually over her chest, a cold, mocking smirk plastered across her beautiful face as she stared down her nose at me.

"I threw it," she announced.