Ella's POV
The morning air tasted like steel.
A faint breeze tugged at my hair as I stood in the center of the Arena. I could hear the crowd gathered beyond the high stone walls—wolves murmuring, the scrape of armor, the soft growls of those eager to see me fall. The sand beneath my boots was damp with dew, soon to be stained with more than that.
Above me, the Elders sat on a raised platform beneath the arch of ancient stone. Five of them—Alaric, Eira, Thorne, Lucin, and Selene—each cloaked in the colors of old magic, their expressions carved from time itself.
Aldren stepped forward from the circle. His voice rang clear across the Arena.
"Ella of the Black Pearl. Chosen Luna. Suspected Guardian. Today, you will undergo the Trial of Thorns. Three tests. Strength. Mind. Spirit. Only tho
