Page 41 of Shattered and Saved

His white fur was easy to spot among the dark clouds, but the light sand offered him pretty good camouflage. The dust hung in the air for a moment. It wasn’t as effective as an Ashen Wolf’s camouflage, but it was enough to blur Col’s movements as he sprinted toward the flag.

Another volley came flying at him, but I saw them coming - slow enough to dodge, fast enough to keep moving. A bullet grazed his side, and I felt the sharp sting of pain before it was gone, but he didn’t stop. We were close now, the flag within reach.

With a burst of speed, my wolf leapt toward the flag, snapping it up in his jaws just as the next round of bullets flewtoward him. He used the same dust trick again a final time to cover his retreat as he bolted back toward the starting point. The turrets fired once more, but he was already at the finish line.

Green lights flickered behind the thick veil of smoke before the terrain began shifting for the next test. The pipes reversed to clear the fog from the arena, and at the opposite end, I spotted Vereya. She gave me a curt nod, her lips moving as she hummed ancient words.

This was the trial I was most apprehensive about. The spell cast by the shaman was specific to each challenger. There was no way to prepare for it, as I had no idea what illusion would be conjured for me.

Fortunately, or maybe not, I wasn’t left to wonder for long. In the blink of an eye, I was teleported out of the arena into lands I knew like the back of my hand. Simply being back there sent a shiver down my spine.

I was back at Whispering Hills.

Everything was just as I remembered it. The endless verdant hills, the gentle breeze carrying the joyful chirping of birds. It smelled like home. For a moment, I wanted to believe that it was all real.

But paradise only lasted a second before hell reigned. Feeling an eerie dampness in the ground, I glanced down to find the grass beneath Columbus’ paws painted crimson. A lone, ear-piercing bellow stole our attention, causing him to lift his head again to realize we were in the middle of a battle. Not just any battle - the battle that took everything from me.

Members of my pack advanced fearlessly despite their grave wounds. They were giving it their all to fight off the enemy, but the waves of adversaries seemed never-ending. A slash to the throat took one of my warriors. Another was brutally torn apart by three wolves. A third one was tossed against a rock, his skull crushed by the impact.

Blood. Death. Destruction.

I froze as pain stabbed through me like a knife to the heart, so intense I couldn’t breathe. An agonized roar rumbled in Col’s chest as he shook his head abruptly.It’s just mind games, I tried to remind us both, but it felt too real. I could sense the deaths of my pack members, feel the rupture of our bond deep in my bones as I lost them one by one all over again. My worst fear had always been not being capable of erasing my father’s mistakes and watching my pack succumb because of them.

But I had already experienced it, and I survived.

With that realization, I pushed through. Col broke free from his inertia, dashing forward, faster as our brothers and sisters fell around us. There was nothing but raw anger in my heart as he lunged at the alpha who had commanded the attack, closing his jaws around the enemy’s neck and ending his life with cold precision. Just like that, the illusion ended, and we were back in the arena.

I took a moment to breathe after the overwhelming experience, only snapping out of it when I heard Avril’s voice.

“The trials are almost over,” she announced to the crowd, but it almost sounded like she was trying to soothe me.

Still heaving and dazed, Col searched for her. Worry was etched across her face, pain in her eyes. Yet, she exhibited a bright, reassuring smile that revitalized me. Inhaling a deep breath, my wolf straightened his posture, his eyes lingering on the one who made us feel invincible.

“Only one test separates Koen from his victory,” Avril continued. “Since he has been training with Beta Theodore, it wouldn’t be fair if he was his opponent.”

She had already warned me about this change, and I agreed with her. After countless sparring sessions with Theo, I had learned his battle strategies and become familiar with his weaknesses. Besides, I also knew he wouldn’t be able to go allout on me because of the friendship we’d developed. So, we all decided it would be best if I faced someone else in my final test.

“Do we have any volunteers to help test Koen in his final challenge?” Avril asked her pack.

Not even a second passed before a voice I hadn’t heard in a while answered, “I volunteer.” Col’s fur bristled before he even laid eyes on the man calmly walking down the stairs to the arena, a wicked grin plastered on his face.

I didn’t need to look at Avril to sense her hesitation as she reluctantly granted, “Very well. Waylon shall be Koen’s opponent in the final trial.”

Col remained motionless as the warrior approached, claws flexing, eyes narrowing. Like me, he wasn’t the least bit fazed. We’d both been waiting for the chance to kick this bastard’s ass for a long time.

As the man entered the ring, positioning himself opposite me, he sneered before he shifted, “Let’s see what you’re capable of, little alpha.”

Col’s muscles rippled with anticipation, instinct kicking in as he glared at Waylon across the ring. The crowd’s murmurs faded into the background, the only thing I could focus on now was him. His stance was wide, his massive frame a daunting presence, but I wasn’t intimidated.

As soon as the sound of the horn pierced the air, signaling the start of the challenge, Waylon’s beast lunged at mine. He was already moving, faster than I could track. Col instinctively shifted his weight, bracing himself. The air around us shifted, and I barely caught a glimpse of him reappearing on my left, jaws wide as he lunged toward me.

Col dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the snap of his teeth, the force of the missed strike throwing dirt up into the air. The ground felt like it was vibrating with the force of his power, but I couldn’t let that distract me. I had to think.

My wolf spun on his paws, his claws digging into the dirt as he faced Waylon again. The opponent smirked, but it wasn’t the smirk of a playful opponent - it was the smirk of someone who thought they already had the upper hand. His eyes gleamed with challenge as he melted back into the shadows, vanishing from sight once more.

Waylon might be faster, more powerful, but he couldn’t have the one thing that mattered most: my will to keep fighting. The shadows weren’t going to protect him forever. I couldn’t blink between them like he could, but I had learned to feel the shift in the air as his presence moved, too close, too fast. The trick was not to be caught off guard. My wolf waited for the faintest rustle, the smallest disturbance. It came - he reappeared behind us, lunging with his claws outstretched.

Col barely managed to twist out of the way, his claws scraping down my flank instead of delivering a deadly blow. The sting of pain shot through my body, but it didn’t slow us. My counterpart spun, landing on all fours and snapping at his leg, our fangs barely grazing his fur before he disappeared again.

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