The arena is completely silent as Sage and I face each other. The Alpha King is leaning forward in his seat, clearly interested in how this will unfold. I can see my father in the stands, his face dark with anger. My brother is standing, watching.
The official signals for us to begin.
Sage comes at me hard, and I realize that this is what we've been training for. Not just to beat other fighters, but to push each other. To make each other better.
For the first minute, we're evenly matched. We both know how the other moves. We've trained together. We've fought each other hundreds of times.
But this is different. This is for everything.
Sage is faster, but I'm stronger. Sage is more experienced, but I'm hungrier. We move around the arena, trading blows, reading each other's movements before they happen.
The crowd is completely engaged now. People are on their feet. Some are cheering for Sage. Some are cheering for me. Some are probably still in shock that two girls made it to the final round.
At the five-minute mark, I make a mistake. I leave myself open for just a second, and Sage takes advantage. She hits me across the face, and I taste blood. The impact makes me see stars for just a moment.
But it also makes me angry.
I move faster than I've ever moved. I close the distance between us and land a combination that backs Sage up against the wall of the arena. She uses the wall to push herself forward, and we collide in the center of the arena.
We're both breathing hard. We're both bleeding.
"This is it," Sage says between breaths. "This is what we came for."
I nod, and we continue fighting.
The match goes for another five minutes. Neither of us can seem to gain a clear advantage. We're too evenly matched. We push each other harder and harder, trying to find a weakness.
And then something shifts. I realize that Sage is fighting like she's trying to win. Like she needs to win. And I understand why. If she wins, she becomes the champion. She gets the official title. She gets the power and the respect that comes with that.
So I stop trying to beat her. I stop trying to win the way everyone else does. Instead, I let my body move the way it wants to move. I stop thinking. I just fight.
The moment I stop thinking is the moment I start winning.
I move with a fluidity that surprises even me. Every strike is perfectly placed. Every movement flows into the next one. I'm not fighting Sage anymore. I'm fighting the system. I'm fighting my father. I'm fighting the pack hierarchy that told me I could never be a warrior.
And in that moment, I'm unstoppable.
Sage realizes what's happening. She tries to adjust, but she's thinking too much. She's fighting with her mind instead of her instinct.
I see my opening, and I move.
I get Sage in a hold that's unbreakable. She struggles for a moment, trying to break free, but she can't. Not from this angle. Not from this position.
"Yield," I say quietly.
For a moment, Sage doesn't respond. Then she says, "I yield."
The entire arena erupts. The volume is deafening. I've won. I'm the Warrior Trial champion.
I release Sage immediately and help her up. We're both sweating and bleeding, but we're smiling.
"Well done," Sage says, and she hugs me.
The Alpha King himself comes down to the arena to present me with the champion's belt and the offer of an Elite Warrior position. Up close, he's even more imposing than he seemed from a distance.
"You fought well," he says to me. "Your skill is undeniable."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I say, using the formal address I've learned.
"Would you accept a position as an Elite Warrior under my command?" he asks.
I look at Sage. She nods slightly.
"Yes," I say. "I accept."
He places the champion's belt around my waist and shakes my hand. Then he moves to Sage and does the same, offering her a position as well.
That night, there's a massive celebration. Fighters from all the packs are mingling with each other, acknowledging the competition and the results. I see people talking about Sage and me with respect. I see pack leaders taking notes. I see the hierarchy shifting right before my eyes.
But I also see my father talking to the Alpha King. His body language is tense. Angry. He's trying to explain something. The Alpha King is listening but not responding much.
When my father sees me, his expression becomes even darker. He leaves the celebration immediately.
Marcus comes over to me later in the evening.
"Congratulations," he says. "You were amazing out there."
"Thank you," I say carefully.
"I'm sorry," Marcus says. "For reporting you. For turning my back on you. For all of it."
I want to tell him that his apology doesn't erase what he did. But I also remember that he was trying to make amends before the trials. Maybe he really is sorry.
"It's okay," I say.
"Is it?" Marcus asks. "Because Father is furious. He's talking about challenging the Alpha King's decision to make you an Elite Warrior."
"He can't do that," I say.
"He's going to try," Marcus says. "He says that the Alpha King is undermining the pack system by allowing this."
After Marcus leaves, Kai pulls me aside.
"Congratulations," he says. "You deserve it."
"Thank you," I say. "Have you congratulated Sage?"
"I tried," Kai says. His voice is strained. "But she's been busy all night. I think she's been avoiding me."
