Chapter 10: The Rival‘ s Hand (Winona’s POV)
I paced back and forth in the dimly lit room of my family’s estate, a low hum of tension vibrating in my chest. The news of Ariana’s trials had reached me just a few days ago, and I had been plotting ever since. Scott, that foolish Alpha, still didn‘ t realize the depth of his mistake. Ariana had become his Luna but I wasn’t going to let her take her place beside him without a fight. I wouldn‘ t et her succeed.
I had already done my part. The contact I’d made with the Blacknight pack, our rival pack, was no secret. My father, as Beta, had long had dealings with them, but now, it was personal. I knew that if Ariana failed these trials, Scott would be forced to reconsider her worth, and that was the moment I would strike. I didn’t care if I had to manipulate every last thing to make sure she didn‘ t become his Luna. She was
a threat to everything I had dreamed of,
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Chapter 10: The Rival’s Hand (Winona’s POV)
everything I had worked for.
“Are you sure about this?” my contact from the Blacknight pack, Darius, asked on the other end of the line, his voice as smooth as it was dangerous.
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“I’m sure,” I replied, my voice cold. “Send the word. Make sure Ariana fails. She ‘can’t pass the Trial of the Wolf. If she
can’t shift into her wolf form, she won’t be able to complete the final trial. Scott will see her as weak, and then I’ll be right where I belong–by his side.”
Darius chuckled, a low, amused sound. “It’s already done, Winona. We‘ ve made our arrangements. You won‘ t have to worry.”
I hung up the phone with a smile, the warmth of my plan curling in my chest. There was no way Ariana would be able to succeed. The Blacknight pack had ensured
that.
But when the day of the final trial arrived, I
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Chapter 10: The Rival’s Hand (Winona’s POV)
wasn’t prepared for what came next.
Ariana returned, looking every bit the same, but something was different. The trials were designed to break someone, to test their very soul. But she walked back into our pack territory as if she had only been gone for a day.
My heart sank as I watched her stride. confidently across the training grounds, her head held high. She had done it.
I refused to show my frustration as I approached her, though I could feel the tremor of jealousy gnawing at my insides. I couldn’t let her know how much her
success stung.
“You look like you‘ ve been through hell,” I said, forcing a smile as I stood in her path.
Ariana stopped in her tracks and looked at me, her expression unreadable. “I’ve been through worse.”
It took everything in me not to flinch at the
coldness in her tone. How had she done it?
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Chapter 10: The Rival’s Hand (Winona’s POV)
The Trial of the Wolf was supposed to
break her, to reveal her inability to shift, to prove she wasn’t worthy of being Luna. But here she was, standing tall and
untouched by the very thing I had orchestrated to bring her down.
“I didn’t think you would make it,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “What did you do? Did you finally call your wolf, or did you rely on something else?”
Ariana’s lips curled into a thin, determined. smile. “I did the trials on my own terms.”
Her words pierced through me like a knife. What did she mean by that? How had she completed the Trial of the Wolf without shifting? I had no answer, but the pit in my stomach grew deeper.
“Is that so?” I said, my voice a mockery of concern. “How brave of you. But you do realize, don’t you? You can never truly be Luna without the power of your wolf. You can command warriors and lead the pack, but when it comes down to it, a human
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form will never be enough.”
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Her gaze never wavered. “Maybe it’s not about being the strongest wolf in the pack. Maybe it’s about having the heart to lead them.”
I laughed, though the sound felt hollow. “Heart? That’s what you think will make you worthy of Scott? You‘ ve failed before
You’ve
you even started. Do you really think you can stand beside him when it counts?”
Ariana’s smile faded slightly, but there was no fear in her eyes. “I’m not trying to prove anything to you, Winona. I’m doing this for Scott, and for the pack.”
“Good luck with that,” I sneered, the words thick with venom. “Because no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be more than just a shadow.”
She didn’t flinch. “I’m not here to compete with you.”
The words hit me harder than I expected. She wasn‘ t here to compete with me?
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Chapter 10: The Rival’s Hand (Winona’s POV)
That’s all I had ever done: compete. And now, Ariana, who I had desperately tried to bring down, was showing more grace and composure than I could ever muster.
As she walked away, the weight of my failure hit me. The Blacknight pack had failed me. Ariana had made it through all the trials, without needing the wolf she didn’t have. She had become something else–something I could never touch.
And for the first time, I realized that no
matter how much I tried to tear her down,
Ariana wasn’t the one who needed fixing.
I was.
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