moved through the undergrowth as if the forest itself was guiding her, each step feeling heavy but inevitable. The shadows l

he dangers-the wolves who roamed the woods, the wild creatures, and even the trees themselves, who seemed to watch her. A thousand unseen eye

st was vast, and the Alpha's test wasn't a simple walk through the trees. She had to survive the night, find her

ying to calm her nerves. Sh

ing of distant birds, the occasional snap of twigs. She focused on the faint path in front of her, noting the way the trees parted sligh

egs protesting the weight of the journey ahead. Hours seemed to stretch out in front of her, and the sun dipp

sound came from behind her, soft but unmistakable. She

lv

pack wolves were faster, stronger, and they had the advantage in these woods. She had to be smarter, not just faster. Rhea scanned the surrou

t hammered against her ribs as she crouched low, her body pressed against the cool earth. The sound of wolves'

could track a human's scent, the way they could almost sense their e

their heavy breathing the only sound breaking the stillness. Rhea's eyes darted from one shadow to anot

l she had. Her mind raced with the thought of what would happen if she was caught. The pack would show no mercy, of that, she w

yes glowed faintly in the moonlight, their fur blending with the shadows. Rhea could feel the

twitching as he followed her scent. His paws made no sound on the earth, but Rh

e made it a few yards before the wolves' growls intensified. They were closing in fast. She glanced

could feel the burn in her legs, the strain in her muscles. She wasn't buil

opened up before her, and Rhea stumbled into it. The world spun as she tumbled down, her body crashing against the jagged ro

ves were ge

t the pain was too much. The wolves' growls were deafening now, surrounding her, closing in from

e would be overtaken, a voic

oug

up, barely able to focus on the dark figure that emerged from the trees. His s

ri

ck instantly lowered their heads in submission, retreating into the shadows at his command. Rhea, still on

able. "You've failed the first test," he said, his voice

his words. "I'm... still alive?" Her v

t's not enough to survive," he said. "You must prove you are strong

ondemning her; he wasn't casting her out. He was ackno

he should take it. But when she looked up into his amber eyes, she saw something-an und

g him to pull her up, her

"you will face another trial. The fore