Chapter 23
Emily’s POV
“ What are we watching? ” Poppy muttered beside me.
I tilted my head, tracking every movement in front of us. “ Jessie trying to defeat Kane. Under Head Warrior
Wayne’s instructions. ”
Poppy tilted her head too.
Jessie was currently trapped under one of Kane’s muscular arms, kicking furiously while trying to escape his hold. It looked deeply unfair. Kane was almost twice her size, and Jessie looked like an angry cat caught by a very patient
giant.
“ Use your elbows and knees! ” Head Warrior Wayne barked. “ If a man grabs you, you don’t freeze. You hurt him. ”
Jessie tried. She really did. She slammed her elbow back, but Kane shifted just enough to avoid most of the hit. Then he tightened his hold, and Jessie let out a furious little growl.
Poppy winced. “ That looks painful. ”
“ It looks impossible, ” I muttered.
A few seconds later, Wayne raised his hand and said, “ Enough. ”
Kane released Jessie at once and helped her straighten. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were red, and her pride
ooked badly injured.
“ That was interesting, ” Kane said, trying not to smile,
Jessie glared at him. “ Say one more word and I’ll bite you. ”
Kane’s smile widened. “ Noted. ”
Wayne stepped in front of us, hands clasped behind his back. The Head Warrior was a strong, broad – shouldered nan who looked to be in his fifties, with sharp eyes and a voice that made everyone stand straighter.
“ Jessie, ” he said, “ you missed three chances to hurt him. ”
Jessie blinked. “ Three? ”
“ His knee. His ribs. His balance. ” Wayne pointed to Kane like he was a training dummy. “ Your opponent will always have a pattern. Watch for it. Kane favored his right side. Two strikes with the right hand, then one with the left. If you had paid attention, you could have used that. ”
Jessie frowned, replaying the fight in her head.
“ And stop warning your opponent with your eyes, ” Wayne added. “ Your face tells everyone where you’re going before your body moves. ”
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eyes and the fluttering Tashes for making the males do your chores. Here, those eyes will just get you killed. ”
A few girls cleared their throats, looking away, while Kane let out a low, muffled chuckle.
Wayne turned to the rest of us. “ If you are fighting a male, do not waste your strength hitting the hardest parts of him. Chest, shoulders, arms useless unless you are stronger. You are not ”
A few girls looked offended. Wayne ignored them,
“ Go for the weak points. Stomach. Throat. Nose, Knees. Eyes, if you must. And if you can reach low enough – ”
Several girls gasped. Wayne’s face stayed completely serious. “ Yes. Exactly there. ”
Kane coughed into his fist. Jessie grinned.
“ If you are fighting a female, ” Wayne continued, “ the rules are the same. Face. Legs. Stomach. Hair, if it gives you
control. ”
Poppy whispered, “ That sounds dirty. ”
Wayne’s eyes snapped toward us.
“ Good, ” he said. “ Dirty keeps you alive. ”
No one laughed after that.
He walked slowly in front of our line, his gaze cutting across each of us.
“ The rogues will not fight politely. They will not wait until you are ready. They will not care if you are scared, maller, tired, injured, or crying. ” The Head Warrior’s voice dropped lower. “ So if you ever have to fight for your ife, show no mercy. ”
Before any of us could react, Wayne suddenly swept Kane’s legs out from under him. Kane hit the ground hard, A ew girls screamed. Wayne moved fast, dropping one knee beside Kane’s ribs and pressing clawed fingers lightly gainst his throat.
Wayne looked back at us. “ Attack when they do not expect it. Use surprise. Use fear. Use anything you have. ”
Then he released Kane and stood. Kane lay there for a second, staring up at the sky.
Jessie clapped once. “ I enjoyed that demonstration. ”
Kane slowly turned his head and glared at her.
Wayne helped him up, then looked at us again. “ We’ll finish with a run. ”
A low groan moved through our group. Wayne’s expression didn’t change. “ Five laps. ”
Five laps nearly killed us.
By the third, my lungs burned. By the fourth, my side cramped so badly I thought I might fold in half. By the fifth, half of us were barely running at all. Poppy looked like she was praying for death. Jessie was muttering threats
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under her breath. Tessa, somehow, still looked calm, though her face had gone pale.
