25
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K O E N
“You’ve had no shortage of excitement in the arena lately, have you, Ashen Wolves?” Avril’s voice echoed through the expansive space, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the shifters on the viewing deck.
She lowered her head momentarily, flashing a quick glance at me as we stood side by side in the center, before addressing the crowd again. “Today’s challenger, however, is anything but ordinary. He’s neither an Ashen Wolf nor a member of our pack. Yet after living among us for over a month, he’s asked to prove that he has no intention of being a freeloader.
"Koen might not share our blood, but I’ve seen in him the same determination that unites us all. I’ve deemed him worthy of participating in this sacred tradition, and I hope today he’ll not only validate my faith in him but also surprise you all by becoming the first regular wolf to beat the trials.”
A weight of expectation settled over me as she finished her speech. Confidence came naturally to me as an alpha, and experience had taught me humility. Ambition often urged me to push my limits, but I knew better than to bite off more than I could chew. I wasn’t afraid of failure - only of disappointing her.
Then her gaze met mine, steady and brimming with unshakable confidence. It immediately eased the tension within me.
“You got this,” she whispered, her hand not-so-accidentally brushing mine as she headed toward the nearest stairs to watch my performance.
As soon as she was gone and I stood alone in the middle of the arena, adrenaline began pumping through my veins. I lifted my head to meet the stares of dozens of Ashen Wolves. Some, who seemed to have grown fonder of me over the past few weeks, exhibited only excitement. Others looked skeptical, mocking smiles plastered on their faces as if they were here solely to enjoy the spectacle of my failure. A few wore more serious expressions, clearly unfazed that an outsider had been allowed to partake in their tradition.
They were the ones I had to please the most. If I failed to prove myself today, it wouldn’t just erase the little progress I had made with the members of Azure Smoke so far, it would also ruin Avril’s reputation. I couldn’t allow that.
“We won’t fail,” Col growled, his hackles raised with aggressive determination inside my head. He was itching to come forth.
And, as soon as the lights shut out, I let him.
I could feel the earth trembling beneath his paws, the harsh screech of metal ringing in his ears. When both stopped and dim lights flickered to life, we stood between towering metal walls. Test number one, The Maze, had begun.
Even if I hadn’t witnessed each individual challenge Oliver faced two days ago, my instincts would have guided me. A single sniff was enough for my wolf to catch the scent of the rabbit hiding inside the maze, and he wasted no time to start navigating through it.
Since I lacked the natural resistance to fire that Ashen Wolves possessed, I had to be extra careful not to set off any traps. A burst of fire could, at best, slow me down, and at worst, leave me badly injured. Thankfully, my training sessions with Theo had not only helped me understand the specific advantages his kind had over me but also taught me where I could outmatch them.
While Ashen Wolves were more prone to being dominated by instinct, I found it easier to keep a clear mind. Even as Col dashed through the metal labyrinth after our target, the thrill of the chase wasn’t strong enough to cloud my thoughts. Staying focused allowed me to spot the traps before I could trigger them. Furthermore, while Avril’s kind was bulkier and taller, my lighter frame made it less likely for me to set off traps by stepping on them.
But I knew these advantages didn’t make the challenge any easier, and my tactics weren’t fail-proof.
As Col picked up the pace to pounce on the prey at last, he moved too close to the sensor of a trap on the wall. Aware of its presence, he managed to pull back in time, rabbit between his teeth, but the flamethrower was still triggered. Even if he was unharmed, it still blocked our path.
The sudden burst of light made it impossible for an Ashen Wolf to blink past the flames, since their ability only worked in shadowy paths. However, since that was never an option for me to begin with, I had already thought of ways to circumvent it.
Col barely let the setback slow him down. He leapt sideways, his paws striking the opposite wall with precision before springing back to the other. With each bound, he climbed closer to the top of the metal walls until he ultimately propelled himself into the air. His body twisted mid-flight, a perfect spin that carried him over the roaring flamethrower blocking our path. Flames licked dangerously close to his fur, but he sailed through with uncanny precision, landing lightly on the other side.
I caught the sounds of amusement and surprise rippling through the crowd, but I couldn’t afford to focus on them. Time was ticking, and I had to find a way out if I wanted to pass the first test. Blinking between the walls to locate the exit faster wasn’t an option, which meant I had to move quickly while staying careful.
