Chapter 32
Viona POV
One month later
The copper tang of blood clung to the air, thick enough to taste. I adjusted my grip on the twin blades strapped to my back, sweat dripping down my spine as I moved between the rows of sparring soldiers. Three months of hiding in plain sight. Three months of silent victories and close calls. And now... now my luck has finally run out.
"Vaughn, you're up next!" the commander barked.
I nodded, suppressing a wince. Vaughn. That was the name I answered to since the day I cut my braid, dirtied my face, and slipped into the ranks of the werewolf army disguised as a low-born recruit. I chose the name because it sounded enough like mine to anchor me, to keep me from forgetting why I was here.
But the moment I stepped into the sparring circle, the world s
