The moon hung high that night, casting a silver glow over the Bloodfang grounds. The entire pack gathered in the Circle of Challenge, a sacred arena where titles were earned, not given.
Selena stood alone at the center, her cloak removed, revealing the glowing mark now etched on her shoulder, a crescent moon surrounded by ancient runes.
The Elder's voice rang out. "To be considered one of us again, Selena must face the Trial by Fire. She must defeat a chosen challenger… and prove her wolf is worthy."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. No female had ever been forced into the Trial. This wasn't tradition, it was intimidation.
But Selena didn't flinch.
Damien stepped forward, a wicked gleam in his eye. "I'll be her challenger."
The pack gasped.
The Elder frowned. "You're the Alpha."
"She came back for me. Let her prove she's stronger than the one who broke her."
Selena's voice was steady. "I didn't come back for you. But I'll still enjoy ending this."
The crowd cleared, and the fight began.
Damien lunged first, fast and brutal. But Selena was faster. Graceful. Untouchable. Her silver aura flared as she dodged, blocked, and countered with precision.
Each strike she landed echoed like thunder through the arena.
"Still weak?" she asked, slamming him to the ground.
He roared, shifting into his wolf , huge, black-furred, and snarling.
But Selena didn't shift.
She raised her hand, and a glowing silver mist wrapped around her. Her eyes turned fully white, and her voice came out in harmony with something ancient.
> "By the Moon's blessing, I fight not as one but as many. As those who came before. As those yet to rise."
With a single motion, she drove Damien back with a force that sent cracks through the stone beneath them. His wolf whimpered, pinned by the weight of her presence.
When it was done, he shifted back, breathless, broken, his pride shattered before the pack.
Selena stood tall.
The Elder raised his hand.
"Let it be known," he declared, "Selena White has completed the Trial. Her wolf is awakened. Her strength proven. She is one of us."
"No," Selena interrupted, her voice calm and clear.
"I am not one of you."
She turned to the pack.
"I am the future of this pack."