Rhydor's POV
I sat on the stone throne, watching the arena fill up with wolves.
Torches burned along the walls. Voices rose and fell like waves. Everyone was here for the same reason. To watch Isadora destroy the rankless girl who thought she could be Luna.
This whole thing was pointless.
It would be over in minutes. Then I could move on. Get the Ascension Rite. Make Isadora my Luna properly. Lead my pack the way I was supposed to.
I leaned back and kept my face blank.
My father stood with the other Elders, arms crossed, watching me like he always did. Like he was waiting for something.
I ignored him.
The drums started. Slow and heavy.
Elder Cassius stepped forward, his staff cracking against the stone.
"By ancient law, a challenge for the Luna position has been declared."
The arena went quiet.
"Isadora Blackwell, daughter of the honored Elder Cassius and former Beta, step forward."
The crowd exploded. Cheers. Howls. Fists in the air.
Isadora walked in from the far side, moving like she owned the ground beneath her feet. Auburn hair pulled back. The fighting gear fitted perfectly. She looked strong. Ready. Exactly what I wanted.
The pack loved her.
Cassius turned to the other entrance.
"Azura Moryn."
Just her name. Nothing else.
The cheers died instantly.
She stepped into the arena.
Silence followed her like a shadow.
She wore plain black and gray. Her hair was tied back tightly. The white streak stood out even in the torchlight. Her chin was up, but I could see her hands shaking.
Stupid girl.
I'd given her a way out. Told her to quit. She should've listened.
My wolf, Logan stirred.
Mate
I shoved the feeling down hard.
No. Not anymore.
She walked to the center and stopped across from Isadora.
Cassius raised his staff again.
"The rules are simple. You may fight in human or wolf form. All combat must remain within the circle. The fight ends when one of you can no longer continue."
More cheers. All for Isadora.
I watched Azura's face. She didn't flinch. Didn't look away.
Isadora smiled at her.
"I'll give you one last chance. Quit now. Walk away. I'll let you leave without being hurt."
Azura looked her straight in the eye.
"I'd rather take the chance to prove myself. Thank you."
Something tightened in my chest.
I ignored it.
Isadora's smile turned cold.
"Death you want. Then death you'll get."
Cassius struck his staff one last time.
"Let the trial begin!"
It started exactly how I expected.
Azura attacked first. Clumsy. Desperate. Every punch missed. Every kick fell short.
Isadora moved around her like it was nothing.
The crowd laughed.
Then Isadora stopped playing around and attacked.
She kicked sand into Azura's eyes. Punched her in the stomach hard enough to drop her.
Azura hit the ground.
Logan snarled.
Stop this.
I clenched my jaw and ignored him.
Isadora didn't hold back after that. Her fists landed again and again.
Ribs. Face. Arms.
Blood spread across the white stone while the crowd cheered.
Azura tried to defend herself. I could see her using what Silas taught her, but it didn't matter. Isadora was too fast. Too strong.
Azura fell again.
More blood. More cheers.
But my wolf wouldn't shut up.
Go to her. She's dying. STOP THIS! it growled, the sound vibrating against my skull.
This is her choice, I shot back silently.
She is our mate. Protect her, my wolf insisted, its voice thick with a possessiveness I refused to feel.
She's not my mate. I rejected her, I thought, my own internal voice cold and final.
You fool, the beast snarled back.
Its tone turned sharp, cutting through my resolve. The bond isn't broken. I can still feel her. If it's broken, why can I still feel her?
I didn't have an answer for that.
It's broken. I rejected her. This has nothing to do with us.
But even as I thought it, I knew something was off.
If the bond was really broken, my wolf would be gone. Or drowning in rejection sickness. But he wasn't. He was wide awake, screaming in my head.
I blocked him out. Shoved him into the back of my mind and locked him there.
That's when the pain started.
Sharp. Deep. Right in the center of my chest, as if something was tearing me apart from the inside.
I didn't understand.
The bond was supposed to be broken. So why did it feel like my chest was caving in every time Isadora's fist connected with Azura?
I gripped the armrests harder and the stone cracked under my hands.
I didn't even notice it until I looked down on the arena ground, and at the same time, Azura turned her head slightly.
She looked at me.
Her face was covered in blood. One eye was already swollen shut as tears slid down her cheeks.
And then I knew my face had given me away.
