Chapter 5

Anna’s POV

“Brave contestants, the annual Royal Selection begins now. Your first test will be strength. Please shift into your wolf forms and enter the training grounds.”

Eric and Henry immediately left the chamber to shift.

I hesitated.

Ethan’s voice entered my mind through the mind-link. “Strength may not be your greatest advantage, but you are far from weak. Trust me, Anna. I’ve trained you for this.”

I looked down at my hands, feeling Vaxy stir inside me.

What if I humiliated myself in front of everyone?

I clenched my fists.

Whether I embarrassed myself or not, I couldn’t let fear stop me from trying.

Besides, judging from Ethan’s and Aunt Mary’s reactions, perhaps I should have a little more faith in myself.

I turned toward Father. “Every wolf who has reached the required age is allowed to participate. May I join too?”

Father looked me up and down, his expression barely changing. “You want to participate? You do understand that you are only a half Alpha—and a she-wolf.”

The meaning behind his words was unmistakable.

But it only made me more determined. “Please, Father. I have never asked you for anything.”

I lowered my head and waited.

After a long moment, he finally answered. “Fine.”

I quickly turned and left the chamber before he could change his mind.

“Vaxy, are you ready?” I asked.

Her excitement surged through me. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, Anna. We are stronger and more capable than any of them realize.”

When I reached the entrance to the training grounds, a guard blocked my path and looked me over. “Name, age, and your parents’ bloodlines.”

“Anna. Eighteen. My father is an Alpha, and my mother is an Omega.”

“Damn. A hybrid is entering the selection?” One guard sneered and nudged the wolf beside him. “Today might actually be entertaining.”

“Try not to get yourself killed in the first round, little she-wolf,” the other guard added with a strange smile. “We want the fun to last.”

I ignored them.

I shifted into Vaxy’s form and walked through the entrance to join the other contestants.

Eric spotted me through the crowd.

At first, he looked as surprised as the rest of the pack. Then a cruel smile spread across his face.

His voice entered my head through the mind-link. “I’m going to kill you today.”

I ignored him and moved toward a quiet corner, saving my strength and keeping my mind calm as I waited for the next instruction.

Vaxy had been shouting excitedly inside my head ever since we shifted. “Most of these wolves are weak, Anna. I can smell their fear!”

In my wolf form, every one of my senses was sharper. Through our bond, I could feel everything Vaxy sensed.

She was right. Most of the wolves smelled nervous or afraid. Only a few carried the scent of confidence and determination.

Even Eric smelled uncertain.

Not much of an opponent, if you asked me.

The announcer continued. “Before you stands an enchanted stone. You have three minutes to drag, lift, or carry it in your wolf form and move it across the designated finish line. Anyone who fails to do so will receive a zero for this section.”

As he spoke, a small stone slowly rose from the center of the training ground.

Several wolves threw back their heads and howled, clearly unimpressed.

Even in human form, most of them could have carried a stone that size across the field.

But they seemed to have ignored one important word.

Enchanted.

I studied the stone carefully before speaking to Vaxy. “What are our chances of moving it?”

“Ancient magic surrounds it,” she replied. “I can’t tell how heavy it truly is, but I’ll give it everything we have, Anna.”

Then Vaxy gasped softly. “Shit, Anna. That mysterious man’s spell is still affecting us.”

Strangely, the crushing weight had become such a familiar part of me that I had almost forgotten about it.

But the moment she reminded me, my limbs suddenly felt impossibly heavy, as though they were chained to the ground.

“Don’t worry, Vaxy. We’ll just do our best.”

The contestants soon formed a line.

At first, most of the wolves treated the test like a joke. But after several of them failed to move the stone even an inch, their confidence quickly disappeared.

Their breathing grew louder and heavier as anxiety spread through the crowd.

“Henry, son of Alpha Aden and warrior of the Oak Pack—pass!”

Cheers immediately erupted.

“Yes!”

“I told you! Henry is the strongest!”

I looked through the crowd at Henry’s wolf. He was much larger than most of the others, but strength wasn’t his only advantage. He moved quickly for his size, and his control showed that the bond between him and his wolf was strong.

Henry wasn’t an opponent I could underestimate. He might be my greatest obstacle today.

“Move aside! Eric is next!”

Eric approached the stone.

For nearly a full minute, it didn’t move. Then, little by little, he began pushing it toward the finish line.

The moment he passed, he shifted back into his human form and turned toward the crowd with a smug grin.

“I told you! I can do it!”

One by one, the remaining wolves took their turns.

The line slowly became shorter until I was the only contestant left.

The announcer frowned as he looked down at his list. “You aren’t registered. Who are you?”

Aunt Mary stepped forward and answered for me. “She’s Anna, daughter of Alpha Eax.”

The announcer exchanged a few quiet words with the man beside him before turning back to me.

“The Lycan King has granted you special permission to participate. Go ahead. Show us your strength.”

I approached the stone and felt Vaxy place her paws against it.

We pushed with all our strength, but the stone didn’t move an inch.

The stone was already difficult enough to move, but with that mysterious man’s spell weighing me down, it felt nearly impossible. After only a short while, I could already feel my strength fading.

Laughter broke out among the crowd. Some contestants had already shifted back into their human forms, watching me with mocking smiles.

“Focus, Anna,” Vaxy urged. “We can do this.”

Her voice pulled me back.

Memories flashed through my mind.

The wolves calling me a worthless stray. Mother being mocked while telling me to swallow my anger. The contempt in my own father’s eyes.

All that rage surged through me again.

Then, before I realized it, the stone moved.

A gasp swept through the crowd, but I barely noticed.

My entire focus remained on the stone.

I imagined it as every obstacle I had ever faced. Every sneering look. Every cruel insult. Every humiliation I had been forced to endure.

Why should Mother and I accept any of it? Why were they allowed to treat us like dirt? Why did my own father look at me as though I were nothing but a stain on his name?

Burn it all. Destroy every obstacle in my way.

“She’s almost at the finish line!”

“But she’s only a Half Alpha! How is she doing this?”