Jade's POV
When Liam had mentioned finest omegas, it hadn't been a joke. The six foot something male with a perfectly toned body, who was standing a few feet away from me, was no joke.
Snowflakes slowly drifted in the air, slowly tinting anywhere, but the arena, white. The silence was loud, almost sickening—every werewolf watched in anticipation although I knew they had all chosen their winner.
We waited for Liam's call. And my magic brushed past his essence, poking and searching until she found it—the subtle awakening of anger and pride.
"Its crazy how they put you against me." I scoffed, running my eyes from his head to his sole. "Guess you're not as tough as you look."
"I will have your throat, packless one." His wolf's growl echoed in his voice.
I smirked inwardly. Just what I wanted. A little spark.
"Werewolves' take your position." Liam's voice reverberated across the gauntlet.
I moved three steps back, careful—I didn't know what magic he harnessed yet. The werewolf remained in his spot—a mocking smile on his face.
"Shift!" Another order.
However, I waited, holding my breath. My gaze remained on my opponent, watching him go down on all fours. Loud groans sliced through the frosty air. Bones snapped. His veins bulged. He grew, getting larger and larger, ripping his clothes. Brown fur almost immediately sprouting out of his tanned skin, cloaking him. Until the groans stopped; it wasn't a slow process neither was it fast—he was just an average shifter.
Nevertheless, my heart skipped a beat at the brown monstrosity few feet away. Average shifter or not, he was large for an omega. Too large for my wolf.
An exhale. And I reached for my wolf, conjuring her. Almost immediately, white-hot agony shot through my body. I fell down on my knees, palms on the cold black ground. I bit into my lip, trying to muffle a scream. A bone snapped, and a scream ripped out of me. My vision blurred.
It took a while before I awashed with calmness and relief—I was an average shifter too. I looked down at my hands, they were russet-red paws. Then, I looked up at the he-wolf who had a snare—my wolf wasn't as big as his.
"Engage!"
And he lunged forward, fast.
Our bodies collided with such force I was pushed a paw back. The second he bared his teeth, aiming for my jugular—an attack I easily pulled away from.
The snow began to fall heavily as we circled each other, glaring. I snorted, hesitant—his magic was still unknown. So, I waited, tapping into the frayed threads of anger and pride and weaved them with precision.
He flashed his canines at me, his mouth foaming at the corners. I could feel his anger seething through him—just what I wanted.
He will come at me any second and I…
His wolf, large and brown, ran towards me. I waited, poised and calm. The moment he jumped at me, claws out and teeth bared, I ducked down and sank my teeth into his fore leg. However, his claw simultaneously dug into my back. I growled at the impact, the metallic taste of blood warm on my tongue. The he-wolf lost balance but didn't go down as I had expected—he stood, his injured fore leg hanging above the ground.
My tongue licked my muzzle as the stench of blood and sweat weaved into the frosty atmosphere. I watched my opponent lap at his wound for a moment before he turned to growl at me. And yet, I wondered why he had refused to use his magic on me.
Then, a second later, it hit me—he had no magic. He was just a powerless omega, and the realization gave my confidence a boost—I could win this duel.
How foolish of him to think I was still that powerless omega.
My magic reached for his agony, twisting and heightening the feeling until he let out a pained howl. Then, I lunged for him, fast and precise.
The duel continued, although I had longed expected it to end—my opponent seemed to handle pain well even when I intensified it. Blood and sweat clung to the air. Howls, growls and snorts echoed through the snow. My heart hammered hard in my chest as I panted. Despite the tiredness in my muscles, and the pain, I was sure I would win.
Until, the he-wolf collided into me again, this time I lost my balance and fell to the ground. He took his chance, teeth bare and eyes red, he climbed unto me. His face came down in a jiffy, however I moved, and his teeth dug into my shoulder. I let out a loud howl, tossing and moving but his grip was strong.
The stench of blood thickened. The world began to dim at the edges. My heart was a frantic, trapped bird beating against my ribs. Each gasp was a shallow, useless thing, the air thick as water. I thrashed, not yielding to the pain, to the delayed responsiveness of my limbs. I was drowning on dry land.
Tears blurred my vision, however, they failed to fall. Slowly, the he-wolf blurred away, and there was Aurora, upset. Then, I heard her gentle voice, "I wish you'd stay…"
My heart caved. Gradually, I lost responsiveness in my lower limbs, and I could feel the numbness slowly climbing up.
My eyes closed, ready… However…
His voice cut through the fog of agony and near-death, electric and familiar. "I thought you wanted to ruin my peace. Now, get up and end this."
I tried but my muscles stung. I fell back, yielding to the pain.
"Now." It was a cold order—enough to set my insides on fire.
I slipped my fore legs from under the he-wolf. His weight fell forward and his teeth sank deeper into my flesh. I groaned as pain shot down my shoulder. Forcing my muscles to work, I shot my claws into his side, slicing through skin and flesh. He groaned loud, releasing my shoulder from his death grip.
I stole the chance,and with much difficulty, I rolled from underneath him. I found my bearings, panting heavily, and lunged for him. My paw slapped his eye; my claw slashing it. He growled, losing his footing. Almost immediately, I dug my teeth into his jugular, holding him still in a tight grip.
"Good girl." His voice again, proud.
My muscles stung. I felt my grip slowly loosen. My heart raced, warm dark blood filling my mouth and snout. I snorted, shaking my head with his jugular still in between my teeth —he howled in pain, trying to escape—sincerely, I was trying to shake off the gradual blur in my eyes; I was slowly slipping away.
"Rip it out." Cold. Cruel.
However, I adhered, clenching my jaw tightly, the he-wolf groaned in response, and I pulled away with a great force—red bloodied flesh hanging from my mouth.
I took three paws back as I watched the he-wolf fall back, blood spurting out of the deep gash. My grip loosened and the flesh dropped to the black ground with a muffled thud. My tongue stuck out and wiped off the warm liquid around my snout.
Then as expected, I rose my snout up to the cold air and let a loud yet pained howl—a cry of victory hard won. Soon, more cries cut through the snow—all in acceptance of their new pack member. Amidst the solemn cry, my eyes sort Kael, and there he was—divine and proud.
"First step accomplished, red one." He muttered with a small smirk, however, thanks to our werewolf abilities—I could hear him loud and clear.
snorted in response, a confusing mix of resentment and gratitude warring in my chest. I had survived. And he had helped.