Shadow Of The Hunt

Chapter 5: THE STRONG AND THE WEAK

"You're getting better," she said one day, as they sat on a rock, watching the sun set over the woods. "But you still have a long way to go. You need to learn to control your emotions, to calm yourself down when you're feeling stressed or angry."

“Why am I learning so fast?”

Ethan asked one day,

“That's because you are good, Ethan.”

That was all Aria said but Ethan didn't pester for any more revelation. He took the answer the way it was delivered to him.

He was going to master his powers, no matter what it took.

As the training continued, Ethan began to feel a sense of camaraderie with Aria. They were working together, training together, and Ethan felt like he had found a true friend.

But despite their growing bond.

One day, as they were walking back to school, Ethan turned to Aria and said, "What's going on, Aria? You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

Aria's expression changed, and for a moment, Ethan saw a flash of fear in her eyes. But then, she smiled and said, "I'm just worried about you, Ethan. You're not like other werewolves. You're...different."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of curiosity. "Different?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"

Aria hesitated, like she was choosing her words carefully. "You're powerful, Ethan. More powerful than I thought you'd be. And that makes you a target."

Ethan's heart skipped a beat as he processed Aria's words. He was a target? What did that mean?

Being a target would call for more training and more understanding of what he was. But was Ethan really ready for those tasks ahead?

Being a powerful werewolf doesn't mean the end of the world mostly.

He was in a school that was only for Alphas and Lunas. No Beta were allowed,meaning that Ethan would have to face people of the same powers and abilities as him.

He was a werewolf, and he was powerful. But what did that mean for his future?

………..

A day came when the day was only meant for competition between two individuals. The strong and the weak….they supposed.

The sun had already risen, all students were gathered in the training ground just for a sole purpose. To witness the test between those two people.

The training ground was only filled with eager students crazy to watch the battle fight. Instructors stood off to the sides, arms crossed, eyes sharp. At the center of it all stood Ethan, tense and nervous, shifting on the balls of his feet. Across from him was Darius—tall, muscled, and already smirking with dangerous confidence.

This wasn’t just a match. This was a challenge.

Word had spread fast—Ethan, the new kid, was going to fight Darius. Everyone had seen Darius fight. No one had seen Ethan. And yet, he was stepping into the ring.

However Aria had called Ethan to attention. She was always walking with him. That had made him the face of everyone.

Aria also stood among the crowd, silent, arms folded. She watched Ethan with unreadable eyes.

Some of the people threw random glances at Aria. They seemed to be trying to read what was on her mind or who she would call out their name.

Darius her first love or Ethan the new boy?

Darius rolled his shoulders. "You ready, new blood?"

Ethan didn’t reply. His fingers curled into fists. He remembered Aria’s training: breathe through your fear, read your opponent, trust your instincts.

The whistle blew.

Darius charged. His movements were brutal and fast, all raw strength and experience. Ethan barely managed to dodge the first strike—Darius’s fist grazed his jaw, sending him stumbling. The crowd gasped.

Ethan straightened, blinking through the blur. Pain stung his cheek, but it wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was the smirk on Darius’s face.

Darius lunged again. This time Ethan blocked, but the impact sent a tremor through his arms. A kick followed—a blur—and Ethan hit the ground hard.

"That's all you’ve got?" Darius mocked, circling.

Aria’s eyes narrowed. She stepped forward slightly, lips parting as if to say something, but she stopped herself.

Ethan struggled to his feet. His ribs ached. The crowd murmured louder—some amused, others sympathetic.

"Come on," one student whispered. "He’s done for."

"Darius is too strong."

But Aria’s gaze never wavered. She believed in herself.

Ethan clenched his teeth and shifted his stance. He dodged the next punch, barely. Another jab came. He blocked it.

Then—something changed.

Darius’s eyes glinted unnaturally. His breathing shifted. Ethan saw it—saw the subtle twitch, the glow beneath his skin. Darius was calling on his wolf form, which wasn’t allowed in training matches.

Cheating.

That warning had been there in the school's rules and regulations.

Ethan’s heartbeat thundered. Rage flared. Didn't they see him? He was allowed to cheat?

Everything Aria had taught him rushed back—feel your core, ground yourself, trust the wild part of you.

Something inside him snapped loose. Not violently, but with precision—like a locked door swinging open.

Heat pulsed through his limbs.

As Darius’s fist flew forward, Ethan ducked and spun, his movement sharp and almost inhuman. He struck Darius across the ribs, then followed with a punch to the jaw that sent the older boy stumbling.

Gasps rose from the crowd.

"Did you see that?!"

"He dodged it—like he knew*it was coming!"

Darius snarled and came back harder, but Ethan was faster now. More focused. Blow after blow was exchanged—brutal, fast-paced, a dance of fury and willpower.

Then Ethan saw it—Darius's stance faltering.

He drove forward.

A final punch landed clean across Darius’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground with a heavy thud.

Silence.

Then—cheers. Explosions of claps and whistles.

Darius groaned, rolling onto his side.

One of the instructors stepped forward, arms raised. "Winner: Ethan Cross."

The crowd burst louder.

"No way."

"He beat Darius?"

"That kid is something else."

Ethan stood panting, blood on his lip, but something wild and alive in his eyes.

Aria exhaled softly, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Later, in the school cafeteria, the buzz hadn’t died down. Students leaned over tables, whispering about the fight.

"He’s only been here a few days."

"I heard Darius tried to shift. Ethan saw it coming."

"Where’d he learn to fight like that?"

Ethan sat at the far corner, bruised but breathing, a tray of untouched food in front of him. No one knew that Aria had been giving Ethan training under the ground.

Everyone had been looking forward to this day when Ethan would participate in his welcome test. They saw that the test had been prolonged. They had thought it was because they wanted to give Ethan a proper training.

But never for one had they seen Ethan training. But when they saw him come with full energy, they felt their worlds collapse.

How would Darius face the people? Everyone knew what a sneaky man Darius was.

Aria joined him without asking.

"You did well," she said simply.

He looked at her. "I didn’t shift. But I still felt… something."

"That’s because there’s something inside you," she replied. "And it’s waking up."

As voices continued to echo around them, someone at another table said, not loudly but not quietly either:

"He’s not just strong. He’s meant for more."

The words hung in the air like prophecy.

Ethan swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure what scared him more—the fight, or the truth behind that sentence.

He was changing.

And this was just the beginning.