Chapter 2

"Get in."

The guard's voice was as cold as the iron gate he opened.

I stepped into a massive, underground arena.

The stands were already packed with werewolves from across the continent, their gloating faces illuminated by giant screens overhead, broadcasting my humiliation to the world.

The live comments scrolled by, a torrent of contempt.

"Some Luna. Can't even save her own pack member."

"I'll bet 100 gold she doesn't last five minutes."

"Is Alpha Ethan finally getting a new Luna? It's about time."

The words echoed in my head.

A tidal wave of shame and rage washed over me.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, hard enough to draw blood.

If I wasn't worthy of being Luna, was Bella?

I looked up at the VIP box.

Bella had draped herself "weakly" over Ethan, accepting his comfort.

Her mother had just died a horrible death, yet I saw no real grief in her eyes—only the vicious, gleeful anticipation of revenge.

She'd already cast aside her mother's death, hungry only for my torment.

A daughter who had just lost her mother would never act like this.

I glared at her, and she met my gaze with a defiant stare.

Her voice slammed into my mind—a vicious, unexpected mind-link.

"Die, bitch."

My heart skipped a beat.

So that was her goal…

A guard prodded me from behind, and I took my place before the first gate.

The first challenge was a maze of glittering, razor-sharp silver blades hung suspended in the air.

I had to get through them to the exit.

Silver. A werewolf's poison. The slightest touch would bring searing agony.

"Sophia," Ethan's voice called down from the VIP box. "Admit your guilt now. Apologize to Bella, and this will all stop. It's not too late."

I looked up at him, this man I had loved, now a complete stranger.

"I am not guilty," my voice rang out in the silent arena, firm and clear.

"I will not confess to a crime I did not commit."

"Stubborn!" Ethan snapped, rising from his seat. His voice was urgent. "Just apologize, and you won't have to go through this! You are my only—"

"My only mistake," I cut him off, my gaze flicking to Bella, who was dabbing at her "tears" with a handkerchief, "was trusting that she-wolf."

A timer began to count down.

I didn't wait. I bolted.

The first blade grazed my shoulder, and a burning pain shot through me.

The poison was fast-acting, searing through my veins like fire.

I stumbled but gritted my teeth and pushed on.

"Too slow!" a voice jeered from the crowd.

I forced myself to move faster, weaving through the deadly dance of blades.

Every dodge had to be perfect.

But something was wrong.

This wasn't standard-grade silver. The potency was off the charts.

A graze that should have been a minor burn was now a festering wound, deepening at an alarming rate.

My eyes shot to the control panel in the VIP box.

Bella was "thoughtfully" handing Ethan a glass of water, a picture of concern.

But I saw it—her other hand swiped discreetly across the console's touchscreen.

Of course.

She was making the trial deadlier.

She wanted me dead from the start.

Her mother's death… she had to have orchestrated it.

"Ethan!" I screamed, my voice raw. "She's cheating!"

"Cheating?" Ethan stood, his face dark with disgust. "Are you resorting to pathetic excuses now?"

"I'm not lying! Check the console!"

But more blades shifted, cutting off my path.

The poison was spreading, my vision blurring at the edges.

The pain was immense, but another fire burned hotter inside me: rage.

This pain was nothing compared to the look in Ethan's eyes.

I would not die here. I would not give them the satisfaction.

Gritting my teeth, I launched into a final, desperate sprint.

Blades tore through my clothes, leaving bloody trails on my skin, but I didn't stop.

I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

All I felt was a furious will to live, to prove them all wrong.

When I burst out of the maze, covered in blood, and collapsed on the other side, a stunned silence fell over the arena.

"Impossible…" Bella whispered, her face ashen.

Just then, the main screen above us flickered, displaying a new message in bold, glowing letters that silenced the entire stadium:

“MYSTERIOUS ACCOUNT BETS 50 MILLION—ON LUNA SOPHIA TO SURVIVE.”