After half a minute of trial and error, I was relieved to spot the end of the maze. Col bolted toward the opening, dropping low to dash beneath a final trap. He reached the other side just as the timer hit zero, and green lights flashed to signal our success. Trial one was complete.
Three more to go.
Once again, the ground started shaking as the walls retreated into the earth. Thick smoke billowed through pipes lining the arena, quickly swallowing the space in darkness. The test was designed to assess an Ashen Wolf’s ability to meld with the shadows, using them as an advantage. To me, it only obscured my vision. But I didn’t panic - Theo and Elijah had prepared me for this.
The first burst of bullets fired, the sharp cracks of the shots echoing through the arena. Col darted low, slipping into a roll across the ground to avoid the worst of it. The sand beneath us was fine, almost powdery, and as he scrambled to his feet, he raked his paws through it, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His white fur was easy to spot among the dark clouds, but the light sand offered him pretty good camouflage. The dust hung in the air for a moment. It wasn’t as effective as an Ashen Wolf’s camouflage, but it was enough to blur Col’s movements as he sprinted toward the flag.
Another volley came flying at him, but I saw them coming - slow enough to dodge, fast enough to keep moving. A bullet grazed his side, and I felt the sharp sting of pain before it was gone, but he didn’t stop. We were close now, the flag within reach.
With a burst of speed, my wolf leapt toward the flag, snapping it up in his jaws just as the next round of bullets flew toward him. He used the same dust trick again a final time to cover his retreat as he bolted back toward the starting point. The turrets fired once more, but he was already at the finish line.
Green lights flickered behind the thick veil of smoke before the terrain began shifting for the next test. The pipes reversed to clear the fog from the arena, and at the opposite end, I spotted Vereya. She gave me a curt nod, her lips moving as she hummed ancient words.
This was the trial I was most apprehensive about. The spell cast by the shaman was specific to each challenger. There was no way to prepare for it, as I had no idea what illusion would be conjured for me.
Fortunately, or maybe not, I wasn’t left to wonder for long. In the blink of an eye, I was teleported out of the arena into lands I knew like the back of my hand. Simply being back there sent a shiver down my spine.
I was back at Whispering Hills.
Everything was just as I remembered it. The endless verdant hills, the gentle breeze carrying the joyful chirping of birds. It smelled like home. For a moment, I wanted to believe that it was all real.
But paradise only lasted a second before hell reigned. Feeling an eerie dampness in the ground, I glanced down to find the grass beneath Columbus’ paws painted crimson. A lone, ear-piercing bellow stole our attention, causing him to lift his head again to realize we were in the middle of a battle. Not just any battle - the battle that took everything from me.
Members of my pack advanced fearlessly despite their grave wounds. They were giving it their all to fight off the enemy, but the waves of adversaries seemed never-ending. A slash to the throat took one of my warriors. Another was brutally torn apart by three wolves. A third one was tossed against a rock, his skull crushed by the impact.
Blood. Death. Destruction.
I froze as pain stabbed through me like a knife to the heart, so intense I couldn’t breathe. An agonized roar rumbled in Col’s chest as he shook his head abruptly. It’s just mind games , I tried to remind us both, but it felt too real. I could sense the deaths of my pack members, feel the rupture of our bond deep in my bones as I lost them one by one all over again. My worst fear had always been not being capable of erasing my father’s mistakes and watching my pack succumb because of them.
But I had already experienced it, and I survived.
With that realization, I pushed through. Col broke free from his inertia, dashing forward, faster as our brothers and sisters fell around us. There was nothing but raw anger in my heart as he lunged at the alpha who had commanded the attack, closing his jaws around the enemy’s neck and ending his life with cold precision. Just like that, the illusion ended, and we were back in the arena.
I took a moment to breathe after the overwhelming experience, only snapping out of it when I heard Avril’s voice.
“The trials are almost over,” she announced to the crowd, but it almost sounded like she was trying to soothe me.
Still heaving and dazed, Col searched for her. Worry was etched across her face, pain in her eyes. Yet, she exhibited a bright, reassuring smile that revitalized me. Inhaling a deep breath, my wolf straightened his posture, his eyes lingering on the one who made us feel invincible.
