The Salvation Trials ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Past

Winnie Melbourne

The contender lunges, going low and aiming for my legs. I anticipate the move and side step him. The male flies by me, the snapping of his jaws loud in my ears. My wolf snarls and turns sharply, opening our jaws and biting down hard on the male's tail. He howls in pain as I clamp down harder and drag him with all my strength, tossing him a few feet away.

Alpha Kayson watches from the side, Beta James holding him back. I feel his worry through the bond but there's nothing he can do. The only thing he is capable of at this moment is to pray to the Mother Goddesses that all the training he did to prepare me for my first challenge would come in handy right now.

Before the male can get to his feet, I'm on him. He yelps as my teeth clamp down on his shoulder hard enough to scrape bone. My claws make quick work of his skin and muscles on his left side, turning it into ribbons. Blood pours onto the snow in steady flows, staining and tainting the pure white color. I take joy in the taste of his blood in my mouth and enjoy as his yelps turn into weak whimpers. His fear is so strong it stains the air around him and turns the taste of his blood into a sweetness I crave.

"The contender has submitted!", Alpha Kayson yells. I immediately release the male and allow him to limp away. "Let the pack recognize that Winnie Melbourne has won. Are there any other challenges?"

Another male steps forward and I widen my stance, puffing my fur and standing taller to appear more intimidating than I already am. My pitch black wolf sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd of lighter color wolves but it doesn't matter. I am the Shadow Wolf.

He takes a defensive stance and we circle each other, looking for any weakness. My eyes flit across his form, noting some fur missing in patches and the irritated skin that's exposed. My snout crinkles into a silent snarl as I realize he's suffered a recent injury to his chest. It'll still be tender and sore, giving me the perfect advantage.

I lunge, faking a right. The male falls for my trick and exposes his left side. With the precision only a Goddess could have, I snap to the left quickly and snag his ear. My teeth sink into the cartilage and I yank him down. His face slams into the snow and I release his ear quickly, going for his exposed chest. My teeth graze the irritated skin and he immediately howls in pain, pulling back from me and then dropping to the ground, rolling on his back, and showing me his neck in submission.

"Let the pack recognize Winnie Melbourne has won by way of submission! Are there any other -", Alpha Kayson starts but is cut off.

Two wolves barrel into me at the same time, catching me off my guard and throwing me off my paws.

"Stand down!", Alpha Kayson yells.

They won't, he knows that. As I climb to my paws and snarl at both wolves, there's nothing Alpha Kayson can do. I have accepted the challenge of both wolves.

They both growl at me and lunge at the same time. With a growl, I go for the right wolf and skirt past the one on the left, barely missing his claws. I slam into him and we go barreling over one another. I land on top of him and snap my jaws in his face, going for his neck. He's smart and tucks his chin, hiding his neck and giving his friend time to tackle me.

The force alone of the other wolf slamming into me cracks one of my ribs and I feel the pain all the way up my side. I scramble to my feet and lunge forward, tucking my chin and slamming my head into his chest. I feel his sternum give away under the pressure and I push forward more, causing him to fall backwards.

Ignoring him, I go for the last remaining wolf standing, stepping on the other's chest as I do so. His breath rattles in his chest, his breathing labored, letting me know that I did serious damage that he most likely won't be recovering from.

Claws leave gashes down my left side as we collide and I howl at the burning pain. Turning my attention to my left, I realize another wolf has joined the fight. My eyes find Alpha Kayson's and he gives me a firm nod, the rage of an Alpha Wolf in his eyes.

I don't waste a second. With a snarl, the Shadows dart forward. The two wolves immediately back away, snapping their jaws in a poor attempt to protect themselves. While they're distracted, I dart forward and grab ahold of one of their front legs. My powerful jaws snap the limb but I don't stop there. With a grunt, I yank back as hard as I can. The wolf howls in agony as I rip the limb off, throwing it to the side with a vicious snarl.

Blood splatters across the ground as the wolf starts his descent to the ground. Before he can even touch the snow fully, I clamp my large jaws around his face and apply a crushing force. His howls turn into just an echo as I crush his skull, instantly killing him.

The other wolf looks at me in horror and turns, running as fast as he can to make it to the packhouse. He gets to the concrete leading to the stair but I don't let him get any further than that before I trample him. I have easily fifty pounds on him and I use the extra weight to my advantage, crushing his ribs and cracking his head open. He whines and I back off enough to shift back, crouching low and staring at the wolf.

I don't say anything but my eyes tell him what I'm going to do. Before he can scramble away, I pounce on him. The concrete scrapes my knees and I push away the stinging pain, grabbing his wolf head between my hands. I force him to look at me, giving him a feral grin before I slam his head down onto the concrete. He yelps in pain but I don't let up, bringing his head back up and slamming it back down. The male scrambles to get out from underneath me, claws cutting my upper arms, chest, and lower legs. I tighten my thighs around his ribs and the bones crack as I slam his head against the concrete one more time. He stills and I feel his packlink fall away.

Breathing heavily, I sit back and look up at Alpha Kayson who looks down at me from the front porch of the packhouse. "Let the pack acknowledge that Winnie Melbourne has won every challenge today. Are there any other challengers that wish to take on Winnie?"

The pack is silent, some stepping back in fear. I stand and accept the black velvet robe handed to me by Beta James, putting it on and staring at the pack. I bare my teeth and watch as they flinch.

The Shadow Wolf has won.