Violet
I t Turin’s eyes and offered the sa small smile.
"Really," I said. "It’s fine."
The surprise on Turin’s face was imdiate. He blinked, clearly not expecting response.
Neither was anyone else.
Darnel’s grin faltered slightly. The dark-haired woman’s sharp eyes widened. Even Ana went still beside .
I held Darnel’s gaze and kept that small smile on my face.
"It’s alright," I repeated, my voice steady despite the fury burning in my chest. "I understand you’re curious, and I am grateful for the care you show towards my well-being. While I am not sure how I will fare here, I am only looking to improve as the Supre Alpha would want."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Darnel recovered first, a surprised look on his face. "Well," he said slowly, leaning back. "Look at that. She can talk after all."
A few wolves frowned, displeased.
The dark-haired woman studied with new interest. "Shouldn’t you know your place, Oga?"
So that’s why they reacted like that.
"I don’t understand, but I hope I am not being rude," I answered, "I am only offering my thanks for your consideration."
Darnel’s lips spread in a smile that looked more like a sneer. "How quaint—"
A sudden roar from outside shattered the tense air at the table.
My head snapped toward the courtyard outside, and my breath caught in my throat.
Two massive wolves circled each other in the center of the courtyard, illuminated by the flickering light of campfires and standing lamps that had been set up around the area.
The cheering noise that had interrupted us ca from the small crowd scattered around the courtyard, all witnessing the two wolves.
I looked around, a lot of the others in the hall were also watching the spectacle and so left their seats to move out into the open.
The larger of the two, a dark grey wolf lunged suddenly with its teeth bared. It slamd into the other wolf with enough force that I heard the impact from where I sat.
The second wolf, brown coloured with a white crest of hair on its chest, twisted and snapped back with a vicious precision that chilled to the bone. Its jaws snared down on the grey wolf’s shoulder, and a sickening crunch followed.
There was blood.
Actual blood.
And I could see it all the way from where I sat.
The grey wolf snarled, snapping its sharp teeth at the brown wolf’s ear. It dodged just in ti and the grey wolf used the montum to wrench itself free. Blood matted the grey wolf’s fur, but despite its wound, it moved as if it was barely a scratch. Blood dripped from its wound and with a little more focus, I noticed the rivulets trickling down its limb.
Using its superior size, the grey wolf bore down on the other one, and drove it toward the ground with sheer body weight.
They were using everything. Teeth. Claws. Raw strength. It was brutal, savage, and nothing like the controlled sparring I had imagined.
Around the makeshift arena, other wolves watched, cheered, shouted encouragent or taunts. So stood close to the fighters, completely unbothered by the violence happening in front of them.
The training and sparring I had seen in Shadowpine did not compare to this.
’Even looking closely, their wolves were larger.’
I felt my heart hamring against my ribs, my hands gripping the edge of the table.
I had seen wolves fight before. I had even been attacked, particularly on the night I died. I must have been too desperate to survive to notice the details of how the patrol wolves had ganged up on , but I could clearly tell they had not been this fierce.
As the battle went on, it beca more engrossing. More heated. More dangerous.
These wolves. All of them. They were nothing like what I knew.
I already knew, but seeing their wolf forms this heated made understand just how powerful they were. How dangerous. And how utterly outmatched I would be against even one of them, let alone two.
A numbing sensation spread through my body.
Kael and Tow had advised against using my abilities, but I wasn’t certain how well I would fare from just drawing on my syzygy.
One wolf had the other in a tight grip, its teeth snapping dangerously close to the other’s throat.
"This looks like a fight. Won’t anyone break them up?" The question ca out before I could stop it, my voice strained.
Ana blinked, surprised at my reaction. She looked back at the wolves. "They’re not fighting. Enri and Lana are friends."
My mouth fell open. I frowned, not understanding what I was seeing. "Are you—they’re bleeding. It looks serious. Are they going to be alright?"
ribel, who had been watching the fight with casual interest, turned to and laughed. Actually laughed. "Oh, that’s nothing. They’ll be fine." Her smile faltered and she gazed fondly at the spectacle. "Besides, it is a nice start to the night."
I stared between the both of them, horrified. Turin was watching , his expression unreadable. "They’re tearing into each other."
"It’s a sparring match."
My frown deepened and I turned to see Darnel looking at , a predatory gleam in his eyes. "It’s good. Keeps everyone sharp."
"They’ll stop before any serious damage is done," Turin cut in, facing Darnel with a warning tone.
I looked back at the fight, at the blood, at the raw ferocity on display.
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
How was I supposed to train with them? How was I even supposed to participate in that?!
Even though my appetite was already nonexistent, it vanished completely.
"You alright?" Ana’s voice was soft, concerned.
"I’m fine," I lied, still transfixed to what was happening. "Just... not used to this."
"You’ll get used to it," she answered. "Also, there are sparring matches in our human forms, so don’t worry."
I slowly nodded and she focused on the match, a small fascinating smile on her lips.
Normal. This was normal to them.
How was I even going to survive this?
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