Garrett Stone stepped into the clearing, cracking his knuckles loud enough to sound like breaking branches. "Combat trial," he declared, his tone heavy with Alpha authority. "Traditional rules. Shifted forms. No weapons. Victory comes by submission or unconsciousness."
Luna glanced down at the sword in her hand, then back at the mountain of a man who stood across from her. He was at least a hundred and fifty pounds heavier. "I've never fully shifted before."
"Then you'll learn fast," Garrett said with a grin that showed too many teeth. "Or you'll learn what defeat tastes like."
"Comforting," Luna muttered, though her feet were already carrying her toward the fighting circle. The dirt bore scars of countless trials before hers.
"Luna," Kieran called after her, tension roughening his voice. "You don't have to do this. The law allows for champions."
"I could fight for you," Magnus added, his golden-flecked eyes shadowed with dread. His visions were no doubt showing him dozens of possible outcomes, many ending badly.
Luna turned to face them. Both men wore the same look, faith in her mixed with fear of losing her. It would be easy to step aside and let one of them fight in her place. Safer. Smarter, maybe.
But she knew what this trial meant. Every supernatural leader in the region would hear about it. If she wanted respect, she couldn't hide behind others.
"No champions," she said firmly. "This is my fight."
From behind, Solareth rumbled with approval. "The last Crimson said the same. She never backed down from a challenge, no matter the odds."
"Did she win?" Luna asked.
"Always," the dragon replied. His voice carried weight. "Though not always in the way her enemies expected."
That was enough. Luna stepped into the circle, facing Garrett as he began to shift. His human form blurred, bones cracking, muscles stretching. In moments, a massive gray wolf stood before her, larger than any normal wolf, his yellow eyes gleaming with menace.
Luna drew a breath. "Alright. Time to figure this out."
She closed her eyes and reached inward. She'd felt it before, the whisper of something older than her, wilder. The wolf waiting beneath her skin. This time she didn't just touch it. She embraced it.
The change ripped through her like lightning. Bones are breaking and reforming. Muscles tearing and stretching. Her senses exploded outward, colors sharpening, sounds layering, scents flooding her awareness until the world was painfully clear.
But her mind didn't disappear. Instead, her human consciousness merged with something fierce and primal. She was both Luna and wolf, not one devoured by the other, but whole.
When she opened her eyes, she saw silver-white paws beneath her. Her fur shimmered, catching the light like spun moonfire. And inside, power thrummed, new, raw, but steady.
Across the circle, Garrett stalked with a low growl. Luna answered instinctively, her own growl rumbling deep in her chest. Challenge accepted.
"Remember," Thomas called from the edge, his voice carrying like a referee. "Wolves who fight smart win. Use your instincts, not just brute force."
Garrett lunged without warning. His massive body slammed toward her with enough force to snap a tree. Luna dodged sideways at the last instant, but his claws still raked her shoulder. Pain burned, sharp and hot.
She staggered, but something in her wolf body processed it differently. Not as a weakness. As a focus. Her anger honed to a blade.
When Garrett passed her, she snapped at his flank, her teeth finding muscle and drawing blood. The Alpha roared, spinning in fury, but Luna was already gone, moving lightly, faster than his size allowed.
"Stop running!" his voice cracked across her mind, Alpha command woven into every syllable.
"I'm not running," Luna replied through the telepathic link, surprising herself. "You're just too slow."
That got him. Rage broke his discipline. He charged again, reckless this time. Luna waited until the last possible second, then dropped low, rolling under him. She came up behind him and raked her claws across his belly, shallow but precise.
Garrett spun back, bleeding, panting, disbelief in his yellow eyes. "Impossible. New wolves don't fight like this."
"I'm not a new wolf," Luna said, circling him. Her voice carried conviction. "I'm Crimson Bloodline. We don't do things the normal way."
He feinted left, lunged right. She read the twitch of his muscles, sidestepped, and sank her teeth into his foreleg. He yelped, stumbling.
Before he could recover, she launched upward, her claws pressing into the pressure points at his shoulders, her jaws clamping his throat with just enough force to end it. She bore him backward until his body hit the dirt.
Submission. Victory.
Garrett went still. For a long breath, only silence stretched between them. Then his voice came low, grudging. "I yield."
Luna released him at once, stepping back. The fighting haze drained from her, leaving her oddly calm.
The gray Alpha shifted back to human, blood streaking his arms and chest. But when he looked at her, his eyes held respect. "Well fought. I haven't been outmaneuvered like that in twenty years."
"You're strong," Luna said, shifting back to human form herself. The change came easier this time, like slipping into something natural. "But you rely too much on intimidation. That works on enemies who fear you. I don't."
Garrett studied her, then nodded. "The Crimson Bloodline was always known for tactics as much as strength. I thought the stories exaggerated." He paused, then bowed his head slightly. "They weren't."
"Does this mean you'll stand with me?" Luna asked carefully.
Garrett's eyes flicked to the dragon, to Kieran, Magnus, the gathered pack. Then back to her. She saw the shift in him, the moment pride gave way to recognition.
"The Iron Pack stands with the Crimson Bloodline," he declared, his voice carrying through the clearing. Then, in a gesture that shocked the crowd, he dropped to one knee. "Command us."
Luna's chest tightened. Not with pride, but with the weight of what that meant. His loyalty was hers now, responsibility as much as victory.
"Thank you," she said, pulling him back to his feet. "I'll need every ally I can get."
From the sidelines, Victoria Blackwood stepped forward, her pale eyes sharp with cold amusement. "One trial down," she purred. "Two remain."
Her smile gleamed like a knife. "Let's see how you fare with purity, little Crimson."
Magnus's expression darkened. "Her trial isn't just a test of strength. It will cut deep into your bloodline. If there's corruption in you, even a trace, it could destroy you."
Luna's stomach twisted, but she stood tall. "Then I'll risk it."
Victoria's smile widened. "We'll see."