Chapter 1: The Girl No one Choose to see
"Keep your guard up, Aria!"
Commander Maddox's deep and booming voice echoed across the Crimson Moon Pack's training ground.
While a young warrior charged towards her with a wooden sword, aria side-stepped the attack effortlessly.
Before her opponent could recover, she twisted him from behind, hooked her foot swiftly round his ankle, and shoved him forward with a quick move. With face-first, he landed in dirt, letting off a loud groan.
Suddenly, laughter erupted from the surrounding warriors.
Humbled, bran pushed himself forward, onto his elbows, while glaring up at aria.
"I wasn't ready, you know."
He said, dusting off dirt's from his hair, down to his clothes.
"You charged first," Aria replied, lowering her practice sword.
"I slipped." He added.
" And you fell." Aria replied, with a soft grin .
Suddenly, laughter erupted once again from the surrounding warriors, who stood by watching the entire scenario.
"He just got beaten by a lady" A warrior said, with a deep uncontrollable laughter.
"I'd hide my face in shame, if I were him..it's embarrassing" Another added.
"Weren't y'all beaten up by this same lady ?" Bran defended.
Suddenly, deep silence filled the surrounding.
Commander maddox crossed his arms. With a deep sigh, he spoke.
"Enough, Again"
Bran let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Commander, if she keeps beating us this way at every given time, I bet none of us will ever find mates. The girls will definitely think we're hopeless."
"They thought that before today's training," Commander maddox answered roughly.
Even Aria couldn't stop the laughter that lingered at her lips.
"Get up, Bran"
"Be brave" She added, offering her hands in assistance.
He accepted, before muttering.
"One day, I'll definitely beat you."
"This words aren't new, it's been in existence since you were fifteen, Bran."
Aria replied,with a soft smile across her face.
"One day, I assure you." Bran added.
"Let's hope for that." Aria replied, briefly.
The morning sun stretched across the vast training grounds, illuminating dozens of young warriors locked in combat. Wooden swords clashed briefly, wolves shifted in and out of human form during endurance drills, while Commander Maddox moved from group to group correcting the mistakes of young warriors, preparing them for battle.
Among them warriors, Aria moved with effortless confidence. She wasn't the fastest wolf in the pack, neither was she the largest, but she possessed something many lacked, discipline.
Every strike she made was calculated, every dodge economical, every movement purposeful. It was why, despite being only twenty-two, she had earned the respect of nearly every warrior who had ever sparred against her.
"Three against one," Commander maddox ordered.
Three young warriors, stepped forward immediately.
One of the warriors, nervously scratched the back of his neck and mumbled.
"Commander... does it really have to be Aria?"
Commander maddox raised an eyebrow, with a face straight, he replied.
"Afraid?"
More laughter spread across the field.
Aria twirled the wooden sword once before taking her stance, while three warriors surrounded her.
"Begin."
The first attacked high, the second aimed low, while the third waited for an opening.
Aria anticipated all three. She blocked the first strike, dodged beneath the second, spun on her heel, and struck the third lightly across the wrist.
His weapon flew into the air.
Before the others could recover, she swept one's legs from beneath him, and tapped the other with the tip of her wooden sword against his chest.
The fight ended almost as quickly as it had begun. While, Commander maddox nodded approvingly, impressed by aria's performance.
"Good," He said.
The defeated warriors, who were all laying on the floor groaned in unison.
"I hate fighting her," One said.
"You hate losing," Bran corrected.
As the men dispersed, a completely different kind of laughter aroused toward the training grounds.
Immediately, every young warrior instinctively turned.
A group of young female wolves walked past the stone path carrying baskets filled with silver ribbons, moon flowers, lengthy glittering fabric and sparkling beads.
The Lunar Ascension Festival was only few days away.
Nearly every unmated female wolves, were consumed by the preparation for the festival, in Crimson Moon Pack.
Excited conversations between the female wolves, filled the air.
"I finally finished my dress." One said, to the others.
