Chapter 10 Blood and Fire

The ceremony ended in solemn silence.

No applause. No cheers.

Just the heavy weight of the path Abby had chosen - or maybe, the path that had chosen her.

Marla waited outside the stone hall, leaning against a gnarled oak tree. Her sharp eyes softened a little when she saw Abby clutching the leather strip.

"You did good," Marla said simply.

Abby nodded, the reality of it still settling into her bones.

"What happens now?" she asked.

Marla's mouth quirked into a wry smile. "Now? You prepare for the true challenge."

A cold wind rustled the trees. Abby shivered - not from the cold, but from anticipation.

They walked side by side back toward the cabins, the woods stretching endlessly around them. Abby noticed how even the light felt different - like the world was holding its breath.

When they reached the clearing, a crowd had already gathered. Not just trainees - full-blooded pack members too. Dozens of them. Eyes followed Abby's every step. Some held respect. Some held resentment. And a few... a flicker of fear.

At the front of the crowd stood a figure Abby didn't recognize.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with hair as dark as midnight and pale gray eyes that looked like frozen smoke. He radiated authority - but not the kind that comforted. It was the kind that demanded submission.

Marla's face hardened the second she saw him.

"That's Calder," she said under her breath. "Champion of the Blood Trials."

"Blood Trials?" Abby asked sharply.

Marla didn't answer. She didn't need to.

Because Calder smiled - slow, cruel - and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Welcome to the next phase, little wolf," he said, voice thick with amusement. "You earned your mark. Now let's see if you can keep it."

The crowd shifted, murmuring.

Calder strode forward, tossing something at Abby's feet.

A gauntlet.

Leather and steel, bloodstained from battles long past.

Abby stared at it, her hands curling into fists.

"You challenge me?" she said, her voice low.

Calder shrugged. "That's the way of it. New blood must be tested. You survive three challenges, you keep your mark. You fail..." He flashed teeth. "You crawl back into the shadows where you belong."

Three challenges.

Against someone like Calder.

Abby's heart hammered in her chest, but she forced herself to stand taller, to meet his icy gaze without flinching.

"I accept," she said.

A ripple went through the crowd.

Calder's grin widened. "Good. First challenge is simple. Keep standing."

Without warning, he lunged.

Faster than anyone she had ever seen, a blur of motion and strength.

Abby dodged instinctively, but Calder clipped her shoulder, sending her spinning backward. Pain flared, but she stayed on her feet, every muscle screaming for her to run, to hide.

But she wouldn't.

Not now. Not ever again.

She planted her feet, narrowed her eyes, and faced him head-on.

Calder came again, a brutal onslaught of fists and claws, testing her reflexes, her stamina. Abby blocked some blows, dodged others. Every movement was a lesson carved into her skin.

The first minutes were pure survival. She didn't try to win - she just stayed up, stayed alive, letting her instincts take over.

She was bleeding from her lip. Her ribs ached. But she was still standing.

Minutes dragged into what felt like hours. The pack shouted from the sidelines - some cheering Calder, some Abby - but the noise blurred into the background. All she could hear was the thunder of her own heart.

Finally, Calder stepped back, breathing heavily, a flicker of something like respect in his cold eyes.

"First challenge: passed," he said, almost grudgingly.

The crowd roared.

Abby staggered but didn't fall. She wiped the blood from her mouth and lifted her chin.

Marla appeared at her side, gripping her arm hard enough to anchor her.

"You did it," she whispered fiercely.

But Abby knew better.

This was only the beginning.

Because somewhere behind Calder, in the sea of faces, another figure was waiting - someone cloaked in shadows, watching her with a hunger that made her skin crawl.

The real enemy wasn't Calder.

The real enemy hadn't even revealed themselves yet.

And the next trial would be far more than fists and claws.

It would be a battle for her soul.