Chapter 8
448 Words
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Three years later.
The rundown pack was gone.
In its place stood the Thunder Howl Training Grounds. Steel fences. Sand pits. Weapon racks. And in the center, a massive arena carved into the earth where wolves from every territory came to fight.
And they all came for one reason.
"Elira!Elira!Elira!Elira!"
The chant shook the stands. Hundreds of wolves. Alphas. Betas. Mercenaries. All watching.
In the arena, Elira stood barefoot in the dirt.
White hair cut short to her shoulders. Scar over her left eye.The silver lash scars on her back were still there. But now they gleamed like armor.
Across from her was a rogue champion from the East. Twice her size. Covered in tattoos and rage.
He charged.
She didn’t move.
At the last second she sidestepped, caught his wrist, and drove her elbow into his throat.
_CRACK._
He dropped. Unconscious before he hit the ground.
The crowd exploded.
Elira didn’t smile. She never did after a fight. She just walked to the edge of the arena and grabbed a towel. Blood on her knuckles. Not hers.
"Undefeated. 212 matches." The announcer’s voice boomed. "The Thunder Howl Pack’s weapon."
From the VIP platform above, Gabriel watched.
He looked different too. Still in the worn jacket, but now it had the Thunder Howl crest on it. A howling wolf under a storm cloud.
His pack wasn’t broke anymore. They weren’t weak anymore.
Because of her.
A Beta came up beside him. "Alpha. We got 4 more challenge requests for her this week. Even Elira's former pack, the Bloodmoon pack sent someone."
Gabriel’s jaw tightened at the name. "Decline them."
"She could make us rich if we let her fight them."
"She’s not a show dog." Gabriel’s golden eyes never left Elira as she walked out of the arena. "She fights who she chooses."
Down below, Elira stopped. She could feel him watching. She looked up.
Their eyes met.
No words. They didn’t need them.
Three years ago he found her bleeding in the woods.
Now the Thunder Howl Pack was one of the biggest combat packs in the country. Trainers came from everywhere to learn her techniques. Merc packs paid just to spar with her.
Elira turned and walked toward the pack house. Toward home.
She wasn’t banished anymore.
She was the reason wolves feared the name _Thunder Howl_.
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- Writer
