CHAPTER 73: THE FIGHT

Kaya

The night wind is so cold it feels like my bones are freezing from the inside out. Each time it howls through the trees, it sends a wave of tremors down my spine—a thousand sharp ripples urging me to succumb to fear. But I grit my teeth and refuse to yield.

The note I slipped under Gloria’s door asked her to meet me here—behind the storage area at the edge of the training grounds—at exactly one in the morning, long after everyone else had gone to sleep.

And now... here I am.

Standing alone beneath the flickering lamplight, I shiver—not just from the icy wind, but from the weight of what this night might become. Whatever happens here, I know it will change something inside me. Maybe everything.

I’ve been waiting for almost an hour, my breath visible in the air, nerves tight and fraying. A small part of me still hopes she won’t come—that maybe she read the note, found it ridiculous, and tossed it aside.

That part of me, the one still trembling beneath the surface, would be relieved.

But I know I have to face this. I need to.

And as if summoned by the resolve that’s taken root in my chest, the sound of heavy footsteps crunches through the gravel behind me. I spin around, heart pounding.

Gloria emerges from the shadows like a predator on the hunt—confident, composed, exuding danger with every step. Her gait is purposeful, her eyes glinting with amusement as she closes the distance between us.

"Oh my, I didn’t think you’d actually show up," she sneers, stopping right in front of me. Her presence looms, tall and imposing, despite the simplicity of her training clothes. She looks completely unfazed, as if this meeting is nothing more than a minor inconvenience—something she’s already decided can’t touch her.

"So? What is this all about?"

I’m honestly impressed by how unfazed she acts. This is the same woman who drugged me—and sent a rogue to assault me afterward—yet she stands here playing the role of the innocent, wide-eyed bystander.

Maybe she would’ve made a perfect match for someone like Damien.

"Why did you do it?" I get straight to the point.

Her expression falters, the mask slipping just enough to reveal the truth: the innocent act is no longer an option.

Gloria frowns, saying nothing for a full minute. Then, with a scoff and a dramatic roll of her eyes, she finally speaks. "The real question is—why didn’t I do it sooner?"

She steps forward, and for a brief second, the faint gleam of her white fangs glints under the low light.

"Everyone knows you don’t belong here," she hisses, lips curling back in contempt. "You’re nothing but a whore. You’ve got no place among us—nothing to offer except your cunt. I was just giving you a chance to prove that it’s the only thing you’re good for."

Her words should’ve hurt. But oddly... they don’t.

Maybe it’s because I’ve heard them before—whispers behind my back, glances in the hallway, judgments that clung to me like shadows.

I was nobody. Until I became someone.

Damien’s favorite. His chosen. A convenient distraction when his Luna couldn’t bear to touch him.

But I’m not that Kaya anymore.

I’m no longer the silver-eyed whore hanging onto a powerful man for scraps of purpose. I’m here. And I’ve bled, fought, and clawed my way into every inch of space I’ve claimed.

And if proving my worth means stepping into the fire—then so be it.

"I’ll do it," I say, steady and sharp, my gaze locked with hers.

Gloria blinks, thrown off for the first time. "What?"

She looks genuinely confused—despite the fact that she’s the one who issued the challenge only moments ago.

"I’ll prove my worth," I say, steady and unwavering.

Gloria sneers. "And how the fuck are you planning to do that?"

I don’t answer with words.

Instead, I lunge.

My fist slams against her cheekbone with a force that sends shockwaves through my hand, pain exploding up my arm like lightning. The impact isn’t elegant—but it’s real. And it lands.

Gloria reels back, caught off-guard—not by the power of the hit, but by the fact that I dared to throw it at all. She staggers, almost losing her balance, but the surprise fades fast. Too fast.

When she straightens, her eyes are darker than night—burning with rage. Hate radiates off her in waves so fierce, I feel my blood go cold.

"You fucking bitch," she snarls, her fangs flashing briefly as her wolf threatens to surface. She reins it in—but barely. Her fists tighten, trembling from the effort.

And then she strikes.

Her punch cuts through the air, grazing just inches from my face. I stumble back, breath tearing through my lungs in ragged bursts, barely managing to keep myself upright before she barrels toward me again.

This isn’t training.

This isn’t play.

This is a battlefield—and her body is a weapon forged for it. Precise. Brutal. Unrelenting.

I’ve sparred before—with Samantha, with Oliver, with Magnus. I’ve taken hits. I’ve landed a few. But nothing has prepared me for this.

Gloria’s next blow comes fast and vicious. I duck instinctively, her fist whistling past where my jaw had been a heartbeat earlier.

My back slams against the storehouse wall with a loud, jarring thud. Pain blooms across my shoulder blades as stars dance behind my eyes—but I bite down and force myself to move. I roll aside just in time as her boot smashes into the wood, splintering it with a sickening crack.

She would’ve shattered me if I hadn’t moved.

"You’re pathetic," she growls, turning to face me with a gleam of bloodlust in her eyes. "You think this is going to change anything? You’ll still be the weak little slut who got lucky."

I say nothing. Words don’t matter now. So instead, I launch forward, ducking low and ramming my shoulder into her ribs. She grunts, but doesn’t fall. Instead, she grabs a handful of my hair and slams her knee into my stomach. The air whooshes out of my lungs, and I collapse to the ground, gagging.

Pain explodes behind my ribs. But I’ve lived through worse.

I’ve lived through my first pack. Through Dark Wood and its hatred. Through countless betrayals. Gloria’s fists are nothing compared to what the world has already thrown my way.

I spit blood onto the dirt and rise again. Her lips twitch upward in a cruel smile. "You don’t know when to stay down."

"No," I gasp. "I don’t."

I rush her again, this time going for her legs. My shoulder slams into her thigh, and I manage to take her down with me. We hit the ground together in a tangle of limbs. I elbow her in the gut, grab her by the collar, and try to punch her again, but she’s stronger—faster. She catches my wrist midair and twists it until I cry out, then flips us over with ease.

Now I’m pinned.

Her knees dig into my arms, and her hand grips my throat—not to strangle, not yet, just to humiliate. Her claws are half-formed now, dragging over my skin, drawing tiny droplets of blood.

"You don’t belong here," she reminds me again in such a venomous voice, it makes my stomach churn. "You think being Magnus’s whore gives you a place in our ranks? You think you matter? He’ll grow tired of you. He’ll see what the rest of us already know."

She leans closer. "You’re not a warrior. You’re a stain."

And then, because she wants to crush me fully, she spits in my face.

Rage lights me up like a match to dry tinder. With every ounce of fury in my blood, I twist my arm free and slam my fist into her jaw again. It’s sloppier than my first hit—my wrist burns from the angle—but it’s enough. She jerks back just enough for me to roll and throw her off.

We scramble to our feet at the same time. She’s panting now. Hair wild. Blood smearing her cheek from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes—once a cold, polished shade of hazel—are blazing gold.

"I’m fucking done with you, bitch!"

Something inside her snaps. I feel it in the ground. In the air.

She rips off her shirt, growling as her muscles contort. Bones snap. Her eyes go fully golden as her face elongates, fangs pushing through. Fur bursts across her arms, her legs—her whole body shifting with terrifying speed.

Her wolf is imposing and gleaming with power. Easily a foot taller than me even on four legs. Her eyes lock on mine, and in that instant, I know this is no longer a test of strength.

I am getting what I came here for.