I was halfway to leaving when his voice carried after me, sharp as a whip.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
I stopped. Against my better judgment, I stopped. Because that was exactly what I was: curious.
Lucian’s tone deepened, deliberate. “Don’t you wonder what allowed her to step out of the shadows?” He smirked, obviously proud of his wordplay. “To stand tall, confident, unbreakable? To become so…captivating?”
My fists clenched at my sides.
“I didn’t do anything extraordinary,” he went on smoothly. “All I did was what you never managed. I didn’t neglect her. I didn’t hurt her.”
I whirled, fury burning hot in my veins. “You have no fucking right to lecture me.”
His composure cracked, but all it did was reveal the steel beneath. “On the contrary, I find I do. Before I knew your history, I thought you were a great Alpha. A wise man. Someone worthy of respect.”
He shook his head, and the disappointment etched into his features made my teeth grind. “But now? All I see is weakness. A flawed man.”
The insult exploded inside me, a raw detonation of shame and fury I couldn’t contain.
“You think you can judge me?” My voice thundered, echoing through the empty arena. “You’ve known
Seraphina for what-months? I shared a life with her-a marriage. We have a son together, Lucian. A son. That bond outweighs anything you can claim.”
He didn’t flinch. “And yet, the time I will spend with her from now on will surpass yours. The place I will hold in her life will surpass yours. And perhaps”- his voice dropped, almost taunting-“we will have children together too. What flimsy thread will you then hold on to?”
I snapped.
I closed the distance in a heartbeat and drove my fist into his jaw. The impact reverberated up my arm, sharp and satisfying.
Lucian staggered back, but he didn’t fall. In fact, he straightened, wiped the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand, and smiled.
“Finally,” he murmured. “I’ve wanted this for a long, long time.”
The fight was instant, feral.
Lucian came at me hard, his strikes clean and merciless, honed by years of training.
I countered with brute force, each blow fueled by the rage boiling in my chest. Sand erupted beneath our boots, the walls of the arena vibrating with the echo of our clash.
We weren’t just fighting-we were venting. Every insult, every resentment, every buried frustration exploded into fists and claws and sweat.
I caught his ribs with a savage hook, felt the satisfying crunch beneath my knuckles. He retaliated with a spinning strike that split my cheek open.
Pain lanced through me, bright and hot, but instead of slowing, I roared and threw myself back into the fray.
And gods help me, for a fleeting moment, I felt…exhilaration.
It had been too long since I’d fought someone who matched me blow for blow.
Lucian wasn’t just strong-he was disciplined, precise, relentless.
Each strike met resistance, each push found counterforce. The symmetry of it was maddening and intoxicating all at once.
Minutes blurred into eternity. Sweat stung my eyes, blood dripped down my chin, muscles screamed in protest.
Neither of us yielded.
Finally, in one last furious exchange, we both struck at the same time. My fist slammed into his chest just as his elbow cracked against my temple.
The force sent us both stumbling, collapsing into the sand.
We lay there, panting, breath ragged and raw. The sky spun wildly above us.
Pain tore through my limbs, mingling with a fierce surge of pride. I’d edged him out-barely, but undeniably.
Lucian sat up first, blood trailing from his mouth, and looked at me with something strange in his eyes.
Not hatred. Not anger. Something closer to…respect.
And then he said it.
“I want you to be the Gatekeeper Boss.”
I blinked, the words almost absurd in the silence after our brawl. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said, voice steady despite the fight we’d just had. “The final gate of the tournament. The one no contender can walk through without proving themselves.”
I barked a harsh laugh, wincing at the pain in my ribs. “You brought me here, provoked me, fought me into the dirt-all to ask me to play doorman for your games?”
His mouth curved, faint and infuriatingly sure. “Not a doorman. The gate itself. The crucible. The one challenge no wolf can dismiss.”
Anger flared again, though this time it tangled with confusion. “And why the hell would I help you?”
Lucian rose smoothly, brushing the dust from his clothes. Then he smiled at me amiably, as if we hadn’t just tried to kill each other. “I have a feeling you will.”
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t be so sure.”
He leaned down just slightly, his gaze piercing. “I am. You’re the only one strong enough to carry that weight.
And I know you want to prove yourself. To her.”
Then he straightened, already walking toward the exit. His voice drifted back, calm, final: “I’ll see you tomorrow. Noon. You know where.”
The arrogance in his certainty scorched hotter than my wounds.
I surged to my feet, fury thrumming in my veins.
With a roar, I slammed my fist into the arena wall. Stone cracked, fragments raining down around me.
“Damn you, Lucian!”
The echo carried, mocking me.
But deep down-too deep to admit aloud-I knew the bastard was right.
I would accept.
I could never walk away from a challenge. Or from her.
SERAPHINA’S POV
The OTS headquarters was alive before the first streak of sunlight broke the sky.
The hum of voices, the scrape of boots across polished and rough stone, the scent of nerves sharp as copper in the air-all of it churned together into a current that dragged me forward.
Today marked the first day of the LST, the beginning of a series of trials that would push us to our limits, revealing how far each of us had come since stepping into OTS, and ultimately deciding the fate of the alliances and fractures among the packs watching from the stands.
I’d memorized the structure, chanted it back to myself like a mantra.
Twelve teams. Five wolves each. Nine from packs scattered across the continent-Frostbane, Cypress Vale,
Seabreeze, Granite Fang, Shadow Claw, Ashveil, Duskbane, Moonfang, Bloodspire. And then, three teams from the OTS itself.
One of them was mine.
I adjusted the hem of my jacket and felt the weight of Lucian’s gift wrap around me like armor. I slipped my hand in my pocket and my fingers curled around Maya’s moonstone.
I drew comfort from my gifts, knowing that even if I wouldn’t see Maya and Lucian during the trials, I would carry a piece of two of my greatest cheerleaders into what felt like my most intense journey yet.
The assembly hall was cavernous, its high ceiling latticed with banners from every participating pack, including customized logos for the three OTS teams.
Wolves clustered in corners, voices low and charged, sizing one another up before the horns even sounded.
When I found the placard with my team’s designation, the tightness in my chest loosened.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply