🌙 Episode 34: The Trial of Strength
Lila's POV
The sound of fists striking wood echoed through the training grounds, a harsh rhythm that set my nerves on edge. I stood barefoot in the dirt circle, surrounded by a ring of wolves who watched me like vultures waiting for the fall.
Rowan's voice carried above the murmurs. "Strength is not measured only in muscle," he declared. "It is measured in the will to stand, even when standing feels impossible."
His gaze flicked to me, sharp and unyielding. "The human will face three challengers. She must remain on her feet until the final bell."
My throat went dry. Three challengers?
Ethan stood at the edge of the circle, his arms crossed, jaw tight. His eyes burned into mine, a silent promise: Don't give up.
But the pit in my stomach twisted tighter. I wasn't a fighter. I'd barely survived the night in the forest. How was I supposed to stand against wolves?
The first challenger stepped into the ring—a tall woman with arms like iron and a smile that promised pain.
Rowan's hand cut through the air. "Begin."
Ethan's POV
I could barely keep my wolf in check as the first challenger advanced on her. Lila looked so small, clutching her fists like she didn't know what to do with them.
The woman lunged, her strike fast. Lila ducked, clumsy but instinctive, the blow grazing past her shoulder. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Good," I whispered under my breath. "Use your speed."
But speed wouldn't save her forever. My chest ached as I watched her stumble, watched her arms shake as she tried to block the next hit. Every instinct screamed to tear into the ring, but I couldn't. Not yet.
She had to stand. And I had to believe in her.
Lila's POV
The woman's fists came at me again. I dodged, barely, my breath burning in my lungs. The crowd jeered, some calling for me to fall already.
Don't you dare give them what they want, I told myself, forcing my legs to move.
Pain flared across my ribs as her fist landed, sending me sprawling to the dirt. I gasped, the world spinning.
"On your feet!" Rowan's command thundered over me.
I wanted to stay down. Spirits, I wanted to stay down so badly. But then I saw Ethan—his eyes locked on me, his whole body taut with barely restrained fury.
If anything happens to you, I'll lose myself.
I pushed up, groaning, and stumbled back to my feet.
The woman's smirk faded. She came at me again, but this time, I sidestepped and shoved the torch of determination burning inside me straight into her momentum. She lost balance for a split second—and the bell rang.
The crowd erupted.
Rowan raised his hand. "First round complete. Second challenger."
My chest heaved. My ribs screamed. And another wolf stepped forward.
Ethan's POV
The second challenger was worse. Bigger. Crueler. He didn't hold back, and I knew he wouldn't.
"Stay light," I muttered under my breath, my fists clenched.
Lila barely dodged his first strike, her foot catching in the dirt. He swung again, knocking her to the ground. My wolf snarled in my chest, my nails digging into my palms.
She coughed, dragging herself up, and I saw the bruise already blooming across her cheek.
"You can stop this," Rowan's voice brushed against my mind through the pack link. Say the word, and it ends.
I didn't answer. Because if I stopped it, Lila would never forgive me.
Instead, I met her eyes across the ring. "You're stronger than this," I whispered, hoping she could feel the words.
And damn it, she did.
She ducked the next blow, her fist connecting with the wolf's stomach. He staggered, surprised. The bell rang again.
The crowd was no longer mocking. They were murmuring now, watching her with something like respect.
"Third challenger," Rowan called.
I braced myself.
Lila's POV
My body was a map of pain. Every breath burned, every movement sent fire through my limbs. But I wasn't done. Not yet.
The final challenger stepped forward—Marcus.
My blood went cold.
His smirk was a blade across his face. "What a shame," he said softly. "I almost started to believe you might survive."
I swallowed hard, my fists trembling. "I'm not afraid of you."
His grin widened. "You should be."
Rowan gave the signal.
Marcus struck fast. Too fast. I barely saw his hand before I was on the ground again, dirt filling my mouth.
Pain flared, white-hot. I coughed, pushing up, my arms shaking.
Ethan's voice thundered in my head—not through words, but through the bond that was no longer just imagined. Stand, Lila. Don't give him the satisfaction.
I forced myself up. My vision blurred, my ribs screaming. But I stood.
Marcus circled me like a predator, his strikes cruel but calculated. He wanted to break me, not just my body—but my spirit.
Every time he knocked me down, I rose again.
Blood trickled down my lip. My body screamed to stop. But my heart—my heart burned with Ethan's silent strength.
The bell rang.
The crowd erupted into stunned silence.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air.
Rowan's voice was steady, carrying through the clearing. "The human has endured. The Trial of Strength is complete."
Ethan's POV
I was at her side before the words had even finished leaving Rowan's mouth.
She sagged against me, her face pale, her body trembling. My arms wrapped around her, fury and pride burning together in my chest.
"You did it," I whispered, brushing the blood from her lip.
She tried to smile, weak and fierce all at once. "Told you I wasn't afraid."
Spirits, I loved her. The realization hit me like a punch to the chest, raw and undeniable.
Rowan's gaze lingered on us, unreadable. "Tomorrow," he said finally, "the Trial of Truth."
And I knew that one…would be the most dangerous of all.
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✨ End of Episode 34