The Alpha Weredragon's Favorite
CHAPTER 104 - Trial by Combat

Lyra

I walked through the Quad, the line of people wishing me good luck stretching all the way to the clearing. The cheers and smiles filled me with a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. Sure, the closer I got to the clearing, the more the sneers and jeers started to appear, but I didn't let them get to me. I focused on the positive, on the people who believed in me, on the journey that had brought me here.

I remembered a time, not so long ago, when Vivian had been at her cruelest. I had interrupted a dining party she had been hosting by daring to go to the kitchen to get something to eat after working all day in the pack house kitchen. She had cornered me in my room and plucked the apple I'd been eating from my hands and smashing it into sludge on the hardwood floor. Her dark eyes flashing with anger. "You'll never amount to anything, Lyra," she had spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing but a burden, a constant reminder of what I've lost."

Her words had cut deep, and I had retreated to my room, tears streaming down my face. But as I lay there, a voice in my head had whispered, "Wait. Have faith. Believe in yourself. One day, you'll find your place among those who love and cherish you."

And here I was, standing on the cusp of a new life, a life filled with possibilities. No matter what happened in the trials, I had found love with Ryan. A love worth fighting for. A love worth dying for.

I looked around at the faces in the crowd, some familiar, some new. Each one of them had played a part in my journey, had helped me find the strength to keep going when all I wanted to do was give up. I felt a surge of gratitude, a sense of belonging that I had been searching for all my life.

"Good luck, Lyra!" someone called out, and I turned to see Whitney waving at me from the sidelines. I waved back, smiling as I stepped into the clearing.

Killian joined me, I guess to give me one last pep talk about how I had come so far, had overcome so many obstacles to get here. And to watch my back, much as Sally had done. While I still held some skepticism about her theories that she would uncover who was behind my attacks, I had forgiven her and hoped to move on after today.

Killian moved in so close, I thought he was about to hug me when with gloved hands, that I thought strange at the time, he put his arms around my neck. When he stepped away, a yellow stone on a silver chain hung just below my collar bone. "Keep this on you at all times," he said, removing the gloves and storing them in his light jacket. "It is a ward against dark magic."

He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when I felt the stone get ice cold. So cold in fact that it started to burn my chest. I lifted it off my neck, rubbing at the spot to get it warm again. "What is it Lyra?"

"This thing burned me. What is it anyway?"

"Wista enchanted an adumbra stone to ward off any attacks. Did it heat up or get cold."

"It was ice cold," I said, lifting the stone off my chest. "Like, really cold. Enough to burn."

Killian's expression turned grave. "Wista told me a rhyme to tell to you: 'If the stone grows hot against her skin, dark magic is a lot. If it grows colder than ice, listen to her instincts and don't think twice."" I swallowed hard. "What does that mean?"

"There has to be something coming up. Listen to what you feel and act on it. Don't think. Act." Killian placed a hand on my shoulder, his eyes searching mine.

I nodded, my heart racing. The idea of trusting my instincts, of acting without overthinking was something that I was learning to trust in more and more each day. During the trials it had saved me more than once. Just then, Shelia's voice rang out across the clearing. "Attention, participants! Please make your way to the stage."

I glanced at Killian, who gave me an encouraging nod. I took a deep breath and made my way towards the stage, the adumbra stone cold against my chest.

As I took my place among the other participants, Shelia addressed the crowd. "Welcome to the final trial of the Luna competition. Our brave participants will face each other in a battle of strength, skill, and wit." The crowd cheered, and I felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"And now, for the twist," Shelia continued, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Participants, you have a choice. You can fight in your human form, or..." She paused for dramatic effect, looking me straight in the eye. "You can fight as a wolf." The crowd erupted in gasps and murmurs. I felt my stomach drop. As a wolf? But I didn't have a wolf. I couldn't shift.

I glanced around at the other participants, their faces a mix of excitement and determination. Some of them were already starting to shift, their bodies morphing into sleek, powerful wolves.

I looked back at Killian, panic rising in my chest. He met my gaze, his expression calm and reassuring. "Remember," he mouthed. "Trust your instincts."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of the adumbra stone against my skin. It was still cold, but somehow, it felt comforting now. Like a reminder that I wasn't alone. "You are not alone, Lyra. When the time is right, we will be one."

I opened my eyes, a new sense of determination filling me. The White Wolf was my instincts. She had been guiding me all along. And I was ready to trust her, no matter what.