Challenge Begins

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Jax asked, going straight to the point. He stood tall by the porch light, his large frame blocking her path to the front door.Serena shifted her water bottle to her other hand, she gave a long sigh before slowly turning around to meet his gaze. "I haven't been avoiding you. I just wanted to go inside."Jax gave her a slow look and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Serena, I literally just saw you walk away the exact second our eyes met earlier during training.""I… I just had somewhere to be," Serena stuttered, her voice catching in her throat as she stood under the porch light. "Francis was calling us anyway.""Look, I know what I said the other day was harsh," Jax said, his voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "I was just trying to know the reason behind your sudden actions."He stepped closer, leaning down slightly. Serena’s heart rate increased, drumming against her ribs. She gulped, her eyes widening in shock as his gaze locked onto hers."And," Jax adde

More Reasons to Fight

Serena and Isolde met at the edge of the crowd. Serena immediately pulled her friend into a hug, burying her face in the dusty fabric of the dark traveling cloak."Where have you been?" Serena whispered as she pulled back, keeping her voice low. She glanced around, noticing a few lingering onlookers still staring in their direction.Isolde didn't answer right away. Instead, she took Serena by the hand and led her away from the pavilion, heading toward a quiet corner near the old equipment sheds where the air was cooler and there were fewer people.Once they were in the shade, Serena let out a breath. "Where have you been? Obviously, I knew nothing wrong happened to you and you were safe. If not, the whole pack would have heard something. But it felt like you just disappeared into thin air.""I did disappear, actually," Isolde cut her off, preventing her from continuing her rants and questions. Her voice was quiet, her dark eyes tracking a sparrow landing on the roof line. "I traveled.

The Dusty Ring

Francis clapped his big hands together. The sound was very loud and cut through the noise of the crowd. "Listen up, everyone! That was just the first round of the assessments. There are three rounds in general, and the first one is officially over."He adjusted his belt and looked at all the trainees standing around the field. "This second round will test your combat skills, your agility, and how fast you can think. The last part of the assessments will be done tomorrow. The judges, the elders, and the whole pack will be present to witness it. That is when the final results will be called."He pointed his clipboard toward the brick building. "Now go to the dressing room to gear up for the next round. You can fight with your natural strength, and you can even use your wolf senses. Full transformation into your wolf form is not allowed in this round. The only exception is if both people fighting have agreed to fight in their wolf form before the match starts. But this option does not pe

Routines

Liora's POV "Really? You have to try harder than that," I said with a laugh, stepping easily to the left.Elias came darting out from my other side. He was using his camouflage trick again, something he loved to pull during our practice fights. He swung his right fist towards my shoulder, but I just dipped my head. His arm passed through empty air, and he stumbled forward a bit.It was a Saturday morning, and we were doing our regular morning training in the backyard. Even though everything had become quiet and simple since we moved to this new place, there was still this unsettling feeling in all of us. We all feared it deep down. We knew it was just a matter of time before Victor or any of our other old enemies would find us. Especially with my seer power, Victor would literally break his neck just to get his hands on me again. We couldn't afford to get all relaxed, not until we at least became stronger."Oh, you wouldn't dare!" I yelled, twisting my body around quickly.Marcus cam

A Personal Question

Liora's POV "You have to always be ready," Thorne told me as we both walked back inside the house. He was wiping sweat from his neck with a small cloth. His breathing was steady, like he hadn't just been dodging my attacks for the last hour. "No one knows when danger will show up. We all know first hand how desperate the wrong people can get when they want power." He said referring to how Mia got kidnapped the other time."I know, Thorne," I said, unstrapping the thick leather guards from my wrists. My arms were sore, and my hair was sticking to my forehead. "It's just tiring to stay on guard all the time. Sometimes I just want to wake up and not think about who is hunting us. Or after us.""It keeps you alive," he said simply, tossing his cloth into a laundry basket by the door.Behind us, Mia let go of Finn's hand as the little boy immediately ran toward me, his small sneakers squeaking against the wet lawn. "Mum!"I smiled, all the exhaustion melting away as I bent down and picked

The Near Miss

"Oh my gosh, you like someone, Renn!" I said, my smile widening. I nudged his shoulder gently, making sure not to distract him from the road. "So tell me, who is it? Someone I know? Or have I met her?"He didn't respond, but his cheeks were getting noticeably warmer. He kept his eyes locked straight ahead, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel."Wait, is it someone I know? Ooh, someone from the store?" I asked, getting really intrigued. I leaned in closer, excited to guess, but he crushed my excitement the next second."I don't like anyone. I was asking rhetorically," he defended, but he didn't sound convinced at all, not even to himself.I gave him a sharp, disbelieving look. "Really, Renn?""I'm serious, actually…”SCREECH!The loud sound of squeaking tires resounded through the air as Renn slammed his foot onto the brake pedal. The force pushed my head forward violently, leaving just a tiny gap between my forehead and the dashboard."Are you okay?" Renn asked quickly, hi