Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39: Greatest Fear
The training ground bleachers are full of students who had come to watch the combat boys practice.
Everyday for the past week has been the same thing. Ten boys on the team would be called in for fighting practice, while other students came to watch.
Having learned his lesson, the coach refuses to pair Adrian and Jason together, even though they’re the strongest duo.
Today’s practice starts just like any other day. Adrian sits on the benches in the training room, typing a quick message. He doesn’t notice he is smiling, until John chuckles behind him,
"Damn man.." he says looking at his screen, "Why are you smiling when she’s being so cold?"
Adrian frowns and turns the screen off. "At least she’s responding..." He picks up the clean shirt he’s using for practice today, "and mind your own damn business!"
John laughs and shakes his head. "You’re so gone. Even worse than when you were with Anna."
Anna-- she’s been messaging him nonstop since the truth ritual, begging him to come to the mansion that she needs his pheromones. Maybe he’ll have the oracle create a special vial with his scent for her.
Adrian decides to ignore him, and slips into one of the bathroom stalls.
As the water cascades down his body, he thinks of their last text exchange. He’s been asking Nyra to come watch him fight for over a week now, and so far she’s been declining.
But today, for the first time since, she actually accepts! His wolf howls in happiness.
After showering, he quickly sends a message to the junior he usually sends on errands, to help him get something nice before practice ends today.
He knows he’s going to win as usual, but today feels special for him.
--
By the time all ten boys file out for practice, they are all completely shocked when they check to see the listing on the walls.
"Yes, that’s right." Coach says from behind them, "Today you are fighting virtual-- against your biggest fears. You need to train your mind as much as you train your muscles. None of it is real, but it will feel real."
The student onlookers all look excited and confused at the same time, but the coach just grins, like he’s planning something.
One by one, each team member is given a virtual band, and the rules are explained to them.
"You will face your biggest mental fear, the one thing holding you back from reaching your full potential. And depending on your scores, one of you will be dropped from participating in the competition today."
Everyone gasps.
Just then, Nyra and her three friends walk into the training ring. The moment Adrian sees her, he visibly lights up.
She’s wearing a soft pink maxi long-sleeved dress that hugs her body, her brown hair pulled into a messy bun, with a few strands framing her beautiful face.
His wolf howls happily beneath his skin, recognizing its mate.
"She’s so beautiful.." he mumbles without thinking. Their eyes meet, and this time she doesn’t look away instantly.
Finally, some progress. His wolf purrs.
A few feet away from him, Jason also sees Nyra. He smiles brightly and waves at her. She waves back and smiles in a way that makes her whole face light up.
Adrian notices, of course he does.
His face folds into a tight scowl. Mine!
Why is she smiling at another Alpha like that? She is his mate. His!
Jason has no business making her smile like that, all those smiles should belong to him.
The thought is irrational, even childish, but Adrian doesn’t care. His wolf certainly doesn’t.
Every instinct in him wants to walk over, pull Nyra to his side, and remind Jason and everyone exactly who she is bonded to, and that he has no intentions of sharing.
He forces his gaze away and collects his own virtual band.
Finally, it’s time to start. A timer goes off, and all at once the team members place their virtual band over their eyes.
When Adrian closes his eyes and opens it, he finds himself in the middle of the Blackwood mansion.
But something seems very wrong...
There are no guards, their fence is completely broken, there is smoke everywhere, and the sky has a weird orange color.
Far down the street there’s an eerie screeching, nothing like the beautiful, deep sounds of wolf howling-- this one sounds a thousand times more terrifying.
"What are you doing!?" He hears his father’s deep voice behind him. His father sounds worried, something he has never heard from the composed man before.
"Do your duties as future Alpha! If you don’t, you’ll fail the entire pack!"
"What duties.." Before the word leaves his mouth, he realizes that the ground beneath his feet is filled with blood.
Then he sees it-- a rogue wolf trying to kill a helpless cub on the bloody ground. But it doesn’t look like wolves, it looks like a beast! It’s mouth is hanging off wrong, filled with the blood of other wolves. Its limbs and claws are longer than normal, and it is unusually tall.
Adrian doesn’t wait.
He leaps, shifting mid-air, his body exploding into a massive black wolf., as he pounces on one of the wolf-like creatures still trying to eat the cub.
The moment his fangs sink into its neck, it lets out a loud screech, using its long limbs to fling Adrian off his back.
Adrian lands on the floor, pebbles scrapping his back and paws, but he doesn’t stop. He has to save his people.
Ignoring the pain, he lounges again, this time digging his claws into the beast’s eyes. It screeches in pain, and Adrian uses that moment to tear it apart.
One beast. Two. Then ten.
Adrian’s tears through the pack of monster creatures without thinking. They fight back too, their long claws and teeth biting into him as he tries to attack them.
The entire ground is littered with his fur and blood, every inch of his wolf body covered in deep wounds.
"Fall back! It’s too late!" His father tells besides him, but Adrian doesn’t.
Because if he falls back, the pack falls and he can’t let that happen.
Then, he remembers what his personal trainer had taught him all those years ago: The goddess always bestows her Alpha the power to protect his pack.
He closes his eyes, calling forth that power--when he opens his eyes again, they are blazing red.
And when he opens his mouth, the sound that comes out isn’t like his usual howl. This one is louder, much more powerful. The entire ground beneath their feet tremble, and all the beastly rogues grow weak.
Adrian doesn’t wait-- he storms through the weak pack, tearing them apart one by one, until they’re all completely gone.
When the final beast-wolf drops, silence spreads across the ruined grounds. His father and the other fighters are gone like they were never there.
He looks down at himself as he shifts back into his human form.
There’s blood dripping from his mouth. One arm hangs looks like it’s about to fall off the socket, and his entire body is burning with pain.
But he’s standing.
He exhales roughly. "..I won!"
But the peace doesn’t last long. A loud screech comes from behind him-- there’s one last beast alive. This one is even bigger than the rest..most likely their leader.
But it’s not attacking, it’s holding something in his arms. Or rather someone..
Nyra.
She is barely conscious, covered in blood. Its long claws are pressed against her neck, and there’s blood trickling out of the cut.
Adrian freezes. "N-no, I won! She can’t die!"
The sound of his cry, makes Nyra’s eyelids flutter open weakly. But something looks very wrong with her.
He tries to run toward her, but the beast drives his claws deeper into her neck, and Nyra starts gasping.
Adrian instantly stops. "Stop!!" freewebnσvel.cøm
The beast grins, it looks very wrong with his mouth like that, and dugs his claws harder against her pale flesh.
"Choose, young Alpha" he tilts his head, "Your mate, or your kingdom."
