Where Instinct Becomes Weapon
The Bloodfang sentinel hit the ground so hard the entire arena trembled.
Massive. Muscled. A monster bred for war.
Ariana froze for a heartbeat—just one—before instinct snapped awake inside her like a whip.
Move.
She dove sideways as the wolf lunged, claws raking stone where she'd just been standing. Sparks scattered. The crowd didn't murmur or gasp—Shadowfang wolves did not react to danger—they judged silently.
Ariana scrambled to her feet, pulse slamming in her ears.
"Aria!" Kian's voice ripped through the air.
"Don't run—circle it! Keep your eyes on its shoulders!"
She obeyed, legs shaking but steady.
The sentinel stalked her in a wide arc, saliva pooling between its fangs. Its gaze wasn't just animal—it was hateful. Bloodfang wolves were bred without empathy, without restraint. They were killers in flesh.
Ariana swallowed hard. "I can't do this. I can't—"
"Yes, you can."
Kian's voice thundered across the arena.
"You anchored an Alpha. You survived a bond surge.
You can survive this."
A deep roar erupted from the crowd—Shadowfang wolves pounding fists against stone, a ritual encouragement.
The sentinel lunged again.
Ariana ducked, rolled, and scrambled back to her feet—barely.
Another swipe—closer this time—caught the sleeve of her shirt, tearing it open and grazing her skin. Pain flared.
The scent of her blood hit the air.
The sentinel's eyes widened.
Focused.
Enraged.
Kian growled, the sound vibrating the arena.
"Roran—Kaelara—hold me back if I move."
They stepped beside him.
Not touching him.
Ready to restrain him.
Ariana saw that.
Saw the tension.
Saw Kian fighting his wolf with everything he had.
And something fierce sparked in her chest.
No. I won't be a weakness.
The sentinel charged once more.
This time instead of dodging—she stood her ground.
Kian's shout tore the air. "ARIA—NO!"
But she wasn't acting blindly.
Something in her blood—her magic—answered the fear with heat.
With light.
With instinct.
As the sentinel leapt, Ariana thrust out her hand.
And the world exploded into silver.
A shockwave burst from her palm—raw magic, wild but precise—slamming into the sentinel mid-air. The beast crashed backward into the arena wall with a deafening crack that sent dust raining from the ceiling.
Silence swallowed the den.
Ariana stared at her trembling hand.
Her veins glowed faintly silver.
Her breath came in sharp bursts.
"I… I did that," she whispered.
The sentinel staggered to its feet—injured, but furious.
Kaelara's voice echoed coldly from the sidelines.
"Impressive. But one strike won't end a sentinel."
The beast roared.
Charged again, faster than before.
This time Ariana didn't wait.
She braced her stance.
Focused on her breath.
On the bond.
On Kian.
As if hearing her thoughts, his voice filled her mind—
Ari—use the pull between us. Draw from me. I'm here. I'm yours.
The words wrapped around her soul, lighting her veins like wildfire.
The sentinel lunged.
Ariana raised both hands—magic bursting outward in a blinding surge.
The shockwave this time was bigger—louder—hotter.
The creature slammed into the ground, sliding across the stone.
Shaking.
Wounded.
Beaten.
A low, feral growl vibrated from Kian's chest, proud and possessive.
Ariana's knees weakened, but she stayed upright.
The den waited.
Kaelara stepped forward, folding her arms.
"In Shadowfang law, the trial ends when the challenger yields… or stops breathing."
The sentinel staggered once more, trying to rise—
but then its limbs buckled.
It bowed its head.
Submissive.
It yielded.
The arena erupted—wolves howling, shouting, pounding stone.
Ariana felt the sound thunder inside her bones.
Kian broke.
He shoved past Roran and Kaelara, sprinting across the arena faster than any human could track.
He reached her in seconds.
His hands grabbed her face.
His forehead pressed to hers.
His breath was wild, shaking.
"Aria," he whispered fiercely, "don't ever scare me like that again."
"I had to," she breathed back. "I had to prove I could stand with you."
"You did." His voice cracked with raw emotion. "You did more than that."
His thumb brushed a streak of blood on her cheek.
His eyes darkened—heat and danger and worship swirling in molten gold.
"You are mine," he whispered, "and I am yours. After this trial… the pack will have no choice but to accept it."
Ariana exhaled shakily.
Her heart felt like it might burst.
Kian pulled her into a fierce embrace, holding her against his chest as the entire den howled around them—
a sound of acceptance,
recognition,
and the beginning of something far more dangerous than a bond.
Mates.
Officially.
Irrevocably.
And from the shadows above, unknown eyes watched…
burning with envy
and ancient hunger.