The second challenger moved like a breaking storm.
No warning.
No ceremony.
Just impact.
He crossed the circle in a blur of muscle and intent, claws extending mid-motion as his body shifted into something halfway between man and wolf.
Denise barely had time to inhale.
Liam did not move.
Not immediately.
And that stillness—more than anything—made the entire pack tense.
The challenger struck.
The sound of impact cracked through the courtyard.
Stone shattered beneath the force.
A few wolves in the crowd flinched instinctively.
Denise’s heart jumped into her throat.
But Liam—
was no longer where he had been.
He had stepped aside.
Not fast.
Not rushed.
Precise.
The attack passed through empty air.
The challenger snarled, twisting mid-strike, trying to correct—
Too slow.
L