I looked worried.
I forced my expression back to nothing. But it was too late. She'd seen it.
Then she looked away.
I thought it was over.
But she moved.
Slowly, she pushed herself up, first to her knees, then to her feet.
Her whole body shook, and blood dripped from her mouth. But she raised her fists, still not giving up.
Does she plan to get herself killed?
The crowd went quiet.
Isadora turned and saw her standing.
She laughed.
"Seriously? You don't want to give up?" She shook her head. "You're going to die here. I don't want to kill you, but since you're pushing it... let's just get this over with."
Isadora started walking toward her.
I leaned forward without realizing it.
My wolf clawed at the walls I'd built, desperate to break free.
Then Isadora swung at Azura, but to my surprise, Azura moved.
She actually dodged it.
Smooth. Easy. Like she'd done it a thousand times.
I froze. "What in the world…"
Isadora attacked again. This time faster, but Azura dodged it, again.
And again. And again.
The entire arena went silent.
I stared with shock written all over my face.
She was moving in ways she shouldn't be able to. Ways no one had taught her. Her body twisted and flowed through Isadora's attacks like water.
I'd seen thousands of wolves fight in my life, but I'd never seen anyone move like that.
My hands tightened on the stone, and cracks formed.
The air around me changed instantly. The silence of the arena broke as the Elders began to huddle together, their voices a low, frantic mumble.
"This isn't possible..."
"She's rankless, how on earth..."
"That's not normal..."
But I couldn't look away from her.
Azura found an opening and pushed Isadora in the stomach.
It should've been nothing, but Isadora flew back as if she was struck by a giant. She skidded across the stone floor, her boots scraping the rock until she finally stopped
The crowd gasped.
I stopped breathing.
"What is she?" I muttered under my breath.
Isadora stood slowly. Her eyes were glowing green now.
She screamed.
The scream turned into a howl.
Her body twisted. Fur spread across her skin. In seconds, a massive wolf stood where she'd been.
The wolf lunged.
Azura ran to the side, hit a tree with her feet, and flipped backward through the air.
She landed in a crouch.
I found myself standing up before I even knew I was doing it.
Everyone in the arena saw me. I felt the other wolves turn to stare, their eyes burning into me.
But I didn't care about them.
I was too busy trying to figure out what I was looking at.
Isadora charged again, but Azura moved through the attacks like she could see them coming before they happened.
My wolf broke through the walls I'd built.
He wasn't screaming anymore. He was howling.
MATE. LOOK AT HER. THAT'S OUR MATE, he roared in my head.
I wanted to shut him out, to find some peace.
But I couldn't, because I knew he was right.
The way her hair moved in the wind. The red blood on her face. The impossible way she fought for her life.
Something stirred in my chest, but I shoved it down quickly.
Isadora and Azura charged at each other.
The ground shook.
Isadora lunged with her teeth bared, but Azura jumped and spun in the air, her foot slamming right into the wolf's head.
The sound of the hit rang out across the arena like a crack of thunder.
Isadora crashed into the stone floor.
Hard.
Her body shifted back into a girl right before our eyes. Her cuts closed up and the bruises faded away as her wolf tried to fix her.
But she didn't move.
She just lay there, completely knocked out.
I'd never seen that happen before.
A voice rose from the crowd.
"Luna."
Then another.
"Luna."
The chant spread until the whole pack was shouting.
I stood there, frozen.
Azura was in the center, fist raised, chest heaving.
Blood covered her face. One eye swollen shut. Her body was shaking.
But she was standing.
Then I noticed something, her wounds weren't healing.
Blood still dripped from her cuts. Her eye was still swollen. And her ribs are clearly broken.
Alarm shot through me as she swayed.
Her legs gave out.
I moved before I could even think.
I jumped down from the platform and ran with my inhuman speed.
The air around me felt heavy and wild, and the crowd scrambled out of my way in a panic.
I reached her just as her legs gave out.
I caught her right before she hit the hard stone floor.
She felt so light in my arms. Way too light, like she was made of nothing.
I dropped to my knees, pulling her close, and finally looked at her face.
It was a mess.
She was covered in deep bruises and blood. Her face was so swollen I could barely tell it was her.
My chest tightened so hard it felt like I was suffocating.
The pain in my heart was worse than any wound I'd ever taken in battle.
I stood up, holding her tightly against me, and looked up at the crowd.
