Maria.

My fingers were tightly locked together in my lap.

Too tightly.

I hadn’t realized how hard I was pressing them until the faint ache crept into my knuckles, but I couldn’t loosen them. My entire body felt rigid, my back straight against the wooden bench as my eyes remained fixed on the arena below.

The sand in the fighting ground was still disturbed from the previous matches.

Aidan stood on one side.

Noah stood on the other.

Both had won their earlier fights.

Both had earned their place in the final round.

But the moment they faced each other, a cold wave of fear swept through me.

Because if there was one thing everyone in the pack knew....it was that Aidan was ruthless.

The sunlight reflected sharply off the blades they held, the steel glinting dangerously as they took their stances. The arena had grown quieter now, the crowd leaning forward with anticipation.

Beta Torin stood between them. "Final round," he announced loudly. His voice carried clearly across the arena.

"The winner of this match takes the second point in the competition."

My heart pounded harder.

I glanced at Noah.

Even from the stands I could see how pale he still looked. The bandage on his arm peeked faintly beneath his sleeve, the skin around it slightly bruised.

My stomach twisted painfully.

He shouldn’t even be fighting.

Across from him, Aidan rolled his shoulders lazily as if he had been waiting for this moment all day, confident and certain.

"Begin!" The word had barely left Beta Torin’s mouth before the swords clashed.

CLANG!

The sound rang sharply across the arena as their blades collided, both moved quickly, too quickly for my eyes to fully keep up.

Sand scattered beneath their boots as they circled each other, each testing the other’s defense.

CLANG!

Another strike.

CLANG!

And another.

The crowd roared louder with every collision of steel.

But then...Aidan struck first.

His sword moved in a swift arc.

SLASH!

The edge hit Noah’s stomach.

A sharp gasp tore from my throat before I could stop it.

Noah staggered back a step, his body jerking slightly from the impact as blood suddenly spilled from his lips.

He spat it out onto the sand.

The sight made my chest tighten painfully.

"Noah..." I whispered under my breath.

But Aidan didn’t give him time to recover, as he moved again, with faster precision, his sword flashed through the air....

WHACK!

The blade struck Noah across the back, the force of it sent him forward slightly, his shoulders tightening as pain rippled through his body.

The crowd erupted with shouts.

Some cheering.

Some gasping.

My hands clenched harder. "No..."

Aidan stepped forward again, relentless.

Another swing.

SLASH!

The edge of his sword struck Noah’s shoulder this time.

Noah’s body jerked violently from the blow.

For a terrifying second, I thought he might collapse. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs.

Please... stop...

But Noah didn’t fall.

Instead, something shifted in his stance. Slowly, he straightened, his breathing was heavier now, his chest rising and falling sharply as he wiped the remaining blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Then suddenly...He surged forward.

His sword sliced through the air with surprising speed.

CLANG!

Aidan barely had time to react before Noah’s blade struck.

SLASH!

The edge hit Aidan’s back.

Aidan’s body jolted forward as blood sprayed from the wound. He spat out blood immediately, a harsh cough leaving his throat as he tried to regain balance.

The crowd roared even louder.

The sound surged through the arena like a living thing, rolling across the stands in waves of excitement and disbelief.

"Alpha Noah!" The name echoed everywhere.

Voices shouted it from every direction loud, proud, electrified with adrenaline. It bounced off the stone walls of the arena, rising higher and higher as the spectators fed off the intensity of the fight unfolding before them.

But Noah wasn’t finished, not even close, he moved again, faster, so fast it almost looked effortless.

The moment his opponent tried to regain balance, Noah’s body shifted with deadly precision. His feet slid across the sand in a smooth pivot, his shoulders turning as his arm guided the blade downward in a sweeping arc.

His sword cut through the air, low and sharp.

His blade swept across the sand....

SLASH!

The strike landed cleanly.

Steel connected with flesh, and the sound of the hit was unmistakable.

Aidan’s leg gave out instantly.

His body buckled under the sudden loss of balance, his stance collapsing as the strength drained from the injured limb.

One of his knees slammed hard into the ground. The thud echoed loudly across the arena floor.

A wave of shock swept through the crowd.

Gasps rippled through the stands, followed by a fresh surge of shouting as people leaned forward in their seats, desperate not to miss what would happen next.

For a split second...Hope exploded inside my chest.

He can win.

The thought surged through me so suddenly it almost made me dizzy. My heart began to race wildly, pounding harder and faster with every passing second as my eyes remained locked on the arena floor.

Everything else faded away.

The noise.

The people.

The entire world beyond the fight.

All I could see was Noah.

And the opportunity standing right in front of him.

Noah stepped forward, calm and focused. Every movement deliberate as he closed the distance between himself and Aidan.

Aidan was still kneeling in the sand, struggling to recover his balance after the brutal strike to his leg.

One more move.

Just one more.

That was all it would take.

Aidan was vulnerable.

Completely exposed.

Noah raised his sword.

The blade glinted under the bright arena lights as his arm lifted, the steel poised high above his shoulder.

The final strike.

The end of the fight.

But then....Aidan moved.

Suddenly.

His body twisted sharply as he rolled across the sand.

Fast.

Too fast.

The movement was so sudden it caught everyone off guard.

Before Noah could adjust...

WHAM!

The sound exploded through the arena as Aidan’s sword slammed into Noah’s back from behind.

The impact was brutal.

Aidan had used the roll to swing around completely, striking with every ounce of strength he had left.

Noah’s body lurched forward violently from the blow. The force of it drove through his shoulders and down his spine, knocking the air from his lungs in an instant.

For a moment, it looked like time itself had stuttered. The crowd fell into stunned silence.

Then Noah fell.

Hard.

His body crashed onto the sand with a heavy thud that seemed to echo through the entire arena.

"Noah!" The cry left my lips before I realized it.

The crowd gasped loudly.

But Aidan was already moving. He sprang back to his feet in one swift motion.

Before Noah could even rise...the cold edge of Aidan’s sword pressed firmly against Noah’s neck.

Everything froze.

Noah remained on the ground, breathing hard, the blade dangerously close to his throat.

Neta Torin stepped forward immediately, raising his hand. "The winner..." he declared loudly."....is Alpha Aidan!"

The arena exploded.

Cheers.

Shouts.

Applause.

The uproar from the crowd echoed wildly around the fighting grounds as people rose from their seats, voices blending into one deafening roar of excitement.

But I didn’t hear any of it.

My eyes were locked on Noah.

Still lying on the sand.

Still beneath Aidan’s sword.