Aria's POV
There was nothing like Crimsonhowl in the Duskridge community. This location flourished with purpose, while my previous pack was stiff and oppressive. Wolves moved quickly, their eyes alert and vigilant. However, there was something unsaid that made the air here heavier.
As soon as Kael and I entered the gates, I could feel their gazes. Words that were abrasive echoed across the audience.
"Is she being serious?"
Is that her? The daughter of the traitor?
"She has no place here."
With an inscrutable look, Kael stepped in front of me. Perhaps he lived on the animosity that surrounded us, but he didn't seem to care. I refused to let their contempt to pierce me, keeping my head held high.
A broad-shouldered guy was waiting in front of the main hall as we came to a halt. His amber eyes narrowed as soon as they saw mine, and his black hair was pulled back into a tidy braid.
Kael curtly replied, "Rowan." "Nightshade Aria." She intends to remain here.
Rowan's arms were folded. He spoke in a steady yet irritated tone. "Remaining here? Respectfully, Kael, what are you thinking? We don't have her.
"She isn't a rogue," Kael snapped back.
Rowan retorted, "She's an outsider." "And trouble comes from outsiders."
"Rowan, I make the decisions here," Kael said in a decisive tone. "She remains."
Rowan didn't push back, which surprised me. Rather, his piercing eyes shifted to me.
He said, "You'll discover that Duskridge doesn't accept weakness." or defiance. You won't live long if you act inappropriately.
I forced myself not to flinch as I maintained eye contact. "You don't frighten me," I said.
He nearly smirked as his lips quirked. "You ought to be."
Kael interrupted, staring at me with golden eyes. Aria, you're here on my terms. Show your value, or you'll be expelled.
The reply burned in my throat, and I bit it back. I just needed his approval to stay alive.
Rowan fell into step with Kael as he turned to go. Just loud enough for me to hear, their voices were clear.
Rowan said, "Kael, you're making a mistake." "Death is going to follow her presence."
Kael's shoulders tensed but he didn't answer.
"Arise."
My body was in excruciating agony, but Kael's words sliced right through everything. With shaky arms, I clenched my teeth and forced myself off the ground.
The massive fighter with whom I was fighting, Thorne, grinned. "Are you certain that this isn't a rogue? due to the fact that she fights like one—weak and careless.
With a single gaze, Kael put an end to the laughter that echoed among the assembled soldiers.
"Once more," he commanded.
With his staff swinging in a broad arc, Thorne rushed. I saw it coming this time. I dodged as the wooden staff just missed me, feeling the rush of air.
I acted instinctively, using my own staff to strike at his bare side. The training field reverberated with the pleasant snap of wood contacting ribcage.
Thorne stumbled, a growl replacing his smile. "Fortunate blow," he snarled.
With my chest thumping, I fired out, "Luck has nothing to do with it."
His eyes did not meet the sneer that had returned to his face. He swung once again, more forcefully and quickly. I just managed to block it, and my arms jolted with the shock. I took a step back, trying to see what he would do next, and my grasp tightened.
The tension was broken by Kael's voice. "Stop responding. Take charge of the battle.
His golden eyes were fixed on me as I looked at him. His eyes were filled with expectancy rather than encouragement.
Thorne rushed once more, but I didn't wait for him to strike. I took cover behind his swing and stabbed him in the stomach, causing him to lose consciousness.
He coughed and dropped to one knee. The soldiers who had been observing went quiet, their derision giving way to astonishment or maybe even admiration.
Kael took a step forward and looked around the throng. He said, "This is what survival looks like." "Take what you can from it."
His face was inscrutable as he turned to face me. "Not bad," he reluctantly responded. Don't settle in, however. There is still more for you to prove.
I swallowed the knot of annoyance in my throat and nodded.
A voice cried out from the throng, "Hey, Aria."
A younger warrior with sandy hair and a crooked smile caught my attention. "Good job out there. My name is Elias.
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded. "Thank you."
Elias started to add anything more, but Kael interrupted him with a snarl.
With a chilly tone, Kael remarked, "Elieas, concentrate on your training."
Elias gave me a pitying glance and then backed away, raising his hands in surrender.
The low growl of Kael's wolf echoed in the back of my thoughts as his eyes lingered on me.
"What?" Unable to control my annoyance, I snapped.
Kael's jaw tensed, but he remained silent. Rather, he turned and left me standing in the center of the training area, my mind racing and my body injured.
With their senses sharpened, the patrol party walked through the thick woodland in silence. Reluctantly, Kael had let me enroll, claiming it was only another test of my worth.
With a clipped tone, Rowan remarked, "You stay at the back." "Avoid getting in the way."
Refusing to fall for his bait, I bit my tongue. I was here to survive, not to prove myself to him.
The first thing that struck me was the harsh, metallic smell of blood.
"Rogues," Kael murmured softly.
The assault was quick. Suddenly, we found ourselves encircled by shadows moving through the woods. The air was filled with the sound of snarls and claws clashing as the warriors retaliated.
Before I could even react, a renegade bared his fangs and leaped at me. I struck him in the shoulder with my blade. With wild fury in his eyes, he yelled but did not back down.
Despite the chaos of the battle, I felt a connection. My attacks got more accurate, my moves crisper. I fought, not simply survived.
Beside me, a warrior stumbled and was pinned to the ground by a rogue. I killed the warrior by unthinkingly driving my sword into the rogue's side.
His eyes widened in surprise as he glanced up at me. "Thanks," he whispered as he stumbled to his feet.
As their snarls faded into the distance, the rogues started to back off.
Kael looked around the scene, his face glum. "Well done," he replied, his eyes still on me. My lips was about to reply when I saw a sign etched into the bark of a neighboring tree.
Celeste had sketched the same one when she and Jax first met. As I glanced at it and considered the ramifications, my blood froze.
Kael's words interrupted my train of thinking. His tone was stern when he said, "What is it?"
My chest tightened as I turned to face him. I remarked in a shaky voice, "We need to talk."
And I saw a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes for the first time.