bChapter /bb102 /b

    ra’s POV

    “You’re not going to back downs, are you?” Thome’s voice cut through the tension in the room as the rest of the rogues stood, shifting nervously by the

    bdoor/b.

    I stayed behind him, watching them with a tight grip on my emotions. They were ready for this. They had to be. This wasn’t just ba /bfight–it was a test of everything they had. I followed Thome into the arena, eyes scanning the space.

    The walls bwere /btowering giants of stone, scared by years of battle, each weathered crack telling its own story of struggle. The arena felt ancient, titan of old, built for somethingrger than just entertainment. The ground beneath my feet was littered with the remnants of past carnage, the sand stained with dried blood. The air was thick with the unell of sweat and blood, ancient echoes of battles fought before us.

    The full moon hung high above, casting a cold light over the arena, illuminating the stands

    I leaned closer to Thorne, keeping my voice low. “bLook /bup there,” I whispered, nodding toward the stands

    His gaze followed mine, eyes narrowing. There, perched in the shadows, were the spectators. I couldn’t see their faces from this distance, but their presence was unmistakable.

    b“/bWhat the hell?” Bex hissed. “Are they here to watch us fight!

    “This is a Coliseum,” Jory muttered. “For the entertainment of the noblesb” /b

    “Nobles?” Bex scoffed, his voice dripping with venom. “These aren’t nobles. I didn’te here to be a bdamn /bpet for anyone!”

    Raelen’s bvoice /bwas colderb, /balmost too casual. Tm with Jory. I don’t like this feeling either.”

    I could feel their frustration, their humiliation. We were all powerful bfigures /bin our own packs, respected leaders, and this–this was beneath us. To be bparaded /blike this was a p in the face. Yet, the stakes were higher than our pride.

    I kept my tone calm. “Think babout /bit. We’re on the verge of something big. We’re so close to the Grace Ruin, so close to the Rogue King. If we turn back now, we lose our shot at everything”

    There was a long silence. Bex and Relen exchanged looks, their expressions bdark /b

    Finally, Bex broke it. “Alpha Thome, what about you? Are you alright with this?”

    Thorne didn’t hesitate. He cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the silence. “A little sacrifice for victory? Always choose thetter.”

    The ground shook under our feet as the iron gates surrounding the arena creaked open. From the darkness behind them, the sounds of growing beasts grew louder.

    I heard the sharp intake of breath from one of the rogues “Bears Lions Holy shitt

    The air was thick with panic. I couldn’t help but smile inwardly. They were bafraid /bof animals. Wild beasts? Nothing we hadn’t dealt with before.

    Ren rolled his eyes, a hall–smirk on his face. “Beasts? Seriously? Guess we’re diators now.”

    Jory nced at me, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “Gamma bra/b, you’ve been here before, right?”

    Inodded. The first time bI’d /bfaced this kind of challenge had been in the Dinestone Pack–hunting wild banimals/b, I wasn’t worried. This was just the same gante,& new version.

    Raelen called out, his voice filled with mock enthusiasm. “How about we make it interesting, bAlpha /bThomeb?/b”

    Thorne looked at him with an arched brow. “What do you have in mind?”

    “No shifting. Let’s see who can take down the most beasts”

    A grin tugged at the corners of Thome’s lips. “Sounds interesting. But you’re going to lose.”

    bWe /bwere off in a sh, moving bike shadows toward the beasts that were released from their cages. The sounds of ws scraping again stone and bodies crashing into the ground filled the barena/b. The prowls of the beasts echoed, blending with the sounds of battle,

    I took a step back, not rushing into the chaos. I knew how this would end. But my attention shilted again–this time to the stands.

    There, in the center, bwas /ba figure. They were sitting alone, in the perfect spot, high above bus/b, overlooking the entire scene. The seats around them were empty, as if no one dared sit close. My bheart /braced. Could it be the Rogue Ring?

    bI /bsquinted, trying to make out the details, but the shadows obscured everything. Still, my gut told me this was it. This was the one we’d been looking for

    I debated shifting, but the distance was too great. There was no point in rushing bin /bwithout a n. Not yet.

    The battle below me raged on, but it was dying down now. The beasts were being taken down, most of them by Thome’s team. The ground was littered with blood and bodies. Two rogues bhad /bfallen in the process, their lives lost in the chaos.

    Ralen wiped blood from his face andughed. “That bwas /bfun. So, what now? Are we done?”

    I shook my head, the feeling that this wasn’t over still gnawing at me.

    Then, a single p echoed through the arena, sharp and chilling

    “Impressive,” a voice called from above. A bwoman’s /bvoice.

    I turned toward the stands, trying to find the source of the sound, but it was h

    but it was bhard /bto pinpoint. “You just broke the record,” she added.

    “Is that the Rogue

    bKing/b?” Jory asked urgently, leaning closer to Thome.

    “It could be,” Thorne replied, though his voice held a trace of doubt

    The woman’s voice rang out again,

    in, this time moremanding “Now, for the second round…

    bShe /bsnapped her fingers, and suddenly, torches red to life around the arena, casting long shadows across the blood streaked sand.

    “iBattle /i

    until only five of you remainb./b”

    My eyes flicked across the arena. Fifteen had entered. Two had already fallen. Thirteen were left

    Jory turned to us, his expression grim.“Five? That’s our group sizeb./bb” /b

    Raelen hesitated, his voice hesitant. “Are we really going to kill civilians?”

    I met his gaze, my voice firm “They’re not civilians, Raclen. They’re rogues–our enemies

    Before he could respond, a rogue behind us shitted into a wolf and howled at the moon, Then, without warning, he charged straight for Raelen

    “Looks like if we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us,” shouted, as I stopped another rogue from sneaking up behind me.

    The arena erupted into chaos, bodies shifting, growling, and shing with each other,

    I shifted quickly, feeling the familiar brush /bof power surge through me. But when I called to my woll.. nothing

    My blood ran cold

    I couldn’t shit. Not now, not over. What the hell was happening?

    Thorne’s voice broke through my panic. “Focus, ra!”

    I snapped back to reality, barely dodging a rogue’s ws. Thorne had already killed the engue, his movements swift and precise.

    “What are you doing just standing there?” he barked at me.

    I

    “I can’t shift! What’s happening?” I was shaking, my voice barely a whisper.

    Thorne’s brow furrowed in concern. After a long pause, he spoke, his voice colder than I’d ever heard. “Me neither.”

    Fear gripped me. What the hell was going on?

    Then, Raelen rushed over, his body smeared with blood. “I can’t shift either. And neither can Bex His voice was frantic. “Can you!”

    I shook my head, panic beginning to rise in my chest.

    Jory, the only one still able to shift, looked just as confused, “There’s nothing I’ve heard of that could stop us.”

    Thorne, ever the calm leader, stood tall. “We’ll handle this. Focus.”

    His bvoice /bwas so steady, so calm, that it forced my heart to slow. Still, the uncertainty gnawed at me.

    Then, the woman’s bvoice /bechoed again. “Very good.”

    Her tone was amused, as though she were watching an entertaining

    I shot a re toward the stands. “Are we done here?”

    She giggled, almost childishly. “Not yet.”

    show

    The tension in the air thickened. “Most rogues are loners,” she said. “But you? You’ve made it as a group.”

    I clenched my fists, my heart hammering in my chest. “What’s your point??

    She let out a sharpugh. “Now for the final round… Kill a friend. To prove that you’re truly one of us.”