“Only one test separates Koen from his victory,” Avril continued. “Since he has been training with Beta Theodore, it wouldn’t be fair if he was his opponent.”
She had already warned me about this change, and I agreed with her. After countless sparring sessions with Theo, I had learned his battle strategies and become familiar with his weaknesses. Besides, I also knew he wouldn’t be able to go all out on me because of the friendship we’d developed. So, we all decided it would be best if I faced someone else in my final test.
“Do we have any volunteers to help test Koen in his final challenge?” Avril asked her pack.
Not even a second passed before a voice I hadn’t heard in a while answered, “I volunteer.” Col’s fur bristled before he even laid eyes on the man calmly walking down the stairs to the arena, a wicked grin plastered on his face.
I didn’t need to look at Avril to sense her hesitation as she reluctantly granted, “Very well. Waylon shall be Koen’s opponent in the final trial.”
Col remained motionless as the warrior approached, claws flexing, eyes narrowing. Like me, he wasn’t the least bit fazed. We’d both been waiting for the chance to kick this bastard’s ass for a long time.
As the man entered the ring, positioning himself opposite me, he sneered before he shifted, “Let’s see what you’re capable of, little alpha.”
Col’s muscles rippled with anticipation, instinct kicking in as he glared at Waylon across the ring. The crowd’s murmurs faded into the background, the only thing I could focus on now was him. His stance was wide, his massive frame a daunting presence, but I wasn’t intimidated.
As soon as the sound of the horn pierced the air, signaling the start of the challenge, Waylon’s beast lunged at mine. He was already moving, faster than I could track. Col instinctively shifted his weight, bracing himself. The air around us shifted, and I barely caught a glimpse of him reappearing on my left, jaws wide as he lunged toward me.
Col dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the snap of his teeth, the force of the missed strike throwing dirt up into the air. The ground felt like it was vibrating with the force of his power, but I couldn’t let that distract me. I had to think.
My wolf spun on his paws, his claws digging into the dirt as he faced Waylon again. The opponent smirked, but it wasn’t the smirk of a playful opponent - it was the smirk of someone who thought they already had the upper hand. His eyes gleamed with challenge as he melted back into the shadows, vanishing from sight once more.
Waylon might be faster, more powerful, but he couldn’t have the one thing that mattered most: my will to keep fighting. The shadows weren’t going to protect him forever. I couldn’t blink between them like he could, but I had learned to feel the shift in the air as his presence moved, too close, too fast. The trick was not to be caught off guard. My wolf waited for the faintest rustle, the smallest disturbance. It came - he reappeared behind us, lunging with his claws outstretched.
Col barely managed to twist out of the way, his claws scraping down my flank instead of delivering a deadly blow. The sting of pain shot through my body, but it didn’t slow us. My counterpart spun, landing on all fours and snapping at his leg, our fangs barely grazing his fur before he disappeared again.
This was going to be a battle of endurance. His speed and strength against my grit.
Waylon reappeared once more, this time above me, coming down hard like a falling boulder. I braced for impact, but I was ready. With a growl, I slid to the side, just in time to avoid the full force of his weight crashing into me. But his shoulder clipped mine, sending me sprawling across the dirt.
I regained my footing quickly, feeling the adrenaline flooding my system. Waylon's eyes burned with frustration, but there was something more in them now - something darker, something personal. And that’s when I realized: this wasn’t just a test to him. This wasn’t about proving strength. Waylon had entered this ring for a different reason entirely.
Since I was neither an Ashen Wolf nor a member of Waylon’s pack, I couldn’t mindlink him. Yet, his mind spoke clearly to me now, as if I could hear his thoughts in my own head.
Waylon was challenging me for Avril.
The horn sounded again, signaling the end of the match. I was still standing inside the ring, which meant I had won. But I couldn’t feel the sweet taste of victory on my tongue yet.
When the lights flickered on, neither of us moved. The trials might be over, but this challenge was not. With a growl, I lunged forward, my claws out, my jaws snapping at the air between us. Waylon met me halfway, our collision shaking the arena.
There would be no winner today, no end until one of us lay dead.