The Trial That Breaks the Weak

  The trial ground was carved from stone and memory.

  Lyra felt it the moment she stepped onto the open expanse at the edge of the compound. The ground dipped into a vast circular pit, ringed by jagged rock and torchlight. Old blood darkened the stone in places, ground so deeply into the surface it would never thoroughly wash away.

  This was where Black Fang decided who belonged.

  And who didn’t?

  Wolves crowded the rim above, silhouettes sharp against the night sky. Their eyes tracked her every step. Some burned with hunger. Others with fear. A few with something worse: anticipation.

  Lyra kept walking.

  Her body was weak. She felt it in the tremor of her legs, the hollow ache in her stomach. They had given her food, but barely enough to take the edge off. Enough to stand. Enough to suffer properly.

  The chains were gone.

  That terrified her more than the restraints ever had.

  Tyler stood at the highest point of the ring, stone steps beneath his boots. He hadn’t changed clothes. He hadn’t armed himself. He didn’t need to. Power radiated from him in steady, crushing waves, keeping the crowd in check.

  “Tonight,” his voice carried efficiently across the pit, “the pack decides.”

  A murmur rippled through the wolves.

  “This omega crossed our borders,” Tyler continued. “She triggered the bond. She represents risk.”

  Lyra felt the weight of every gaze press into her spine.

  “She also represents strength,” he said. “Or weakness.”

  Silence fell.

  “She will face the trial,” Tyler finished. “Unarmed. Alone.”

  Dane Korr stepped forward, expression tight with satisfaction. “What are the rules?”

  Tyler didn’t look at him. “There are none.”

  The crowd reacted instantly. Growls. Shifting. Excited movement.

  Lyra’s pulse hammered.

  Mara Vale’s gaze met hers briefly. There was a warning there. And something like respect.

  The wolves descended.

  Not all at once.

  That would have been mercy.

  The first came from Lyra’s left, fast and reckless. She saw the movement, felt the rush of air, and dropped hard, rolling as claws sliced through the space where her throat had been.

  Pain flared as she hit the stone, but she kept moving.

  She had learned long ago that standing still was death.

  The wolf circled, lips pulled back from his teeth. Young. Eager. Too confident.

  Lyra feinted right, then lunged forward and grabbed a handful of loose gravel, flinging it straight into his eyes. He yelped, rearing back, and she slammed her shoulder into his chest, sending him sprawling.

  The crowd roared.

  Another wolf charged from behind.

  Lyra didn’t turn fast enough.

  Claws raked across her back, tearing fabric and skin. She screamed, pain exploding white-hot through her nerves, but she didn’t fall. She stumbled forward instead, momentum carrying her away from his reach.

  Blood soaked into her shirt.

  Her wolf surged, furious and terrified.

  Move, Lyra ordered herself. Breathe. Survive.

  She spun just in time to duck beneath snapping jaws and drive her elbow up into the attacker’s throat. He choked, collapsing with a wet gasp.

  Two down.

  More moved in.

  They came from different angles now, testing her, wearing her down. A slash to her arm. A blow to her ribs. Each impact stole breath and strength, but Lyra refused to collapse.

  Above it all, she felt him.

  Tyler’s presence burned through the chaos, a constant pressure at the edge of her awareness. The bond flared violently every time she was struck, pain echoing between them like a shared wound.

  She wondered if he felt it.

  She hoped he did.

  A heavier wolf leapt into the pit, landing hard enough to crack stone. Older. Scarred. An enforcer.

  Dane.

  Lyra’s heart dropped.

  This wasn’t a test anymore.

  This was execution.

  Dane didn’t rush her. He stalked forward slowly, eyes gleaming. “You should have begged.”

  Lyra wiped blood from her mouth. “You should have stayed away.”

  He lunged.

  Lyra braced, throwing her weight into the movement, but he was stronger. His shoulder slammed into her, driving her backward. She hit the stone wall hard, breath bursting from her lungs.

  He raised a clawed hand.

  The bond screamed.

  Pain tore through Lyra’s chest as if something inside her was being ripped open. She cried out, vision blurring, knees buckling.

  Above them, Tyler moved.

  Not forward.

  Up.

  His power surged outward, explosive and violent, slamming into the ring with enough force that several wolves staggered.

  “Enough,” he said.

  The word cracked like thunder.

  Dane froze mid-strike, shock flashing across his face. “Alpha—”

  “She stands,” Tyler said coldly. “The trial is over.”

  The pit erupted.

  Protests. Growls. Outrage.

  “She didn’t finish!” someone shouted.

  “She bleeds!”

  “She lives,” Tyler replied. “That was the condition.”

  His gaze locked onto Lyra.

  “Get up.”

  She forced herself to her feet, every muscle screaming. Blood dripped from her fingers to the stone. Her vision swam, but she stood.

  The crowd fell silent.

  Tyler descended the steps slowly, stopping at the edge of the pit. He looked down at her like she was a weapon he hadn’t planned to forge.

  “You wanted proof,” he said to the pack. “There it is.”

  Mara stepped forward. “And Ronan?”

  Tyler’s mouth curved faintly. “He’ll hear.”

  Lyra swayed.

  Tyler jumped down into the pit without hesitation, landing in front of her. The bond flared hard, hot enough to make her gasp.

  “You survived,” he said quietly. “That buys you time.”

  She laughed weakly. “You make it sound generous.”

  He reached out and caught her as her legs finally gave out.

  The crowd gasped.

  Tyler lifted her without effort, her blood staining his arms. His grip was firm, unyielding.

  “Take her to my quarters,” he ordered.

  The words rippled through the pack like fire.

  Lyra’s eyes fluttered.

  As darkness crept in, the last thing she felt was the bond tightening—not in pain this time, but in possession.

  The pack had demanded blood.

  Tyler had given them hers.

  And claimed the rest.