LOGINElsie's POV Out on the wide field, I gathered team four into a tight circle and let those who wanted to volunteer for the match step forward. There would be two separate sets of rope pulling for this event. Each competing unit was required by the organizing veterans to provide a total of sixteen strong men. Eight would compete against eight from the opposing team in the first round, and the second group of eight would do the same right after.In the end, the points from both rounds would be added together for the final score in this game.Goddess alone knows what our total team point score actually is at this stage of the trials. There were endless speculations and rumors flying around the team, but none of us knew exactly how many points we had accumulated, and I highly suspected that it was the same confusing situation with the other teams. The final results posted on the board tomorrow will tell us all we needed to know about our fate.I had my sixteen sturdy men set aside, of w
Elsie's POV The Sunset pack warrior and I nodded in unison. We parted ways at the entrance, and I walked further into the mess tent, heading over to a table where a few of my teammates were already sitting. To my surprise, a full tray of steaming food had already been set out at an empty spot.I paused by the bench, looking at the plate. "Is this mine?"The guy sitting closest to the spot, who happened to be Carter, looked up and said quietly, "Yes. We grabbed it for you." He averted his eyes quickly right after speaking, staring down at his own bread.Oh, Goddess, how much longer was this friction going to go on between us? I can certainly be petty when I want to be, but I was just done with seeing his constant, guilty puppy-dog face around me every single hour. If anything, his obvious guilt just proved the guy wasn't an evil personbat heart. He was probably just misled and coaxed by Holmer's toxic influence.I sat down on the bench, picking up my spoon, and looked at him. "Carter
Elsie’s POVI eventually spotted Tate pushing his way through the crowd of hungry men. I raised my hand, waving at him over the heads of the surrounding men. He caught sight of me, broke away from his row, and sauntered straight over with a relaxed grin."Elias," he greeted, clasping my shoulder briefly. "What's up?""Nothing much," I replied, keeping my posture casual. "How is your team doing in the point standings?"Tate raised his chin proudly, a spark of confidence in his eyes. "Good. You bet we are holding our spot. We smashed our round yesterday night."I let out a breath. "Thank the Goddess. I would hate to no longer see your ugly face around this camp."Tate laughed, rolling his shoulders. "Me too, man. I absolutely cannot go back home just like that. If I get disqualified and sent back to my home pack early, my siblings will never let me hear the end of it for the rest of my life."I let out a short, quiet laugh at the image. "Let's go inside then. I’m starving."Tate paused,
Elsie’s POV"Enter," the Lycan King's deep voice called out from inside after a long, pregnant pause.I gathered my courage and took a bold step inside the large black tent. The torches were flickering softly, throwing long shadows across the space. The Lycan King was standing by his desk, clearing off various maps and loose parchment sheets.He didn't look up immediately as I approached, his hands moving efficiently. "You came at a good time," he said, his tone flat. "You should be resting, but just quickly pack these remaining files up into the trunk.""Yes, Your Majesty," I replied with a rasp in my voice. I quickly stepped forward to do what he had asked, gathering the scrolls and stacking them neatly inside the iron-bound chest in the corner. When I finally finished the task, I wiped a small bead of sweat from my forehead and turned around to look for him.He was sitting on the edge of his cot, idly fiddling with the laces of a boot."I have finished clearing the desk, Your Majes
Elsie's POV The head healer paused, holding a jar of dried leaves in her hands, before she slowly shook her head. "No," she said, her voice dropping into a quiet tone. "I am not going to tell him. I know what it feels like to wish to do something with your life, and not be able to do it simply because of a circumstance you cannot help."I blinked at her, the fear in my chest loosening just a fraction. "Really?"The woman hummed in confirmation, setting the jar down on a wooden shelf. "I worked as a servant in the royal palace back at the capital for years. I basically helped raise the children of the royal family, but what I really wanted to do since I was a young girl was practice medicine. I could not pursue it back then because people of my low social status would never be accepted by any master healer to be trained."I shifted on the cot, listening closely to the crackle of the stove. "So, how are you a master healer now?"She turned to face me, a soft smile touching her aged lip
Elsie's POV Turns out that our worst fears during dinner were valid. Out of the fifty-two men in our team four, just those two guys who had raised their hands in the mess tent actually knew how to swim well. Well, it was fine in the end because they only asked each team to present three divers for the event. Since we were short on options, I didn't have much of a choice. I would have to join them in the freezing current.We entered the rushing stream with the safety ropes tied tightly around our waists. Back home, I always enjoyed swimming in the warm pack lakes, but this task was on a completely different level. The water was freezing, numbing my skin instantly, and the dark night made it so I could barely even see a foot in front of my face.The two guys from my team and I had to work together to find our assigned dark green stones on the riverbed. We couldn't do it blindly. I motioned for us to link arms for a split second to establish our spacing, and then we fanned out in a syn
Elsie's POV After hitting the wooden dummies countless times, an exercise that I honestly felt was beneath my skill level, we were finally released for the day. I mapped out a strict plan for the rest of the evening. First, I would eat. Second, I would go on my stealing mission. Third, I would b
Elsie's POV He wasn't wearing a hood this time.My breath hitched as he stepped fully into the open space. His untamed white hair was blowing softly in the chilly wind, a stark and beautiful contrast against the dark leather of his armor. I stared, entirely captivated. How would it feel to the to
Elsie's POV The veteran wolf introducing himself didn't bother with a gentle greeting. He stood tall, his chest thrown out, looking down at our sizeable group with hard, uncompromising eyes."I am Logan," he said, his voice clipped. "I am in charge of this patrol unit. I am originally part of the
Elsie's POVWho knew salvation would come, but in the most unexpected way? Guess today was not my dying day after all.I sprinted through the dark, wet woods, my boots splashing heavily through the mud. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, not from fear anymore, but from pure shock. I hadn