When Wayne finally let us stop, most of us bent over, gasping for air. He looked disgusted.
“ This is terrible, ” he said. “ But we’ll fix that. Soon, you’ll fly across this field instead of crawling through it. ”
Poppy whispered, “ I would rather crawl into a grave. ”
“ Tomorrow, ” Wayne barked. “ Dawn. ”
That was how our new life began. Training in the morning. Kitchen work during the day. More running in the vening. Sometimes we helped in the gardens.
Recently, the girls and I had started an initiative group to prep for the upcoming Remembrance Day. We spent our pare hours crafting decorations, throwing ourselves into the work along with the rest of the pack, who seemed entirely focused on the event.
Poppy explained that Remembrance Day was one of the most important nights of the year. It was a night to honor he wolves who had died – family members, warriors, children, and anyone else the pack had lost. There would be jood, candles, flowers, and a ceremony near the edge of the forest, beside an ancient tree called the Memory Tree hat had stood there longer than anyone could remember.
I helped decorate the clearing the night before. Tiny lanterns hung from branches. White flowers circled the roots of the old tree. A small open tent had been built nearby, with long tables waiting to be filled. It looked peaceful.
Almost sacred.
By the time I finally went to bed, I was exhausted. Which was why, when Jessie ripped the blanket off me the next norning, I screamed.
“ Sorry, Emily, ” she said, sounding not sorry at all. “ Training starts in fifteen minutes. ”
Cold air hit my legs. I curled into a ball. “ I hate you. ”
“ No, you don’t. ” Jessie held up a mug of water. “ But if you’re not downstairs in five minutes, I’m pouring this on
you. ”
I opened one eye. She looked completely serious.
“ I’m up, ” I mumbled.
Poppy sat up in her bed, hair sticking up in every direction. “ Why does dawn exist? ”
Jessie smiled. “ To make us stronger. ”
“ To make us suffer, ” Poppy muttered.
Still half asleep, I washed my face, pulled on training clothes, tied my white blonde hair back, and ran downstairs. with the others.
The training field was already full. The male warriors were in the center, practicing with brutal speed. Punches cracked through the air. Feet slammed into the ground. Growls rose and faded under the morning sun.
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Our female group gathered near the side mats. Head Warrior Wayne stood in front of us.
“ Today, ” he announced, “ we spar. ”
Every girl went silent. Poppy leaned closer to me. “ I changed my mind. miss running. ”
Wayne paced in front of us. “ You have learned the basics. Now you need to learn how it feels when someone actually hits back. Fighting hurts. Pain is part of it. But pain is not the question. The question is what you do with
A strange chill moved through me. I knew pain. Pain had followed me for years. But I had always used it to survive
quietly. Not to fight.
“ Count off, ” Wayne ordered.
“ One. Two. ”
We split into two lines. My muscles braced when I realized I was first in one line. And across from me, first in the
other line, stood Stella.
Of course. The Moon Goddess clearly had a cruel sense of humor.
Stella’s lips curved the moment she saw me. A cold, pretty smile. Not friendly. Not even close.
“ First pair, ” Wayne called. “ Step forward. ”
My feet felt heavy as I walked onto the mat. Stella moved like she belonged there. Confident. Elegant. Cruel.
I could feel people watching. Poppy, Jessie, and Tessa. The girls from the kitchen. Even some of the male warriors had stopped.
I raised my hands the way Wayne had taught us.
Stella’s eyes flicked over me. “ You should have stayed in bed, ” she said softly.
My heart kicked hard. But I didn’t step back.
Wayne lifted his hand. “ Three. ”
Stella’s smile widened.
‘ Two. ”
My fingers curled.
“ One, Begin. ”
Wayne dropped his hand.
Stella attacked first. Her fist flew toward my face so fast I barely had time to move. Air brushed my nose as i ducked away. A gasp came from the girls watching.
Stella didn’t stop. She swung again. Then again.
I backed up, twisting out of reach each time. She was taller, stronger, and angry enough to make every hit langerous. But I was smaller, faster, and for once, fear made iny body move instead of freeze.