"HEALER!"
My voice came out like a roar.
No one moved.
"WHERE IS THE HEALER?!"
The last word cracked.
Finally, a woman pushed through the crowd. The pack healer.
"Alpha, please, calm down…"
"Move."
I turned and walked toward the healing ward.
She followed, almost running to keep up.
****
The healing ward smelled like herbs and medicine.
I laid Azura down on the nearest bed as gently as I could, her head rolled to the side. Blood smeared the white sheets.
The healer moved in, her hands glowing faintly over Azura's body.
I stood in the corner of the room, my arms crossed tight against my chest.
My hands were shaking so much I couldn't stop them, so I clenched them into fists until my knuckles turned white.
The healer worked in total silence, the only sound being the soft clink of her tools.
I watched her every move, my heart thumping against my ribs
Suddenly, she stopped.
She looked up at me, and I could see the pure confusion written all over her face.
"Alpha..." she began, her voice trailing off.
"What is it?" I snapped, the fear making my voice sharper than I intended.
"She doesn't have a wolf," the healer whispered, looking back at Azura's still body.
I just stared at her, my mind going completely blank.
"That's not possible," I said, my voice low and hard.
The healer just shook her head, looking just as lost as I felt.
"I can't sense one. And look." She gestured to Azura's wounds. "She's not healing. Not like a wolf. She's healing like a human."
"No." My voice was cold and hard, cutting through the quiet room. "She has a wolf. I've felt it myself."
The healer's eyes went wide. She stopped what she was doing and just stared at me.
"You've... felt it?" she asked.
I took a step forward, my face like a mask of stone. I didn't let a single emotion show in my eyes. "She's my mate."
The room went completely silent. The healer looked at me like I'd just told her the moon was falling.
"Your... mate?"
"Yes." I didn't blink. I didn't move a muscle.
She looked back at Azura, her hands shaking slightly as she checked the girl again. "Alpha, if she's your mate, she has to have a wolf. But I'm telling you, I can't feel anything. There's nothing there." She paused, her voice getting quiet. "And she's not healing. She's acting more like a human than a wolf right now."
My jaw tightened, but I kept my voice flat. "How long until she wakes up?"
The healer hesitated. She looked at me, trying to read my face, but I gave her nothing.
"At this rate... It will be at least a week. Maybe even more."
A week.
The words felt like a punch to my gut. A sharp pain ripped through my chest, but I didn't let my breath hitch. I didn't let my hands shake. I turned and walked straight for the door without a word.
"Alpha…"
"Take care of her," I said. I kept my back to her so she couldn't see my eyes. "And no one should know what happened here. Not a word to anyone."
"Yes, Alpha."
I stepped out and shut the door.
Silas was waiting in the hallway.
He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His face was hard. When he saw me, he stood up straight and blocked my path.
"Are you happy now?" he asked.
I stopped. I stared at him with empty eyes. "What?"
He stepped closer, his face turning red with anger. "Your mate almost died out there on that stone floor. You just sat there and watched. You didn't even try to stop it." His voice was low and mean. "What kind of mate are you?"
My eyes stayed flat. I didn't want to hear this. "I don't have time for this. Get out of my face, Silas."
Silas reached out and grabbed my shirt. He bunched the cloth in his fist and pulled me close until we were eye to eye.
"I know you're the Alpha, bro. I respect the rank," he whispered, his voice shaking. "But with all due respect? Fuck you."
He shoved me back hard. I didn't fight him. I just watched as he turned and walked away.
I stood there in the empty hallway, my chest heaving as I finally let out the breath I'd been holding. The second he was out of sight, I spun around and slammed my fist into the stone wall.
The stone cracked and crumbled. I pulled my hand back and watched the blood drip from my knuckles, but I didn't feel a thing.
My eyes started to burn. I could feel them changing. They weren't turning amber. They were turning a deep, dark red.
If anything happens to our mate because of your pride, you won't like what I do to you, Logan's voice growled in my head. It sounded cold. It sounded like a stranger.
I gritted my teeth, my heart racing.
I will take control, he warned. I will rip right through you and claim her myself. Try me.
He had never talked to me like that before. He had never threatened me.
I stood there in the quiet hallway, my fist bleeding and my eyes burning red. I stared at the door where Azura lay broken, and I didn't have an answer for him.