The morning air was sharp, biting through the thin cloak I had wrapped around myself. My muscles screamed from yesterday’s relentless drills, and every joint protested as I forced myself upright. But there was no choice. The training horn sounded before the sun had fully risen, its shrill notes slicing through the silence of the mountain plateau. I swallowed the tremor in my chest and stepped forward, my legs trembling, my lungs already burning with shallow breaths.
The pack was already moving, their bodies flowing in practiced harmony. Every glance they threw my way felt like judgment, measuring my worth, my ability to survive. They did not nod, they did not smile, they did not even speak. They simply watched, waiting for me to stumble. I forced my head high and squared my shoulders. If
