CHAPTER 491: A WORTHY OPPONENT

Evaline:

The moment River introduced me, a wave of whispers rippled across the training ground. Not subtle ones either... blatant, questioning murmurs. I caught fragments.

"I heard she’s wolfless?"

"Why is she here?"

"She doesn’t even have a wolf..."

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t blame them. If I were in their place... if I had met the Eva from a year ago... I would wonder too. I would question what a weak girl with no wolf, no background, and no confidence was doing standing among warriors-in-training.

But that Eva was gone.

Oscar’s voice cut clean through the noise.

"Today, every trainee will face two opponents," he announced, his tone firm and commanding. "This is an adaptive-endurance drill. You will be challenged beyond your comfort zone. Don’t expect an easy round."

The murmurs died instantly.

I exhaled, sitting beside Kyros on the stone bench lining the perimeter. He nudged me lightly with his shoulder.

"Nervous?" he whispered.

"No," I whispered back. "Just... taking everything in."

And I was.

The first pair stepped into the center ring. Two boys... both tall, both already in fighting stances before Oscar even finished signaling the start.

I leaned forward, eyes narrowing, my mind instantly shifting into the mode River had drilled into me over months.

Observe first.

Understand second.

Act third.

The two recruits lunged at each other with clean, refined precision. Their footwork was sharp, but I noticed small things... one favored his left leg too much, planting a half-second slower on his right. The other telegraphed punches with a tightening jaw and shoulder twitch.

Weaknesses. Patterns. Openings.

They might be young, but they were well-trained... stronger than I had expected. Stronger than me physically, definitely. But strength wasn’t everything.

My eyes darted over every detail - their stamina, their breathing patterns, how quickly they recovered from near falls. I pictured myself in the ring with each of them, replaying different scenarios in my head.

If I step left when he shifts his weight...

If I duck under that punch...

If I twist and use his momentum...

If I drop and sweep...

Kyros snorted a laugh beside me.

"You are doing that thing," he whispered.

"What thing?"

"Your scary thinking face."

I elbowed him lightly, refusing to look away from the fight.

One boy pinned the other successfully, ending the round.

Oscar motioned for the next pair.

A girl and a boy stepped up this time... both faster, sharper. Their movements were less predictable. I watched the girl’s immaculate balance, and the boy’s impressive speed. The girl’s stamina faltered first and the guy capitalized.

Somewhere behind me... across the field... I felt it.

A gaze.

Like a physical presence grazing the back of my neck.

River.

And though I didn’t dare turn my head, I felt his approval... because I was doing exactly what he had taught me.

Observing. Learning. Preparing.

More trainees took their turns. My pulse kicked up with each one. My hands flexed at my sides, itching to move. To fight. To prove myself.

And then...

"Evaline," Oscar called.

Kyros bumped me with his elbow again. "Go show them what you have got."

I rose to my feet, inhaling once, long and steady, and stepped toward the center mat.

My opponent stepped in at the same time.

A tall guy with broad shoulders and muscles that screamed years of training. He wasn’t sneering, but he didn’t hide the way his eyes scanned me... calculating, dismissive... and that slight approval of my looks.

He thought this would be easy.

I bowed politely. He did the same.

Oscar raised his arm.

Kyros cupped his hands around his mouth.

"LET’S GO EVA!"

The whistle blew.

The boy lunged first - fast, aggressive. He went straight for the shoulder grab, trying to overpower me immediately.

Classic mistake.

He thought brute strength would win. He hadn’t fought someone like me before... someone who wasn’t trying to match strength with strength, but technique with precision.

I twisted under his arm, palms grazing the mat as I dropped and slid out of range. He spun fast, but I was already popping to my feet.

I saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Good.

He attacked again, sweeping his leg to knock me over. I jumped, barely clearing it, landing into a low crouch.

"Stop holding back," Kyros yelled.

The boy grunted, clearly annoyed now. He charged again, this time aiming high with a hook that would have knocked me flat if it landed.

I ducked, rolled under him, and jabbed my elbow sharply into his ribs as I passed. He coughed, stumbling.

I didn’t wait.

I pivoted, catching his momentary disorientation, and launched myself upward. My knee hit his chest just enough to knock him backward.

He regained footing. Strong. Resilient.

But slower now.

He tried closing in again, but I was ready. I sidestepped, grabbed his arm, twisted my torso, and used his own momentum to flip him over my hip.

He hit the mat with a thud loud enough that the entire training ground went silent.

He wasn’t done. He rolled, trying to trap me in a leg lock. I dropped, slid out, countered with a sharp palm strike to his shoulder joint, then hooked his ankle, yanking him off balance.

Before he could recover, I planted my knee on his chest, one forearm pressed lightly... but firmly... against his throat in the universal signal of victory.

Silence.

Utter silence.

Then-

"YESSS EVA!!" Kyros exploded.

Clapping spread rapidly. Shocked clapping at first... hesitant, disbelieving. Then louder. Real.

The guy beneath me exhaled, staring up at me in complete shock. "You are... damn... good... for someone without a wolf."

I stood, offering him a hand. "You are strong," I said sincerely. "You pushed me."

He hesitated, then took my hand, and I hauled him up.

Before I could even catch my breath... River’s voice sliced through the air.

"Kyros," he said. "You are next."

I blinked.

Kyros? Against me?

Kyros stretched his neck as he stepped forward, grinning wide. "Apologies in advance," he said.

I snorted. "You are not going to go easy on me, are you?"

"Not even a little."

River’s eyes were on both of us like a hawk. "Begin."

Kyros moved fast... faster than my first opponent by miles. He didn’t waste time circling. He lunged straight for my center, forcing me on the defensive.

I blocked, barely. My arms trembled from the force.

Still, I countered, sweeping low. He jumped effortlessly.

"Good!" he called.

"Shut up and fight," I snapped.

He laughed... and then attacked harder.

We exchanged blows - punches, kicks, dodges, counters - all a blur. Twice I managed to catch him by surprise - once with a shoulder feint into a hook, once with a drop-spin that almost knocked him down.

The recruits cheered both times.

But Kyros was still Kyros.

The best of them.

Eventually, he caught my wrist mid-strike, twisted, and swept my legs out from under me. I hit the mat hard, breath leaving me.

Before I could roll away, he tapped my shoulder - the signal.

End.

I lay there a few seconds, panting, staring up at the sky. Kyros offered his hand with a grin.

"You did amazing," he said. "You almost had me."

I took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet.

And for the first time since arriving, I realized... no one was looking at me with pity anymore.

No one was whispering doubts.

No one saw the wolfless girl anymore.

They saw a fighter.

A worthy opponent.

Exactly what I came here to become.