chapter 19
1362 Words
I felt like my heart was going to jump right out of my mouth and hit the dusty floor. Every pulse in my neck was a violent throb, but I forced myself to take a long, shaky breath and summoned every tiny bit of courage hidden in my soul. My legs felt like they were made of thin glass, wobbling with every movement, but I didn't let them stop me. I forced one foot in front of the other, climbing the creaky wooden steps of the stage to face the woman who wanted to destroy me. Up there, Mary was waiting, her lips pulled back in a grin that made her look like a hungry shark sensing blood in the water.
The referee was a massive man with a thick, gray beard that reached his chest. He didn't even bother to look at me with a shred of respect; to him, I was just a lamb walking into a slaughterhouse. He reached out and handed Mary a long, heavy wooden staff that looked like it could crush a skull. Then, he turned to me and shoved a similar stick into my grip. It was incredibly heavy, the rough wood digging into my palms, and I had to use both hands just to keep it from dragging on the floor.
"The fight starts now!" the referee bellowed, his voice echoing across the training grounds.
Mary didn't give me a second to breathe. She exploded toward me, attacking with the speed of a striking viper. She swung her heavy staff so fast that it became a blur in the air. Crack! The solid wood slammed into my shoulder with a sickening thud. The force was so great that I was lifted off my feet, sent crashing hard into the splintered floorboards. A cloud of dust billowed up, getting into my stinging eyes and scratching at the back of my throat. My entire body erupted in a scream of pure agony, and for a moment, I forgot how to inhale.
The massive crowd of wolves went totally silent. There were no cheers for me, no clapping, and no sympathy. They just watched with cold, curious eyes. The only thing that broke the silence was Ava’s voice, high and frantic. "Go, Luna! Get up! You can do it! Don't let her win!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her face pale with worry.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted the metallic tang of blood, and I fumbled for the wooden stick. My arm felt like lead, heavy and weak, but I forced my muscles to cooperate until I was standing once more. Mary let out a sharp, mocking laugh and charged at me again without mercy. Whack! The staff caught me right in the ribs, and the world tilted as I went crashing to the floor for the second time. I felt like a pathetic rag doll being tossed around for the amusement of a monster.
I struggled, my fingers clawing at the wood to take the stick up again. My head was spinning in circles, and a wave of nausea rolled over me. I asked myself why I was even doing this. I didn't know the first thing about combat. I was just a normal human girl in a world of predators. What was motivating me to stay? Why wouldn't I just stay down?
Mary stepped closer, her massive shadow falling over me like a dark shroud. She began to beat me again, a rain of blows hitting my legs, my arms, and my back. "You will learn exactly who your master is today!" she hissed, her face contorted with malice as she struck me. "Even if you wear that fancy title of Luna, you will always be beneath me. Never forget your place. You can never surpass a true wolf. You are nothing but a mistake that needs to be erased!"
She raised her staff high above her head, her muscles bunching for the kill. She wanted to deliver one final, crushing blow to break my spirit and my bones in front of the entire pack. I looked up, my vision blurry, and saw the heavy wood coming down toward my face with terrifying speed.
Then, suddenly, something impossible happened. I didn't know what took over my body, but a strange heat flooded my veins. It was like a reflex, but a thousand times faster than any human movement. My hand moved entirely on its own. I reached up and caught the falling stick in mid-air with a grip like iron!
Mary’s eyes went wide, bulging with pure shock. She tried to pull back, but she was stuck. Before she could even blink, I twisted the wood with a sudden jerk and ripped it clean out of her hands. Then, I swung my own staff with a raw, explosive strength I didn't know I possessed. Thud! The wood connected with her back so hard the sound echoed like a gunshot. Mary let out a choked gasp as she went crashing face-first into the dirt.
The entire crowd let out a sharp, collective gasp. Mary was lying there in the dust, coughing and wheezing as she struggled to find her footing. I stood over her, my chest heaving as I breathed hard. My skin felt like it was on fire, and I could feel a strange, pulsing heat at my waist—the Serpent Mark was glowing through the fabric of my clothes.
But before I could utter a single word of victory, a loud, heavy bell began to ring from the village tower.
BONG! BONG! BONG!
The sound was deafening, vibrating through the very air. Suddenly, the wolves didn't care about the stage anymore. Every head turned at once, and people began sprinting toward the center of the village. Their faces, once filled with bloodlust, were now pale and masked with fear.
Ava scrambled onto the stage and grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin as she helped me up. "We have to go! We have to go right now!"
"Why is everyone running?" I managed to ask, leaning on her as my head continued to throb from the fight. "What is that bell? What's happening?"
"When the bell rings like that, it means a Level One emergency!" Ava explained, her voice trembling and her eyes darting around. "It means the entire pack has been summoned to the square by the Alpha himself. Something terrible is happening."
"Okay," I whispered, my voice small. My body was covered in dark bruises and my dress was torn, but I followed her. We ran through the stone streets, pushed along by the crowd, until we reached the massive palace square. Thousands of people were already gathered there, a sea of faces. Everyone was shouting and whispering at once, the noise rising like a violent storm.
I stood there, clutching my sore ribs, completely lost. My head was hurting so badly I could barely keep my eyes open, and I was trying to understand why these powerful warriors looked so terrified. I turned to Ava, my voice a frantic whisper. "What is going to happen? Is there a war coming? Are we under attack?"
Ava didn't look at me. Her eyes were fixed on the high, gold-trimmed balcony of the palace. "Don't worry, Luna. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. Just watch. Everything in this pack is about to change forever."
I turned my head to follow her gaze, my breath catching in my throat. Suddenly, the giant double doors at the top of the palace creaked open. Alpha Damon stepped out into the center of the balcony, his presence hitting the square like a physical weight.
Immediately, the thousands of shouting voices died out. The square became so silent you could actually hear the wind whistling through the trees. Thousands of people dropped to their knees at the exact same time, their heads bowed in submission. Damon looked down at his people, and his face was darker and more terrifying than I had ever seen it. He looked like a god of death r
eady to pass judgment.
- Writer