She lunged. I slipped to the side. Her fist cut past my cheek. Again. Again. Her breathing grew sharper.
Good. She was getting frustrated.
Wayne’s voice cut through the air. “ Watch her pattern, Emily! ”
Pattern. Right hand. Right hand. Left. Right hand. Right hand. Left.
I saw it.
Stella threw another right. I dodged. Another right. I ducked. Then, before her left could come, I stepped in and Irove my fist upward. My knuckles slammed into her chin.
Stella stumbled back.
A sharp whistle cut through the field.
“ Nice, ” Kane muttered from somewhere behind the line of warriors.
For one stunned second, even Stella looked shocked. Then she touched her split lower lip. Blood stained her
ingers.
Jessie made a tiny, choked sound of joy behind me.
Stella looked at the blood. Then at me. Her eyes filled with hatred. She screamed and charged. This time, she vasn’t sparring. She was attacking.
turned toward the girls for half a second, just
I dodged as she rushed past me, but she recovered fast. Too fast ong enough to see Jessie with both fists raised, silently cheering me on.
That half second cost me.
Stella’s foot swept under mine. I hit the mat hard. Pain flashed through my skull as my head bounced against the round. Before I could fully recover, Stella’s boot came down toward my ribs.
I rolled away just in time. Her foot hit the mat where my body had been. I scrambled up, but she was already here. Her fist slammed into my stomach.
All the air left my lungs.
I folded. My knees hit the mat.
“ Enough! ” Wayne barked.
Stella stood over me, breathing hard, her face twisted with fury. She didn’t look finished. Not even close.
Wayne stepped between us and raised one hand toward her. “ Stella. Back. ”
Her jaw tightened. I thought she wouldn’t obey. Then she stepped back. Barely.
Wayne crouched beside me. Emily. Can you breathe? ”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t completely sure.
“ Yes, ” I forced out.
His eyes narrowed. “ Bench. Now. ”
Kane appeared at my side and helped me stand. His hand was careful at my waist as he guided me to the waiting
> ench.
Poppy rushed over immediately. “ Let me see. ”
“ I’m okay, ” I whispered.
“ You are always okay, ” she snapped softly. “ That doesn’t mean anything. ”
Poppy pressed careful fingers along my ribs and side. I hissed.
“ Bruised, ” she muttered. “ Not broken. ”
Relief loosened my shoulders.
“ It won’t affect your shift, ” Poppy added with a shrug. “ You’ll still make the evening run with everyone. ”
I blinked. “ Shift? ”
She paused. Then her eyes widened. “ Oh. No one told you. ”
“ Told me what? ”
r
“ Once the priestesses finish the official part of Remembrance Day and the prayers are over, that’s when the real radition begins, ” Poppy explained, her cool fingers pressing firmly against my ribs as she checked for internal lamage. I winced slightly, but she didn’t stop, sliding her hands along my side. “ Everyone shifts. The whole pack uns together under the moon – just us, the woods, and the wild. ”
Satisfied that nothing was broken, she pulled her hands back and looked up at me. “ It’s our way of being close to nature and running right alongside the spirits of those we lost. It’s how we remember them. ”
My blood went cold. “ Everyone shifts. ”
My mother’s voice echoed in my memory: “ Never show them your wolf, Emily. No matter what happens. No matter who asks. Promise me, ”
I gripped the edge of the bench. “ Can I … not shift? ”
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Poppy’s expression changed. Concern flickered across her face.
“ I don’t know, ” she said slowly. “ Usually everyone does. It’s part of the ritual. Refusing might look disrespectful. ”
Disrespectful.
My throat tightened.
Across the field, Stella was still watching me. Her split lip had stopped bleeding, but her glare had not softened.
If I refused to shift tonight, everyone would notice. If I shifted, everyone, would see Nyx – my white wolf. The ecret my mother made me promise to hide. Why, I still didn’t know.
I looked toward the ancient tree at the edge of the forest, where white flowers moved gently in the morning wind. ` onight, the whole pack would run beneath the moon. And I had no idea how to hide anymore.
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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.