Chapter 48: Chapter 48
Two hours.
I had two hours to prepare for a fight against someone who’d been planning this for weeks.
Maria was already pulling out fresh combat gear when we got back to my suite. "This is insane. You just finished the Compassion Challenge. You’re emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and your rib from Jake—"
"Is mostly healed." I stripped off the white dress. "Werewolf perks."
"Sophie." Christian’s voice was tight. "You don’t have to do this. I can refuse the challenge on grounds that it’s—"
"You can’t refuse. Elder Sarah made that clear." I pulled on the fighting clothes. "And honestly? I’m tired of Vanessa’s games. Let’s end this."
"She’s been training for this," Connor said from the doorway. "I asked around. Vanessa’s been working with warriors from other packs. She knows your fighting style from watching your trials."
"Good. Then she’ll expect me to fight smart." I met his eyes. "So I’ll fight smarter."
Jessica appeared with water and protein bars. "Eat. Hydrate.
And remember—Vanessa’s biggest weakness is her ego. Use it."
The training ground was packed again.
Apparently, two Luna challenges in one day was entertainment nobody wanted to miss.
Vanessa stood in the center ring wearing combat gear that looked custom-made and expensive. Her red hair was pulled back in a perfect braid. Her stance was confident.
She looked fresh. Rested. Ready.
I looked like I’d been hit by a truck.
Because I basically had been.
"Luna candidate Sophie Turner versus challenger Vanessa Blackwood," Elder Thompson announced. "Single combat trial. Standard rules apply. The fight continues until yield, unconsciousness, or inability to continue."
Christian stood at the edge with Marcus holding his shoulder. His sandalwood scent was flooding the arena with barely controlled Alpha rage.
"This is your last chance to back down," Vanessa said as we approached the center. "Walk away, and I’ll make sure you
leave Shadow Ridge with your dignity intact."
"That’s sweet. But no."
"Your funeral." Her smile was vicious. "I’ve been training for this since the day Christian rejected me. I know every move you’ll make before you make it."
Connor signaled the start.
Vanessa attacked immediately.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
I barely blocked her first combination. Her second caught my shoulder, spinning me.
The crowd gasped.
Vanessa was good. Really good.
"You’re already tired," she taunted, circling. "Already hurting. This will be quick."
She came at me again. I dodged but felt my exhaustion slowing my reactions.
This was bad.
"Tom was right to reject you," Vanessa said, landing a hit to my ribs—the same ones Jake cracked. "You’re not Luna material. You’re just a broken female who got lucky."
Pain exploded through my side.
Christian roared from the edge. Marcus and Connor both had to hold him back.
"He told me all about you," Vanessa continued, pressing her advantage. "How clingy you were. How desperate. How relieved he was when he finally got rid of you."
My wolf snarled.
"And Christian?" Vanessa’s laugh was cruel. "He’s just bored. Once he claims you and the novelty wears off, he’ll realize what Tom already knew—you’re not worth keeping."
She landed another hit.
I went down.
The crowd went silent.
"Stay down," Vanessa whispered. "It’s over."
I tasted blood. My empathic senses were screaming. My body was done.
But then I felt it.
Christian’s terror through our bond. His desperate need to protect me.
And I realized something.
I wasn’t fighting for myself.
I was fighting for him. For us. For the pack that had started to accept me.
I pushed myself up.
"Not over yet."
Vanessa’s expression flickered with surprise.
I opened my empathic senses fully. Let myself feel her emotions.
Desperation. Insecurity. Fear that she’d never be enough.
Oh.
"You’re terrified," I said softly. "Not of losing to me. Of never being chosen. Of always being second best."
Vanessa’s confident mask cracked. "Shut up."
"Christian didn’t choose you because you weren’t good enough. He didn’t choose you because you weren’t his mate. That’s not personal—that’s fate."
"I said shut up!" She attacked wildly.
There it was. The opening.
Her overconfidence, her desperation, her rage—all of it made her sloppy.
I dodged. Countered. Used her momentum against her.
