Chapter 594: The Names That Marked Them

For a moment after the bow—

No one moved.

Not a single person.

It was as though the entire training grounds had been stilled by something unseen, held in place by the weight of what had just happened.

Sophia had no idea what to do, just looking at those now bowed before her.

Ronan exhaled sharply beside Orion, dragging a hand down his face before letting out a low laugh.

"...Yeah," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "My sister-in-law really is something else."

There was a grin on his face now—wide, unrestrained, and filled with pride.

He looked at Sophia again, then scoffed under his breath.

Brynhild had a smile on her face too. "I only trained her once, but after everything... goddess knows I’m even more proud of how far she’s come and what she’s achieved than even the other trainees."

Ronan nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Orion—and regretted it immediately, his face scrunching up in disgust.

"Whatever thoughts you are having right now, just remember there are families around and you—"

Orion gave him a look. "And who told you that having people around would stop me if I wanted to have my way with her?"

Ronan groaned. "I know we are all proud of my sister-in-law, but brother, please for my sanity, I’ve seen enough of your ass to last a lifetime. Keep it in your pants."

Brynhild chuckled from where she was.

"Hmm," Orion said thoughtfully, then turned back to Sophia.

He was proud of her. And like Brynhild had said, not just because of the speech, but because of what she had overcome to stand before people who did not see her as worthy to stand before them.

He would patiently wait until the celebrations were over before taking her away for some private time alone.

---

Further back in the crowd, Annabeth stood still, her arms loosely folded across her chest, her gaze fixed on the front.

She was with some of her pack members. She hadn’t moved since Sophia bowed, neither had she said anything.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"...This is different from our own," one of her pack members said. "And I’m already a warrior, but it’s as if I should take the test with them too."

Another laughed at that. "True. Back at Silver Creek, it wasn’t as intense as this. And some families wouldn’t even let their children become trainees. I’m seeing children as young as seventeen."

One member of the Nightshade pack spoke then. "I couldn’t help but listen in," he said. "But the youngest trainee we have is around sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Annabeth asked in shock.

The man nodded.

"Isn’t that too young?" Annabeth asked him.

"Not really. Most trainees become trainees at around that age, and I don’t mean just to become warriors—even in other aspects. Rita, one of our promising trainee healers, joined when she was sixteen too," the man said.

"And their parents just allow them?" Annabeth asked.

The man nodded. "Of course."

Annabeth couldn’t believe her ears.

"Why is the celebration so big too?" one of her pack members asked the man.

"Honestly, most acceptance ceremonies are like this. When the healers are accepted, it’s also big—blacksmiths, carpenters, and the rest—though this is the biggest. Many who passed have been trainees for years, failing the test every year they remained. It’s the same for other departments too. The celebration is us taking pride in the fact that we were able to get what we wanted—to achieve what we wanted—even if it was tough. And also, we take joy in celebrating the little things. Life is too short not to celebrate achievements like this, especially with people who support you," the man said.

Back at the Silver Creek pack, they didn’t celebrate like this. Results were announced, people were congratulated, and they moved on.

But this was different.

It was pride in being accepted.

In belonging.

—

Back where Sophia was standing, Garron stepped forward, a smile on his face as he held a rolled parchment out to her.

"For the names," he said simply.

Sophia blinked once, then reached out and took it.

She turned back toward the trainees, who watched her with attention.

Sophia exhaled softly.

Then she unrolled the parchment.

The first name she saw—

"Uther," she said loudly, the sound carrying across the training grounds.

Uther started moving forward immediately as his name was called.

Sophia’s lips curved faintly.

"Accepted into the ranks..." she continued, her voice steady. "...as a hunter."

Uther turned instinctively toward the crowd, his eyes finding his sister almost immediately.

She stood there, tears already streaming down her face—but she was smiling.

People cheered Uther on, some trainees catcalling too.

Uther chuckled and shook his head as he made his way immediately to where Ethan and Kevin stood side by side.

Ethan held a tray now.

On it rested pieces of jewelry—carefully arranged. The color represented the hunters: white and pink.

Ethan glanced at Uther as he approached, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Well?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Uther looked down at the tray briefly.

Then back up.

"...A bracelet."

Ethan nodded once, picking one that matched—white woven with pink—and handed it to Kevin.

Kevin gestured for Uther to step closer.

Uther did.

And then, with a single, practiced motion—

Kevin fastened it around his wrist.

The clasp clicked softly into place.

"Congratulations, it’s good to have you in our ranks," Kevin said.

Uther smiled and nodded.

"Congratulations," Ethan added with a smile too.

"Thank you," Uther said, the same smile on his face.

The cheers that followed were louder than before.

Uther then moved and began a new line—a line for those accepted into the ranks officially, the first hunter to be accepted in his set.

Sophia glanced down at the parchment again. She called the names of trainees who had passed—some as guards, some as hunters.

Gregory laughed loudly when those who became guards stepped up. Different lines had formed as those accepted officially stood separate from those who had not yet been given their jewelry. Hunters on one side, guards on the other.

"Micah," Sophia said with a smile as Micah started moving forward. "Accepted into the ranks as a guard."