That's when I realize that Sage still hasn't told Kai the truth about her father and his father. About what really happened. And now, with everything that's happened at the trials, she probably feels like it's even more important to tell him.
I find Sage in her room at the dormitory. She's sitting alone, staring at nothing.
"You need to tell him," I say without preamble.
"I know," Sage says. "But how do I tell him that I've been using him? That my original plan involved getting revenge on my father?"
"You tell him the truth," I say. "All of it. And then you hope he loves you enough to understand."
"What if he doesn't?" Sage asks.
"Then at least you'll know," I say. "And you'll be able to move forward with your life without that weight."
Sage nods. "Come with me?" she asks.
"No," I say. "This is something you need to do alone."
I go back to my room and try to sleep, but I can't. I'm thinking about the fight. About the moment when I stopped thinking and just became movement and power. About what it felt like to win something that meant everything.
And I'm thinking about what comes next.
The next morning, we're supposed to begin training with Raven to prepare for our positions as Elite Warriors. But Sage doesn't show up to breakfast.
I find her in the courtyard of the Alpha King's compound. Kai is with her. They're just sitting together, not talking, but their hands are linked.
"We had a long conversation," Kai says to me. "She told me everything."
I wait for him to say more. For him to express anger or disappointment.
"My father left my family when I was young," Kai says. "I never knew why. I always blamed him for abandoning us. But when Sage told me the truth, I realized that he was protecting us. He left so that we wouldn't suffer the consequences of being associated with him."
"Are you angry with Sage?" I ask.
"No," Kai says. "I'm angry with the system. I'm angry that good people get destroyed because of politics and pride. But Sage was trying to fix that. And I respect that, even if I don't agree with the way she went about it."
Sage squeezes his hand. There's pain in her expression, but also relief.
For the next two weeks, Raven trains us to be Elite Warriors. We learn about the Alpha King's territory. We learn about the other Elite Warriors. We learn about the responsibilities that come with our new position.
But more importantly, we learn that what we did at the trials is already having effects across the pack system.
"Several packs have changed their rules," Raven tells us. "They're now allowing females to compete in warrior training programs. Some packs are even creating female warrior positions."
"That's because of what we did," Kira says.
"That's because of what you were willing to fight for," Raven corrects. "You proved that change is possible. Now other people are brave enough to try it."
During this time, I receive a letter from my father. His handwriting is sharp and angry.
*Aria, your actions have brought shame upon this family and upon this pack. You have defied the order of things. You have turned your back on tradition. I hope you understand the consequences of your choices. You are no longer welcome here. Consider yourself permanently exiled.*
The letter should hurt. And part of me does hurt. But I'm also relieved. The tie is finally completely severed. I'm no longer waiting for his approval. I'm no longer hoping that one day he might love me.
I'm free.
One evening, the Alpha King asks to see me in his private chambers. I'm nervous when I enter, but he immediately puts me at ease.
"You're wondering why I allowed this," he says, gesturing to my Elite Warrior uniform.
"Yes, Your Majesty," I say.
"Because the old system was broken," he says. "And someone needed to prove that a new system could work. You did that."
"I just wanted to win," I say. "I didn't think about changing the system."
"The best changes come from people who are just fighting for themselves," the Alpha King says. "But those changes benefit everyone. That's how real transformation happens."
He tells me that I'll be stationed at his main compound, training other Elite Warriors. It's a position of responsibility and respect.
As I'm leaving his chambers, I think about how much my life has changed in just a few months. From invisible to champion. From family exile to serving the Alpha King.
But the real change isn't in my circumstances. It's in me. I'm no longer looking for approval from my father. I'm no longer waiting for someone to tell me I'm worthy.
I already know my worth.
The night before we leave for the Alpha King's compound, Sage and I sit on the roof of the dormitory, watching the stars.
"Do you think we actually changed anything?" Sage asks.
"Yes," I say. "We changed ourselves. And that's enough."
"Is it?" Sage asks. "My father is still destroyed. Kai's family is still shattered."
"But now there's a chance to fix it," I say. "Before, there was no chance at all."
"You're right," Sage says. She reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Thank you. For believing in this. For believing in me."
"Thank you," I say. "For believing in me first."
As we sit there under the stars, I think about how often in life, being strong and being free seem to come from the same place. You have to be willing to be alone. You have to be willing to lose everything. You have to be willing to fight, even when nobody else believes you can win.
Sage and I did all of that. And we didn't just survive. We won.
That night, I sleep better than I have in years.