Landed a perfect strike to her solar plexus.
Vanessa gasped, stumbling.
I swept her legs. She went down hard.
Before she could recover, I had her pinned. Pressure point at her throat—not enough to hurt, just enough to control.
"Yield," I said.
"Never."
I increased pressure slightly. "I don’t want to hurt you. But I will finish this. Yield."
Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears of rage and humiliation.
"I yield," she choked out.
The crowd erupted.
I released her and stood. I offered my hand.
She slapped it away. "Don’t pretend to be gracious. You won. Congratulations."
Elder Thompson entered the ring. "Winner: Luna Sophie Turner. The challenge has been answered, and—"
"Wait," Connor interrupted, holding up something. "There’s evidence of cheating."
Everyone went silent.
Connor showed a small vial he’d found in Vanessa’s gear bag.
"Bloodwrath serum. Banned substances that enhances strength and aggression temporarily."
Vanessa’s face went pale. "That’s not mine."
"It has your scent all over it," Connor said flatly.
Christian stepped into the ring, his expression murderous. "You used illegal enhancements?"
"I didn’t use it! I just had it as backup—"
"Same thing." Elder Thompson’s voice was cold. "Vanessa Blackwood, you are hereby stripped of all rank and privileges for attempting to cheat during a formal Luna challenge."
"She should be exiled," Elder Sarah said quickly. Too quickly.
I turned to look at her. "Why are you so eager to exile her? Almost like you knew about the serum?"
Elder Sarah’s expression flickered.
"Sophie makes a fair point," Elder Marcus said slowly. "Perhaps we should investigate whether Vanessa had help with this plan."
"That’s unnecessary," Elder Sarah said tightly.
"I disagree," Elder Patricia added. "Vanessa, who gave you that serum?"
Vanessa looked between Elder Sarah and me. Weighing her options.
"Elder Sarah suggested it," Vanessa finally said. "Told me it would level the playing field since Sophie had Alpha advantages."
The crowd gasped.
Elder Sarah’s face went red. "That’s a lie!"
"Is it?" Christian’s Alpha voice made everyone flinch. "Because you’ve been opposing Sophie from the beginning. Supporting every obstacle. Almost like you wanted her to fail."
Elder Thompson turned to Elder Sarah. "You will answer these accusations formally. But first—Vanessa Blackwood, what is your punishment request, Luna Sophie?"
Everyone looked at me.
Christian wanted exile. I could see it in his eyes.
But...
"She stays," I said.
"What?" Vanessa looked shocked.
"She stays in the pack. Stripped of rank, assigned to basic duties under supervision. But she stays where we can see her.
Where she can’t become a martyr or an enemy plotting revenge from outside our borders."
Elder Thompson nodded slowly. "A wise judgment. Mercy tempered with caution."
"I don’t want your mercy," Vanessa spat.
"Too bad. You’re getting it anyway." I met her eyes. "You’ll work for this pack. Prove yourself through service instead of schemes. Maybe you’ll figure out who you actually are when you stop trying to be someone’s Luna."
Vanessa looked like she wanted to argue, but Elder Thompson was already finalizing the judgment.
"Luna Sophie Turner has passed all trials and answered all challenges," Elder Thompson announced. "She is hereby recognized as Shadow Ridge’s Luna, pending the formal claiming ceremony."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Jessica was screaming. Maria was crying. Connor actually smiled.
And Christian—
Christian crossed the ring in three strides, ignoring all protocol, and pulled me into his arms.
"You’re incredible," he murmured against my hair. "Brilliant and merciful and absolutely insane."
"I learned from the best."
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hazel eyes blazing amber with barely controlled desire.
Christian lips crashed against mine in front of the entire pack. And I kissed him back, not caring who was watching, not caring about protocol or politics or anything except finally—finally—being his.
When we broke apart, both breathing hard, Christian whispered against my lips, "Mine."
"Yours," I agreed.
"I am going to make you Luna in every way that matters."
With that, he carried me to his room.
