Winter Howl

Chapter Nine – The Challenge

They’d barely started their second round of exercises when a howl split the air.

It wasn’t the melodic call of a hunting party — this was sharp, low, and meant for one person only.

Calian’s head turned toward the sound, his jaw tightening. “Stay here.”

Elysia crossed her arms. “You’re not leaving me in the snow like some lost puppy.”

His eyes narrowed, but before he could argue, movement caught their attention.

Three wolves padded into the clearing, their pelts bristling, eyes locked on Calian. As they shifted into human form, the leader — broad-shouldered, with a scar dragging across his cheek — stepped forward.

“You brought a human into our territory,” the man said, his voice carrying in the cold air. “You bring her into training. And you expect us to follow an Alpha who puts the pack at risk?”

“This isn’t the time, Fenrik,” Calian said.

Fenrik’s mouth twisted. “It’s exactly the time. Unless you want the rest to think you can’t be challenged.”

Elysia’s instincts screamed that this wasn’t just about her — this was about dominance. And in packs, dominance had teeth.

Before she could think better of it, she stepped forward. “If your problem’s with me, then say it to my face.”

A few murmurs rippled among the onlookers who’d gathered. Fenrik’s eyes narrowed, assessing her like prey he wasn’t sure would run. “You don’t belong here, Snowweaver.”

Her chin lifted. “Funny. Your elder seemed to think I do.”

That got a bigger murmur, and Fenrik’s jaw clenched. “You think old words will keep you safe? Magic doesn’t beat fang.”

Calian moved then — not quickly, but with the slow, certain weight of someone who knew exactly how much fear he carried. He stepped between them, his back to her, voice low but cutting.

“You want to challenge me, Fenrik? Then do it properly. But you don’t touch her.”

The tension in the clearing tightened like wire. Fenrik hesitated, eyes flicking between them, then spat on the snow. “This isn’t over.” He turned, shifting back into a wolf mid-step, his packmates following.

Elysia let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. “What happens when it is over?” she asked quietly.

Calian looked at her then, the frost in his expression softening just slightly. “Then we see if they fear me more than they fear you.”