*Aria*“Are you there?” I asked my wolf. “Yes, Aria. What’s wrong?” She asked and I felt nervous about asking her what I wanted to ask next. I squared my shoulders and let out a shaky breath. “Would I… Would I be able to shift today?” I asked and my wolf let out a laugh. “Yes, you would. Let’s do this.” She answered and I felt a new sensation fill my body. It was like my soul was trying to escape my body. My body started to shift and grow, it was much easier than I thought it would ever be. I was grateful to the goddess for blessing me with such a strong wolf.Judy watched me as I shifted and it felt kind of embarrassing until I saw she was doing the same. Her wolf was a light blonde, just like her hair, and lithe. She looked almost acrobatic and very stunning. Her eyes were icy blue just like Atlas’s. Once I had fully shifted I wondered what I looked like and made my way over to the river by the field. Judy joined me at my side and I gazed at my reflection. My wolf was whi
Rebecca gave us a dirty look as we walked up to the center area. Her groupies were behind her, looking more worried by our sudden presence than she did. They were in front of the entrance, not letting people enter. The elites protested at this as Judy and I watched. Comparing how many people entered the forest for the initial ceremony to how many were left now, a good chunk of the freshmen had been eliminated already. The center arena was bigger than I expected and totally enclosed, what was inside a secret other than the door leading in. Looking in I couldn’t make out what was inside other than the dirt floor. The door itself had two large mental portions that looked like they were swinging shut once the finale of the trial began - keeping us in until a victor emerged. I eyed the crowd to see who my competition would be…. It seemed like it wouldn’t be too hard. The entrance to the center arena was large but not large enough to get around the four girls who stood as a united front.
“You can’t go in there,” Debby said quietly and started wring her hands together. Judy gave her a nasty look and pulled her hand off me, standing between her and me. I chuckled, it was nice but unnecessary. I put my hand on Judy’s shoulder and moved to stand next to her, crossing my arms and standing up straighter. “And why is that? Trying to protect your precious queen bitch.” Judy asked in a sarcastic tone and the girl blushed, shaking her head no very quickly. She bounced on her feet nervously and looked around as she spoke. The rest of the crowd was gone at this point, either confident enough to follow Rebecca or too scared to stay. I saw the students who didn’t want to follow Rebecca taking out their phones to dial in for elimination. I groaned in frustration. Judy and I were some of the fastest competitors, but this was a waste of time. “No, no,” Debby started meekly. “It’s not that, it’s just that, um, we’re currently at the edge of the central area. Inside, there is this hu
Rebecca looked shocked, her red-haired wolf took a few steps back as I shifted. As I did, the all-encompassing and powerful feeling overtook me. Arna awoke within me and then overtook me. The people watching us let out gasps as my wolf appeared. My white fur shifted in the breeze as I bared my teeth at Rebecca. Her wolf was smaller than mine and more lithe, but I knew I was more acrobatic and skilled than her. Now that I could shift, this fight seemed easier than ever. I had already defeated her wolf-less. Rebecca’s followers looked scared and moved out of the way, and Judy started cheering me on. I lunged out at Rebecca with all the fury and anger I had been holding in these last few weeks. My experience at the academy had been hard and almost deadly, because of her. I didn’t understand why she couldn’t just let things be. Why did we have to start this feud up again at the academy? It was supposed to be a fresh start.She had gone out of her way to humiliate me and thought she was
*Atlas*I sat in my office with a small manilla envelope in front of me, Valerie had brought it in the day after I asked for dirt on Rebecca so she would be expelled. There was a large ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ in red lettering on the front. I opened it and shook the papers out of it. They were the chat records between Rebecca and Scott, looked like they were sent from burner phones. I scanned the conversation and felt a wave of anger filled my body. I slammed my fist on the table and let out a large sigh. I can’t believe I had allowed my mate to be around these two. The first thing it confirmed was that Scott and Rebecca had planned to trick Aria. But more than that…Scott was reluctant at first, but it wasn’t hard for Rebecca to convince him, offering him sexual favors. She was shameless to offer and he was way too quick to accept. He was happy to do it after that, I scowled at his spineless behavior. Rebecca says she needs Scott to get Aria to the coastal cliffs but she didn’t say what she
*Aria* Atlas had distracted me, he always looked handsome but this was different. The mate pull felt so strong now that I was in my wolf form. Arna wanted to be with his wolf more than anything. I couldn’t wait to be alone with him again, but I had to focus. The principal welcomed us, and I looked around at everyone else in the arena. This arena was smaller and more claustrophobic than the first we had come from. Much less natural as well. It was clear to me that we were going to be forced to fight. There was no hiding or avoiding conflict, you either eliminated yourself, were defeated, or were the winner… I was determined to be the winner of this trial. I knew I could do it. Especially with Atlas watching. I knew Arthur was next to me, I felt his shark gaze on me, and the two more injured-looking wolves were Rebecca and Scott. The pair looked better off than they were before, but still weren’t at full power. The only person here who would pose a challenge for me was Arthur. My
*Aria*! felt the heat of my opponent's stare from across the arena. It was just the two of us left now. I probably should have been nervous, but somehow, I felt empowered. An electrical charge ran through me, and I knew that it was Arna, letting me know that she was ready for the final battle. "Who do you think you are, little wolf?" Arthur growled, baring his teeth in an ugly snarl, "Just because you finally figured out how to shift doesn't mean that you are a match for me! You should just give up now, while you still have some dignity left!" For a moment, I questioned myself. What he had said was at least partially true. I had only just gotten my wolf. The others had much more time to practice fighting in their other form. I was sure that Arthur had spent plenty of time-fighting after he had shifted. Was he right? Was I making a mistake? That's when Arna answered for me. I could feel her bristling with rage at the idea that she wasn't strong enough to conquer his wolf
*Aria* Atlas beckoned to me with a wolfish grin, and I found myself following him into the tiny room. It appeared to be a study. Bookshelves lined the walls, and an ornately carved cherrywood desk stood sentry on the opposite side of the room. That was pretty much all I had the chance to observe, as Atlas shut the door behind us and pushed me against the wall, covering his body with mine. I couldn't think of anything but the feel of his hands on me, his mouth on me. Fire pulsed through my veins as he kissed me again and again. I had never felt this way about anyone before. While of course, I'd had boyfriends, it wasn't anywhere near the same. Atlas made my heart pound in a way that drove all other thoughts completely out of my mind. And it wasn't just physical. Atlas was kind and thoughtful, and somehow understood me without having to explain myself. I hated to admit it, but thoughts of him invaded my mind constantly. No matter what I was doing, I couldn't help thinking