Dawn came too soon. The stars were fading into the promise of morning as I stood in the training grounds, surrounded by the pack that wouldn’t make the decision whether I lived or died today. The cold slashed my skin but I hardly felt it, my body thrumming with adrenaline, my mind sharp, ready to do this. The atmosphere was charged with expectation and the weight of all the expectation pressing down on me like a physical thing. They wanted a fight, wanted to see what sort of Luna I’d make, whether I’d be worthy enough to stand at Lucian’s side, to survive.
Lucian lingered at the perimeter of the circle, arms folded, the same inscrutable gaze fixed on me, as if he were wondering whether I might rise or fall. His presence felt like a tempest gathering on the outskirts, powerful, inescapable
