The taste of dirt was the first thing I learned in the pack. It was gritty, bitter, and tasted faintly of iron—likely because my lip was split again.I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from my lungs in a wheezing gasp. Above me, the canopy of the forest spun in a dizzying kaleidoscope of green and gold, sunlight filtering through the leaves to mock my defeat."Dead," Elara stated, her voice devoid of sympathy.She stood over me, blotting out the sun. Her chest heaved slightly, a sheen of sweat glistening on her pale skin, but she looked like she’d barely exerted herself. I, on the other hand, felt like I’d been put through a meat grinder.I groaned, rolling onto my side and spitting a glob of bloody saliva into the moss. "I tripped.""You hesitated," Elara corrected, extending a hand. Her grip was iron-hard as she hauled me to my feet. "Thorne’s wolves won’t wait for you to find your footing. They’ll rip your throat out while you’re thinking about which foot to move."
Huling Na-update : 2026-01-12 Magbasa pa