[Third Person].
Soon, the council chamber transford. What was once a room of deliberation was now an arena.
Chairs had been cleared. The centre space stood open beneath the high ceiling. Elders sat in a half-circle. Behind them, nobles, warriors, and invited spectators filled every available space. The air buzzed with expectation.
At the centre stood redith and Wanda. Then, Reginald stepped forward, his voice carrying across the chamber.
"This duel will last fifteen minutes," he announced. "It is not a fight to the death. The objective is dominance and submission. Excessive lethal force is prohibited. When the ti is up, or if one party yields or is rendered unable to continue, the duel ends."
He turned to Wanda, then redith, hiding his smugness. "Do you understand?"
redith inclined her head. "I do."
"I do." Wanda’s lips curved faintly.
The guards stepped back, and silence fell.
Then, Wanda shifted. Her wolf burst forward in a ripple of muscle and dark-brown fur, strong and battle-trained. Gasps rose from parts of the audience.
redith did not rush as she stepped forward calmly. "Valmora," she spoke inwardly, "You must rember that no matter how excited you are, you must not show any aura."
A low, annoyed hum answered her. "As much as I’m pissed, I will try."
redith shifted into her white wolf. And imdiately, small whispers rippled through the chamber.
"The Luna is a white wolf?"
"White wolves are rare."
"The Luna’s wolf looks... lighter."
Draven remained still, arms crossed, eyes locked on the arena.
Wanda lunged first, fast and sharply, with a direct shoulder strike ant to test strength. redith moved just enough, and the impact missed by a few inches.
Wanda spun and swiped, her claws slicing through the air. But redith bent low, pivoted, and retreated two steps. She did not counter.
Another attack from Wanda followed. And another. And each ti, redith either deflected, slipped aside, or redirected.
To the untrained eye, it looked like she was being pressed back.
Reginald leaned forward slightly. "Yes," he muttered under his breath.
But among the older warriors in the crowd, expressions changed.
"She’s not retreating," one murmured quietly. "She’s asuring."
Wanda attacked again, this ti with a feint before a rear-leg sweep. redith blocked, letting herself slide across the floor.
A shallow claw grazed her side, and imdiately, gasps erupted. On the other hand, Draven did not panic while watching his mate deliberately take that scratch.
redith rose calmly as Wanda’s confidence grew. She now circled redith aggressively, hackles raised, breathing more heavily.
redith’s movents remained light and precise. She allowed Wanda to strike again, but at the last mont, she quickly deflected it. She redirected another lunge, then proceeded to sidestep another.
The pattern beca obvious.
Wanda’s breathing grew uneven as her attacks lost calculation. She snarled in frustration.
The elders began whispering.
"The Luna is baiting her."
"Exactly. She is letting Miss Fellowes exhaust herself."
Randall’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, while Reginald’s jaw tightened. ’Don’t tell I was wrong again this ti.’
anwhile, Wanda roared and launched forward in blind rage. And that was the mont redith had been waiting for.
redith advanced. Her body slipped beneath Wanda’s charge with frightening accuracy. A swift twist of her torso—her shoulder slamd with Wanda’s exposed joint.
Instantly, a sickening crack echoed.
Wanda yelped. But before she could recover, redith pivoted and struck her hind leg, her teeth sinking just enough to tear a tendon.
Wanda collapsed on one side. At the sa ti, shock rippled through the chamber.
redith did not stop. She deliberately, and unhurriedly, circled her once. Then she swiped across Wanda’s ribs with controlled force.
Another crack followed.
Wanda tried to rise, but redith pressed her paw against Wanda’s shoulder and pushed her back down.
The image was unmistakable. redith was indeed treating Wanda like her plaything, just as Draven told her.
Wanda snarled weakly, trying to snap back, but redith moved faster, pinning her throat to the stone floor, just enough pressure to remind her who could.
The chamber fell utterly silent. Even the whispers died.
For a fraction of a second, Valmora stirred—a small, ancient, predatory pulse. And instantly, the air thickened.
Several elders stiffened. "What was that—?"
But the sensation vanished almost imdiately because redith was quick to suppress it. Though no one could define what they had felt, they felt it.
Draven’s lips curved faintly, while Randall’s eyes glead with quiet pride.
On the other hand, Wanda’s body trembled beneath redith’s paw. She struggled weakly, but unfortunately, she could neither rise nor retaliate.
The fifteen-minute mark had not yet been reached, but the outco was undeniable.
redith leaned closer, her voice low enough that only Wanda could hear. "You should have calculated better. But then again, if there is a next ti, I will take your life."
Then she stepped back and released her. Almost imdiately, Wanda tried to stand, but her injured leg gave out, and she collapsed again she sheer hatred and humiliation sparking in her heart.
Just then, the tikeeper’s voice rang out shakily. "The duel... is concluded."
No one cheered. Everyone was too stunned to react.
anwhile, Reginald’s face had gone pale. His pride has been publicly dismantled. Even several elders avoided looking at him.
At the sa ti, Daven stepped forward at last with a steady voice. "My mate has proven her wolf. Proven her strength. Proven her control."
Then, his gaze swept the chamber. "You lot signed your nas."
The elders who had signed shifted uneasily. One by one, so of them rose and offered a deep bow.
"I... swear loyalty to the reign of King Draven and Queen redith."
Others reluctantly followed, but audibly.
Randall remained seated, but his expression carried unmistakable approval.
Reginald did not speak. He simply could not. He was dealing with several negative emotions at the sa ti.
anwhile, Wanda was being helped up by attendants. She was completely unable to walk without support. Her breath was ragged, and her mind was completely in disarray.
redith hadn’t spared her at all. Her humiliation was complete.
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