*Jiselle
At the academy, challenges were sacred.
A wolf could kill you in a challenge, and it would not be punishable. Especially one that was asked for and the other wolf epted–just like what I
had done.
The moment my name was called alongside Emari’s for the next challenge, the air shifted. Conversations died, reced by murmurs and knowing nces. This wasn’t just a fight. I hadn’t understood why. Wasn’t this just another challenge like the countless ones that have been happening? Did Ethan’s threat go this wide? Or, I want too conceited to think that it was all about me, but was this about Emari? Sure enough, with every step we look, eyes widened at Emari and then turned into pity with me.
What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
I barely had time to register the weight of my decision before Ethan’s opponent hit the ground with a sickening thud. A single, brutal punch had knocked him unconscious.
Ethan’s head snapped in my direction, his green eyes aze with fury.
busied myself pulling my hair into a tight bun at the back of my head, not trusting Emari not to use it against me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ethan’s voice was low, furious, as he stormed toward me.
I didn’t answer. Simply shrugged trying to seem unfazd.
“Jiselle.” His grip mped down on my arm, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
“She asked. I epted.” My voice was even, controlled, but inside, my nerves were tangled in knots.
“She’s a descendant of the Nightshade Bloodline.” His words hit like a punch, but the real shock was the realization in his face. “They are like legendary here at ATA.” Well that exined why she had walked in a weekte after registration and acted like she owned the damn ce.
But I hadn’t known–not that I would’ve cared.
Eva didn’t seem to have known either. Her eyes widened as she stood frozen a few feet away, from her freshly won match.
But this exined why Max knew her. Everyone here seemed to have known Emari. But Max seemed to have known her… personally.
I couldn’t help but wonder if they had… something. My stomach twisted, but I shoved the ridiculous jealousy away. It didn’t matter.
“Jiselle.” Ethan’s voice was dangerous. “She could kill you, and no one would stop her.”
“Then I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t.” I pulled my arm free. “And stop coddling me. You’re making me look weak. And stop threatening every male wolf who looks at me.”
His nostrils red, but before he could respond, I turned and stepped into the fighting circle with Emari.
The second I faced her, the world around me blurred into the background. It was just her and me.
Emari smirked, rolling her shoulders. “Brave. Stupid, but brave.”
I didn’t respond. From the intense looks on everyone’s faces, this told me that Emari was somehow unmatched–or maybe her family was.
And I was here… untrained and not even able to keep up with my year.
The instructor raised his hand. “Begin.”
Emari moved first, Fast.
I barely had time to dodge before her fist sliced through the air where my head had been. She was toying with me, testing my reflexes. I went for a low kick that I had seen Ethan do before, but she anticipated it, shifting her weight and countering with a devastating strike to my ribs.
Pain exploded through my side.
I staggered but didn’t fall.
Sheughed. “That all you got?”
I gritted my teeth and hanged, aiming for her midsection. She deflected my blow effortlessly, catching my wrist and twisting, forcing me to my
knees.
Moreughter. From the crowd. From Emari.
Humiliation burned hotter than the pain.
1 twisted free, rolling away and scrambling to my feet just in time for her next attack. This time, I managed to dodge, barely, but my movements were sluggishpared to hers.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan shift forward.
‘Don’t you dare,’ I hissed through our mindlink, catching him mid–step. His jaw clenched, but he stayed back.
Nate remained stone–faced, but something about the way he stood, rigid and watchful, made me think he was fighting something–his wolf, maybe. For a second, I swore I saw him move like he might intervene.
But Max was gone. Nowhere in sight.
My stomach lurched as Emari’s fist connected with my ribs again, this time harder. A sharp crack split through the air, and pain tore through my
side.
hit the ground hard.
The crowd fell silent.
I struggled to breathe, my vision swimming, but I refused to stay down.
My fingers dug into the dirt, and I forced myself up, trembling but standing.
Emari tilted her head, amusement flickering in her eyes.
“Still not giving up? Cute.”
She moved in for the final blow.
And then something inside me snapped.
A flood of power surged through my limbs, burning like liquid silver. My vision sharpened. My hearing became razor–focused. And then–I felt it.
A pulse. A shift deep within me.
For a fraction of a second, my vision darkened at the edges, and then everything came back in sharp, impossible rity.
Emari lunged-
And I stopped her.
I didn’t grab her. I didn’t dodge.
I just willed it.
Pain–sharp and blinding–shed across Emari’s face. She let out a strangled gasp, stumbling back as if an invisible force had mmed into her. She clutched her head, her legs giving out beneath her.
The crowd gasped, but from this angle, no one could see that I didn’t actually touch her. For all they knew, I kicked her down.
I stared, my breathing fast, my hands shaking.
What the hell had I just done?
Emari hit the ground, panting, her eyes wild with confusion and something else—fear.
Before she could move again, the instructor’s voice rang out. “Match over!”
Silence.
The entire academy watched me, eyes wide. Some in shock. Some in suspicion.
I’swayed slightly, the power retreating as quickly as it hade. My knees threatened to buckle, but I refused to fall
0
0
+63
For the first time in my life, I had done something more than just survive.
I had won.
But then I saw ck as Ethan rushed towards me. The pain took over, and I suend to the darkness, falling into his strong arms. Or at least, I thought it was Ethan, but they feltrger….
Warmer. Like home.