"My mother embroidered silver thread into mine, take a look." The other said, stretching her fabric.
"I heard Alpha Kael himself will open the ceremony." Another added sharply
"I wonder who he'd dance with." One said, with a brief sigh.
"I'd faint if he'd even looked at me." Another added.
The girls dissolved into giggles. While, they glanced towards the training field.
"Eventually, they are still covered in mud" One said, with a brief laughter.
"Even worse, a girl chooses to fill herself with mud, other than prepare for the upcoming festival..." another said, in disgust.
"Really pathetic!!" They echoed.
Brief laughter followed before the girls towards the village square, while, aria watched them disappear between the houses.
Aria brushed her fingers along the scar on the left side of her face, a permanent reminder of the rogue attack that had nearly claimed her life when she was ten.
Children used to ask about it, female wolves often degrade her with it, everyone considered her unattractive due to it, beauty mattered, grace mattered, charm mattered, while scars do not, in finding a legitimate mate.
Commander Maddox noticed her attention had suddenly wandered.
"Thinking about the festival?" He said, softly.
Aria quickly lowered her head.
"Not really, commander"
"You should attend." He said.
"I have no choice." She replied briefly, in a saddened tone.
Suddenly, the sound of approaching horses, echoed round the training grounds, silencing every conversation.
Within seconds, warriors straightened their backs. Commander maddox stepped forward. Everyone quickly maintained order.
Alpha Kael Stormfang had arrived.
He dismounted his black stallion studly with ease. Someone who had spent his growing years commanding both warriors and wolves. Tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a black leather coat embroidered with the silver crescent of his pack, Kael naturally carried authority as he breathed.
His Beta, Rowan Frost, followed by, a step behind him.
"Commander," Kael greeted.
"Alpha." Commander maddox responded, with curtsy.
"How is their progress?" Kael asked, Scanning the warriors briefly.
"They're improving." Commander maddox replied.
He stepped aside immediately, allowing the Alpha to observe the ongoing drills.
Kael's sharp golden eyes moved from one group to another.
He rarely interrupted, he simply watched, studied, and judged.
His approval was difficult to earn, his disappointment even harder to forget.
***
Kael had inspected these grounds countless times over the years. Usually,the faces blurred together, young warriors competed eagerly to impress, While, experienced fighters refined their old habits.
Until, a sudden movement near the center of the field caught his attention.
A young female wolf, effortlessly disarmed a valiant warrior, before helping him back to his feet.
Impressed, kael watched another sparring round begin.
Again, she won. Cleanly and efficiently, without unnecessary movement.
He glanced toward Beta Rowan.
"Who is she?"
Beta Rowan immediately followed his gaze.
"Aria Moonclaw...the blacksmith's daughter"
Kael maintained silence once more, while keeping an eye on the performance.
Commander maddox joined them. Noticing how keen kael watched aria's performance, his face gladden.
"She's one of the strongest young fighters we've produced in years."
"Her skills are Impressive, No doubt"
Kael respond, redirecting his focus back toward the young woman.
"It is, indeed." Maddox responded, with a nod.
A brief moment of silence prevailed for a while, then suddenly, kael broke the silence.
"She's a fierce warrior.. but It'd be difficult to find a worthy mate, because she's without beauty and influence"
Maddox gave a single nod.
"I'm afraid so."
At that moment, Aria looked up, their eyes met only briefly.
She immediately lowered her gaze in respectful acknowledgement, before redirecting her attention to cleaning her practice sword.
Kael found himself watching her for another second longer before redirecting his focus elsewhere. Most warriors sought his attention whenever he visited the training grounds, but she had done the opposite.
"Alpha."
An elder approached carrying several scrolls.
"We need your approval for the festival patrol rotations."
Duty had reclaimed his attention. Kael accepted the scrolls without an utter.
Yet, as he walked towards the commanding building, an unexpected thought concerning the young female warrior lingered around his mind.
He wondered why, but failed to realize the answers.
Unknown to him, soon the answers would change his fate forever.
