The Werewolf's Bride
“Thank you, Mara. Stay out of sight for the rest of the day. Tell no one we spoke.”
Mara grabbed her hand before she could leave. “Be careful. She’s… different since the Pit. Angrier. Hungrier.”
Elara squeezed back. “So am I.”
The training grounds lay behind the manor, a wide circle of trampled earth surrounded by wooden posts scarred from countless claws. The afternoon sun slanted low, turning the dust golden and sharp. Lira was alone in the center, shirtless, sweat gleaming on her scarred torso as she moved through brutal sequences, lunges, spins, strikes that would have shattered bone. Her red hair whipped like fire every time she turned.